Timothy White (January 25, 1952 – June 27, 2002) was an American

rock music Rock music is a broad genre of popular music that originated as " rock and roll" in the United States in the late 1940s and early 1950s, developing into a range of different styles in the mid-1960s and later, particularly in the United States a ...

journalist A journalist is an individual that collects/gathers information in form of text, audio, or pictures, processes them into a news-worthy form, and disseminates it to the public. The act or process mainly done by the journalist is called journalis ...

and

editor Editing is the process of selecting and preparing written, photographic, visual, audible, or cinematic material used by a person or an entity to convey a message or information. The editing process can involve correction, condensation, or ...

. White began his journalism career as a writer for the

Associated Press The Associated Press (AP) is an American non-profit news agency headquartered in New York City. Founded in 1846, it operates as a cooperative, unincorporated association. It produces news reports that are distributed to its members, U.S. new ...

, but soon gravitated towards music writing. He was an editor for the rock magazine ''

Crawdaddy The Crawdaddy Club was a music venue in Richmond, Surrey, England, which opened in 1963. The Rolling Stones were its house band in its first year and were followed by The Yardbirds. Several other notable British blues and rhythm and blues acts a ...

'' in the late 1970s and a senior editor for ''

Rolling Stone ''Rolling Stone'' is an American monthly magazine that focuses on music, politics, and popular culture. It was founded in San Francisco, California, in 1967 by Jann Wenner, and the music critic Ralph J. Gleason. It was first known for its ...

'' magazine in the early 1980s, where he wrote an article detailing the destruction of

Bob Hope Leslie Townes "Bob" Hope (May 29, 1903 – July 27, 2003) was a British-American comedian, vaudevillian, actor, singer and dancer. With a career that spanned nearly 80 years, Hope appeared in more than 70 short and feature films, with ...

's face in a logging accident when Hope was in his teens, accounting for Hope's unusual nose and jaw. White was editor-in-chief of ''

Billboard A billboard (also called a hoarding in the UK and many other parts of the world) is a large outdoor advertising structure (a billing board), typically found in high-traffic areas such as alongside busy roads. Billboards present large adverti ...

'' beginning in 1991.

On White’s watch, ''Billboard'' dramatically revamped its music charts, employing computerized sales data from SoundScan that produced the first statistically precise barometer of consumer tastes. The new charts shocked the industry, showing that fans were often more fascinated by comparatively unknown rap, metal, alternative rock and country acts than pompous superstars.
Initially, music companies resisted the change, but the new chart system ultimately altered the way records were manufactured, distributed and marketed. Under White, Billboard also implemented accurate radio airplay charts, using computerized technology that set a new standard for accuracy in the industry.

White wrote several music-related biographies, including books on

The Beach Boys The Beach Boys are an American rock band that formed in Hawthorne, California, in 1961. The group's original lineup consisted of brothers Brian, Dennis, and Carl Wilson, their cousin Mike Love, and friend Al Jardine. Distinguished by the ...

Bob Marley Robert Nesta Marley (6 February 1945 – 11 May 1981; baptised in 1980 as Berhane Selassie) was a Jamaican singer, musician, and songwriter. Considered one of the pioneers of reggae, his musical career was marked by fusing elements ...

and

James Taylor James Vernon Taylor (born March 12, 1948) is an American singer-songwriter and guitarist. A six-time Grammy Award winner, he was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2000. He is one of the List of best-selling music artists, best-sell ...

, as well as several collections of columns and short pieces. He also hosted and co-produced a nationally syndicated radio series, "Timothy White's Rock Stars/The Timothy White Sessions". White remained editor-in-chief of ''Billboard'' until 2002, when he died of a heart attack. He was 50 years old.

Selected bibliography

*'' Catch a Fire: The Life of Bob Marley'', Holt, Rinehart and Winston, New York, 1983 *''Rock stars'', Stewart, Tabori & Chang, New York, 1984 *''Rock Lives: Profiles and Interviews'', Henry Holt & Co, 1990 *''The Nearest Far Away Place: Brian Wilson, the Beach Boys, and the Southern California Experience'', Henry Holt, NY, 1994 *''Music to My Ears: The Billboard Essays'', Henry Holt & Company, New York, 1996 *''The Entertainers'', Billboard Books, NY, 1998 *''Mellencamp: Paintings and Reflections'', Harper Perennial, 1998 *''James Taylor Long Ago and Far Away'', Omnibus Press, 2001 *''The Marshall Mathers LP'', Eminem, 2000

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:White, Timothy American music critics 1952 births 2002 deaths Rolling Stone people