{"id":15975,"date":"2016-12-05T09:55:19","date_gmt":"2016-12-05T16:55:19","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/mmusicmag.com\/m\/?p=15975"},"modified":"2016-12-05T10:20:01","modified_gmt":"2016-12-05T17:20:01","slug":"video-premiere-interview-peter-white","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/mmusicmag.com\/m\/2016\/12\/video-premiere-interview-peter-white\/","title":{"rendered":"VIDEO PREMIERE + INTERVIEW PETER WHITE"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><strong>VIDEO FEATURE &amp; WEB-EXCLUSIVE INTERVIEW<\/strong><\/p>\n<h1>Musician:<strong> \u00a0PETER WHITE<\/strong><\/h1>\n<h2>Music Video: \u201c<strong>Groovin\u2019<\/strong>\u201d<\/h2>\n<p><strong>Songwriters: Felix Cavaliere &amp; Eddie Brigati<\/strong><\/p>\n<h1><iframe loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/rYgZQIAX7ro\" width=\"660\" height=\"371\" frameborder=\"0\" allowfullscreen=\"allowfullscreen\"><\/iframe><br \/>\n<strong>PETER WHITE Web-Exclusive Interview<\/strong><\/h1>\n<h2>with\u00a0<em>M Music &amp; Musicians<\/em>\u00a0magazine publisher, Merlin David<\/h2>\n<p>For his fifteenth recording as a leader, Peter White, the former Al Stewart sideman (who co-wrote the 1978 hit \u201cTime Passages\u201d) returns to some of his favorite tracks from the 60s and 70s, including Stevie Wonder\u2019s \u201cDo I Do,\u201d Otis Redding\u2019s \u201c(Sittin\u2019 On) The Dock of the Bay,\u201d and John Lennon and Paul McCartney\u2019s \u201cHere, There and Everywhere.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Peter White started playing the electric guitar when he was a young boy, inspired in part by the music of groups like the Rolling Stones and the Beatles. When an accidental fire destroyed his electric guitar, White transitioned to the acoustic guitar and a jazz icon was born. After receiving his first professional booking when he was only 19 years old, Peter White joined Al Stewart\u2019s band as a keyboardist on the famous singer-songwriter\u2019s international tour through England, Scotland and the United States. White and Stewart continued to work together over the years, collaborating on the release of the major 1976 hit, \u201cYear of the Cat.\u201d<\/p>\n<div id=\"attachment_15985\" style=\"width: 670px\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\"><img aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-15985\" loading=\"lazy\" class=\"wp-image-15985 size-full\" src=\"https:\/\/mmusicmag.com\/m\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/12\/Peter-White-2-Photo-Credit-Lori-Stoll.jpg\" alt=\"peter-white-2-photo-credit-lori-stoll\" width=\"660\" height=\"440\" srcset=\"https:\/\/mmusicmag.com\/m\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/12\/Peter-White-2-Photo-Credit-Lori-Stoll.jpg 660w, https:\/\/mmusicmag.com\/m\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/12\/Peter-White-2-Photo-Credit-Lori-Stoll-300x200.jpg 300w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 660px) 100vw, 660px\" \/><p id=\"caption-attachment-15985\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Photo Credit &#8211; Lori Stoll<\/p><\/div>\n<p>Like so many millions of us, guitarist Peter White still feels closest to the music he absorbed while growing up. As a British teen in the 60s, he kept his ears glued to the radio\u2014soaking up the exciting new sounds of rock bands like the Beatles and soul giants like Stevie Wonder\u2014and tried to learn how to play those songs on the acoustic guitar his dad had given him. It didn\u2019t take him long to get the hang of it, and now, after more than four decades as both a leader and sideman, he\u2019s returning to those tunes that impacted him so forcefully in his youth.<\/p>\n<p><em>Groovin<\/em>\u2019, released on October 28, 2016, is White\u2019s third collection of guitar-centric interpretations of timeless compositions from those halcyon years of the 1950s to the 80s. Taking up where his previous all-covers albums <em>Reflections<\/em> (1994) and <em>Playin\u2019 Favorites<\/em> (2006) left off, <em>Groovin\u2019 <\/em>finds White not only nostalgic but adventurous and playful, injecting vocal shadings and bold horn charts into the mix, and even some tougher guitar sounds than he\u2019s generally known for.<\/p>\n<p><em>Groovin\u2019<\/em> takes its title from the Rascals\u2019 tropical-hued ballad hit of 1967, and also includes, from that heady decade, the Beatles\u2019 \u201cHere, There and Everywhere.