8. Alan White
Alan White was born on the 14th June 1949, in Pelton, County Durham, in the north of England. From the age of 6 he had taken piano lessons, but his uncle noted that he played percussively and suggested that the drums might be his instrument. He received his first drum kit from his parents at the age of 12. His first Ajax kit was later replaced by a Ludwig set. He began, almost immediately, to develop his own style of play, not wishing to become a clone of his instructor.
Aged 13, he joined his first band,
The Downbeats, covering such acts as The Beatles and Gerry and the Pacemakers, playing in working mens' clubs and dance halls up to 7 nights a week. Alan was busted by his teachers when the band was featured in the local newspaper. Changing their name to
Blue Chips, the band travelled to London and entered a competition organized by Melody Maker. Following the success in that competition, the band recorded several singles, but none charted and the band split after returning to the north.
At 17, White joined Billy Fury's The Gamblers, then Happy Magazine (Griffin) and The Alan Price Set.
In 1969, he joined
The Plastic Ono Band on the invitation of John Lennon. He also played as a session musician on Lennon's "Imagine" and George Harrison's "All Things Must Pass".
He worked with Denny Laine in his band
Balls and
Ginger Baker's Air Force and also with Steve Winwood and Terry Reid.
While playing as a member of
Griffin, White shared a flat with
Eddie Offord and became acquainted with the members of
Yes through him, filling in for
Bill Bruford on one occasion when Bill has to leave during a rehearsal of Siberian Khatru. When Bruford left Yes, White was offered his position and had a week to learn the band's material for the upcoming tour in support of Close To The Edge. White's drums are first heard on Yessongs, the resulting live album from that tour. He has continued to be associated with various incarnations of Yes ever since.
He played on solo works by several Yes members;
Steve Howe's Beginnings and The Steve Howe Album,
Rick Wakeman's Criminal Record, Six Wives of Henry VIII and
Trevor Rabin's Can't Look Away.
In 1976, he released his only solo work, Ramshackled.
He has played with Seattle bands,
MerKaBa and
Treason. In 2003, work on a MerKaBa album resulted in the formation of the band
White. Alan has also been associated with
Billy Sherwood and
Tony Kaye in
CIRCA.
In 2017, Alan White was inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame as a member of Yes. He chose not to delight the audience with details about his bodily functions.
More details of Alan White's work can be found on his website
here.
