Henry Wayne White
(1944-2012)
Wayne White Born to Son Henry White and Mary Jane Hartwell of Detroit, Michigan. Wayne White is a master of this steel guitar tradition and actually played rhythm guitar years before even considering the steel guitar. Around 1957 or 1958, Sonny Treadway (another steel guitar master) taught Wayne rhythm guitar so they could play together in the local church services.
In 1965 while dating his future wife, Drucilla (Warren) White a Toledo, Ohio native, Wayne was encouraged to learn the steel by Clifford (Buddy) Warren. After taking a serious interest in the steel, Wayne began to follow in the footsteps of Felton Williams Jr., and Lorenzo Harrison. Wayne’s youthful style of playing inspired other young steel players in the Michigan and Ohio church districts to continue on the tradition.
Henry Wayne White was inducted into the Sacred Steel Hall of Fame in 2010.
FAQS
What is Sacred Steel?
Sacred Steel is an African-American gospel tradition that features the steel guitar in religious services. It originated in Pentecostal churches in the 1930s
Where did Sacred Steel originate?
It developed in the Church of the Living God, particularly in the Keith and Jewell Dominions.
How did Sacred Steel gain popularity?
Sacred Steel gained wider recognition through performances by artists like Robert Randolph, Calvin Cooke, Aubrey Ghent and the Campbell Brothers, who brought the genre to international fame.
God Bless Sacred Steel!