\u201d From the same era, the R&amp;B classic \u201cI Heard It Through the Grapevine,\u201d a hit for both Marvin Gaye and Gladys Knight, gets a distinctive new reading here by White, as does Otis Redding\u2019s timeless \u201c(Sittin\u2019 On) The Dock of the Bay.\u201d The oldest tune, \u201cSleep Walk,\u201d was a number one instrumental hit in 1959 by Santo and Johnny in the United States, but White actually heard it first by the Shadows, a British guitar combo massively popular in the U.K. that never really caught on in the States. For White, the challenge in interpreting such familiar music is in putting his own stamp on a number while retaining the characteristics that make it instantly recognizable.<\/p>\n<p>Peter White talked with us about his creative process\u2014for writing songs and interpreting songs we have heard before\u2014along with playing the guitar and piano, and most of all what he wants to do with his music\u2014to move people.<\/p>\n<p><strong>How did the idea of interpreting The Young Rascals\u2019 \u201cGroovin\u2019\u201d come to you?<\/strong><br \/>\nToots Thielemans, the great Belgian harmonica player who just passed away recently, said \u201cPeople ask me if any of the new music impresses me.\u201d And he said, \u201cI\u2019m too old to be impressed\u2014I want to be <em>moved<\/em>.\u201d When I record these old songs that everybody knows, I try to record them in the way that if I had heard this song for the first time\u2014if somebody just played this song for me or sang it to me, how would I record it today\u2014without knowing anything about these previous recordings. I don\u2019t do any research on these songs. I rely completely on my memory of the song. That way, I don\u2019t get too close to the original arrangement\u2014because that\u2019s not my intention.<\/p>\n<p><strong>In the original version, it was Chuck Rainey\u2019s amazing bass lines that moved people. How did you choose trumpeter Rick Braun for your version?<br \/>\n<\/strong>I knew something was missing in the song, and I even tried a harmonica solo. I\u2019m an amateur harmonica player, but it just didn\u2019t sound right. I tried some sax. But then I thought, if you\u2019re ever in trouble with a song\u2014who do you call? Rick Braun. He could do no wrong as far as I am concerned. Whatever he plays just has the magic touch. He\u2019s also a good friend of mine for over 20 years\u2014and we play together all the time.<\/p>\n<div id=\"attachment_15993\" style=\"width: 670px\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\"><img aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-15993\" loading=\"lazy\" class=\"size-full wp-image-15993\" src=\"https:\/\/mmusicmag.com\/m\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/12\/Peter-White-1-Photo-Credit-Lori-Stoll-vs2.jpg\" alt=\"Photo Credit - Lori Stoll\" width=\"660\" height=\"440\" srcset=\"https:\/\/mmusicmag.com\/m\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/12\/Peter-White-1-Photo-Credit-Lori-Stoll-vs2.jpg 660w, https:\/\/mmusicmag.com\/m\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/12\/Peter-White-1-Photo-Credit-Lori-Stoll-vs2-300x200.jpg 300w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 660px) 100vw, 660px\" \/><p id=\"caption-attachment-15993\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Photo Credit &#8211; Lori Stoll<\/p><\/div>\n<p><strong><br \/>\nTell us how the new album <em>Groovin\u2019<\/em> evolved\u2014and how the concept differs from the 2006 <em>Playin\u2019 Favorites<\/em> or the 1994 <em>Reflections<\/em> album?<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>It\u2019s just really a continuation, but with more horns on this album. There\u2019s a horn section that I recorded in New York with friends of mine\u2014the Harris Brothers\u2014Don and Dave Harris. Don came up with these great arrangements. I also had more background vocals on this album than ever before. It\u2019s almost like greatest hits of classic songs. Every 10 years or so, I get this feeling that I want to record these songs. It\u2019s really fun for me. I did three albums back-to-back of all original songs which I promised myself and the fans I would do. I have a lot of ideas left over from the <em>Playin\u2019 Favorites<\/em> album. These songs really struck me