White formed the White in 1977 with guitarist Lanny Cordola (of Giuffria, House of Lords). The band would later include guitarist- Chap Cooper, drummer- Rocky Romano and bassist John Wilson. Since then the White has toured extensively through North America and Europe.[2] The band received positive reviews, including from the Toronto Star, which claimed they were "remarkably similar to the legendary Led Zeppelin...combining strong visual impersonations with a solid and accurate sound."[3]
In 1986, Robert Plant of Led Zeppelin assisted in securing White a recording contract with Atlantic Records.[4] The debut album was recorded at Musicland Studios in Munich Germany (where Led Zeppelin recorded their Presence album) with record producer Reinhold Mack. The album was well received, earning a five "K" review from Derek Oliver of Kerrang! magazine.[5] The album featured W.A.S.P. guitarist Randy Piper, Alan St Johns of the Billy Squier band, Bobby Chouinard of the Gary Moore band and Danny Bilan of Moxy.[6] The White then recorded two CDs for the Griffin Music label: Michael White/The White (1990) and Michael White Plays the Music of Led Zeppelin (1994), which were later re-released as a double-album under the title A Tribute To Led Zeppelin - Studio Sessions, Volume One & Volume Two.[citation needed]
White has been a regular performer and guest on Toronto's Q107 rock radio station's Derringer show.[7]
In 2009, White created "Orchestral Zeppelin" and toured around Canada performing with volunteer orchestras in each city.[9][10]
References
^The Dirt: Confessions of the World's Most Notorious Rock Band, by Mötley Crüe and Neil Strauss (pp. 36–37), ISBN0-06-098915-7
^Kerrang! magazine, June 1992: "The Los Angeles-based band have performed their 'Live musical tribute to Led Zeppelin' to over 2.5 million people in the US and Canada in the course of some 2,000 shows."