Take Five: Alan White Recordings Outside of Yes

Alan White was a drummer extraordinaire. He took over the drum seat in Yes when Bill Bruford left (for the greater challenge of King Crimson, so the story goes). But playing in Yes always demanded the power and finesse of a seasoned, world-class drummer, and that description fit White to a T. The Pelton, England native also held the honor of being Yes’ longest-tenured member (1972 until his death in 2022 at age 72).

But Alan White’s drumming career began long before he joined Yes, and even after coming on board with the progressive superstars, he continued to take on occasional session work. During the season in which he would have celebrated his 75th birthday, here are five notable session credits featuring Grammy winner and Rock and Roll Hall of Fame inductee Alan White.

“Instant Karma!” single by John Lennon (1970)
White was enlisted by John Lennon for the soon-to-be-ex-Beatle’s first major concert without his band. As part of the Plastic Ono Band (along with guitarist Eric Clapton and Lennon’s old Hamburg pal Klaus Voorman on bass), White played at the Toronto Peace Festival in 1969. Soon thereafter, Lennon called on him again, this time to play on the Phil Spector co-production of “Instant Karma!” Other musicians on the quickly-recorded studio track include George Harrison, Billy Preston and Beatles roadie Mal Evans.

“If Not for You” from All Things Must Pass by George Harrison (1970)
George Harrison famously had a surfeit of excellent material that he wasn’t able to record with the Beatles. So when it came time for him to make his first solo album (not counting Electronic Sounds and the Wonderwall soundtrack), he called in friends from far and wide for the sessions. Owing to the manner in which the sessions were scheduled, each track has its own unique lineup. For the country-flavored reading of this Bob Dylan tune, the lineup was George, Klaus Voorman, Ringo Starr on tambourine, Gary Wright and Billy Preston on keyboards, and Alan White on drums.

“I’m Ready” from Back Street Crawler by Paul Kossoff (1973)
Guitarist Paul Kossoff co-founded Free in 1968 with Paul Rodgers, Simon Kirke and Andy Fraser. The band earned massive success with “All Right Now” in 1970. By 1973 the band had split, with Fraser and Rodgers going on to launch the similar (and even more successful) Bad Company. Meanwhile, Kossoff released his solo debut, Back Street Crawler, in ‘73 before going on to start a band with that name. For the album sessions, Kossoff enlisted the help of a number of musicians; Alan White played drums on two tracks: the popular “I’m Ready” and “Tuesday Morning.”

“Anne of Cleves” from The Six Wives of Henry VIII by Rick Wakeman (1973)
When Rick Wakeman set aside a lucrative career as a session player to join Yes, part of the package was a solo deal. As a non-singer, the keyboard virtuoso decided to make an instrumental album. At first the studio brass were nonplussed, but when it became a hit, they were happy. Wakeman’s conceptual work was inspired by – as the title makes clear – the succession of spouses of England’s King Henry VIII. Wakeman used an assortment of players to suit the demands of each piece, and for “Anne of Cleves” he called upon a group of musicians that included his Yes band mate Alan White.

“Wait a Little Longer” from E.H. in the U.K. by Eddie Harris (1974)
Alan White’s varied talents were applied to music in many genres. Jazz saxophonist Eddie Harris is best known for his collaboration with soul jazz legend Les McCann on the landmark live recording Swiss Movement, but Harris’ prolific solo career yielded many excellent records. E.H. in the U.K. marked something like the 30th album featuring Harris as leader; the album found him working with a variety of well known British musicians, many outside the jazz world. “Wait a Little Longer” featured the keyboard talents of Zoot Money along with others including Alan White on drums.