At a time when other artists strive solely for commercial acceptance, Don White remains obsessed with creative excellence. His belief in the importance of musical integrity, along with the quality of his own work, has served as the foundation for his artistic reputation among serious musicians and songwriters, along with promoters of live venues. He plays and sings his own style of country blues, developed through the years of writing, recording and performing. The "new traditionalist" sing new songs in old fashioned ways and represent the most commercially successful trend to ever hit country and blues music.
White is not a new traditionalist, he is a traditional traditionalist, and his tradition is excellence. If you want to know who is truly talented in the music business, don't ask the publicists, booking agents, managers or others in the front offices. Ask those on the front lines - the singers, songwriters and players. They gauge an artist by the way he touches their heart with no regard to whomever tops the charts. Their opinions are based on feelings, not figures.
White is a household name among the knowledgeable. J.J. Cale, who helped White start his first band and played guitar in that band, fostered an increased interest in country music because of White. So did other artists who are an integral part of "The Tulsa Sound," an American art form known nationally to serious listeners. Rockin' Jimmy Byfield, Gus Hardin, Ronnie Dunn [of Brooks and Dunn], The Tractors and Debbie Campbell all performed the Tulsa Sound before they performed nationally. And they all listened extensively to Don White.
White is a songwriter's songwriter. Rosanne Cash, The Oak Ridge Boys, Suzy Boggus, Razzy Bailey, and Davis Daniel are some of the artists who have recorded White's songs. White is a regularly requested studio musician who has worked with Waylon Jennings, J.J. Cale, Marty Stuart, The Tractors, Jamie Hartford, Katie Moffit, and Johnny Rodriguez.
He has performed as a solo act and with his own band in concert with Waylon Jennings, J.J. Cale, Dwight Yoakam, Suzy Boggus, Willie Nelson, Don Williams, George Strait, Gus Hardin, Delbert McClinton, Toby Keith, David Allen Coe, Merle Haggard, Ry Cooder and others.
One music critic put it this way, "Don White is one of the originators and perpetuators of the Tulsa Sound. Don White's sound is a smooth blend of Rhythm and Blues, Country Blues, Honky Tonk Shuffle and Rock and Roll with a kind of hard-bitten optimism. So listen to White and discover what those in the know have known. Find America's best-kept creative secret and let your senses burn. They will - from the flame of the artistic excellence."
Erica has been playing violin since the age of 10 learning from such artists as Bobby Flores, a 2002 Grammy Award winning musician and composer. She has also opened for such greats as Michael Martin Murphy who has written and performed hits such as; Wildfire, Carolina in the Pines and What's Forever For. and The Platters who have earned 25 number 1 hits since the 50's. Her undying passion to master the violin and to play outside the traditional realm of the violin has gained her a large national following in various genres of music. Erica has been touring regionally and nationally for about the last 5 years performing with various bands and solo acts and also as a duo with her father James who plays acoustic guitar.
> Mahenwahdose - Will Hill & Jeahnean Washington
VIDEO:
MAHENWAHDOSE has performed in over 3,000 schools, universities and before
private audiences across the United States since it was founded in 1991, and is the only
American Indian performance company that can boast of being on the roster of 27 different local and state arts councils across the nation. Hill, the Artistic Director of MAHENWAHDOSE, based in Tulsa, Oklahoma, is dedicated to portraying American Indians authentically and accurately through high-performance theater.
Will Hill, Artistic Director and full-blood Muscogee/ Cherokee is a graduate of the College of Santa Fe and the traditional Nagonagogee Oni-yah (Storyteller) in his generation and family from Alabama Corsadee. Hill told his first story at the age of 4 and has performed all over the United States, as well as appearing in television and movies. Voted “Favorite Indian Performer for 1998 in the State of Oklahoma” in a poll taken by Native American Times, his melodic voice can be heard telling stories passed down from generation to generation in his family on the audio tape, “Oklahoma Treasure Trails”. Two of his family stories are also featured in the book
“Spider Spins A Story”, published by Northland Publishers. He is the son of Betty Lou Buckley Hill of the Wind Clan and the late Clifton Hill of the Bear Clan.
The talented American Indian Actress performing with Hill is Jehnean Washington, of Cherokee, Yuchi and Seminole descent. Washington is a native of Los Angeles, California and a graduate of AMDA, The American Musical and Dramatics Academy of New York City.
She and Hill each bring 20 years experience to the stage and they were the first American
Indians to perform at the National Museum of the American Indian at the Smithsonian Institute, Washington, D.C., in July 2004, and returned for five performances in December 2004, and another five performances in December 2005. In July 2004 they released their first CD, “ONIYAH!” The Tellers of Tales, which features storytelling, original flute music by Hill and original musical arrangement by Washington. Washington also has produced a music CD entitled “The Greeting Song,” highlighting Native greetings in many Native languages on her label JehDay.
CORPORATE SPONSORS:
A project of National Indian Monument
& Institute, Inc. Tulsa Indian Art Festival is a non-profit, all
volunteer network sponsoring scholarships in visual & performing arts
to qualified American Indian Students.
