Alan Victor "Whitey"[1] White (born 26 May 1972) is an English drummer, best known as the drummer of the rock band Oasis from 1995 to 2004. Before Oasis, he was the drummer of Starclub from 1991 to 1994. He joined the band in April 1995 after the band's original drummer Tony McCarroll was removed, and is the longest-serving drummer in Oasis's history, performing on four studio albums, a B-side compilation, and one live album during his tenure, as well as recording one track that would appear on Don't Believe the Truth. He was recommended to Noel Gallagher by Gallagher's friend Paul Weller. Notably, Alan's brother, Steve,[2] had been a longtime drummer for Weller. White left Oasis in early 2004 and was replaced by Zak Starkey, drummer of The Who and son of The Beatles' drummer Ringo Starr.
Alan White
Birth name
Alan Victor White
Born
(1972-05-26) 26 May 1972 (age 51) Lewisham, London, England
In 1988, White auditioned to join future Oasis member Gem Archer's band Whirlpool. "He came down and just blew us all away," remembers Archer.[3] "I thought he was mega but the others were worried what a 15-years-old kid on the road and on the lager would be like. I rang his dad and told him: 'Sorry. But don't worry he's fantastic. He'll go all the way.' And he did. It was the weirdest day when he welcomed me to Oasis. And he hasn't let me forget it." White also played drums on Andy Bell's wife Idha's solo album, forming a connection with another future Oasis member. It was at this session that Noel Gallagher first heard him playing, though he was recommended to Noel by Paul Weller. Prior to joining Oasis, White drummed with London-based band Starclub and also for Dr Robert, lead singer of The Blow Monkeys.
Oasis (1995–2004)edit
White replaced original Oasis drummer Tony McCarroll in April 1995 and was immediately "thrown in the deep end", joining the band the very next day to perform a playback of "Some Might Say" in front of a national TV audience on BBC1's long running music programme Top of the Pops. One of White's first live shows with Oasis was in front of a massive crowd at the Glastonbury Festival in June 1995.
Until the arrival of Andy Bell in the Autumn of 1999, White was the token southerner in the otherwise Mancunian Oasis. Initially known as 'Whitey', he was later re-christened 'Dave' by the band because he once served himself a drink from an unattended bar, therefore resembling the character Dave from "The Winchester" in the '70s TV series Minder. White commented on the "North/South divide" saying it was not that bad, but "for ages I was the 'Cockney cunt' and they were the 'Manc fuckers'". In his book, What's the Story? Ian Robertson (who served as Oasis' tour manager from 1994 to 1995) stated that White was also known by the phrase "Alan White – He's alright". White was also entrusted with the job of being Liam Gallagher's 'official' drinking partner and was also said to be his best friend in the band. Together, the pair were known as 'Bert and Ernie', named after the Sesame Street-characters. In December 2002, Liam and White were involved in a high-profile brawl in a German bar. Consequently, Liam allegedly lost some of his front teeth, and White needed a brain scan after suffering minor head injuries. Both were arrested by the authorities and were released only after the band's management paid for their bail.
Noel Gallagher has stated that White had a far greater significance to the band than a mere session and touring drummer, claiming that he helped immensely in the recording process. Noel also said that when he wrote a song, he would play it to White who would often adapt the rhythm of the song or advise Gallagher on possible changes in the tempo.[4] On the other hand, Oasis producer Owen Morris described White as "essentially a jazz drummer" who "was always shuffling away on his snare [...] and never hitting the basic back beats in a big dumb rock and roll way", feeling that he did not understand Oasis' sound as well as McCarroll.[5]
At the time of his departure White was the longest-serving member in Oasis beside the Gallaghers (he was later passed by Gem Archer and Andy Bell) and passed through thick and thin with the brothers despite being struck down several times with bouts of alleged tendinitis during his later years with the band. White performed on four of Oasis' studio albums: (What's the Story) Morning Glory? (1995), Be Here Now (1997), Standing on the Shoulder of Giants (2000) and Heathen Chemistry (2002), and Lyla on Dont Believe The Truth (2005). He also played on the majority of band's B-sides, some of which were released on the record The Masterplan (1998).
Personal lifeedit
White married an American actress and model Liz Carey on 13 August 1997 at Studley Priory Hotel, Oxfordshire. They had met on the set of the "Don't Look Back in Anger" music video in December 1995, as Carey was one of the models for the music video. They divorced in 2004.
White later had a son with a woman named Charlie, sold their London home in 2013, and moved with them to the country.[6]
^Getting High: The Adventures of Oasis by Paolo Hewitt
^Morris, Owen. . owenmorris.net. Archived from the original on 12 November 2016. Retrieved 24 January 2017.
^Hyslop, Leah (5 June 2013). "Oasis drummer Alan White's Knightsbridge house for sale". The Daily Telegraph.
External linksedit
Wikiquote has quotations related to Alan White (Oasis drummer).
