Ken White is primarily known as a guitarist, though he plays mandolin and banjo as well. His regular gig is with The Cherokee Maidens, though he is also a member of Nouveau Quintet.
“I would say that I prepared myself to be a sideman. That meant a lot of things: Being prepared to improvise in any musical style, any musical instrument. I really made a point of trying to serve the song and the singer, so anytime I got a call I never really knew exactly what I was stepping into but I felt like I had something to add. That’s kind of what I worked on.
I think that a lot of people, when they pick up an instrument, they’re so focused on the technique and playing something herculean on the instrument. Especially as I get older I could care less about that. It’s about how whatever you bring to the music interacts with the other people that are playing.”
