Alan White (disc jockey)
Encyclopedia
In 1964, at the age of 24, Alan began working at WHVW
AM 950 (known as 'Live 95') in Hyde Park, N.Y.
While at WHVW, White did a two-hour daily morning news program, a drive-time show from 4PM until station sign-off, and between shows either sold advertising for the station or worked in the studio to produce ads.
While Alan was a disc jockey at WHVW, some students at Vassar College in Poughkeepsie, N.Y. booked him—based on his highly-rated afternoon drive show at the local top 40 radio powerhouse Live 95—to DJ a dance at the college promoted under the name 'Discotheque'. The dance was based on the discotheque club concept the students had discovered in Europe the previous summer. This event would become the first known discotheque dance in the United States.
That same year, White and a business partner, Bill DeCesare (the WHVW sales manager), opened the first discotheque in the United States, the Rumpus Room Nightclub & Discotheque, in Dover Plains, N.Y.
In deejaying professionally from a booth at the club, White unintentionally became the first professional nightclub DJ in America in 1965.
He served as an agent at Paramount Artists Corporation, and represented (among others):
In late 1967, White departed Paramount in Washington, and moved to Action Talents agency at 1650 Broadway in New York City. Action Talents was an agency that received financing and support from Neil Bogart
of Buddah Records
fame.
While at Action Talents, Alan represented a number of the biggest pop acts of the period, including The Lemon Pipers
(Green Tambourine
), The Ohio Express
(Yummy Yummy Yummy (I've Got Love In My Tummy
), The 1910 Fruitgum Company (Simon Says
, 1, 2, 3, Red Light
), Joey Dee and the Starliters
(Peppermint Twist
, Hot Pastrami with Mashed Potatoes), The Music Explosion
(Little Bit O'Soul
), The Five Stairsteps and Cubie, (O-o-h Child
), Johnny Maestro and The Crests
(16 Candles, The Angels Listened In, Trouble in Paradise, Step By Step), The Del Satins (a vocal quartet made famous on the local New York City-based Clay Cole Show
), Jordan Christopher and The Wild Ones, The Kasenetz-Katz Singing Orchestral Circus
and The Peppermint Rainbow
(Will You Be Staying After Sunday?).
Alan became an integral at Betty Sperber's Action Talents agency, and is said to have coined the name for the act The Brooklyn Bridge; a supergroup
merging Johnny Maestro (whom Sperber personally managed), The Crests and The Del Satins. When the band was first introduced to the public, it happened in an appearance on the Brooklyn Bridge featuring the 12-piece band, Bogart, Sperber and the Mayor of Brooklyn, N.Y.
. At the time, Barry was producing what would become the first two disco records; Who Can I Turn To and a cover of Johnny Ray's
1950s classic, Cry, both by Atlanta R&B singer Grover Mitchell.
While neither record was a hit, the next Barry-produced dance recording was Keem-O-Sabe by The Electric Indian
and that became the first disco record ever to hit the national charts, reaching number 16 on the Billboard Hot 100
in August 1969.
During this period, White managed Barry's career as Len continued to produce new music in addition to performing. His core group of studio musicians at the time included performers like Vince Montana
, Daryl Hall
, John Oates
, Bobby Eli
, and Earl Young
; some of whom would go on to success either on their own, or as part of groups like MFSB
(TSOP
), The Trammps
(Disco Inferno
) and Hall & Oates
.
In addition to working in radio, White also provided marketing and consulting services for restaurants and nightclubs. In 1975, while performing at Emerson's Restaurant in downtown Baltimore, he was presented with a proclamation by then-Mayor William Donald Schaefer
naming White "The Evening Mayor of Baltimore," in appreciation of his contributions to bringing nighttime business back into Baltimore's downtown.
By 1974, he had also returned to deejaying in nightclubs, and played and programmed music in a variety of nightclubs along the East Coast. He settled in Atlanta, Georgia
in 1977 and would perform at several noted Atlanta venues during the heyday of disco, such as Harlows, Jeryl's, and Johnny's Hideaway.
Alan White would receive a gold record for his promotional efforts which helped nationally break Jim Burgess's
12" remix of Alicia Bridges
' I Love the Nightlife in 1978.
