Over the years, Peter White has maintained a reputation as one of the most versatile and prolific acoustic guitarists on the contemporary jazz landscape. He will join Smooth Jazz elites – saxophonist Richard Elliot and trumpeter Rick Braun – to perform at the John Coltrane International Jazz and Blues Festival on Sunday, Aug. 31, 2025
Armed with an unparalleled combination of lyricism and energy, he combines elements of jazz, pop and classical guitar to create a sound that is singular and at the same time accessible to a broad audience. His latest album released this past February, titled
Light of Day has topped the Smooth Jazz charts for months.
CLARINET, TROMBONE AND PIANO
Born in 1954 in Luton, a small town north of London, White learned to play child, the clarinet, trombone, violin and piano as a child. He learned his first chords on an acoustic guitar, then bought his first electric guitar in his early teens and studied the recordings of the reigning guitar gods of the day – Jimi Hendrix, Eric Clapton and Jimmy Page. But his musical aspirations returned to acoustic after his electric guitar was destroyed in a fire accidentally set by his brother.
White’s professional breakthrough came in 1975 when he joined Al Stewart’s band as a keyboardist and guitarist. This collaboration spanned two decades, during which White co-wrote several hits, including Stewart’s chart-topping “Time Passages.”
In addition to opening for artists like Linda Ronstadt, Billy Joel and Queen, White worked with Stewart in the studio in the making of Year of the Cat, which became a huge hit for Stewart in 1976. The tour and the album marked the beginning of a twenty-year association with Stewart.
SOLO CAREER
After fifteen years as a backup musician and a session player, White launched his solo recording career with the 1990 release of Reveillez-Vous (French for “Wake up,” a title chosen by White in honor of his French mother). The album included unused songs that White had written for Stewart, and it became a favorite among contemporary jazz radio stations.
He followed with three records on the Sindrome label – Excusez-Moi (1991), Promenade (1993) and Reflections (1994) – before signing with Columbia for the 1996 release of Caravan of Dreams. He kept a busy release schedule throughout the ’90s and beyond, while also recording with friends like Dave Koz, Rick Braun, Richard Elliot, Jeff Golub, Lee Ritenour, Kirk Whalum, Boney James, and others.
