Mark White (musician)
Encyclopedia
Mark White is an English
musician
, best known for being part of the pop
band
ABC
, from 1980 to 1992. His last contribution to the band was their 1991 album
, Abracadabara
.
group, Vice Versa
. Other members of the trio were David Sydenham and future ABC saxophonist
Stephen Singleton
. After being interviewed by future ABC frontman Martin Fry
for his fanzine, Modern Drugs, the bandmembers invited Fry to join the group, and Vice Versa evolved into ABC.
With ABC, White served as the band's guitarist
, synthesizer
player, co-songwriter
and backing vocalist
. On How to Be a...Millionaire! he played the Emulator II
, Fairlight CMI
and the synthesizers.
White released solo
albums, Life (1994) and Tunch (1998). He declined to participate in VH1
's Bands Reunited
in 2004, when attempts were made to reform ABC for a one-off performance.
English people
The English are a nation and ethnic group native to England, who speak English. The English identity is of early mediaeval origin, when they were known in Old English as the Anglecynn. England is now a country of the United Kingdom, and the majority of English people in England are British Citizens...
musician
Musician
A musician is an artist who plays a musical instrument. It may or may not be the person's profession. Musicians can be classified by their roles in performing music and writing music.Also....* A person who makes music a profession....
, best known for being part of the pop
Pop music
Pop music is usually understood to be commercially recorded music, often oriented toward a youth market, usually consisting of relatively short, simple songs utilizing technological innovations to produce new variations on existing themes.- Definitions :David Hatch and Stephen Millward define pop...
band
Musical ensemble
A musical ensemble is a group of people who perform instrumental or vocal music. In classical music, trios or quartets either blend the sounds of musical instrument families or group together instruments from the same instrument family, such as string ensembles or wind ensembles...
ABC
ABC (band)
ABC are an English band, that charted ten UK and five US Top 40 singles between 1981 and 1990. The band continues to tour and released a new album, Traffic, in 2008.-Formation:...
, from 1980 to 1992. His last contribution to the band was their 1991 album
Album
An album is a collection of recordings, released as a single package on gramophone record, cassette, compact disc, or via digital distribution. The word derives from the Latin word for list .Vinyl LP records have two sides, each comprising one half of the album...
, Abracadabara
Abracadabra (ABC album)
Abracadabra is a 1991 studio album by ABC.ABC moved to the EMI label, where they recorded the LP Abracadabra, a tightly produced fusion of early 1990s techno sounds and 1970s dance grooves which was met with muted critical approval and appreciation from the band's fan base.The first single, "Love...
.
Biography
In the late 1970s, White was a member of ABC's predecessor band, the three-piece electronicElectronic music
Electronic music is music that employs electronic musical instruments and electronic music technology in its production. In general a distinction can be made between sound produced using electromechanical means and that produced using electronic technology. Examples of electromechanical sound...
group, Vice Versa
Vice Versa (band)
Vice Versa was a synthpop band from Sheffield, Yorkshire, England. Vice Versa comprised future members of the successful pop group ABC.Formed in 1977 by Stephen Singleton, Mark White and David Sydenham, they founded their own label, Neutron Records, releasing the EP Music 4...
. Other members of the trio were David Sydenham and future ABC saxophonist
Saxophone
The saxophone is a conical-bore transposing musical instrument that is a member of the woodwind family. Saxophones are usually made of brass and played with a single-reed mouthpiece similar to that of the clarinet. The saxophone was invented by the Belgian instrument maker Adolphe Sax in 1846...
Stephen Singleton
Stephen Singleton
Stephen Singleton is a British musician, currently residing in Sheffield, England. According to an interview Singleton did for the documentary Made in Sheffield, he was friends with Def Leppard lead singer Joe Elliott when the two were young children. Along with Mark White and David Sydenham, he...
. After being interviewed by future ABC frontman Martin Fry
Martin Fry
Martin Fry is lead singer of the band, ABC.-Biography:He grew up in Bramhall, Stockport, alongside his younger brother Jamie .-ABC:...
for his fanzine, Modern Drugs, the bandmembers invited Fry to join the group, and Vice Versa evolved into ABC.
