Ike White
Ike White was an exceptionally talented American soul, funk, and jazz musician known for his prodigious skills on guitar, keyboards, and vocals, despite much of his life being overshadowed by incarceration. Born Milton David White in 1945, likely in California or with roots in Chicago to musical parents, he showed early musical genius but turned to crime after personal losses. He passed away in 2014.
White grew up immersed in music but joined a gang following his father's death, leading to armed robberies. At age 19 in 1964, he received a life sentence for allegedly murdering a grocery store clerk during a robbery, first at San Quentin and later Tehachapi State Prison in California. He maintained his innocence regarding the killing and served 14 years.
Discovered in the San Quentin Prison Band by producer Jerry Goldstein, who compared him to Jimi Hendrix, White recorded his sole album Changin' Times in 1974 at Tehachapi using a mobile studio, backup singers, and musicians like bassist Doug Rauch and drummer Greg Errico. Released in 1976 on LAX Records, the jazz-funk-soul LP featured originals like "Changin' Times" and "Comin' Home," earning praise from Stevie Wonder, who helped fund a lawyer leading to White's release in 1979 (or 1978 per some accounts). While imprisoned, he married Goldstein's secretary Deborah.
After freedom, White took loans he couldn't repay, prompting him to vanish under aliases like David Ontiveros, David White, and David Maestro to evade creditors. As David Maestro, he became a versatile lounge entertainer in Las Vegas and elsewhere, self-releasing albums like Love Songs (Lana's Choice Vol. 1) (2013) and Love Songs 2 (2020), plus Different Stages (2020). He remarried multiple times and had children but largely stepped away from fame.
White's story resurfaced via the 2020 BBC Arena documentary The Changin’ Times of Ike White by filmmakers Vivienne Perry and Daniel Vernon, who located him in Oceanside, California, before his 2014 death. His prison album gained cult status for its raw talent amid adversity, blending soulful vocals with funk grooves.
Changin’ Times
A2 Comin' Home (Ike White, John (Obee) O'Brian 3:54)
A3 Antoinette (Ike White 8:48)
B1 I Remember George (Ike White 9:58)
B2 Happy Face (Ike White 5:12)
B3 Love And Affection (Doug Rouch, Greg Errico, Ike White 5:37)
Label: LAX Records – GG 58007
Format: Vinyl LP, Album
Country: US
Released: 1976
Genre: R&B Soul
Style: Seventies Soul, Funk
Changin' Times is an extraordinary and rare 1974 funk, soul, and R&B album recorded under unique circumstances: entirely inside a maximum-security prison in California. Ike White, a musical prodigy serving a life sentence for murder, recorded the acclaimed album with producer Jerry Goldstein (known for his work with War and Sly and the Family Stone).
The album is praised for its high production quality and is noted for its blend of musical styles, drawing comparisons to artists like Jimi Hendrix and Gil Scott-Heron. Ike White showcased his talent by performing vocals, guitar, and keyboards on the record. The music is described as "spiritual funk" with powerful tracks that stand the test of time.
It was the first-ever commercial album recorded inside an American prison. A mobile recording unit was brought into the prison for the project.
Though it fell into obscurity after its initial release, the album was critically acclaimed at the time. The track "Love and Affection" became popular as a sampling source for hip-hop artists like Ice Cube and Snoop Dogg, contributing to the album's later cult status.
Superstar Stevie Wonder became a big fan of the album and even helped arrange for White's legal representation, which eventually led to his early release from prison. It features a heavy focus on soul and funk with tight instrumentation and production, often leaving listeners wondering why there wasn't more music from the artist.
The album and the enigmatic story behind it are the subject of a highly-rated 2019 documentary, The Changin' Times of Ike White, which further explores the musician's life, his sudden disappearance after prison, and his complex personality.
The original vinyl release is a sought-after collector's item.