John White was born in Trinidad and Tobago and from the age of nine gave clear indication that he had a musical calling. He began his formal musical education on the piano, in the sleepy suburb of Belmont, under the guidance of Mrs. Adina Tyson. He attended Queens Royal College where he excelled academically and pursued his second love, which was sports - particularly soccer, track and table tennis. While still in college he was recruited as a keyboardist to play in combo band called 'The Young Ones' that comprised the Dindayal brothers (Keith, Winston and Trevor), the Burroughs brothers (Alan and Kenneth), Carl Archer, Mickey Rochard and Louis Paris. In 1966 John joined the Guinness Cavaliers Steel Orchestra where he was thoroughly schooled in all the fundamental aspects of Trinbago's national instrument the steel pan. In 1970 John migrated to Canada and he has been active in the Canadian music industry for more than thirty years.

During the early seventies he played the Rock and Roll Circuit as leader and keyboardist of the band 'Harlequin'. In 1975 he entered the Humber College Music Programme from which he graduated with the "Duke Ellington Award" for excellence in Arranging and Composition. His excellence in Performance was acknowledged in 1983 by a Black Music Award for Keyboard Player of the year. By this time John had already launched Jonwite Productions, a company through which he single-handedly developed, booked, managed, produced and promoted a cross-section of the burgeoning talent in Toronto. In the mid-eighties he co-founded with Daniel Caudeiron and other prominent members of the Black community the Black Music Association of Canada (B.M.A.C.), which provided a platform for the promotion of Black Music and negotiated for the inclusion of this musical genre in the JUNO Awards. Adjudication became an area by means of which John has made a significant contribution over the years - not only on the JUNO Awards committee but also on Factor juries for Caribana and Calypso Monarch competitions.

During the period of the mid-eighties John produced artists of various styles such as Michelle Sandig, a.k.a. Darkize (pop), Mohjah, former member of 'Truths and Rights' (Reggae) and 'Compass' (Soca), 'The Officials' (Reggae) and Traffic Jam (R & B) whose members - Ivan Berry and Rupert Gayle through Beat Factory Productions went on to become the vanguard of the Toronto Urban Music scene. The nineties witnessed John's retreat from the business aspect of music and a return to deep study at the Harris Institute for the Arts and the Humber College of Creative and Performing Arts where his attention was focused on contemporary production technologies and jazz studies respectively. John has been a busker in the Toronto subways for the past seven years. He is also available for individual private sessions and from time to time he will play at a few select celebrations.

John brings a magnificent perfection and inspired playing to his instrument of choice. Beyond his impressive keyboard playing this virtuoso's sophisticated knowledge of harmony, rhythm and melodic lines allows him to create music that is definite, dynamic and uncompromising. John is one of those rare composers who considers the 'total area' and all contributive factors (nothing excluded) that relate to a particular composition as critical to evolving and moving an intelligently shaped musical concept from beginning to end. In this vein, he has helped establish certain priorities within AHANAIE thereby making an invaluable contribution to the musical statements that AHANAIE is putting forward. There is no denying that without John's involvement in AHANAIE at both the level of performer and composer the group would have a totally different character and vibe. Sorry John but we just won't leave you alone.