In March of 2019 The Zombies were inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in a British invasion alongside Radiohead and The Cure.
On stage with Rod Argent, Hugh Grundy and Colin Blunstone was Chris White; the man who co-produced and wrote more than half of the classic 1968 seminal Odessey & Oracle album, who composed the classic This will Be Our Year and who penned and co-produced the worldwide hit Hold Your Head Up for Argent.
His acceptance speech from the night, widely quoted in Rolling Stone, beautifully summarized the golden age of recording:
Music and songs are the bookmarks in all our lives, it’s the language that binds us all together…“
The Chris White Experience is an incredible collection of forgotten songs spanning across half a century, and a vital document in the history of British music and analogue recordings.
In this interview spotlight, I chat with Chris about the music, this history, the challenges and more.
Where are you from and what style of music do you create? (In your own words, not necessarily in marketing terms or by popular genre classifications.)
I’m from a little village in Hertfordshire named Markyate. I went to St. Albans for school where I attended St Albans Grammar School for Boys. Later I went to Art School in the same City.
I was introduced to creative rock by Bill Halley (Rock Around The Clock) Buddy Holly, Early Elvis, Everly Brothers. I also loved Miles Davis, Peggy Lee and big band music (Duke Ellington). It was an exciting time for music! There were so many creative bands around in the UK.
I had playing in my own bands (skiffle mainly) but through a friend I was asked if I wanted to join a schoolboy band called ‘The Zombies’. Their original bass player wanted to leave to concentrate of his exams – so I met Rod Argent, Colin Blunstone, Paul Atkinson and Hugh Grundy soon after their start. That started our using three part harmony and experimenting.
What led you down this path of music and what motivates you to keep going?
My father played double bass as a semi-pro musician – he also played guitar and sang at family gatherings (mostly long versions of ‘Frankie and Johnny’). With school friends we played the current hits of the 50/60s – often playing in youth clubs and village fetes for fun.
When I joined the Zombies, and when we were in the last year (college was going to be next), we decided, as a last shot, to enter a local band talent competition for the whole of Hertfordshire and won it. We thought we’d give it a go as professionals for a year. Then our first recording session gave us ‘She’s Not There’!
How is this new release different than previous ones? Were you trying to accomplish anything specific?
After the Zombies finished in 1968, due to indifference and lack of work, and after being acknowledged as an influencing group – 50 years later we were inducted in to the Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame in 2019.
After that, two of my sons (Matthew and Jamie White) realized that I had about 800 unreleased tapes and songs which had been in an attic for 30 years! So they suggested releasing these recordings under the name ‘The Chris White Experience’. The first three CDs were all songs I had written and co-written since the 70s. The newest release (Volume 4) is of productions I had done over the same period – there are several more to come.
Name one or two challenges you face as an indie musician in this over saturated, digital music age? How has technology helped you (since we know it does help)?
Because of the current Covid lockdowns, musicians, and other creative people, are facing the possibility of never working again! Venues are closing and we don’t know when they can work again. Technology has helped in going on with live video concerts – and being able to make recordings at home – and keep in contact with fellow creative musicians to share ideas.
What was the last song you listened to?
The last song I listened to was from these CDs – it was ‘I Danced The Dance’ which was interesting because I hadn’t listened to it since writing it (co-written with Matthew Fisher and Vivienne Boucherat)
Which do you prefer? Vinyl? CDs? MP3s?
I like Vinyl but CDs are more practical to store and play (quality is better in Vinyl, and the feeling and handling of the sleeve give much pleasure and sense of occasion). MP3s are easier on internet but miss so much quality.
How about this one…. Do you prefer Spotify? Apple Music? Bandcamp? Or something else? Why?
No preference – artists and writers miss out on their payments – we don’t give creatives enough financial reasons to make beautiful music – we ALL need music in our lives!
Where is the best place to connect with you online and discover more music?
Anything else before we sign off?
We’ll be releasing another two albums this year, with even more to come in 2021.