as a teenager in the 70s. The songs I\u2019ve chosen to re-do are all from the 70s and 60s (one from 80s)\u2014all before the digital revolution. I think that when music started to get digitized, we got far greater production values. So you could take a song that\u2019s not so great\u2014and make it sound great. But older songs, you had to have an amazing song. It had to stand by itself\u2014without the production. That\u2019s when music meant so much to me\u2014probably more than it does now. I think it was just because I was a teenager then. Or maybe music was just better then\u2014that\u2019s what I tend to think. (<em>Laughs<\/em>) Al Stewart wrote some wonderful songs, and that\u2019s how I ended up playing for Al for 20 years.<\/p>\n<p><strong>When you left Al Stewart, did you find your own replacement?<br \/>\n<\/strong>Do you know how I met Dave Nachmanoff\u2014who now plays for Al Stewart? I was doing a show with Al in San Francisco at the Great American Music Hall. And Dave came up to me after the show and said, \u201cHi, you know I love Al\u2019s music, and I love your guitar playing. I\u2019ve studied your guitar playing and I can play kind of like you.\u2019 I said, \u2018Really?\u2019 and I gave him my guitar, and he started to play\u2014just like me. And I said, \u2018Well Dave, one day you can replace me!\u2019 (<em>Laughs<\/em>) So when I got too busy doing my own solo gigs, and I couldn\u2019t play with Al anymore\u2014after 20 years\u2014I said to Al, \u2018Why don\u2019t you call Dave Nachmanoff?\u2019 Yes, that\u2019s exactly how it happened. \u2018He knows all the songs, he can play all the parts\u2014just give him a call. He\u2019ll be able to slot right in.\u2019 And that\u2019s what happened.<\/p>\n<p><strong>For your own songs, what is your creative process for songwriting?<\/strong><br \/>\nI don\u2019t write songs like I used to. There are a lot of distractions\u2014especially with social media. Now you have to talk about music\u2014whereas in the past, we just used to play music. (<em>Laughs<\/em>) I just find that if you enter your head, then ideas just come. And the best time is in the morning. And sometimes, if you think too much\u2014the ideas will not come because music is about feeling. Whenever I start thinking too much, I just get up and maybe go to the fridge, and this always works. I open the refrigerator and all of a sudden, the ideas start coming because you\u2019re not thinking anymore. Your mind exists and you start feeling. Your mind can\u2019t be in two places\u2014it can either think or feel, but it can\u2019t do both. You\u2019ll have to get out of your way. You\u2019ll hear musicians and athletes talking about it. You get out of your own way and let your body and mind do what it does. In basketball, they talk about being in the zone.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Tell us one experience where something unique inspired you to write a song.<\/strong><br \/>\nSometimes I\u2019ll hear random sounds\u2014or random pieces of music\u2014a few notes from a song on the radio, and all of a sudden something comes to me. But generally when I come up with ideas I\u2019m usually in isolation\u2014sitting in a dark room somewhere without distractions\u2014when songs come to me. You have to remove distractions in order for your ideas and feelings to come through. Most writers talk about being in an empty room, and put a page in front of you. And there are others who say \u2018I want to be inspired\u2019\u2014and they go to these beautiful places. But for me, if I go to a beautiful place, I\u2019m thinking of the beautiful place\u2014and <em>not<\/em> about music.<\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" class=\"alignnone size-full wp-image-15983\" src=\"https:\/\/mmusicmag.com\/m\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/12\/Peter-White-6-Photo-Credit-Lori-Stoll.jpg\" alt=\"peter-white-6-photo-credit-lori-stoll\" width=\"660\" height=\"440\" srcset=\"https:\/\/mmusicmag.com\/m\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/12\/Peter-White-6-Photo-Credit-Lori-Stoll.jpg 660w, https:\/\/mmusicmag.com\/m\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/12\/Peter-White-6-Photo-Credit-Lori-Stoll-300x200.jpg 300w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 660px) 100vw, 660px\" \/><\/p>\n<p><strong>How does where you live or travel influence your music?