Sonny White

Ellerton Oswald White (November 11, 1917, Panama City, Panama - April 28, 1971, New York City), better known as Sonny White, was a jazz pianist.

White took on the nickname Sonny while a member of Jesse Stone's band in the middle of the 1930s. Later in the decade he played with Willie Bryant, Sidney Bechet, Teddy Hill (whose band at the time also included Dizzy Gillespie and Kenny Clarke), and Frankie Newton. White recorded several sessions with Billie Holiday, with whom he had a yearlong affair in 1939, and their engagement was announced in Melody Maker that May. White was a member of different line-ups backing Holiday in New York between January 1939 and October 1940, including the classic recording of "Strange Fruit"; in her autobiography, Lady Sings the Blues, Holiday mistakenly credits White with having co-written the music, to a poem by Lewis Allan.

In the 1940s he spent time in the bands of Artie Shaw, Benny Carter, with whom he played both directly before and directly after military service during World War II, and in whose band he would again play with Dizzy Gillespie, Big Joe Turner, Lena Horne, Dexter Gordon (1944–46), and Hot Lips Page (1947). In the 1950s White played with Harvey Davis and then with Wilbur De Paris, remaining with the latter until 1964. In the 1960s he freelanced with Eddie Barefield (1968), among others, and was working with Jonah Jones at the time of his death in 1971.

Birth and Death Data: Born November 17, 1917 (Panama City), Died April 28, 1971 (New York City)

Date Range of DAHR Recordings: 1937 - 1958

Roles Represented in DAHR: piano, songwriter

= Recordings are available for online listening.
= Recordings were issued from this master. No recordings issued from other masters.

Recordings (Results 1-25 of 47 records)

Company Matrix No. Size First Recording Date Title Primary Performer Description Role Audio
Victor BS-010571 10-in. 6/14/1937 Hot Club stomp Mezz Mezzrow Orchestra Jazz/dance band instrumentalist, piano  
Victor BS-010572 10-in. 6/14/1937 The swing session's called to order Mezz Mezzrow Orchestra Jazz/dance band instrumentalist, piano  
Victor BS-046832 10-in. 2/5/1940 Indian summer Sidney Bechet ; New Orleans Feetwarmers Jazz/dance quintet instrumentalist, piano  
Victor BS-046833 10-in. 2/5/1940 One o'clock jump Sidney Bechet ; New Orleans Feetwarmers Jazz/dance quintet instrumentalist, piano  
Victor BS-046834 10-in. 2/5/1940 Preachin' blues Sidney Bechet ; New Orleans Feetwarmers Jazz/dance quintet, with male vocal solo instrumentalist, piano  
Victor BS-046835 10-in. 2/5/1940 Sidney's blues Sidney Bechet ; New Orleans Feetwarmers Jazz/dance quintet instrumentalist, piano  
Victor BS-060351 10-in. 1/22/1941 Cuddle up, huddle up Benny Carter Orchestra Jazz/dance band instrumentalist, piano  
Victor BS-060352 10-in. 1/22/1941 [Unknown title(s)] Benny Carter Orchestra Jazz/dance band instrumentalist, piano  
Victor BS-060353 10-in. 1/22/1941 Babalu Benny Carter Orchestra Jazz/dance band instrumentalist, piano  
Victor BS-060354 10-in. 1/22/1941 There, I've said it again Benny Carter Orchestra ; Ray Felton Jazz/dance band, with male vocal solo instrumentalist, piano  
Victor BS-063700 10-in. 4/1/1941 Midnight Benny Carter Orchestra Jazz/dance band, with vocal instrumentalist, piano  
Victor BS-063701 10-in. 4/1/1941 My favorite blues Benny Carter Orchestra Jazz/dance band instrumentalist, piano  
Victor BS-063702 10-in. 4/1/1941 Lullaby to a dream Benny Carter Orchestra Jazz/dance band instrumentalist, piano  
Victor BS-063703 10-in. 4/1/1941 What a diff'rence a day made Benny Carter Orchestra Jazz/dance band, with vocal instrumentalist, piano  
Victor BS-066792 10-in. 10/16/1941 Sunday Benny Carter Orchestra Jazz/dance band instrumentalist, piano  
Victor BS-066793 10-in. 10/16/1941 Ill wind (you're blowin' me no good) Benny Carter Orchestra Jazz/dance band instrumentalist, piano  
Victor BS-066794 10-in. 10/16/1941 Back Bay boogie Benny Carter Orchestra Jazz/dance band instrumentalist, piano  
Victor BS-066795 10-in. 10/16/1941 [Unknown title(s)] Benny Carter Orchestra Jazz/dance band instrumentalist, piano  
Columbia 23992 10-in. 1/20/1939 That's all I ask of you Billie Holiday Jazz/dance band, with female vocal solo instrumentalist, piano  
Columbia 23993 10-in. 1/20/1939 Dream of life Billie Holiday Jazz/dance band, with female vocal solo instrumentalist, piano  
Columbia W24877 10-in. 7/05/1939 Some other spring Billie Holiday Jazz/dance band, with female vocal solo instrumentalist, piano  
Columbia W24878 10-in. 7/05/1939 Our love is different Billie Holiday Jazz/dance band, with female vocal solo songwriter, instrumentalist, piano  
Columbia W24879 10-in. 7/05/1939 Them there eyes Billie Holiday Jazz/dance band, with female vocal solo instrumentalist, piano  
Columbia W24880 10-in. 7/05/1939 Swing, brother swing Billie Holiday Jazz/dance band, with female vocal solo instrumentalist, piano  
Columbia W26572 10-in. 2/29/1940 Ghost of yesterday Billie Holiday Jazz/dance band, with female vocal solo instrumentalist, piano  
(Results 1-25 of 47 records)

Citation

Discography of American Historical Recordings, s.v. "White, Sonny," accessed November 21, 2024, https://adpprod1.library.ucsb.edu/names/110115.

White, Sonny. (2024). In Discography of American Historical Recordings. Retrieved November 21, 2024, from https://adpprod1.library.ucsb.edu/names/110115.

"White, Sonny." Discography of American Historical Recordings. UC Santa Barbara Library, 2024. Web. 21 November 2024.

DAHR Persistent Identifier

URI: https://adpprod1.library.ucsb.edu/names/110115

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