Houstonian Rocky White, the last drummer actually hired by Duke Ellington, has passed away due to cancer. He remained with the Ellington band until recently, when medical issues prevented him from traveling. Quinten “Rocky” White was born 1952 in Hays, Texas to Willie Mae Fillmore and Quinten H. White, Sr. Shortly thereafter, the family moved to Houston’s Third Ward. He attended San Jacinto High School and there he started playing drums. Rocky started dating Miss Erma Green in high school. They married in 1970 and had two children, daughter Venet “Shann” followed by his son Seth. After graduating San Jacinto High School, Rocky entered Texas Southern University. Rocky was drummer in the TSU Jazz Band and there he met life-long friend Barrie Lee Hall, Jr.. Barrie Lee joined the Duke Ellington Orchestra and brought Rocky along a month later in the summer of 1973 in Atlantic City. Rocky played with DEO under the baton of Duke himself until Duke’s passing in 1974 then continued performing with the DEO with son Mercer Ellington then grandson, Paul Ellington. Rocky’s last performance with the DEO was in November 10, 2007 in William Trace Baptist Church here in Houston. Rocky also appeared on many recordings with the Duke Ellington Orchestra including: Duke Ellington’s Third Sacred Concert with Duke Ellington, Continuum, Take the Holiday Train, Hot and Bothered, Grammy-Award Winning Digital Duke, Music Is My Mistress, and finally Sophisticated Ladies the Cast Album. Rocky appeared on other recordings with other artists, most recently Houston Jazz Vocalists, Kristine Mills’ "Playing with the Big Boys" and Horace Grigsby’s recent release. Rocky also performed 1981-82 on Broadway in the Blunt Fontaine Theater, NYC in Sophisticated Ladies a review of Duke’s most popular tunes featuring the late Gregory Hines, the late Phyllis Hyman, Judith Jameson and Mercedes Ellington. Rocky is survived by his daughter Venet and son Seth and grandchildren, Ambria Bernard, Jostinee Bernard, Mason White, and Terrance Jackson. The funeral info is as follows: 1 o'clock p.m. on Tuesday June 10 at Mc Coy and Harrison Funeral Home
4918 Martin Luther King Blvd
Houston, Texas 77021
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Rememberances Photo by Tom Marcello