<\/strong><br \/>\nI think the music I listened to while I was growing up in England\u2014had a big influence on me. It was the same music everyone was listening to back then. I listened to the radio. And we probably heard more English music, but along with the Beatles and the Rolling Stones I was listening to Motown, the Temptations and the Supremes\u2014just like everybody. Along with rock \u2019n\u2019 roll, I was listening to Motown. I remember the first time I heard Marvin Gaye\u2014\u201cHeard It Through the Grapevine\u201d when I was 12 or 13. Heavily involved in rock \u2019n\u2019 roll, and all of a sudden\u2014here comes Marvin Gaye. And I don\u2019t even know what the grapevine is! But I just thought it was a lovely, haunting song.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Guitar is your main instrument, but I believe you play accordion and piano. Who influenced you to pick up the instruments you now play, and how old were you?<br \/>\n<\/strong>I play all of those instruments, but guitar is my main instrument. When I\u2019m recording, that\u2019s what I play for melody, but I also played all the keyboards on the album. I just don\u2019t play keyboards on stage because I already have a great keyboard player. I started with Al Stewart when I was 20 years old, and he hired me to play keyboards. He didn\u2019t even know that I could play the guitar\u2014and he didn\u2019t care. He didn\u2019t want a guitar player, he already had one. In England, if you wanted to play guitar, you were competing with everyone and their brother. But if you played keyboards, you had a chance. Most people who played piano would either go into classical music or go into jazz, but I was into rock \u2019n\u2019 roll. I liked Emerson, Lake &amp; Palmer. I always wanted to meet Keith Emerson, and I never did. I credit Keith Emerson for my music career. And if I would have met him, I would have told him that. If it wasn\u2019t for Keith Emerson, I wouldn\u2019t have continued my piano studies. I was so into the guitar that I had pretty much given up on the piano. But that first ELP album was a huge influence.<\/p>\n<p><strong>What about the guitar attracted you?<\/strong><br \/>\nGuitar riffs of the Beatles (<em>imitates a Beatles\u2019 song<\/em>). The twang on the bottom strings was so appealing. But it was a slow process to learn all the riffs.<\/p>\n<p><strong>What songwriting tip would you like to offer?<\/strong><br \/>\nWe get into this trap of \u2018what should I be doing?\u2019 \u2018How can I write a hit song?\u2019 All of that deals with the rational part of your mind, but music comes from feeling. So you have to stop thinking. Go on a walk through the countryside\u2014look at nature, and realize what a wonderful thing it is to be alive. Once you do something where you aren\u2019t thinking\u2014that\u2019s when you will start to write.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Who inspired you to write songs?<\/strong><br \/>\nThat\u2019s a very good question! I didn\u2019t really write songs as a teenager\u2014I just dabbled. I struggled with how to create something out of nothing. Then one day I was watching a Fred Astaire movie, and I started to realize \u201cHey, there are some great songs in this movie.\u201d It was the first time I realized great songs were written <em>before<\/em> the Beatles. \u201cCheek to Cheek\u201d (<em>sings<\/em>): <em>Heaven, I\u2019m in Heaven<\/em>. The whole basis of music is a great song\u2014that\u2019s what endures. And when I heard Irving Berlin\u2019s songs, the songs were already 30 years old\u2014it had lasted all those years. You have to understand that the Beatles were like a tidal wave that swept all of us away. But going back to the old black and white movies, it was so wonderful to discover great songs. Those movies and the songs made a huge impact on me.<\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" class=\"alignnone size-full wp-image-15982\" src=\"https:\/\/mmusicmag.com\/m\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/12\/Peter-White-8-Photo-Credit-Lori-Stoll.jpg\" alt=\"peter-white-8-photo-credit-lori-stoll\" width=\"660\" height=\"440\" srcset=\"https:\/\/mmusicmag.com\/m\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/12\/Peter-White-8-Photo-Credit-Lori-Stoll.jpg 660w, https:\/\/mmusicmag.com\/m\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/12\/Peter-White-8-Photo-Credit-Lori-Stoll-300x200.jpg 300w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 660px) 100vw, 660px\" \/><\/p>\n<p><strong>What was the inspiration for the 1978 hit \u201cTime Passages\u201d with Al Stewart?