In the early 1980s, he would record a couple of novelty records. However, White continued to enjoy performing in nightclubs and would settle into a position as music director and headline DJ at Atlanta's Johnny's Hideaway. He would serve their in this capacity until the mid-1990s.
or the Neo-Swing movement. This trend was lead musically by artists like Brian Setzer
, Big Bad Voodoo Daddy
, Squirrel Nut Zippers
and Indigo Swing.
In 2001, Alan—along with web designer Dr. Clio Soleil—launched an internet radio station called SwingTop40.com, which featured a weekly Top 40 countdown show, with songs voted upon by reporting swing DJs from around the world. In 2002, SwingTop40 would partner with SwingAwards.com to digitally produce the first of two 'imaginary' special broadcasts that served as a formal awards program for the swing music industry.
When SwingTop40 ceased production in April 2003, a total of 103 weekly Swing Top 40 Countdown shows had been broadcast, and are currently archived online. These archived programs serve as a detailed historic record of the swing music revival of the late 1990s and early 2000s.
On Memorial Day weekend of 2005, Alan White was inducted into the Swing DJs Hall of Fame.
and continues to DJ and promote dance events in the Atlanta area. Mr. White is divorced, and the father of two sons: Zachary and Alan White, Jr.
He also presently runs a Modern Jive
dance promotion company called JiveBop and a related internet radio station—JiveBopRadio.com—playing music optimized for Modern Jive dancers. A television dance party show called the JiveBop Dance Party TV Show is currently in pre-production and has exclusive worldwide representation through Elisabeth Dupont, EHRDupont Management of New York, Sydney, and London.
WHVW
WHVW is a radio station licensed to Hyde Park, New York that is noted for its eclectic format based on old-fashioned blues, jazz, country and Americana music. In a time of corporate ownership of broadcast outlets, it is also one of only three Hudson Valley radio stations that are independently...
AM 950 (known as 'Live 95') in Hyde Park, N.Y.
Hyde Park, New York
Hyde Park is a town located in the northwest part of Dutchess County, New York, United States, just north of the city of Poughkeepsie. The town is most famous for being the hometown of U.S. President Franklin D. Roosevelt....
While at WHVW, White did a two-hour daily morning news program, a drive-time show from 4PM until station sign-off, and between shows either sold advertising for the station or worked in the studio to produce ads.
While Alan was a disc jockey at WHVW, some students at Vassar College in Poughkeepsie, N.Y. booked him—based on his highly-rated afternoon drive show at the local top 40 radio powerhouse Live 95—to DJ a dance at the college promoted under the name 'Discotheque'. The dance was based on the discotheque club concept the students had discovered in Europe the previous summer. This event would become the first known discotheque dance in the United States.
That same year, White and a business partner, Bill DeCesare (the WHVW sales manager), opened the first discotheque in the United States, the Rumpus Room Nightclub & Discotheque, in Dover Plains, N.Y.
In deejaying professionally from a booth at the club, White unintentionally became the first professional nightclub DJ in America in 1965.
Booking Agent
From 1966 until 1967, White worked, first as a concert promoter in North Carolina, and later as a theatrical booking agent in Washington, D.C.He served as an agent at Paramount Artists Corporation, and represented (among others):
- The British Walkers
- Little Willie & the Hand Jives
- The ChartbustersThe ChartbustersThe Chartbusters were an American rock band from Washington, D.C.. The group's lone hit single was the 1964 song "She's The One", which peaked at #33 on the Billboard Hot 100...
- Dee Dee SharpDee Dee SharpDee Dee Sharp is an American R&B singer, who began her career recording as a backing vocalist in 1961.-Career:...
- The Kalin Twins
- Jimmy JonesJimmy JonesJimmy Jones may refer to:*Jimmy Jones , American jazz pianist*Jimmy Jones , American singer/songwriter*Jimmy Jones , footballer who played for Stoke...
- The CrystalsThe CrystalsThe Crystals are an American vocal group based in New York, considered one of the defining acts of the girl group era of the first half of the 1960s. Their 1961–1964 chart hits, including "Uptown", "He's a Rebel", "Da Doo Ron Ron " and "Then He Kissed Me", featured three successive female lead...
