About
William Luke White, a veteran Memphis singer, songwriter and guitarist, has died.
A fixture on the local scene through his work with numerous groups — including Snowglobe, The Coach and Four, Colour Revolt, and Sons of Mudboy — White had also toured nationally with Pavement’s Scott Kannberg.
White, 45, died in hospice on April 18, following a nearly six-year battle with brain cancer.
As news of White’s passing spread within Memphis’ tight-knit music community, friends, fans and bandmates took to social media to remember his musical gifts and generosity of spirit.
Guitarist Steve Selvidge of the Hold Steady — who played in various combos with White — wrote: “You sang like an angel, now you are with them. Fly on William Luke White. I’m so glad for the harmonies you sang with me.”
Songwriter and musician Rory Mills Sullivan noted, “Luke’s parts were always the cherries in the fruit cocktail. He knew what you wanted and, rarest of all birds, he gave it to you, free and clear.”
Drummer Shawn Zorn recalled White as “a sweet and gentle soul with that big, beautiful voice. It’s a cliche to say that only the good die young, but this one feels extra unfair. If you knew him, you know.”
A native of East Memphis, and a graduate of Ridgeway High School, White attended college at Middle Tennessee State University in Murfreesboro, before returning to the Bluff City in the early 2000s where he became a linchpin of the burgeoning Midtown indie rock scene centered around the Makeshift Music label and collective.
Singer-songwriter Jeff Hulett praised White’s ability to elevate every band or project he was involved in: “He made me a better songwriter and musician when we played together in Jeffrey James & the Haul, and when he finally joined Snowglobe he took the group to a whole new level,” Hulett said.
White’s talents made him an in-demand session and live musician, and he worked with a range and indie rock, pop and Americana acts, including Rob Jungklas, Jake and Toby Vest and Mark Edgar Stuart, as well as various projects with singer-songwriter Clay Hardee (Clay Otis, Shadow Brother). In 2017, White and his former Snowglobe bandmate Tim Regan began playing with Pavement co-founder Kannberg, aka Spiral Stairs.
In July 2019, White returned home after another round of touring with Kannberg and was alone at his apartment when his life changed. Although he had no history of health problems, White suffered a massive seizure that lasted for more than seven hours. His roommates eventually found him and called an ambulance. It would be several days before White even understood what had happened.
“The usual [post-seizure] state usually lasts 30 minutes or so, that’s when you realize what’s happening. Mine lasted almost four days,” White recalled in a 2020 interview with The Commercial Appeal.
The physical effects of the lengthy seizure were, as White recalled, harrowing: “I woke up in the [hospital] and had bitten through my lips in 10 places. I’d torn my shoulder up. My entire body was in so much pain from being tensed for so long. It was like being electrocuted. I was like, ‘Why am I here?’”
The cause of White’s seizure, it turned out, was a brain tumor –— a grade 3 astrocytoma. Within a few weeks, White would enter Le Bonheur to have surgery to remove the tumor.
Despite the gravity of the situation medically, White had an even bigger post-op concern. “One of the first things I tried to do when I got home was play guitar,” he said. “And I could do that, so I was just thrilled. Felt like a big deal for someone with 36 staples and a metal plate in his head.”
Resuming a normal life after a series of further treatments in early 2020 proved a unique challenge for White. In January of that year, as a way of easing back into music and performing, he began hosting open mic at P&H Café — then the COVID-19 pandemic hit.
During the lengthy pandemic lockdown, White returned to a collection of recordings he’d cut before his illness, made with his friend, the late Clay Hardee (Hardee had died in his sleep at the age of 35 in 2016).
With the help of Regan, White began developing plans to put out the material, a self-titled solo EP of hooky roots rock and indie pop. The comeback project was released by Regan’s Nine Mile Records label in fall 2020 to critical acclaim. One of its songs, “Love in a Cage,” would later be featured on the CW television show “Walker.”
White made several live appearances in support of the record, even as he continued to deal with his ongoing health struggles. Although he would occasionally perform over the next few years, his final stage appearance came in May 2023, as he played with old friends Brad Postlethwaite and Hulett.
“Luke was a force and so generous with his time and talents,” Hulett said. "I’ll miss him fiercely but I'm also so grateful his suffering is over. I encourage people to dive into his catalog. His songs and contributions will live on forever.”
Bob Mehr, Memphis Commercial Appeal