Gary White discovered drums at the age of ten. While attending school in his native Virginia, he honed the early stages of his art by playing for the schools marching, concert, and jazz bands. He studied under Jim Rasin, a pit drummer for Maryland’s Shady Grove Music Fair, and later as a private student of the famed Bill Reichenbach of The Charlie Byrd Trio. He counts among his greatest influences Joe Morello, Tony Williams, Elvin Jones, Art Blakey, and Max Roach.

White began his professional career at age sixteen with various local groups in Maryland, covering the gamut of musical styles and venues, from Top 40 to country, jazz trios, classic rock, Christian contemporary and orchestra for theater.

Throughout the ‘70s, he achieved notoriety with a number of groups, most notably the regionally popular horn group WOODEN NICKEL, and covered the disco scene by touring the East Coast and Midwestern United States with BEGINNINGS.

In the ‘80s, White formed the group SHOOSHINE, a jazz trio that played both standard and original jazz all over the Washington area. SHOOSHINE attracted a large and rabid group of loyal followers, and produced a CD of the trio’s most memorable music.

His hunger for variety never assuaged, White found his way back to classic rock in the ‘90s with SMALLWOOD, ELLIOT, GREEN AND WHITE, a band that became wildly popular in the Northern Virginia area. As country music began to rise within the music scene, White again changed styles, executing his country-rock licks with the notorious JAMES BOYS BAND. At the same time, following the Saturday night gigs, he would get up at an ungodly early hour and perform the morning services with THE LEESBURG COMMUNITY CHURCH PRAISE AND WORSHIP BAND.

In the new millennium, White performed with MICHAEL FATH’S JAZZ TRIO at such prestigious venues as Blue’s Alley, The Smithsonian Jazz Café, and The Barns at Wolf Trap. Currently, White backs THE GARY SMALLWOOD BAND, playing classic rock and blues at various private clubs in the DC area. He also tours with THE BRANDY STILLS BAND, punching out chops to contemporary country music and original compositions throughout the Mid Atlantic area.

Despite his generally grueling schedule, he has found time to privately instruct hundreds of students both young and old over the last thirty five years, conducting lessons at his two private studios in Northern Virginia, and clock in stick-time with SHINOLA, a studio group currently producing original music. He is in demand to provide tempo and rhythm for studio recordings of other artist’s work as well. He has penned many articles for Classic Drummer, a magazine for avid vintage drum collectors, which he is, collecting drums like others collect baseball cards.