Florida Folk Artist
Culbreath "Cubby" Whitehead
Jun. 18, 1927 - Jul. 31, 2013
Dancer, Puppeteer, Storyteller, Musician, FOFF and folk organizer
Cubby and his old jawbone
Don Grooms, Jim Billie, Dennis Devine, Wayne Martin, Cubby (Culbreath)Whitehead
Cubby presenting puppet show at White Springs
Cubby dancing at Florida Folk Festival
photo around 1960
Whitehead, Culbreath Cecil Jun. 18, 1927 - Jul. 31, 2013 Culbreath Cecil Whitehead, 86, of Sarasota, FL . Cubby was a well known fixture in the Florida folk scene. You could find him dancing, doing puppet shows, or playing the old jawbone on stage with Don Grooms and Chief Jimmie Billie.
Hailing from Sarasota, Cubby was a longtime participant in the Florida Folk Festival. In addition to leading two dance groups, the Sarasota engineer organized informal square dances at the White Springs clubhouse and gave craft demonstrations.
The “Whitehead Family Dancers” - Cubby and wife, Jeanie, son Craig and daughter Randi performed Danish and Swedish dances. The International Folk Dancers, a group of professional people would meet at the Whitehead recreation house and do Russian and English dances for area festivals. Whitehead was a lifetime member of the Florida Folk Dance Council (FFDC)
Culbreath (Cubby) Whitehead and his wife Jeanie were among the co-founders of the Florida Folk Dance Council. They met in 1954 at the Methodist Youth Camp in Leesburg, Florida, when he was teaching folk dance and she was attending. They led the Sarasota folk dance group for many years. They gave performances around the state, with the highlight being at the Florida Folk Festival in White Springs, Florida, every year. In later years, they founded the Sarasota Scottish Country Dancers, again performing for Robert Burns Nights dinners and at White Springs. Cubby also was one of the founders of Friends of Florida Folk, in 1982
The photo, taken in 2007, shows Jeanie Whitehead with her dulcimer
In North Carolina, Jeanie joined a dulcimer group in Franklin and was on the Arts Council of Macon County. Jeanie Whitehead, born February 24, 1933, passed away in Asheville, NC on January 20, 2012.
