A popular British electric and nylon-string guitarist,
Peter White is known for his lyrical and inventive approach to contemporary smooth jazz and fusion.
White initially gained fame in the 1970s as a collaborator with singer/songwriter
Al Stewart before earning more widespread acclaim as a leader and soloist in his own right. Alongside collaborations with
Richard Elliot,
Rick Braun,
Kirk Whalum, and
Everette Harp, he has released a number of Top Ten Billboard Jazz Albums, including 1998's
Perfect Moment, 2001's
Glow, 2009's
Good Day, and 2016's
Groovin'.
Born September 20, 1954, to an English father and a French mother in Luton, a town north of London, England,
White and his family moved soon after his birth to nearby Letchworth. His brother Danny was born a few years later. As a child,
White loved sports, hiking, and tree climbing, but music was most special to him. His father encouraged him to learn many musical instruments -- recorder, clarinet, cornet, trombone, violin, harmonica, piano -- but the one instrument his dad couldn't help him with was the guitar;
White was on his own. He learned to play simple chords by experimenting and listening with one ear glued to the radio. Like a lot of musicians,
White was heavily influenced by
the Beatles and the guitar-driven sound of the beat groups of the '60s. Around age 12,
White would go over to schoolmate David Visick's house and listen to his large record collection. His favorites were
Jethro Tull,
Led Zeppelin,
Fleetwood Mac,
Cream, and
Jimi Hendrix. In his early teens, he acquired his first electric guitar and amplifier, which survived just long enough to be burned in a fire. Forced to go acoustic,
White developed a love of acoustic music. After leaving school at 18,
White worked for a few months in a soup-canning factory before getting his first musical break, a summer engagement at a South of England holiday resort. When summer ended, he went back to Letchworth, having whet his appetite for more musical adventures. Traveling to London, the guitarist ended up joining a group that was managed by Miles Copeland (
Sting,
R.E.M., IRS Records). Copeland also managed
Al Stewart, so when
Stewart's backup band disbanded,
White got an audition call to back
Stewart on keyboards. Brushing up on his finger dexterity,
White learned a few of
Stewart's songs, and soon the 20-year-old musician was touring England and the U.S. In the summer of 1975,
Stewart asked
White to play keyboards and acoustic guitar on his
Year of the Cat album (Arista, 1976). Their collaboration lasted almost 20 years, with
White co-writing "Time Passages" (number seven pop, number one adult contemporary, fall 1978) and co-producing
Famous Last Words (Mesa/Rhino, 1993).
Around 1979,
White moved to Los Angeles, where
Stewart had relocated, formed a band called Shot in the Dark with other musicians who had played with
Stewart, and established a music publishing company called Lobster Music. Meanwhile his brother Danny formed the group
Matt Bianco, which included singer
Basia Trzetrzelewska. Danny White and
Basia eventually left the group to launch the singer's solo career. Danny asked
Peter to tour with him and
Basia in 1990, just as the guitarist released his first solo album,
Reveillez-Vous (Chase). Made up mostly of unused songs that
White had written for
Al Stewart, the album became a DJ favorite at jazz and emerging smooth jazz radio stations. Epic exec Cliff Gorov was the man who first brought
White's music to the attention of contemporary jazz radio. Former
Al Stewart drummer
Steve Chapman put down his sticks and became the guitarist's manager.
White followed his debut with three albums for the Sin-Drome label, including 1993's
Promenade and 1994's
Reflections; the latter-of-which cracked the top twenty of the Billboard Jazz Albums chart. Around the same time, he contributed to albums by
Richard Elliot,
Warren Hill,
Craig Chaquico,
Rick Braun,
Marc Antoine,
Kirk Whalum, and
Everette Harp.
In 1995,
White signed with Columbia/Sony and returned the following year with
Caravan of Dreams (which hit number four on the Billboard Jazz chart). A string of successful albums followed for the label with 1997's
Songs of the Season and 1998's
Perfect Moment (which peaked at number three on the jazz charts). In 2001,
White again landed near the top of the jazz charts with
Glow. The equally well-received
Confidential followed in 2004.
White then decided to revisit some of his favorite songs from the '60s, '70s, and '80s in his 2006 release
Playin' Favourites. The low-key
Good Day followed in 2009.
Here We Go arrived in 2012 and featured guest appearances by such artists as
David Sanborn,
Andrew Neu, and
Kirk Whalum. In 2014,
White released his 14th studio album, the all-original
Smile. 2016's
Groovin', his 15th album as a bandleader, featuring reworkings of a number of classic songs from the '60s and '70s. Music for Starlux Airlines arrived in 2019 and featured songs
White initially recorded for use by the luxury airline based in Taiwan. Included on the album was the song "Homeward Bound," which featured his daughter Charlotte White on violin. ~ Ed Hogan