By Kaitlin Hoskins, News Editor
Drake White, a county singer from Hokes Bluff, just released his third full-length album on September 20.
The album titled “Low Country High Road” is a celebration of all that brings him joy. Themes of love, family, fatherhood, simple pleasures and gratitude are present throughout the 13 songs that make up the album.
The 2002 Hokes Bluff High School graduate said there is something special about growing up in Hokes Bluff.
“Hokes Bluff is my favorite place on Earth,” White said. “It took leaving it and travelling the world to realize it. Small town community is something you look for everywhere you go. Hokes Bluff embodies that life. It is an amazing place. I am blessed to be from there.”
White said that despite setbacks, he knew he was made to play music.
“I was put on this Earth to play music,” White said. “I have worked hard to be the hardest worker in the room.”
He has been travelling the country touring with Jamey Johnson. White will have a show in Huntsville on November 2.
According to White, he loves being on stage and playing live music, and five years ago doctors told him he may not be able to perform again.
On August 16, 2019, White suffered a stroke on stage, as a result of an Arteriovenous Malformation (AVM) rupturing.
An AVM is a vascular anomaly that occurs when arteries and veins are abnormally connected. AVMs can occur anywhere in the body but are most common in the brain and spinal cord. White’s was located in his brain and had been diagnosed earlier in the year. His physicians had been working to reduce the malformation.
White underwent multiple procedures and months of intensive physiotherapy and has been able to regain the use of his left side and has been able to defy odds and perform again.
“I had to relearn how to walk,” White said. “Family and friends came together and helped me. I am blessed to have breath.”
White said the journey brought him closer to God and made him hold on to his faith a little tighter.
“I was put here for a reason,” White said. “I have something to offer people.”
White’s favorite part of touring and creating new music is his sense of fulfillment.
“It’s watching all of the hard work pay off,” White said. “You pray for opportunities and having those come true and being fulfilled every day, it’s the best part.”
Next on the schedule for White is more touring and enjoying being a father.
White and his wife Alex, a former educator in Southside, welcomed their first child together in 2023. William Hawk White is, by all accounts, a miracle for the family. White and his wife struggled with fertility issues before their son was born.
“God has a sense of humor,” White said. “We were trying to have a baby and then I had to learn how to change a diaper while being disabled.”
One of the songs on the new album was written for Hawk (the couple calls their son by his middle name). Life, Love and War features the line “I pray my broken back is your stairs and my ceiling is your floor.” White said the message was his son “will have the opportunity to know Jesus and live an amazing life.”
Hawk is featured in the music video for the song and children of friends played different parts as well.
For all the children growing up in Hokes Bluff, White has a message:
“You can do anything you want,” he said. “Anything is possible in this life. The world is big and amazing. Get out and see it.”
White’s album is available on Spotify, Apple Music, Amazon Music, YouTube Music, Pandora and more. Find more information at drakewhite.com.
LISTEN HERE: “Low Country High Road”