- The Shangri-LasThe Shangri-LasThe Shangri-Las were an American pop girl group of the 1960s. Between 1964 and 1966 they charted with often heartbreaking teen melodramas, and remain best known for "Leader of the Pack" and "Remember ".- Early career :...
- Len BarryLen BarryLen Barry is a retired American vocalist, songwriter and record producer.-Career:...
In late 1967, White departed Paramount in Washington, and moved to Action Talents agency at 1650 Broadway in New York City. Action Talents was an agency that received financing and support from Neil Bogart
Neil Bogart
Neil Bogart was an American record executive. He is perhaps best known as the founder of Casablanca Records, with Peter Guber....
of Buddah Records
Buddah Records
Buddah Records was founded in 1967 in New York City. The label was born out of Kama Sutra Records, an MGM Records-distributed label, which remained a key imprint following Buddah's founding...
fame.
While at Action Talents, Alan represented a number of the biggest pop acts of the period, including The Lemon Pipers
The Lemon Pipers
The Lemon Pipers were a 1960s psychedelic pop band from Oxford, Ohio, known chiefly for their song "Green Tambourine", which reached No. 1 in the United States in 1968...
(Green Tambourine
Green Tambourine
"Green Tambourine" was the primary hit by the 1960s Ohio-based rock group The Lemon Pipers, as well as the title track to their debut-album Green Tambourine. The song has been credited as being the first bubblegum pop chart-topper. Released towards the end of 1967, it peaked at number one on the U.S...
), The Ohio Express
The Ohio Express
Ohio Express was a musical recording unit, mainly active from 1967 through 1970, and occasionally since that time.Though marketed as a band, it would be more accurate to say that the name "Ohio Express" served as a brand name used by Jerry Kasenetz's and Jeffrey Katz's Super K Productions to...
(Yummy Yummy Yummy (I've Got Love In My Tummy
Yummy Yummy Yummy
"Yummy Yummy Yummy" is a bubblegum pop song by Arthur Resnick and Joey Levine, first recorded by Ohio Express in 1968. Their version reached #4 in the U.S. Pop Singles chart and #5 in the UK Singles Chart. It has since been covered by many artists. Ohio Express was a studio concoction and none of...
), The 1910 Fruitgum Company (Simon Says
Simon Says (1910 Fruitgum Company song)
"Simon Says" is a bubblegum pop song, written by Elliot Chiprut and originally recorded by the 1910 Fruitgum Company in 1967.The song was based on the children's game "Simon says." Produced by Jerry Kasenetz, Steve Katz, and Chiprut, the single was issued by Buddah Records and entered the U.S. Hot...
, 1, 2, 3, Red Light
1, 2, 3, Red Light (song)
"1, 2, 3, Red Light" is a song written by Sal Trimachi and Bobbi Trimachi and was recorded by 1910 Fruitgum Company for their 1968 album, 1, 2, 3, Red Light. The song charted highest in Canada, going to #1 on the RPM 100 national singles chart in 1968...
), Joey Dee and the Starliters
Joey Dee and the Starliters
Joey Dee and The Starliters is an American popular music team. Best known for their successful million-selling recording "Peppermint Twist" , the group was initiated by Joey Dee.-Early singles:...
(Peppermint Twist
Peppermint Twist
"Peppermint Twist" is a song written by Joey Dee and Henry Glover, recorded and released by Joey Dee and the Starliters in 1961. Capitalizing on the Twist dance craze and the nightclub in which Dee performed , the song hit number one on the U.S. Billboard Hot 100 in early 1962...
, Hot Pastrami with Mashed Potatoes), The Music Explosion
The Music Explosion
The Music Explosion was an American garage rock band from Mansfield, Ohio, best known for their Top 10 hit, "Little Bit O'Soul", in 1967. The song peaked at number two on the Billboard Hot 100 chart and received gold record status by the R.I.A.A....
