Alan White, the longstanding drummer for Yes and collaborator on projects with John Lennon and George Harrison, has passed away. He was 72 years old at the time.
White’s death was revealed by his family on his Facebook page. According to the post, he died after a brief illness at his home in the Seattle region on Thursday. Yes had just announced that White would not be joining the band on their upcoming UK tour to commemorate the 50th anniversary of the famous record “Close to the Edge” owing to health difficulties.
In 1972, White replaced Bill Bruford, the band’s original drummer. White was a constant in a band known for lineup fluctuations, and he was inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame as a member of Yes in 2017.
Despite the fact that he didn’t play on “Close to the Edge,” he has appeared on every subsequent Yes studio album for nearly five decades, including the band’s most recent record, “The Quest,” released last year.
White has remained with the band throughout its various incarnations. Yes was a pioneering band in England’s progressive rock era, which gained in popularity in the early 1970s alongside Genesis, Pink Floyd, and Jethro Tull. They were noted for their elaborate arrangements and individual members’ musical abilities.
Many bands affiliated with progressive rock faltered when the genre fell out of favour in the late 1970s.
Yes rebuilt themselves in the 1980s as a harder edged band that appealed to younger fans more sensitive to heavy metal and the visual signals of music videos, with White staying behind the drum kit. Yes released the mega hit album “90125” in 1983.
White was born in Pelton, County Durham, England, in 1949 and has lived in the Seattle region since then. He began piano lessons at the age of six and drum instruction at the age of twelve, according to his family.
Throughout the 1960s, White was a member of various bands in England. John Lennon requested him to join his Plastic Ono Band in 1969. In a 2021 interview with The Seattle Times, White stated he thought the renowned Beatle’s call was a joke.
“A voice announced, ‘Hello, this is John Lennon,’” White said. “I thought it was a mate pulling my leg, put the receiver down, and went back to the kitchen.”
White performed with John Lennon’s band in Toronto in 1969, which included guitarist Eric Clapton. White also contributed percussion to George Harrison’s solo album “All Things Must Pass,” released in 1970.
In the statement announcing his death, his family wrote: “Alan was many things to many people: a certified rock star to fans around the world; band mate to a select few, and gentleman and friend to all who met him.”
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