The Offical website of Doogie White

Born in the Scottish steel town of Motherwell, Doogie’s introduction to music was a Clason Memorial Church. It was at the Kirk’s Youth fellowship that Doogie met up with Kenny Johnstone, a drummer of some reputation despite his young years. Kenny needed a singer for his band and was suitably impressed with the way Doogie would belt out his praises to the Lord that he asked him to join. As with most high school bands it was short lived, though Doogie and Kenny become lifelong friends.

Doogie then took up with Tryxter, a band that mixed covers – “everything from Foreigner to Sabbath” – with their own songs. The lineup included Davy Pentland who would go on to play guitar and sing BVs with Scottish band Hue and Cry. Drummer Danny O’Neil worked with the now-defunct River Detectives. Bass player Alec Carmichael would join Doogie in LaPaz. Tryxter lasted nine months.

When Tryxter were supporting John Martyn at Hamilton Town Hall, Doogie met Chic McSherry backstage. This was the beginning of four years together as LaPaz.

Doogie later decided to move to London and join Midnight Blue, which was being formed by ex-Tobruk keyboard player Jem Davis and also included guitarist Alex Dickson who would later go on to join Gun, Bruce Dickinson, and Robbie Williams.

After finishing with Midnight Blue, Doogie did some recordings with Jan Cyrca and also with the Kulke brothers in a band called Sole Asylum. Doogie also toured Japan for the first time fronting at two weeks notice with NWOHM band Praying Mantis, who had lost their singer just prior to the tour.

It was around this time that Deep Purple were playing in London. “I was really skint and have always been a huge Purple fan. So a mate sorted me out with a pass and an aftershow party pass.” Doogie passed a tape of some songs he had recorded and passed it to Colin Hart, the band’s tour manager, with the words “If Ritchie ever needs a singer . . .”

It wasn’t until he met up with Yorkshire guitarist Ashley Limer that Doogie felt that he once again wanted to be part of a band. Recruiting Jem Davis from Midnight Blue on keyboards, he formed Chain. They produced one album in their nine months together.

Doogie ended up in Belgium recording an album with La Salle, after which he heard that Bruce Dickinson was leaving Iron Maiden. He sent a tape of his vocals to the management, which led to two auditions for their vocalist. “We ran through 20 Maiden songs and I came away pleased with what I had done. The second time was more nerve racking as I thought they must like me to ask me back. Bruce would have been a hard act to follow vocally and performance-wise, but I was glad to have had the opportunity to sing with such a powerful band.” In the end, Blaze Bailey was hired. “Steve called me and said that he was sorry but Blaze had more the voice that he was looking for.”

“Because of the Maiden audition, I was getting calls from loads of people wanting me to sing for them. Steve had said good things about me, which was a very cool thing for him to do. So I did everything I could.” This included demos for Cozy Powell and Neil Murray, and some rehearsing and recording with Pink Cream 69. “We did some cracking stuff and I was in a bit of a dilemma. A one-off album with Cozy – who I had admired for years – or the chance of a career with PC69, who were doing good things back then.”

Doogie’s mind would be made up the night he returned from Germany by one Ritchie Blackmore. “I got home and someone had left a large note on my bedroom door proclaiming Ritchie Blackmore’s secretary had called.”

Doogie joined Rainbow on 20th April 1994. He recorded one studio album Stranger In Us All with the band. “I enjoyed the whole process. From sitting n a cold barn in Massachusetts to touring in Japan. It was exactly what I had wanted to do since I first heard Ritchie play.”

After the last Rainbow gig in Esjuberg, Doogie wrote songs with both Alex Dickson and Ashley Limer, with a view to a solo album.

Doogie joined Yngwie Malmsteen on the Mexican and South American leg of Yngwie’s world tour in September and October 2001.

In February of 2002, the album Doogie recorded and co-wrote with Steen Mogensen of Royal Hunt was released as Cornerstone’s Human Stain. It is available on Massacre Records.