<\/strong><br \/>\nI was at my mother\u2019s house in Letchworth Garden City\u2014flicking through radio channels. All of a sudden, I heard something in the back of my head\u2014and that\u2019s when the intro came to me. I played it over and over again. Al heard it and said, \u201cI like that. We could write a song around that.\u201d I couldn\u2019t believe I was getting the opportunity to write my first song with someone who had such a huge album with <em>Year of the Cat<\/em>. I was very enthusiastic to write with Al.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Where were you when you first heard one of your songs on the radio?<\/strong><br \/>\nFunny, I never thought about this before. I love these questions. I was on Sunset Blvd at the corner of Holloway Drive, at a restaurant, when I first heard my song on the sound system. I never imagined I\u2019d be on the radio. So when it happened, I was flabbergasted. I played lead on \u201cOn the Border.\u201d Al wanted a Spanish guitar part on that song, and I didn\u2019t even have one. So Al gave me his Spanish guitar, I played the lead\u2014and gave the guitar back to him. It started me on the road to where I am today\u2014as a guitarist. People seemed to really like that sound. I wasn\u2019t even playing guitar for Al at the time. I was playing keyboards. Al already had an amazing guitarist, Tim Renwick, who played all the guitars. But this opportunity to play the Spanish guitar came up, and it changed my life.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Tell us about a musical hero you played with.<\/strong><em><br \/>\n<\/em>I played with Grover Washington Jr. We recorded one of my songs, \u201cMidnight in Manhattan\u201d\u2014and that was amazing. David Sanborn and I also played together, and that was on my bucket list.<\/p>\n<p>It was funny because Gregg Karukas and I were talking about it, and I said I\u2019d like to have Sanborn play, and he said, \u201cOh, he\u2019s not going to do that.\u201d And I said, \u201cWell, he said he would.\u201d (<em>Laughs<\/em>) It was like a dream come true to have Sanborn play on my album.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Top 5 Musicians or Songwriters\u00a0who inspired you to become a musician?<\/strong><br \/>\nKeith Emerson, Hank Marvin, the Beatles, Eric Clapton, Led Zeppelin, Joe Pass, George Benson, Steve Howe. Sorry, that\u2019s eight. Keith of course was a huge inspiration. And most people won\u2019t know Hank\u2014the lead guitarist for the Shadows\u2014huge in England. The Beatles of course were a huge influence. Clapton with Cream is when I grew my hair long and couldn\u2019t believe we could reduce music to just three people\u2014bass, drums and guitar. Then I discovered Zeppelin. I was never really into jazz, but a friend of mine at school was really into it, and I heard Joe Pass play <em>Portraits of Duke Ellington<\/em>, and I couldn\u2019t believe how well just one guitar could produce so many different sounds. Then, Benson\u2019s <em>Breezin\u2019<\/em> changed everything even more, and I was so glad that I later had the opportunity to tell him how much he inspired me. Oh, and Steve Howe\u2014I heard him play a major scale on the guitar\u2014and that changed my life. If you were a guitarist when I was growing up, all you did was play the blues. But Howe changed all of that for me.<\/p>\n<div id=\"attachment_15980\" style=\"width: 670px\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\"><img aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-15980\" loading=\"lazy\" class=\"size-full wp-image-15980\" src=\"https:\/\/mmusicmag.com\/m\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/12\/Peter-White-5-Photo-Credit-Lori-Stoll.jpg\" alt=\"Photo Credit - Lori Stoll\" width=\"660\" height=\"440\" srcset=\"https:\/\/mmusicmag.com\/m\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/12\/Peter-White-5-Photo-Credit-Lori-Stoll.jpg 660w, https:\/\/mmusicmag.com\/m\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/12\/Peter-White-5-Photo-Credit-Lori-Stoll-300x200.jpg 300w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 660px) 100vw, 660px\" \/><p id=\"caption-attachment-15980\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Photo Credit &#8211; Lori Stoll<\/p><\/div>\n<p><strong>What instrument<\/strong><strong>\/equipment can you not live without\u2014that helps you write, record or perform?