Mark White (bassist)

Mark White is the bass player for the early 1990s rock band Spin Doctors. He has collaborated with many musical groups, including America's Got Talent finalists The Robotix,^[1] The Heavy Pets,^[2] Eight53, and the Free World Jazz Ensemble. As a songwriter and bass player, he also has been an active teacher in several high-profile rock and jazz schools, such as the Rockin’ Robin Music Center^[3] in Houston, Texas. White has also been an outspoken advocate for atheist rights, and was a keynote speaker at the American Atheists National Convention^[4] in Salt Lake City, UT in 2014.

Early life

White was born in the New York City borough of the Bronx to Joan and Earnest White on July 7, 1962.^[5] He spent his early years in the New York City area, eventually settling with his family in Queens^[6] where he eventually made a name for himself in New York underground music circles. His first bass was a right-handed Epiphone.^[7]

Early career

After being in a series of bands, White met up with Aaron Comess and participated in a group called Spade in 1988.^[8] This band was a mixture of funk and punk, highlighting White’s fast, finger-plucking bass style and Comess’s traditional jazz education from the New School for Jazz and Contemporary Music in New York City.

White quit Spade after a few months, but was asked to audition for a new opening in Trucking Company, a band originally started by John Popper. When Popper left to pursue his other band, Blues Traveler, Chris Barron (lead vocals) and Eric Schenkman (guitar, backup vocals) decided to continue Trucking Company with the addition of Aaron Comess, with whom they had studied at the New School.

Spin Doctors

However, during White's audition, Trucking Company solidified into a much different style, in part because of White’s eclectic musical background.^[9] Schenkman came up with the name, Spin Doctors^[10] to represent their new combined sound.

White quit the Spin Doctors in 1999 and the bass tracks on "Here Comes The Bride" were completed by Comess. Soon after, the band stopped touring because Barron suffered from vocal chord paralysis. In 2001, Barron and Schenkmen put aside their differences for a one-time show^[11] at the historic venue The Wetlands before it closed permanently. White joined them for this reunion, which gradually turned into an unofficial reunion tour.^[12] This marked the beginning of the band’s reconnection. The reunited Spin Doctors went on to release Nice Talking to Me in 2005^[13] and If the River Was Whiskey^[14] in 2013 through Ruffnation Records^[15]

Political Activism and Community Involvement

White has been an outspoken activist for the New Atheism movement, which promotes countering Christianity actively instead of just tolerating it.^[16] He has been a guest on atheist podcast Dogma Debate, and the Minnesota Atheists Radio Show,^[17] sharing his personal journey away from Christianity. He was also invited to be a keynote speaker for the American Atheists National Convention in 2014.^[18]

Current Musical and Other Artistic Endeavors

In addition to being a touring member of the Spin Doctors, White teaches private lessons out of the Rockin' Robin music center in Houston, Texas.^[19] He also plays bass for a variety of bands and genres, including an October 2014 stint with the piano rock grunge band Eight53.^[20]

In addition to participating heavily in the music industry, in 2014 White also collaborated with Sal “King” “Cappi” Capozucca as the illustrator of the children’s book Roach the Pony.

References