Peter was born in England, as one of four kids, and soon learned to play a … Read Full Bio ↴Peter was born in England, as one of four kids, and soon learned to play a variety of instruments such as recorder, clarinet, cornet, trombone, violin, harmonica, and piano. What he was not given were any instructions in playing the guitar. Therefore Peter self-trained to play a few simple chords and felt intrigued by the influence of The Beatles and other 60s music at the time. In his late teenager years he waived going to college, electing instead to pursue a career in the music business. He started to play professionally in small clubs and would eventually move to London, where he soon met Scottish singer/songwriter Al Stewart. Pretty soon Peter joined Al's backing band and toured England up and down, subsequently the USA, providing guitar and keyboards to the band's sound.

For the recordings of "Year of the Cat" Al put a classic Spanish guitar into Peter's hands and asked him to play on it for one song of the forthcoming album. That part became the opening of the well-known "On The Border". It were those recording sessions when Peter also worked with producer Alan Parsons of The Alan Parsons Project.

In 1978 he followed Al Stewart and moved to Los Angeles, CA. Around this time Peter's younger brother Danny felt the inspiration to form his own group, which would become Matt Bianco ("Bianco" is Italian for "White"). Temporarily the Al Stewart backing band was renamed to Shot in the Dark, which consisted basically of the crew (among them bass player Robin Lamble) which played on Al Stewart's 1980 and 1981 albums. Shot in the Dark alone only released one album in 1981; they disbanded when their record label closed down.

In the following years Peter became more and more involved in the L.A. music scene and played with the likes of Johnny Rivers (the "Secret Agent Man"), Bernie Leadon (after he left the Eagles), Susanna Hoffs (after she left The Bangles), Tori Amos (before she got famous), and Janis Ian ("At Seventeen"). Through this connection with Matt Bianco, Peter would contribute his guitar playing on albums of the band as well as later on with their lead singer Basia, also joining her on tours. In the late 80s he would discover that one of his neighbors, a man named Skipper Wise, was also a musician. Peter agreed to join him and his band Windows occasionally, playing guitar and keyboards on some of their records. When Skipper decided in 1988 to record a solo album (The Clock & The Moon) Peter agreed to support him, but asked for the same favor in return when it would come to his first solo album. Only one year later, in 1989, Peter White's first solo effort, Reveillez-Vous, was recorded and published, co-produced by Skipper Wise. A second release, Excusez-Moi, was finished in a similar fashion in 1992. Peter White became a leading smooth jazz musician and joined the "Guitars & Saxes" tour together with jazz musicians such as Richard Elliot, Warren Hill and Craig Chaquico.

Silent Night
Peter White Lyrics

Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴

silent night
holy night
all is calm
all is bright
round y'all virgin mother and child
holy infant so tender and mild
sleep in heavenly peace

Overall Meaning

Peter White's version of the classic Christmas carol "Silent Night" invokes a sense of serenity with its softly strummed guitar and smooth jazz undertones. The opening line sets the stage for a peaceful and contemplative moment, with the repetition of "holy night" emphasizing the sacredness of the setting. The following line, "all is calm, all is bright," sets the stage for the moment of stillness and tranquility that the singer has entered into. The next two lines, describing Mary and the baby Jesus, bring in the more human and intimate elements of the story, depicting a mother holding her child and cradling him in safety and security. The final line then takes us back up into the spiritual realm, with the suggestion that the scene is one of heavenly peace.

One of the interesting aspects of "Silent Night" is the history of the song itself. It was originally written in German in 1816 by Joseph Mohr, and then two years later the composer Franz Gruber set the poem to music. The first known performance of the song was on Christmas Eve of 1818 at St. Nicholas Church in Oberndorf, Austria. Since then, it has spread throughout the world and become one of the most well-known and beloved Christmas carols. Another fascinating fact is that the song was sung in multiple languages even during World War I when soldiers called a temporary ceasefire to peacefully celebrate Christmas.

The chords for Peter White's version of "Silent Night" are in the key of G and are relatively simple. The song begins with a G chord, followed by D, C, and back to G. Then it repeats the same progression again for the second line. For the third line, the chords change to Em, D, and back to G. For the final line, the chords are C, G, and D, before resolving back to G on "peace." Overall, Peter White's interpretation of "Silent Night" emphasizes the beauty and tranquility of the song, communicating a sense of awe and reverence for the story it tells.

Line by Line Meaning

silent night
A peaceful and quiet night filled with tranquility and calmness.

holy night
A sacred night with divine significance.

all is calm
Everything is serene and undisturbed.

all is bright
The environment is filled with brightness and radiance.

round y'all virgin mother and child
The virgin mother and her child are surrounded by a protective and caring presence.

holy infant so tender and mild
The infant is gentle and fragility personified, a symbol of innocence.

sleep in heavenly peace
Rest quietly in a peaceful and serene state, protected from all harm.

Lyrics © BMG Rights Management, Universal Music Publishing Group, Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC, EUROPEAN AMERICAN MUSIC OBO UNIVERSAL EDITION INC
Written by: ANDREW O'CALLAGHAN, FRANZ XAVER GRUBER

Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind

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