(Little Bit O'Soul
Little Bit O'Soul
Little Bit O' Soul is a song written in 1964 by British song writers John Carter and Ken Lewis, who had previously written big hits for The Ivy League and Herman's Hermits. Originally recorded by Birmingham band The Little Darlings and released in 1965 on Fontana Records, it was popularised by the...
), The Five Stairsteps and Cubie, (O-o-h Child
O-o-h Child
"O-o-h Child" is a seminal 1970 single recorded and released by Chicago soul family group the Five Stairsteps, who released it on the Buddah label. Written by Stan Vincent and included on the band's The Stairsteps album from 1970, it has become the Stairsteps' signature song and has inspired more...
), Johnny Maestro and The Crests
The Crests
The Crests were a New York R&B doo-wop group of the late 1950s and early 1960s. Their most popular song was "16 Candles", which rose to number 2 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart in 1959. It sold over one million copies, earning a gold disc. The interracial group had three black members , one Puerto...
(16 Candles, The Angels Listened In, Trouble in Paradise, Step By Step), The Del Satins (a vocal quartet made famous on the local New York City-based Clay Cole Show
Clay Cole Show
The Clay Cole Show was a rock music television show based in New York City, hosted by Clay Cole.First bnroadcast on WNTA-TV in September 1959 as Rate the Records, within two months the format was changed, and an hour-long Saturday-night show was added...
), Jordan Christopher and The Wild Ones, The Kasenetz-Katz Singing Orchestral Circus
Kasenetz-Katz Singing Orchestral Circus
The Kasenetz-Katz Singing Orchestral Circus was a bubblegum "supergroup" created by record producers Jerry Kasenetz and Jeff Katz, consisting of various Super K Production groups.-Original cast recording:...
and The Peppermint Rainbow
The Peppermint Rainbow
The Peppermint Rainbow were an American sunshine pop group from Baltimore, Maryland. They formed in 1967 under the name New York Times, playing to local gigs in the mid-Atlantic states before changing their name to The Peppermint Rainbow in 1968...
(Will You Be Staying After Sunday?).
Alan became an integral at Betty Sperber's Action Talents agency, and is said to have coined the name for the act The Brooklyn Bridge; a supergroup
Supergroup (music)
In the late 1960s, the term supergroup was coined to describe "a rock music group whose performers are already famous from having performed individually or in other groups"....
merging Johnny Maestro (whom Sperber personally managed), The Crests and The Del Satins. When the band was first introduced to the public, it happened in an appearance on the Brooklyn Bridge featuring the 12-piece band, Bogart, Sperber and the Mayor of Brooklyn, N.Y.
Talent Manager
In 1969, White moved to Philadelphia to become personal manager and booking agent for his friend, 1960s rock and roll star and former Dovells lead singer Len BarryLen Barry
Len Barry is a retired American vocalist, songwriter and record producer.-Career:...
. At the time, Barry was producing what would become the first two disco records; Who Can I Turn To and a cover of Johnny Ray's
Johnny Ray
John Cornelius Ray is a former second baseman in Major League Baseball who had a 10-year career from 1981 to 1990. He played for the Pittsburgh Pirates of the National League and the California Angels of the American League...
1950s classic, Cry, both by Atlanta R&B singer Grover Mitchell.
While neither record was a hit, the next Barry-produced dance recording was Keem-O-Sabe by The Electric Indian
The Electric Indian
The Electric Indian was a studio group assembled by Bernie Binnick, co-founder of Swan Records. Influenced by the popularity of American Indians in the media, Binnick put together the group to record an Indian-esque instrumental, "Keem-O-Sabe." It was released nationally on the United Artists label...
and that became the first disco record ever to hit the national charts, reaching number 16 on the Billboard Hot 100
Billboard Hot 100
The Billboard Hot 100 is the United States music industry standard singles popularity chart issued weekly by Billboard magazine. Chart rankings are based on radio play and sales; the tracking-week for sales begins on Monday and ends on Sunday, while the radio play tracking-week runs from Wednesday...
in August 1969.
During this period, White managed Barry's career as Len continued to produce new music in addition to performing. His core group of studio musicians at the time included performers like Vince Montana
Vincent Montana Jr.
Vincent Montana, Jr. is an American composer, arranger, and percussionist, most known as a member of MFSB and as the founder of the Salsoul Orchestra....