<\/strong><br \/>\nThe guitar on this album is interestingly a Guild nylon string guitar. I bought it at a used guitar store, as I do most of my guitars. I have an Asturias guitar, it\u2019s a Japanese-made guitar. I bought it because it had a cutaway, and it\u2019s on the front of my <em>Glow <\/em>album. But the guitar I play live is a Paul McGill guitar. He\u2019s a friend of mine, and his nylon string guitar is amazing to play live because it resists feedback. I mostly play the blue guitar, but I play the white guitar for my Christmas concert season.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Any other instruments?<\/strong><br \/>\nAl asked me if I could play accordion, and I said \u201cyes.\u201d But I didn\u2019t know how to. (<em>Laughs<\/em>) So I just learned it. Now, I\u2019ve actually been hired by people to play accordion. For Basia, I played accordion on \u201cRachel\u2019s Wedding.\u201d But I have a long working relationship with Basia. I played all the guitars on <em>Time and Tide<\/em>. I played on most of her albums. Thank you, Danny White (my brother)! His getting me to play on Basia\u2019s albums almost made up for setting fire to my electric guitar by \u201caccident.\u201d Danny had a band called Matt Bianco (bianco\u2014white) and Basia was the vocalist.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Which PRO are you with?<\/strong><br \/>\nFirst time I became aware is when I wrote \u201cTime Passages.\u201d I didn\u2019t have any agreement. Al\u2019s manager said BMI will give you an advance (larger check of $25K)\u2014more than I\u2019d ever seen in my life. It was on the radio, and I was able to pay my rent. I later signed with ASCAP.<br \/>\n<strong>What are your Top 5 favorite albums of all time?<\/strong><\/p>\n<p><em>Live &amp; Well<\/em> (1996) \u2013 The Gap Band\u2014in Atlanta. Never realized Charlie was such a genius.<\/p>\n<p><em>Introspective <\/em>(1988) \u2013 Pet Shop Boys\u2014genius from the beginning notes to the last. I never liked any other album quite so much. Interestingly, very little guitar on that album!<\/p>\n<p><em>Breezin\u2019<\/em> (1976) \u2013 George Benson<\/p>\n<p><em>Heart String<\/em> (1979) \u2013 Earl Klugh<\/p>\n<p><em>Secret Story<\/em> (1992) \u2013 Pat Metheny\u2014the orchestration is like a movie. By the time I get to the end, I am drained. I also had the wonderful opportunity to tell him how much he influenced me. But the craziest thing happened. When we met, the first thing Pat said to me, \u201cDidn\u2019t you meet my parents in Kansas City?\u201d I did a show with Kirk Whalum, Marc Antoine and Everette Harp, and Lois Metheny (Pat\u2019s Mom) came up to me after the show, as a fan, and she later told Pat about meeting me. I was so honored that Pat remembered.<\/p>\n<p><em>Symphony No. 40<\/em> &amp; <em>No. 41<\/em> \u2013 Mozart\u2014last two symphonies.<\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" class=\"alignnone size-full wp-image-15977\" src=\"https:\/\/mmusicmag.com\/m\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/12\/Top5-Albums-Peter-White.jpg\" alt=\"top5-albums-peter-white\" width=\"660\" height=\"440\" srcset=\"https:\/\/mmusicmag.com\/m\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/12\/Top5-Albums-Peter-White.jpg 660w, https:\/\/mmusicmag.com\/m\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/12\/Top5-Albums-Peter-White-300x200.jpg 300w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 660px) 100vw, 660px\" \/><\/p>\n<p><strong>On your first solo album <\/strong><strong><em>R\u00e9veillez<\/em><\/strong><strong><em>-Vous<\/em><\/strong><strong>, the song \u201cPlay Your Guitar for Me\u201d is co-written by Skipper Wise. Is that the same Skipper from Blue Microphones?<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>Wow! You\u2019re the first person to ever ask me that question. Yes, it is. In those days, we were neighbors. It was fortuitous that I met Skipper. We lived behind Ventura Blvd (at Van Nuys)\u2014he was building a studio, and we helped each other on recordings. I even lent him money sometimes to buy mics advertised in the <em>Recycler<\/em>. (<em>Laughs<\/em>) Skipper actually co-produced my first two albums. I\u2019ve known him for years, and we are still friends.