Alan White (Yes drummer)
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Alan White (born June 14, 1949) is a rock and roll drummer best known for his thirty years of work with the progressive rock band Yes. In all, White has appeared on over fifty albums with artists from John Lennon and George Harrison to Joe Cocker, Ginger Baker and The Ventures.
Born in Pelton, County Durham, England, White began learning to play the piano at age six and after switching to drums, played publicly with a local band at 13. He worked with a number of bands during the 1960s before being invited to join Ginger Baker's Airforce with Steve Winwood in 1968. The following year, 1969, White received a call from John Lennon (he thought it was a prankster) asking him to join the Plastic Ono Band for a show that became the hit album, Live Peace in Toronto. He also performed with Lennon on the legendary Imagine album and the single, Instant Karma. When Lennon introduced White to fellow Beatle alumnus, George Harrison, he was asked to perform on the All Things Must Pass album, including the single, My Sweet Lord.
In 1972, White was touring with Joe Cocker when he received an invitation to join Yes. Three days after meeting with Jon Anderson and Chris Squire, White played at the first show of the group's US Close to the Edge tour. Despite the fact that White had spent time in the studio with the band and even tried playing some of the Close to the Edge material, it is something of a legend that he learned the entire repertoire of extremely complex music in just three days. White and the band gave each other three months to see if he fit in, and over thirty years later, he has appeared on every Yes album since, a feat matched only by Chris Squire.
In addition to his drum playing, White has played piano and written music for several Yes albums. He recorded a solo album, Ramshackled, in 1975. When he is not performing with Yes or travelling around the world conducting drum clinics, White spends time with his wife of over twenty years, Gigi, and their two children, Jesse and Cassi.
External links
- Alan White's personal site (http://www.alanwhite.net)
- AllMusic.com: Alan White (http://www.allmusic.com/cg/amg.dll?p=amg&uid=UIDMISS70405211705323102&sql=B9q548qbtbtv4)
A different Alan White is the former drummer of Oasis.