Over the years, award-winning Peter White has maintained a reputation as one of the most versatile and prolific acoustic guitarists on the contemporary jazz landscape. 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.

At age 20, White was invited to tour England, Scotland and the U.S. with Al Stewart’s band, opening for artists like Linda Ronstadt, Billy Joel and Queen. That experience kicked off a twenty-year association with Stewart, touring and recording hit albums like “Year of the Cat”.

After fifteen years as a backup musician and a session player, White launched his solo recording career with the 1990 release of Reveillez-Vous, a favorite among contemporary jazz radio stations.

He maintained an ambitious release schedule through the ‘90s and beyond, and found time to appear on recordings by many of his friends, including Dave Koz, Rick Braun, Richard Elliot, Jeff Golub, Lee Ritenour, Kirk Whalum, and Boney James.

Peter dropped his first album in six years, “Light of Day” on Valentine’s Day of this year. It consists of 10 songs of hope, determination and optimism, and coincides with two other milestones of his career: his 50th anniversary as a musician and 35th anniversary of his debut album “Reveillez-Vous”.

In a career that spans nearly four decades, over a dozen solo recordings, and countless performances, White insists that it’s the faces in the crowd and the fans that keep the experience fresh. “I’ll play a live show, and someone will come to me afterward and say, ‘Oh, I loved this CD,’ or ‘This song helped me through a bad time,’” he explains. “Or I get emails from people saying, ‘Oh, I love the way you covered one of my favorite songs on your record back in 1994.’ The idea that someone can write me an email and tell me about something I did on a record that was released fifteen years ago – you can’t buy that. That’s priceless. That’s what keeps me going – the idea that people out there really care about what I do, the idea that I’ve made a difference for someone.”

Peter White returns to Middle C Jazz Friday and Saturday, June 27-28.

Learn more about Peter through his website.

Preview of Peter White at Middle C Jazz in 2024.