How Angel White’s McKinney, Texas, roots planted him on the verge of music-scene success with his debut album, Ghost of the West.
Angel White still lives in the same house in the same small Texas town where he was born and raised. And he loves that nothing about that life has changed. Well, except his name.
Born Khalil Hall, he came up with his new pseudonym Angel White when he was about 20 years old. “’Angel’ comes from the angels in life that people interact with, whether they know it or not. And then White is my family’s last name,” he says of the change he made ten years ago. While he was on the road getting ready to play a show at New York City’s Gramercy Theater, White told Cowboys & Indians about his Texas roots, his vast taste in music, and how making his debut album in 12 days felt like he was making 12 years’ worth of music.
Cowboys & Indians: So before the music found you, you had other career plans, right?
Angel White: I went to college in Oklahoma to play football and be a veterinarian in 2015. I quickly realized that trying to play football and be a bio-chem major was impossible. And I wasn't enjoying the football program. I didn’t want to beat myself up for the next four years. So I finished up the first year and then started a band.
C&I: What kinds of music had you been listening to to make you want to start a band?
White: At home, it was whatever my dad was playing for the most part. He always played this game: when a song was playing, he’d ask, “What song is this?” That sparked a curiosity in me. At first it was Waylon Jennings, Ray LaMontagne, Mariah Carey, and then it was alternative stuff my older brother liked, like the Killers and Third Eye Blind. Now I listen to all the Texas greats, really. Willie and Waylon are always on rotation. Plus Charley Pride, Charley Crockett, Kaitlin Butts, Zach Top, Billy Strings, Kacey Musgraves, Chaparelle, Sierra Farrell — she's a force.
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C&I: After your first band disbanded, you started busking on your own in Texas. Was that just for the money that passersby threw into your guitar case?
White: No. It was a more of a developmental part of my music. Because I could walk out knowing that I made four or five people stop because of something specific I was doing. I was learning what drew people in. It was a space for me to explore what worked and what didn’t. I’d busk in Deep Ellum and Bishop Arts, and sometimes in Austin.
C&I: But you went relatively quickly from the sidewalk to the stage when Mod Sun invite you to open some shows for him. How did that go down?
White: I didn’t have any music recorded or anything when he asked me to join him. He just told me, “I’m gonna give you 20 minutes — probably about four songs.” So a week later I got six hours of studio time and recorded four songs. I put them out before the tour started. That was the solidifying moment of, “Alright. This is what you’re doing.” I’d already dealt with my stage fright when I was busking and playing in front of people who don’t care.
C&I: By that point, you’d taught yourself how to write songs, play guitar and harmonica, and sort of work the crowd. Then next thing you know, you’re in Austin with Dwight Baker producing this full-length 15-track Ghost of the West: The Album. What were the highlights of that process?
White: We did it in 12 days, and it was magical. Because it felt like I’d recorded 12 years of life within those 12 days. And one of my favorites on the album is called “Save Some for Me.” I wrote that one with Foy Vance. I’ve loved him for so long. I even auditioned for The Voice in 2018 with his song “Make It Rain.” (He’d written it for Ed Sheeran, but I used Foy’s version of it.) He was coming to Texas and asked for some writers, and my name was thrown in the hat. So writing with him was such a full-circle moment for me.
C&I: It sounds like Texas – and everything in it – means a lot to you. Is it just home for you, or is it something more than that?
White: Texas is home for sure. I mean, anytime I go anywhere else, it’s like The Wizard of Oz, I’m-not-in-Kansas-anymore feeling. People who’re in Texas love Texas. There’s just so much that comes outta Texas that has spread across the world. And I’m always in the McKinney town square. I’ve been going to the same diner — Spoons Cafe — since I was little. And I get all of my hats bought, shaped and dressed from McKinney Hat Company right there. I get most of my jewelry from Barrons. There’s just something about a small-town Texas Square where everybody knows everybody.
C&I: We love a good fit check. So besides your hats from McKinney Hat Company and Barrons accessories, what else is essential to your vibe?
White: My boots are for the most part Tecovas or Tony Lamas. And this belt buckle I’m wearing right now is actually one I got from Ryan Bingham after we played The Great Western with him in Fort Worth. He gave everybody buckles, and I thought that was the coolest thing ever. This feels like kind of a trophy, so that’s why I wear this one.
C&I: But that look’s not a costume to you. You’ve been around ranching your whole life, right?
White: My family’s been raising and breeding horses for the last 50 years. We have quarter horses and Tennessee Walkers — our goal was just keeping the first bloodline going. So I’ve always been around taking care of horses, breaking them, and doing all the caring and whatnot. Then after I left college, I took a job as a beekeeper. I overlooked four different farms, with 40 plus hives, and did all the bee maintenance, harvesting, and bottling for Round Rock Honey outside of Austin. That was one of the most tranquil jobs I’ve ever had.
Stream Ghost of the West on Spotify.
