Biography
Lari White stands apart from the many televised talent competition participants who never sustain long-term success in music. Her victory on the Nashville Network’s You Can Be A Star led to her emergence as one of the leading female voices in mid-1990s new country, with her major breakthrough occurring in 1994.
Raised in Dunedin, Florida, White started performing as a youngster alongside her parents and brother in the family gospel ensemble the White Family Singers, which appeared regularly at area churches and community events. The children gradually introduced pop material, particularly songs by Elvis Presley. During her teenage years she performed show tunes at talent contests and fronted a local rock and roll group. A scholarship took her to the University of Miami, where she concentrated on vocal technique and music engineering. While still a student she began composing original material, performed nightly at nearby clubs, and accepted professional singing engagements. After graduation she toured the country to observe different regional music communities before relocating to Nashville in 1988 to pursue a career.
That same year she competed again on You Can Be A Star and captured the top prize, securing a recording deal with Capitol. Before 1988 closed she issued the single “Flying Above the Rain,” a regional success across the South that nevertheless remained outside national charts. She also joined Ronnie Milsap’s publishing company and enrolled in acting classes. Over the ensuing years she refined her skills through performances at local dinner theaters while awaiting further opportunity. Renewed attention followed an ASCAP showcase in 1991, after which Rodney Crowell invited her to provide backup vocals in his touring band. White signed with RCA in 1992; Crowell produced her debut album Lead Me Not, issued the next year.
Lead Me Not earned favorable notices and yielded the modest chart entries “What a Woman Wants,” “Lead Me Not,” and “Lay Around and Love You.” Her follow-up, Wishes, marked her commercial arrival with three Top Ten singles: “That’s My Baby,” “Now I Know,” and “That’s How You Know (When You’re in Love).” The third album, Don’t Fence Me In, achieved somewhat less chart impact yet sustained her momentum. Stepping Stone appeared in 1998. Following an extended break during which she constructed a personal home studio, White returned in 2004 with the self-produced Green Eyed Soul, issued on the British label Mesmerizing Records.
Raised in Dunedin, Florida, White started performing as a youngster alongside her parents and brother in the family gospel ensemble the White Family Singers, which appeared regularly at area churches and community events. The children gradually introduced pop material, particularly songs by Elvis Presley. During her teenage years she performed show tunes at talent contests and fronted a local rock and roll group. A scholarship took her to the University of Miami, where she concentrated on vocal technique and music engineering. While still a student she began composing original material, performed nightly at nearby clubs, and accepted professional singing engagements. After graduation she toured the country to observe different regional music communities before relocating to Nashville in 1988 to pursue a career.
That same year she competed again on You Can Be A Star and captured the top prize, securing a recording deal with Capitol. Before 1988 closed she issued the single “Flying Above the Rain,” a regional success across the South that nevertheless remained outside national charts. She also joined Ronnie Milsap’s publishing company and enrolled in acting classes. Over the ensuing years she refined her skills through performances at local dinner theaters while awaiting further opportunity. Renewed attention followed an ASCAP showcase in 1991, after which Rodney Crowell invited her to provide backup vocals in his touring band. White signed with RCA in 1992; Crowell produced her debut album Lead Me Not, issued the next year.
Lead Me Not earned favorable notices and yielded the modest chart entries “What a Woman Wants,” “Lead Me Not,” and “Lay Around and Love You.” Her follow-up, Wishes, marked her commercial arrival with three Top Ten singles: “That’s My Baby,” “Now I Know,” and “That’s How You Know (When You’re in Love).” The third album, Don’t Fence Me In, achieved somewhat less chart impact yet sustained her momentum. Stepping Stone appeared in 1998. Following an extended break during which she constructed a personal home studio, White returned in 2004 with the self-produced Green Eyed Soul, issued on the British label Mesmerizing Records.
Albums
