(Guitar, piano, vocals, 1906–77) Booker T. Washington White was raised on a farm outside Houston, Texas; his father taught him guitar in 1915. Two years later he learned piano and by 1921 he was working barrelhouses and honky tonks in St. Louis. Inspired by a meeting with Charley Patton, he hoboed through the South for much ...
When 1980s hair-metal band White Lion released the video for their breakthrough hit ‘Wait’ in 1987, guitar fans saw arguably the second coming of Eddie Van Halen. Guitarist Vito Bratta brought forth tasty rhythm-guitar parts, masterly single-note technique, and above all, a two-hand tapping technique that, while in the style of Van Halen, found a ...
In his short life, California guitarist-mandolinist Clarence White (1944–73) conceived innovations that would inspire country and rock guitarists from both a stylistic and technical perspective long after his death. He brought bluegrass picking to the forefront of rock, turning acoustic guitar into a solo instrument. He developed a device for electric guitar that let traditional guitarists sound like pedal-steel ...
Modern blues guitarist Jack White (b. 1975) was born John Gillis in Detroit, Michigan. He taught himself to play drums, starting at the age of five. On leaving school, he played in various Detroit bands. In 1996, he married Meg White and, reversing normal practice, took her surname. The White Stripes were born when Meg ...
(Violin, bandleader, 1890–1967) Erroneously dubbed ‘The King Of Jazz’ by press agents, Whiteman led his first dance band in San Francisco in 1918. Arriving in New York in 1920, he assembled some of the city’s top musicians and gained popularity with hits such as ‘Japanese Sandman’ and ‘Whispering’. In 1924 his orchestra premiered George Gershwin’s Rhapsody In ...
(Guitar, vocals, 1908–69) Joshua Daniel White was born in Greenville, South Carolina, to a preacher father and a mother who sang in church. He worked in tandem with street singers such as Blind Blake and Blind Joe Taggart for much of the 1920s. His recording debut was made for Paramount in 1928 but his work for Banner/ARC ...
(Harmonica, vocals, guitar, b. 1944) Often compared to his contemporary Paul Butterfield, Musselwhite has an exceptionally fluid and melodic harmonica style that places him head and shoulders above most competitors. He debuted on record in 1967 and has remained faithful to the Chicago style in his own projects and in supporting work for Elvin Bishop, Big ...
(Vocal/instrumental group, 1966–present) Buck White (vocals, mandolin, b. 1930) was an Arkansas pipe fitter in 1966 when he formed a family bluegrass band with his wife Pat and their daughters Sharon (vocals, guitar, b. 1953) and Cheryl (vocals, bass, b. 1955). Buck’s Monroe-like mandolin and his daughters’ pretty harmony soon made The Whites a ...
(Vocal/instrumental group, 1960s) Clarence White (guitar, 1944–73) and his brother Roland White (vocals, mandolin, b. 1938) grew up in Maine and then California but they called their string band The Kentucky Colonels. That’s where Clarence pioneered the concept of lead acoustic guitar in a bluegrass band and became a legend to pickers everywhere. When Clarence switched to ...
(Vocal/instrumental group, 1972–82, 1989–present) The blue-eyed soul of Scots Alan Gorrie (vocals, bass), Malcolm Duncan (saxophone), Owen McIntyre (vocals, guitar), Hamish Stuart (vocals, guitar), Roger Ball (keyboards) and Robbie McIntosh (drums) topped the US charts in 1975 with the album AWB and single ‘Pick Up The Pieces’. After dabbling in disco with ‘Let’s Go Round Again’, ...
(Vocals, 1944–2003) Nicknamed the ‘Walrus of Love’, Barry White’s image as a Lothario sometimes obscured his talents as a songwriter, producer and arranger. Working with girl group Love Unlimited, his first hit was ‘Walking In The Rain With The One I Love’ in 1972. White’s distinctive growl was heard on ‘Can’t Get Enough Of Your Love Babe’, a ...
(Vocal/instrumental group, 2000–present) White Lies are an alternative rock band from London, formerly known as Fear Of Flying, comprising Harry McVeigh (vocals, guitar), Charles Cave (bass) and Jack Lawrence-Brown (drums). Their bass-driven, uplifting rock anthems, reminiscent to some of Joy Division and the Bunnymen, made them an instant hit with fans, with hype ...
(Vocal/instrumental duo, 1997–2011) Divorcées Jack (vocals, guitar) and Meg White (percussion) formed The White Stripes with the mission statement of keeping a childlike simplicity in their music and imagery. Dressing only in red, white and black and playing a thrilling version of blues and rock (owing as much to Led Zeppelin as pioneers like Son House and Leadbelly), ...
‘Your Woman’, 1997 White Town (really one-man-show Jyoti Mishra) found hit success in the US and UK with ‘Your Woman’, a song that partially recounted his youthful obsession with a lesbian. Despite EMI signing him to their Chrysalis subsidiary, no amount of backing could conjure interest in his subsequent releases, and so White Town quickly went to recording for ...
(Guitar, vocals, b. 1925) Riley B. King, from Indianola, Mississippi, is arguably the last surviving authentic blues artist. Orphaned, he took up guitar aged 15, turning professional after US military service. In 1947, he moved to Memphis and lived with cousin Bukka White. There, he worked on a local radio station, ...
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David Bowie
Fantastic new, unofficial biography covers
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sweep of incredible photographs.