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Alan White
Biography
It's one of the great ironies in Alan White's career that he came to fame in the shadow of the drummer he replaced in Yes, Bill Bruford. In a way it was neither musician's fault -- Bruford was considered, after Carl Palmer, the hottest drummer in England, while White had, in the public's perception, played in a few highly visible bands and gigs without a lot of acclaim. In fact, at 23 years of age, he had a decade's experience as a professional musician. White's father was an amateur pianist, and his own first instrument was the piano. He gravitated toward the drums, however, and at age 12 he got his own drum kit from his uncle, who was also a drummer. He quickly abandoned lessons in favor of developing his own style and approach. By 13, he was playing in a group called the Downbeats and becoming the subject of local press articles because of his age. In his mid-teens, White was playing gigs seven nights a week for a good part of the year, primarily doing covers of Beatles and other British beat tunes of the early to mid-'60s. White tried studying technical drawing, with the hope of eventually pursuing a career as an architect, but musical success intervened when his group, rechristened the Blue Chips, got a contract with Polygram Records after winning a Melody Maker band contest in London.
Selected Discography

Ramshacked
1976