With ABC, White served as the band's guitarist
Guitarist
A guitarist is a musician who plays the guitar. Guitarists may play a variety of instruments such as classical guitars, acoustic guitars, electric guitars, and bass guitars. Some guitarists accompany themselves on the guitar while singing.- Versatility :The guitarist controls an extremely...
, synthesizer
Synthesizer
A synthesizer is an electronic instrument capable of producing sounds by generating electrical signals of different frequencies. These electrical signals are played through a loudspeaker or set of headphones...
player, co-songwriter
Songwriter
A songwriter is an individual who writes both the lyrics and music to a song. Someone who solely writes lyrics may be called a lyricist, and someone who only writes music may be called a composer...
and backing vocalist
Backing vocalist
A backing vocalist or backing singer is a singer who provides vocal harmony with the lead vocalist or other backing vocalists...
. On How to Be a...Millionaire! he played the Emulator II
E-mu Emulator
The Emulator is the name given to a series of disk-based digital sampling keyboards manufactured by E-mu Systems from 1982 until 1990. Though not the first commercial sampler, the Emulator was among the first to find wide use among ordinary musicians, due to its relatively low price and its size,...
, Fairlight CMI
Fairlight CMI
The Fairlight CMI is a digital sampling synthesizer. It was designed in 1979 by the founders of Fairlight, Peter Vogel and Kim Ryrie, and based on a dual-6800 microprocessor computer designed by Tony Furse in Sydney, Australia...
and the synthesizers.
White released solo
Solo (music)
In music, a solo is a piece or a section of a piece played or sung by a single performer...
albums, Life (1994) and Tunch (1998). He declined to participate in VH1
VH1
VH1 or Vh1 is an American cable television network based in New York City. Launched on January 1, 1985 in the old space of Turner Broadcasting's short-lived Cable Music Channel, the original purpose of the channel was to build on the success of MTV by playing music videos, but targeting a slightly...
's Bands Reunited
Bands Reunited
Bands Reunited is a television program produced by VH1 in 2004. Hosted by Aamer Haleem, the show documented the attempted reuniting of a formerly popular musical ensemble for a special concert in either London or Los Angeles....
in 2004, when attempts were made to reform ABC for a one-off performance.
Solo albums
| Year | Album |
|---|---|
| 1994 | Life |
| 1998 | Tunch |
With ABC
| Year | Album |
|---|---|
| 1982 | The Lexicon of Love The Lexicon of Love The Lexicon of Love is the critically acclaimed chart-topping debut album by British pop band ABC, released in 1982. It is a concept album in which the singer experiences heartache as he tries and fails to have a meaningful relationship.... |
| 1983 | Beauty Stab Beauty Stab Beauty Stab is the second album by the British band ABC. Released in 1983, it was a departure from the stylized production of the band's first album, The Lexicon of Love, preferring a more guitar-oriented sound.... |
| 1985 | How to Be a...Millionaire! |
| 1987 | Alphabet City Alphabet City (album) Alphabet City is an album by the band ABC released in 1987.Following a hiatus while Fry was treated for Hodgkin's disease, ABC returned to the studio to record Alphabet City, which they thought might be their final album. Best known for "When Smokey Sings", a tribute to Smokey Robinson, the album... |
| 1989 | Up Up (ABC album) Up is ABC's fifth and final PolyGram studio album, released in 1989. This time experimenting with house music, ABC scored a minor UK hit with the single "One Better World", an ode to love, peace and tolerance... |
| 1990 | Absolutely Absolutely (ABC album) Absolutely is a comprehensive greatest hits package released in 1990 by the band ABC. This covered all the eras up until 1990, and had all their singles together. A video package featuring their promos was also released. One new song called "The Look of Love ", was also released to promote it, but... |
| 1991 | Abracadabra Abracadabra (ABC album) Abracadabra is a 1991 studio album by ABC.ABC moved to the EMI label, where they recorded the LP Abracadabra, a tightly produced fusion of early 1990s techno sounds and 1970s dance grooves which was met with muted critical approval and appreciation from the band's fan base.The first single, "Love... |