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Lenny White was born Leonard White III on December 19, 1949 in New York City. Self-taught left-handed drummer, he played in local groups but basically started his career at the top of the ladder playing regularly with Jackie McLean in 1968, recording “Bitches Brew” with Miles Davis in 1969 and Freddie Hubbard’s Red Clay in 1970.

White was soon working with some of the who’s who of jazz including Geri Allen, Joe Henderson, Woody Shaw, Gato Barbieri, Gil Evans, Stanley Clarke, Jaco Pastorious and Stan Getz among others. He joined the short-lived group Azteca, and then as a member of Return To Forever from 1973-76, he gained a huge reputation as one of the top fusion drummers, but he remained versatile to play in many settings.

After the breakup of Return To Forever, Lenny White headed several fusion projects but none of the Nemperor and Elektra recordings found much traction in popularity, even amongst the funk crowd. In 1979 he formed the group “Twentynine” that achieved some notoriety. However, his work with the Echoes Of An Era and Griffith Park all-star groups have been received with acclaim and success.

Lenny has led fifteen albums as a leader and another two-dozen as a valuable sideman for a wide variety of projects. He continues to perform, record and tour.

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