He began his career as the lead vocalist and songwriter for The Janglers, a Cleveland-based rock band, then as the frontman for Jason White and the Dying Breed.

The two formed a partnership and began performing as Treadway and White in school talent shows, local cafes, and house parties.

They returned to Cleveland in November 1987, added David Blackwelder on drums and named themselves the Brainbell Janglers, after a line from The Rolling Stones' song "Midnight Rambler."

[7] John Treadway, White's best friend and longtime partner, left the band in early 1990 and was replaced by guitarist Jack Silverman.

[9] The Janglers continued to tour constantly and opened shows for Phish, Widespread Panic, The Radiators, Toad the Wet Sprocket, Hot Tuna, and The Dickey Betts Band among others.

They served as the backing band for Rock and Roll Hall of Fame inductee Bo Diddley on two separate occasions.

The Janglers disbanded in 1993, after which White moved to a secluded cabin in Waite Hill, Ohio, where he lived for six months and wrote songs.

The songs he composed during this period caught the attention of Clay Bradley, an artist-publisher relations executive at Broadcast Music Incorporated (BMI) in Nashville.

[12] White extended his range as an instrumentalist for the project, adding piano, organ and xylophone tracks along with his usual guitar work.

The resulting album, Shades of Gray (2000),[13] received high praise from critics and the songs "Average Joe" and "At The Alibi"[14] were placed in rotation on several AAA radio stations, notably Nashville's WRLT Lightning 100 FM.

White toured in support of Shades, including regular performances at: Nashville's Exit/In, the Bluebird Café, and 12th and Porter; New York City's the Lion's Den; and the Beachland Ballroom in Cleveland.

[21] White's label, Better Angels Music, simultaneously released a video for the song "Perfect Stranger," which was filmed in Paris by director Don Julien.