
Ray Shirley White Sr. is an
African American
African Americans, also known as Black Americans and formerly also called Afro-Americans, are an Race and ethnicity in the United States, American racial and ethnic group that consists of Americans who have total or partial ancestry from an ...
soul vocalist and rock and blues
guitar
The guitar is a stringed musical instrument that is usually fretted (with Fretless guitar, some exceptions) and typically has six or Twelve-string guitar, twelve strings. It is usually held flat against the player's body and played by strumming ...
ist, best known as a member of
Frank Zappa
Frank Vincent Zappa (December 21, 1940 – December 4, 1993) was an American guitarist, composer, and bandleader. In a career spanning more than 30 years, Zappa composed Rock music, rock, Pop music, pop, jazz, jazz fusion, orchestra ...
's touring ensembles.
He was drafted into Zappa's band in late 1976, being featured on
rhythm guitar
In music performances, rhythm guitar is a guitar technique and role that performs a combination of two functions: to provide all or part of the rhythmic pulse (music), pulse in conjunction with other instruments from the rhythm section (e.g., d ...
and vocals, forming a vocal harmony partnership with
Ike Willis
Isaac Willis (born November 12, 1955) is an American vocalist and guitarist who was a regular member of Frank Zappa's studio and touring bands from 1978 until the last tour in 1988. He did not tour with Zappa in 1981 and 1982 because he wanted ...
on later tours in 1980 and 1984. White's vocals can be heard on ''
Zappa in New York'' (March 1978) and ''
You Are What You Is'' (September 1981) as well as others. White can also be found on a ''
The Torture Never Stops'' and ''
Does Humor Belong in Music?''; the former is a DVD from Zappa's 1981 tour (without Ike Willis) and the latter filmed at the pier in New York in 1984; the video features White and Ike Willis' vocal harmonies. According to Zappa, White, who was deeply religious, was uncomfortable with the atheistic views of some of the other band members, which led to his departure.
White has also worked with jam-oriented groups like
KVHW, Don't Push the Clown and
Umphrey's McGee
Umphrey's McGee, sometimes stylized as UM, is an American rock band originally from South Bend, Indiana. The band experiments with many musical styles, including rock, metal, funk, jazz, blues, reggae, electronic, bluegrass, country, and ...
since his contributions to the Zappa band, and has worked with a variety of Michigan artists, including former
Rare Earth drummer Bob Weaver, as well as members of the funk/fusion combo Generic Produce.
In 2007 Ray White joined
Dweezil Zappa
Dweezil Zappa (born Ian Donald Calvin Euclid Zappa, September 5, 1969) is an American rock guitarist and occasional actor. He is the son of musical composer and performer Frank Zappa. Exposed to the music industry from an early age, Zappa develo ...
as a special guest for the
Zappa Plays Zappa
Zappa Plays Zappa is an American tribute act led by Dweezil Zappa, the elder son of late American composer and musician Frank Zappa, devoted to performing the music of Frank Zappa.
History
The band debuted in 2006 with shows in Europe, Cana ...
Tour. White is also a member of the group Band From Utopia (also called Banned from Utopia), formed by former members of different formations of Frank Zappa's band who wanted to pay tribute to his work.
White is also a member of the Zappa Band, an alumni band consisting of former Frank Zappa contributors keyboardist/guitarist
Mike Keneally, multi-instrumentalist
Robert Martin, bassist
Scott Thunes
Scott Thunes ( ; born January 20, 1960) is a bass player, formerly with Frank Zappa, Wayne Kramer, Steve Vai, Andy Prieboy, Mike Keneally, Fear, The Waterboys, Big Bang Beat, and others.
Early life
Thunes was raised in San Anselmo, Califo ...
, drummer Joe Travers, guitarist
Jamie Kime and White on vocals and guitar.
References
External links
Official Ray White official websiteProject Object
African-American rock musicians
American male singers
American rock guitarists
American male guitarists
Living people
Year of birth missing (living people)
African-American guitarists
21st-century African-American musicians
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