The Toronto Sun Entertainment Showcase - May 19,1996

Cover to Cover

by Kieran Grant

Michael White--who fronts Led Zeppelin tribute The White--avoided this by blurring the line between original and tribute.

White got his start in Los Angeles in 1974 in an original band called The Boyz along with George Lynch, who went on to lead the metal band Dokken. Support acts for The Boyz included a youthful Van Halen.

"We couldn't get a record deal to save our lives because I sounded too much like Robert Plant," says the singer. "Soon I gave up and just started covering Zeppelin."

Ironically, it was Plant himself who helped White net a record deal with Atlantic in 1986, where he released several solo albums of original material.

"In essence, I ended up getting a deal because I did sound like Robert Plant," he laughs.

White now runs a Toronto studio, where he records rock versions of Broadway show tunes under the banner of The Toronto Musical Revue. He's also still at it with The White.

A couple of years ago it was pretty rough because there were too many tribute bands," he says, adding that he made ends meet by forming the up-tempo classic rock cover band Animal House, which is accessible to a broader range of club-goers. It was a life support to the project dearest to his heart.

"It wasn't long before people were asking for The White again," he says.

Perhaps the success isn't as lofty as it was years ago, when The White could outdraw Aerosmith in Denver, or play to 2,500 people in Detroit. But it beats busking up and down Queen Street.