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Best advice someone has given you.<\/strong><br \/>\nWhen I was recording Al Stewart\u2019s <em>Year of the Cat<\/em> album at Abbey Road Studios, Alan Parsons was the producer. We were recording \u201cOn the Border,\u201d and I played from beginning to end. I felt real good about my guitar parts. The tape stopped at the end, and there was silence. The control booth is on the next floor up, and I was just waiting. And after what seemed like a very long silence, I heard, \u201cOK, let\u2019s try that again.\u201d And then after a pause, Alan said, \u201cBut this time, wait until Al stops singing, and then start playing.\u201d It actually was the best advice I was given. Guitarists think \u2018everyone needs to hear my riffs.\u2019 But it was a great lesson: you don\u2019t have to play all the way from the front of the song\u2014let the song speak. Now, I resist playing in the intro. Then when the melody comes in, it makes a stronger statement. I usually just play harmonics in the intro.<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/mmusicmag.com\/m\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/12\/Peter-White-7-Photo-Credit-Lori-Stoll.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" class=\"alignnone size-full wp-image-15979\" src=\"https:\/\/mmusicmag.com\/m\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/12\/Peter-White-7-Photo-Credit-Lori-Stoll.jpg\" alt=\"peter-white-7-photo-credit-lori-stoll\" width=\"660\" height=\"440\" srcset=\"https:\/\/mmusicmag.com\/m\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/12\/Peter-White-7-Photo-Credit-Lori-Stoll.jpg 660w, https:\/\/mmusicmag.com\/m\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/12\/Peter-White-7-Photo-Credit-Lori-Stoll-300x200.jpg 300w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 660px) 100vw, 660px\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<p><strong>Best advice you\u2019d like to give.<\/strong><br \/>\nLet the song develop, and then play. Really, an expansion of the best advice I was given. It\u2019s interesting that people know me as a guitar player, but I actually play piano. Most of the songs, I write on the piano. Or when I arrange music or show someone how it goes, I play it on the piano. On the piano, you have 10 fingers\u2014and you can create bass, melody and harmony. So, my advice would be\u2014learn to play the piano, and maybe also learn to sing. John Mahon played in my band, but about 20 years ago got a call to play with Elton John\u2014to sing high harmonies. Singing will help with your longevity as a musician\u2014helps you diversify. Also learn studio production. Learn to play other people\u2019s songs, and make it sound good. I had an 8-track studio, and recorded other people\u2014and made my living that way. Diversify\u2014learn a lot of things.<\/p>\n<p><strong>What\u2019s next?<\/strong><br \/>\nIn October, I got back from Europe (Poland, Portugal) and Barbados, and played literally on the beach at Catalina Island here in California. In November, I played in England, and now I\u2019m on my Christmas tour (started the day after Thanksgiving) with Rick Braun and Euge Groove. Also, something I do now that I never used to do. When I was playing in a dance band in England, someone gave me an Elvis songbook. I worked up \u201cTeddy Bear\u201d\u2014I was 19. So now, I decided to do Elvis again (\u201cBlue Christmas\u201d) in my shows. I have a wig, hair, sideburns, aviator glasses. We do things in Christmas we would never do. (<em>Laughs<\/em>) And I\u2019m playing New Year\u2019s Eve\u2014I\u2019m actually opening up for Morris Day and the Time.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Where can your new fans get more info and stay updated?