Drake White Musician Drake White will perform Thursday, Sept. 11 at the University of Alabama at Birmingham’s Alys Stephens Performing Arts Center.
This inspiring artist will light up the Alys Stephens Center stage with heartfelt melodies and dynamic storytelling, showcasing his incredible journey of resilience and musical evolution.
Come early for a country DJ and drinks in the Grand Lobby. The performance will be at 7 p.m. in UAB’s Alys Stephens Center, 1200 10th Ave. South. Tickets from $29. Buy tickets or visit AlysStephens.org for more information.
A country-soul troubadour with charisma to spare, White pours every ounce of his unbridled passion into songs that brighten the spirit. One of Rolling Stone’s “10 Country Artists You Need to Know” and winner of the Grammy’s Artist of Tomorrow Award and the British CMA Awards’ International Song of the Year, White has shared the bill with country music superstars like Luke Bryan, Eric Church and Zac Brown Band.
After getting his start singing in his church’s youth choir, the Alabama native broke onto the scene with his 2013 single “Simple Life” and released his debut album “Spark” in 2016, followed by the EPs “Pieces” and “Stars.” In 2019, White suffered a medical emergency and brush with death, followed by a grueling recovery. He returned to songwriting, and in 2022 his critically acclaimed sophomore LP “The Optimystic” was praised as an “extremely accomplished album” by American Songwriter, full of songs that E! News said “offer hope to anyone dealing with difficulty in their life.”
Maintaining that unstoppable momentum, his next was 2023’s “The Bridge,” a powerful seven-song project featuring collaborations with Maren Morris and Colbie Caillat and a 24-city tour. His third album, “Low Country High Road,” released in September 2024, pairs richly detailed storytelling and feel-good grooves for a soulful celebration of all that brings him joy.
Drake White performing at a concertDrake White’s story
White was preparing for a major tour to Australia with Zac Brown Band when he began having severe headaches. He was diagnosed with an arteriovenous malformation, an abnormal connection between arteries and veins, bypassing the capillary system, in the back of his brain. Although they may not cause symptoms until later in life, these tangles of blood vessels are often present from birth. AVMs can occur anywhere but are most common in the spine and brain.
He was being treated with a series of operations to repair the AVM while continuing to perform, when, in August 2019, he collapsed on stage in Virginia due to a hemorrhagic stroke. The concert venue was just minutes from a Level One Trauma Center with neurosurgeons on staff. Doctors feared he may never perform again. White had paralysis; but with months of physiotherapy, and support from his family, including his wife, he was able to regain movement and function. Hear more in this conversation between White and doctors on this “Brain & Life” podcast episode.
His difficult road to recovery included learning how to walk again with the help of his wife, Alex, who then endured her own health complications. Their shared experience, along with welcoming baby boy Hawk into the world via IVF, strengthened their faith and inspired his new album, “Low Country High Road.”