CHRIS WHITE: A Musical Bio
Chris White's toe-tapping songs are articulate and funny. Some of them contain
subliminal messages about important ideas such as believing in your own worth ("Do
Be Do Be Do"), resisting stereotypes of physical perfection ("Red Riding Hood") and handling challenging situations
with creativity and humour ("Eat the Crust").
These are songs that somehow manage to be silly and serious at the same time.
Chris grew up in Toronto in a mixed-race family. As a child, he absorbed musical influences from his father, Bill
White, a choir director, composer and arranger who was awarded the Order of Canada for community service; his aunt
Portia White, a singer and vocal coach recently designated by the Canadian government to be "a person of national
historic significance"; and his uncle Lorne White of Singalong Jubilee television fame. In school, Chris played the tuba, recorder and guitar, sang harmonies with
his siblings and wrote songs on a wide range of topics. After moving to Ottawa, Chris revived the legendary Writer's Bloc songwriting collective, and in 1993 co-founded
the Ottawa Folk Festival, assuming the
role of Artistic Director. In 1998, he co-founded and co-directed the Capital
Music Conference, a music industry event
that supports live music in the Ottawa area. Chris is a former board member and
conference organizer for the Ontario Council of Folk Festivals.
A strong believer in the role of the arts in building healthy, participatory communities, Chris feels that his
mission in life is to connect performers with audiences. He has organized numerous concerts and musical events
over the years, including the annual Song-Along
songwriting challenge founded by Toronto's Karen Lesley Hall in 1992 and
introduced to Ottawa by Chris the following year.
Chris has been a music facilitator at summer camps, a songwriter for a high-tech company, a Juno Awards judge,
and the performing host of numerous community events and folk music concerts. He has been commissioned to write
and perform songs for CBC Radio, the Ottawa School Board, CKCU-FM Community
Radio and the Don Heights Unitarian Congregation. He has released two CDs: a
humorous live album entitled I'm a Poet... and I'm Aware
of It, and a more recent album, Inner Voice, that contains thoughtful songs
about his family history and life's turning points.
"Chris White has always believed that music is a gift that we give to one another."
- Karen Flanagan McCarthy, McCarthy Communications, Ottawa