<\/strong><\/p>\n<p><strong><a href=\"http:\/\/PeterWhite.com\" target=\"_blank\">PeterWhite.com<\/a><\/strong><strong>\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n<p><strong><img loading=\"lazy\" class=\"alignleft size-full wp-image-15981\" src=\"https:\/\/mmusicmag.com\/m\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/12\/Peter-White-4-Groovin-album-cover.jpg\" alt=\"peter-white-4-groovin-album-cover\" width=\"330\" height=\"330\" srcset=\"https:\/\/mmusicmag.com\/m\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/12\/Peter-White-4-Groovin-album-cover.jpg 330w, https:\/\/mmusicmag.com\/m\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/12\/Peter-White-4-Groovin-album-cover-150x150.jpg 150w, https:\/\/mmusicmag.com\/m\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/12\/Peter-White-4-Groovin-album-cover-300x300.jpg 300w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 330px) 100vw, 330px\" \/>Track List:<\/strong><\/p>\n<ol>\n<li>Groovin\u2019 (4:30)<\/li>\n<li>Do I Do (4:55)<\/li>\n<li>(Sittin\u2019 On) The Dock of the Bay (4:38)<\/li>\n<li>How Long (5:42)<\/li>\n<li>I Can See Clearly Now (4:39)<\/li>\n<li>I Heard It Through the Grapevine (5:04)<\/li>\n<li>Never Knew Love Like This Before (6:31)<\/li>\n<li>Sleepwalk (4:18)<\/li>\n<li>When Will I See You Again (4:44)<\/li>\n<li>Here, There and Everywhere (2:47)<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<div id=\"attachment_15978\" style=\"width: 670px\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\"><img aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-15978\" loading=\"lazy\" class=\"size-full wp-image-15978\" src=\"https:\/\/mmusicmag.com\/m\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/12\/Peter-White-3-Photo-Credit-Lori-Stoll.jpg\" alt=\"Photo Credit - Lori Stoll\" width=\"660\" height=\"989\" srcset=\"https:\/\/mmusicmag.com\/m\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/12\/Peter-White-3-Photo-Credit-Lori-Stoll.jpg 660w, https:\/\/mmusicmag.com\/m\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/12\/Peter-White-3-Photo-Credit-Lori-Stoll-200x300.jpg 200w, https:\/\/mmusicmag.com\/m\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/12\/Peter-White-3-Photo-Credit-Lori-Stoll-300x449.jpg 300w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 660px) 100vw, 660px\" \/><p id=\"caption-attachment-15978\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Photo Credit &#8211; Lori Stoll<\/p><\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>VIDEO FEATURE &amp; WEB-EXCLUSIVE INTERVIEW Musician: \u00a0PETER WHITE Music Video: \u201cGroovin\u2019\u201d Songwriters: Felix Cavaliere &amp; Eddie Brigati PETER WHITE Web-Exclusive Interview with\u00a0M Music &amp; Musicians\u00a0magazine publisher, Merlin David For his fifteenth recording as a leader, Peter White, the former Al Stewart sideman (who co-wrote the 1978 hit \u201cTime Passages\u201d) returns to some of his favorite [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":15987,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":[],"categories":[7725],"tags":[8565,8566,8567,8568,6271,8569,8570,8571,7317,5879,8572,8573,8574,8575,8576,8577,8578,8579,7402,6739,8580,1063,6905,2535,8581,1060,8582,8583,6740,8584,2633,6072,8585,8586,8587,8588,7964,8589,8590,8591,1271,8592,4185,3431,4315,8593,8594,7566,8595,1022,8596,8597,3010,7978,8598,8599,7191,8600,8601,3822,734,1673,8602,3931,8603,8604,8605,8606,8607,8608,8609,8610,5372,3818,8611,8612,7820,5085,8613,8614,8615,8616,8129,8617,8618,8619,8620],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/mmusicmag.com\/m\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/15975"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/mmusicmag.com\/m\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/mmusicmag.com\/m\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/mmusicmag.com\/m\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/mmusicmag.com\/m\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=15975"}],"version-history":[{"count":7,"href":"https:\/\/mmusicmag.com\/m\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/15975\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":15994,"href":"https:\/\/mmusicmag.com\/m\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/15975\/revisions\/15994"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/mmusicmag.com\/m\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/15987"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/mmusicmag.com\/m\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=15975"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/mmusicmag.com\/m\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=15975"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/mmusicmag.com\/m\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=15975"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}