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Bryan White

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Bryan White
Bryan White atCMA Music Festivalin June 2010
Background information
Birth nameBryan Shelton White
Born(1974-02-17)February 17, 1974(age 50)[1]
Lawton,Oklahoma,U.S.[1]
GenresCountry
Occupation(s)
  • Singer
  • songwriter
Instruments
  • Vocals
  • guitar
  • drums
Years active
  • 1994–2000
  • 2005–present
Labels

Bryan Shelton White(born February 17, 1974) is an Americancountry musicsinger and songwriter. Signed toAsylum Recordsin 1994 at age 20, White released hisself-titled debut albumthat year. Both it and its follow-up, 1996'sBetween Now and Forever,were certifiedplatinumby theRecording Industry Association of America,and 1997'sThe Right Placewas certified gold. His fourth album, 1999'sHow Lucky I Am,produced two top 40 singles, with the song "God Gave Me You" eventually becoming a big hit in the Philippines.[2]

White has charted 17 singles on theBillboardcountry charts, of which four reached number one: "Someone Else's Star"in 1995,"Rebecca Lynn"and"So Much for Pretending"in 1996, and"Sittin' on Go"in 1997." So Much for Pretending "was the most successful of these songs, spending two weeks at number one.

Early life

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White was born inLawton,Oklahoma,in 1974,[1]and raised inOklahoma City.[3]Raised by a musical family, White began playing thedrumsat age 5 through the instruction of his father.[1]He also played in his mother'spopband and his father's country band as a teenager, and was encouraged to take up singing after his mother heard him sing during a sound check.[1]

After moving to Nashville White sold T-shirts for the bandPearl River,in which his friend Derek George played guitar. The band regularly let White onstage to perform a song during their concerts.[4]He also befriended two record producers:Billy Joe Walker, Jr.(who is also a session guitarist, songwriter, andJazzmusician) andKyle Lehning,the latter of whom helped him sign a contract withAsylum Recordsin 1994.[1]

Recording career

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Bryan White

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White released his debut single "Eugene You Genius" in late 1994.[1]Although it failed to reach Top 40 on theHot Country Songscharts, hisdebut albumwas released under the production of Lehning and Walker. The next single, "Look at Me Now", peaked at number 24, followed by the consecutive number 1 hits "Someone Else's Star"and"Rebecca Lynn".The success of these latter two singles helpedBryan Whiteachieve a platinum certification from theRecording Industry Association of America(RIAA) for shipments of one million copies. The album included two songs which would later be singles for other artists in 1997: "Nothin' Less Than Love" (recorded byThe Buffalo Club) and "Going, Going, Gone" (recorded byNeal McCoy). Also in 1995,Sawyer Browncharted in the Top Five with "I Don't Believe in Goodbye", a song which White co-wrote withScotty Emerickand Sawyer Brown lead singer Mark Miller. In 1996, White earned theCountry Music Association's Horizon Award and theAcademy of Country Music's Top New Male Vocalist award.[1]

A review in theSt. Petersburg Timessaid that the label "erred by releasing a novelty song as his first single" but added "the rest of Bryan White's debut album makes it clear that he has talent polish and promise."[5]Tom Lanham ofNew Countrymagazine thought that the album showed promise despite White's age, while comparing his vocal delivery favorably to that ofVince Gill.[6]

Between Now and Forever

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White's second album,Between Now and Forever,was released in early 1996.[1]Its lead-off, "I'm Not Supposed to Love You Anymore",reached number 1 on the country charts, followed by the number 1"So Much for Pretending",the number 15"That's Another Song",and his sixth number one hit, 1997's"Sittin' on Go".Like his debut album,Between Now and Foreverwas certified platinum. That same year,Diamond Riocharted in the Top 5 with "Imagine That", which White co-wrote with Derek George and John Tirro.

The Right Place

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The Right Placefollowed in 1997. Its title track, "Love Is the Right Place",was a Top 5 hit, although later singles proved less successful." One Small Miracle "peaked at 15, and" Bad Day to Let You Go "peaked in at 30 in 1998. The album earned a gold certification. Also in 1998, White contributed background vocals and made a guest appearance onShania Twain's Top Ten country and pop hit "From This Moment On"released on Shania's 1997 albumCome On Over,there are several edits of the song, both country and pop. The final single fromThe Right Place,"Tree of Hearts", failed to make Top 40. White followed up the album with a ChristmasEPentitledDreaming of Christmas.[1]He also co-wroteLila McCann's "You're Gone" with friendSteve Warinerand sang background vocals on the song withSteve WarinerandVince Gill.Also in 1998, he was one of several artists to participate in a charity single entitled "One Heart at a Time".

