Ray White

Frank Zappa and Ray White

Ray White is an American singer and guitarist. He played in Frank Zappa's band between 1976 and 1977, again in 1980-1984. White often played rhythm guitar, while his bluesy voice and humorous attitude was often used alongside Ike Willis's.

Biography

White auditioned for Zappa through Bianca Odin, a friend in whose band he had played a few shows. She had just left Zappa's group and recommended White to Zappa.:"I'd never heard of Zappa in 1976, but one day a guy asked me over to his house in the San Francisco projects and listen to this record. He put on Montana and I thought, the guy who wrote this has to be the craziest white boy on the face of the planet. A week later, purely by coincidence, I was invited to audition with Frank. I walked in wearing my clogs, white beach pants, dashiki, and an Afro about the size of Manhattan. He thought I was a Black Panther. I think I got the gig because I didn't know who he was." Zappa played City Of Tiny Lites and told White to watch his fingers as he demonstrated how to play it, but White said he didn't need to, as he could play it all by ear, without looking at his fingers. He was instantly hired after that.

Since White is the son of a bishop and a very religious person, he sometimes had minor arguments with Zappa about some of his lyrics. Zappa reflected that, because of his discomfort, he felt it was better to let White leave, but later he rehired him again since his blues style fits his music so well.

White sang Legend Of The Illinois Enema Bandit on Zappa In New York and played the character Owl-Gonkwin-Jane Cowhoon on the album Thing-Fish. According to Scott Thunes on Reddit (May 2023), White later didn't want to sing The Illinois Enema Bandit any longer, because "it takes actual sexual assault far too lightly and he believes the original survivors probably don't take kindly to the fact that this song exists at all."

In 1988, he dropped out of Zappa's tour for a few days, because he had heard the police had planted drugs in his house, awaiting his return. He therefore arranged for somebody to clean up before he returned.

Musical contributions

Ray White provided guitar and/or vocals for:

• Zappa In New York
• Tinseltown Rebellion
• Shut Up 'n Play Yer Guitar set
• You Are What You Is
• Ship Arriving Too Late To Save A Drowning Witch
• The Man From Utopia
• Them Or Us
• Thing-Fish
• Frank Zappa Meets The Mothers Of Prevention
• Does Humor Belong In Music?
• Jazz From Hell
• Frank Zappa: Guitar
• You Can't Do That On Stage Anymore Vol. 1
• You Can't Do That On Stage Anymore Vol. 3
• You Can't Do That On Stage Anymore Vol. 4
• You Can't Do That On Stage Anymore Vol. 5
• You Can't Do That On Stage Anymore Vol. 6
• The Lost Episodes
• Läther
• Trance-Fusion
• Buffalo
• The Dub Room Special
• Beat The Boots series disks

• As An Am
• Conceptual Continuity

• Zappa bootleg An Evening In Detroit

Ray can be seen in the following Zappa Movies:

• Dub Room Special
• Does Humor Belong In Music? (The Film)
• Video From Hell

Post-Zappa career

In summer 2007, Ray White joined Dweezil Zappa as a special guest for the Zappa Plays Zappa Tour. He wrote the liner notes in the sleeve of the album Zappa In New York 40th Anniversary Deluxe Edition in 2018.

White has additionally performed with the Zappa cover bands The Muffin Men, Stinkfoot Orchestra, Umphrey's McGee, The Band From Utopia and The Central Scrutinizer Band.

White was interviewed for Alex Winter's documentary Zappa (2020). In 2022, White was also interviewed by Sight After Dark.

External links

• [1] - information about Ray White
• wikipedia:Ray White
• Globalia biography
• Interview with Ray White
• Interview with Ray White