Ike White
Ike White (born Milton David White; 1945 – 2014) was an American soul, funk and rhythm and blues musician best known for his 1976 album Changin’ Times, recorded while he was incarcerated in a California state prison. The album has since been reassessed in retrospective journalism and documentary film, and is frequently cited as an example of commercially released music recorded inside the United States prison system.
White was born Milton David White in 1945 in California, United States. He was convicted of murder as a teenager and sentenced to life imprisonment in California, where he began developing his musical practice through collaboration with other inmates and informal performance.
During his incarceration, White attracted the attention of music producer Jerry Goldstein, who arranged for professional musicians and recording equipment to be brought into the prison environment. The resulting sessions produced White's only studio album, Changin’ Times (1976), which blended soul, funk and R&B with jazz-influenced arrangements.
Following his release from prison in 1979 after approximately 14 years, White briefly engaged with the music industry but did not establish a sustained recording career. He later withdrew from public life, and accounts of his later life remain limited and inconsistent in available sources.
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