November 04, 2023
alan, white, oasis, drummer, this, biography, living, person, needs, additional, citations, verification, please, help, adding, reliable, sources, contentious, material, about, living, persons, that, unsourced, poorly, sourced, must, removed, immediately, from. This biography of a living person needs additional citations for verification Please help by adding reliable sources Contentious material about living persons that is unsourced or poorly sourced must be removed immediately from the article and its talk page especially if potentially libelous Find sources Alan White Oasis drummer news newspapers books scholar JSTOR October 2009 Learn how and when to remove this template message Alan Victor Whitey 1 White born 26 May 1972 is an English drummer best known as the drummer of the rock band Oasis from 1995 to 2004 Before Oasis he was the drummer of Starclub from 1991 to 1994 He joined the band in April 1995 after the band s original drummer Tony McCarroll was removed and is the longest serving drummer in Oasis s history performing on four studio albums a B side compilation and one live album during his tenure as well as recording one track that would appear on Don t Believe the Truth He was recommended to Noel Gallagher by Gallagher s friend Paul Weller Notably Alan s brother Steve 2 had been a longtime drummer for Weller White left Oasis in early 2004 and was replaced by Zak Starkey drummer of The Who and son of The Beatles drummer Ringo Starr Alan WhiteBirth nameAlan Victor WhiteBorn 1972 05 26 26 May 1972 age 51 Lewisham London EnglandGenresBritpop rockOccupation s DrummerYears active1987 2004 2008Formerly ofStarclubOasisSpouse s Liz Carey m 1997 div 2004 wbr Contents 1 Career 1 1 Idha Starclub and Dr Robert 1987 1995 1 2 Oasis 1995 2004 2 Personal life 3 Discography 3 1 Dr Robert 3 2 Oasis 4 References 5 External linksCareer editIdha Starclub and Dr Robert 1987 1995 edit In 1988 White auditioned to join future Oasis member Gem Archer s band Whirlpool He came down and just blew us all away remembers Archer 3 I thought he was mega but the others were worried what a 15 years old kid on the road and on the lager would be like I rang his dad and told him Sorry But don t worry he s fantastic He ll go all the way And he did It was the weirdest day when he welcomed me to Oasis And he hasn t let me forget it White also played drums on Andy Bell s wife Idha s solo album forming a connection with another future Oasis member It was at this session that Noel Gallagher first heard him playing though he was recommended to Noel by Paul Weller Prior to joining Oasis White drummed with London based band Starclub and also for Dr Robert lead singer of The Blow Monkeys Oasis 1995 2004 edit White replaced original Oasis drummer Tony McCarroll in April 1995 and was immediately thrown in the deep end joining the band the very next day to perform a playback of Some Might Say in front of a national TV audience on BBC1 s long running music programme Top of the Pops One of White s first live shows with Oasis was in front of a massive crowd at the Glastonbury Festival in June 1995 Until the arrival of Andy Bell in the Autumn of 1999 White was the token southerner in the otherwise Mancunian Oasis Initially known as Whitey he was later re christened Dave by the band because he once served himself a drink from an unattended bar therefore resembling the character Dave from The Winchester in the 70s TV series Minder White commented on the North South divide saying it was not that bad but for ages I was the Cockney cunt and they were the Manc fuckers In his book What s the Story Ian Robertson who served as Oasis tour manager from 1994 to 1995 stated that White was also known by the phrase Alan White He s alright White was also entrusted with the job of being Liam Gallagher s official drinking partner and was also said to be his best friend in the band Together the pair were known as Bert and Ernie named after the Sesame Street characters In December 2002 Liam and White were involved in a high profile brawl in a German bar Consequently Liam allegedly lost some of his front teeth and White needed a brain scan after suffering minor head injuries Both were arrested by the authorities and were released only after the band s management paid for their bail Noel Gallagher has stated that White had a far greater significance to the band than a mere session and touring drummer claiming that he helped immensely in the recording process Noel also said that when he wrote a song he would play it to White who would often adapt the rhythm of the song or advise Gallagher on possible changes in the tempo 4 On the other hand Oasis producer Owen Morris described White as essentially a jazz drummer who was always shuffling away on his snare and never hitting the basic back beats in a big dumb rock and roll way feeling that he did not understand Oasis sound as well as McCarroll 5 At the time of his departure White was the longest serving member in Oasis beside the Gallaghers he was later passed by Gem Archer and Andy Bell and passed through thick and thin with the brothers despite being struck down several times with bouts of alleged tendinitis during his later years with the band White performed on four of Oasis studio albums What s the Story Morning Glory 1995 Be Here Now 1997 Standing on the Shoulder of Giants 2000 and Heathen Chemistry 2002 and Lyla on Dont Believe The Truth 2005 He also played on the majority of band s B sides some of which were released on the record The Masterplan 1998 Personal life editWhite married an American actress and model Liz Carey on 13 August 1997 at Studley Priory Hotel Oxfordshire They had met on the set of the Don t Look Back in Anger music video in December 1995 as Carey was one of the models for the music video They divorced in 2004 White later had a son with a woman named Charlie sold their London home in 2013 and moved with them to the country 6 Steve White had played with Weller s The Style Council and various other famous musicians including The Who Because of this connection Alan said his brother greatly impacted his development as a drummer Other influences include Keith Moon Ringo Starr Chad Smith Mick Avory and John Bonham Discography editDr Robert edit Bethesda 1995 Oasis edit Studio Albums What s the Story Morning Glory 1995 Be Here Now 1997 Standing on the Shoulder of Giants 2000 Heathen Chemistry 2002 Live Albums Familiar to Millions 2000 Oasis Knebworth 1996 2021 B side compilation The Masterplan 1998 References edit Be Here Now CD booklet Oasis UK Creation Records 1997 CRECD 219 a href Template Cite AV media notes html title Template Cite AV media notes cite AV media notes a CS1 maint others in cite AV media notes link Leonard Michael 21 July 2008 Steve White slams Oasis treatment of drummer MusicRadar Retrieved 2 December 2021 1 Archived 6 March 2005 at the Wayback Machine Getting High The Adventures of Oasis by Paolo Hewitt Morris Owen The Rise and Fall of Me Recording Oasis owenmorris net Archived from the original on 12 November 2016 Retrieved 24 January 2017 Hyslop Leah 5 June 2013 Oasis drummer Alan White s Knightsbridge house for sale The Daily Telegraph External links edit nbsp Wikiquote has quotations related to Alan White Oasis drummer Retrieved from https en wikipedia org w index php title Alan White Oasis drummer amp oldid 1182311983, wikipedia, wiki, book, books, library,