, Daryl Hall
Daryl Hall
Daryl Hall is an American rock, R&B and soul singer, keyboardist, guitarist, songwriter and producer, best known as the co-founder and lead vocalist of Hall & Oates . Hall scored several Billboard chart hits in the 1970s and early 1980s, and is regarded as one of the best blue eyed soul singers...
, John Oates
John Oates
John William Oates is an American rock, R&B and soul guitarist, musician, songwriter and producer best known as half of the rock and soul duo Hall & Oates ....
, Bobby Eli
Bobby Eli
Bobby Eli is a Grammy Award winning musician, arranger, composer and record producer from Philadelphia, USA. He is a founding member and lead guitarist of Philadelphia studio group MFSB.-Biography:...
, and Earl Young
Earl Young (drummer)
Earl Young is a Philadelphia-based drummer who rose to prominence in the early 1970s as part of the Philly Soul sound. Young is best known as the founder and leader of The Trammps who had a hit record with "Disco Inferno". Young, along with Ronnie Baker and Norman Harris, was the owner of the...
; some of whom would go on to success either on their own, or as part of groups like MFSB
MFSB
MFSB was a pool of more than thirty studio musicians based at Philadelphia’s famed Sigma Sound Studios. They worked closely with the production team of Gamble and Huff and producer/arranger Thom Bell, and backed up such groups as Harold Melvin & the Blue Notes, the O’Jays, the Stylistics, the...
(TSOP
TSOP (The Sound of Philadelphia)
"TSOP " is a 1974 hit recording by MFSB featuring vocals by The Three Degrees. A classic example of the Philadelphia soul genre, it was written by Kenneth Gamble and Leon Huff as the theme for the American musical television program Soul Train, which specialized in African American musical...
), The Trammps
The Trammps
The Trammps were an American disco band, who were based in Philadelphia and were one of the first disco bands. The band's first major success was with their 1972 cover version of "Zing! Went the Strings of My Heart". The first disco track they released was "Love Epidemic" in 1973...
(Disco Inferno
Disco Inferno
Disco Inferno is a song by The Trammps.Disco Inferno can also refer to:* Disco Inferno , a 1976 disco album recorded by The Trammps featuring the song* Disco Inferno , a band formed in the late 1980s...
) and Hall & Oates
Hall & Oates
Hall & Oates are an American musical duo composed of Daryl Hall and John Oates. They achieved their greatest fame in the late 1970s and early to mid-1980s. Both sing and play instruments. They specialized in a fusion of rock and roll and rhythm and blues styles, which they dubbed "rock and soul."...
.
Nightclub DJ
Eventually, Alan changed directions and returned to radio. From 1972-1973, he served as a sidekick to Peter 'The Flying Dutchman' Berry of Baltimore's WFBR 1300 AM. Berry's morning show on "Mad Radio 13"--as it was known at the time—consistently dominated the Baltimore market.In addition to working in radio, White also provided marketing and consulting services for restaurants and nightclubs. In 1975, while performing at Emerson's Restaurant in downtown Baltimore, he was presented with a proclamation by then-Mayor William Donald Schaefer
William Donald Schaefer
William Donald Schaefer was an American politician who served in public office for 50 years at both the state and local level in Maryland. A Democrat, he was mayor of Baltimore from 1971 to 1987, the 58th Governor of Maryland from January 21, 1987 to January 18, 1995, and the Comptroller of...
naming White "The Evening Mayor of Baltimore," in appreciation of his contributions to bringing nighttime business back into Baltimore's downtown.
By 1974, he had also returned to deejaying in nightclubs, and played and programmed music in a variety of nightclubs along the East Coast. He settled in Atlanta, Georgia
Atlanta, Georgia
Atlanta is the capital and most populous city in the U.S. state of Georgia. According to the 2010 census, Atlanta's population is 420,003. Atlanta is the cultural and economic center of the Atlanta metropolitan area, which is home to 5,268,860 people and is the ninth largest metropolitan area in...
in 1977 and would perform at several noted Atlanta venues during the heyday of disco, such as Harlows, Jeryl's, and Johnny's Hideaway.