How Lucky I AmandGreatest Hits

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A fourth album for Asylum,How Lucky I Am,followed in 1999. Session guitarist and producerDann Huffproduced half of the album, and White co-produced the rest with Derek George.[7]Both of its singles ( "You're Still Beautiful To Me" and "God Gave Me You" ) were top 30 singles. White's label Asylum closed its Nashville division soon afterward. He then signed withWarner Bros. Records.WB issued aGreatest Hitsalbum in 2000 onWarner Bros. Records.This album included the number 56 single "How Long".

White's 1999/2000 single "God Gave Me You" from the albumHow Lucky I Ambecame a massive hit in the Philippines 16 years after it was released due to its use of theAlDublove-team phenomenon which was vocally dubbed byAlden RichardsandMaine Mendozaon theKalyeseryesegment of the noontime TV variety showEat Bulaga!.The success of this song prompted White to visit the Philippines for the first time to perform a concert at theSmart Araneta Coliseumon December 1, 2015.[8]White also performed the song onEat Bulaga![9]andSunday PinaSaya.He also visited the Catmon community in Manila withFood for the Hungry.

2000s

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Being so young in the 1990s and thrust into stardom so fast, White found that the industry's pressures ended up taking their toll. As White has stated, "I found myself being defined by my career and success and being pushed farther away from who I really was meant to be". With his fourth album being less commercially successful, he began doubting himself and his voice which landed him in a deep depression, forcing him to take some time off until 2005, when he began work on another album. A second Christmas EP,My Christmas Project,followed in 2006.

A new album,Dustbowl Dreams,was released on September 28, 2009. White released a new single from that album, "The Little Things", in July 2009. White said, "It was a record that I had to make. It's my most personal to date." Dustbowl Dreams "was for my healing.."

2012 New Music Project

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On September 24, 2012, White launched aKickstarterproject for a new record which he planned to create without the help of a record label.[10]On October 24, 2012, theKickstarterproject funding period closed. White raised $34,889 in total. On March 20, 2013, White announced to his Kickstarter backers that the album would at least include the following songs: "Another Day In The Sun," "Amen," "Born To Be Somebody," "Call Me Crazy," "Another Man's Shoes," and "What I Already Know." On June 17, 2013, in an update to his financial backers, White announced that the album would be calledShine.

Personal life

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White is married to actressErika Page White,and together they have two sons, Justin and Jackson. White's father was killed on October 5, 2016[11][12]in a car accident in Snyder, Oklahoma.

Discography

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References

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  1. ^abcdefghijErlewine, Stephen Thomas."Bryan White biography".Allmusic.Retrieved2008-10-02.
  2. ^Villano, Alexa (1 December 2015)."How 'God Gave Me You' singer Bryan White found out about #AlDub".Rappler.Retrieved21 May2022.
  3. ^Whitburn, Joel (2008).Hot Country Songs 1944 to 2008.Record Research, Inc. p. 457.ISBN978-0-89820-177-2.
  4. ^Catalano, Grace (1999).Bryan White: Country Cool.Bantam Doubleday Dell Books for Young Readers. p. 28.ISBN0440228263.
  5. ^Fleming, John; et al. (3 February 1995)."Audio Files Series: Audio Files".St. Petersburg Times.Archived fromthe originalon January 31, 2013.Retrieved12 September2011.
  6. ^Lanham, Tom (December 1994). "Reviews: Bryan White —Bryan White".New Country.1(11): 62.
  7. ^How Lucky I Am(CD booklet). Bryan White. Asylum Records. 1999. 62278.{{cite AV media notes}}:CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link)
  8. ^Villano, Alexa (4 December 2015)."IN PHOTOS: Bryan White serenades PH crowd, thanks #AlDub fans for unforgettable night".Rappler.Retrieved21 May2022.
  9. ^"BRYAN WHITE SINGS GOD GAVE ME YOU! Aldub - November 28, 2015"(Archived TV Recording). 28 November 2015.Retrieved21 May2022– via YouTube.
  10. ^White, Bryan."New Bryan White Record".Retrieved1 October2012.
  11. ^"Country singer's father killed in accident".KSWO 7News.6 October 2016.Retrieved21 May2022.
  12. ^[1][dead link]
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