Alan White would receive a gold record for his promotional efforts which helped nationally break Jim Burgess's
Jim Burgess (producer)
James Michael "Jim" Burgess was a disco record producer and New York DJ of the 1970s, and was variously referred to as "one of the hottest DJ's and Remixers of the Disco era"...
12" remix of Alicia Bridges
Alicia Bridges
Alicia Bridges is an American singer who co-wrote and performed her international hit "I Love the Nightlife " in 1978.-Early years:...
' I Love the Nightlife in 1978.
In the early 1980s, he would record a couple of novelty records. However, White continued to enjoy performing in nightclubs and would settle into a position as music director and headline DJ at Atlanta's Johnny's Hideaway. He would serve their in this capacity until the mid-1990s.
The Swing Revival
In 1998, White began to DJ and promote dance events for young Atlanta-area swing dancers, who had become caught up in a resurgence of interest in swing music and dancing which would later come to be known as the swing revivalSwing Revival
The Swing Revival was a late 1990s and early 2000s period of renewed popular interest in swing and jump blues music and dance from the 1930s and 1940s as exemplified by Louis Prima, often mixed with a more contemporary rock, rockabilly or ska sound, known also as neo-swing or retro...
or the Neo-Swing movement. This trend was lead musically by artists like Brian Setzer
Brian Setzer
Brian Setzer is an American guitarist, singer and songwriter. He first found widespread success in the early 1980s with the 1950s-style rockabilly revival group The Stray Cats, and revitalized his career in the late 1990s with a jazz-oriented big band.-Career:Setzer was born in Massapequa, New York...
, Big Bad Voodoo Daddy
Big Bad Voodoo Daddy
Big Bad Voodoo Daddy is a contemporary swing revival band from southern California. Their notable singles include "Go Daddy-O", "You & Me & the Bottle Makes 3 Tonight ", and "Mr. Pinstripe Suit". The band played the Super Bowl XXXIII half-time show in 1999.The band was originally formed in Ventura,...
, Squirrel Nut Zippers
Squirrel Nut Zippers
The Squirrel Nut Zippers are a band formed in 1993 in Chapel Hill, North Carolina by James "Jimbo" Mathus , Katharine Whalen , Chris Phillips on drums, Don Raleigh on bass and sideman Ken Mosher....
and Indigo Swing.
In 2001, Alan—along with web designer Dr. Clio Soleil—launched an internet radio station called SwingTop40.com, which featured a weekly Top 40 countdown show, with songs voted upon by reporting swing DJs from around the world. In 2002, SwingTop40 would partner with SwingAwards.com to digitally produce the first of two 'imaginary' special broadcasts that served as a formal awards program for the swing music industry.
When SwingTop40 ceased production in April 2003, a total of 103 weekly Swing Top 40 Countdown shows had been broadcast, and are currently archived online. These archived programs serve as a detailed historic record of the swing music revival of the late 1990s and early 2000s.
On Memorial Day weekend of 2005, Alan White was inducted into the Swing DJs Hall of Fame.
Present Day
Alan currently lives in Chamblee, GeorgiaChamblee, Georgia
As of the 2010 Census Chamblee had a population of 9,892. The racial and ethnic composition of the population was 45.0% white , 7.0% black or African American , 2.1% Native American , 1.8% Vietnamese, 1.6% Asian Indian, 4.6% other Asian, 33.5% from some other race and...
and continues to DJ and promote dance events in the Atlanta area. Mr. White is divorced, and the father of two sons: Zachary and Alan White, Jr.
He also presently runs a Modern Jive
Modern Jive
Modern Jive is a dance style derived from Swing, Lindy Hop, Rock and Roll, Salsa and others, the main innovation being to simplify the footwork - by removing syncopation such as chasse. The term French Jive is occasionally used instead, reflecting the origins of the style...
dance promotion company called JiveBop and a related internet radio station—JiveBopRadio.com—playing music optimized for Modern Jive dancers. A television dance party show called the JiveBop Dance Party TV Show is currently in pre-production and has exclusive worldwide representation through Elisabeth Dupont, EHRDupont Management of New York, Sydney, and London.