Short Answer:

Drummer. Debuted for Oasis on Top of the Pops looking like he had already read the ending.

Long Answer:

Full Name

Alan Victor White.

Born

26 May 1972, Lewisham, London. Southern lad dropped into the ultimate northern soap opera.

Occupation

Drummer. Groove specialist. Crisis manager with a backbeat.

Known For

Replacing Tony McCarroll in 1995 without kicking up a fuss.
Playing on (What's the Story) Morning Glory?, Be Here Now, and the slow, messy fallouts that followed.
Being the drummer Oasis needed when they decided they wanted to be bigger than U2 rather than just louder than Blur.

Voice

Soft, tidy London accent. Came across more like a session man than a pub scrapper. That was the point.

Family

Brother: Steve White, drummed for Paul Weller and The Style Council.
Married, kept it off the front pages, which in Oasis world is practically sainthood.

Career Highlights

Made his first appearance with Oasis on Top of the Pops in April 1995, miming along to Some Might Say. Looked comfortable. Looked like he had already clocked how mad it was going to get.
Drummed on Morning Glory, the album that turned Oasis into global headline news.
Survived Be Here Now, the recording equivalent of throwing a grand piano down a lift shaft and calling it a tune.
Kept them live and tight during the wilderness years when the drugs got boring and the songs got longer.
Shown the door in 2004 without much ceremony. Which, for Oasis, is about as sentimental as it gets.

Signature Look

Smart shirts. Mod hair. Carried himself like he was ready for a photo shoot even when everyone else looked ready for a scrap.

Signature Move

Punchy but fluid drumming. Brought finesse without losing the power.
Could hammer it out when needed but always made sure the song came first. A rare skill in a band that never knew when to shut up.

Public Image

The professional who never tried to steal the spotlight.
Looked faintly bemused by the worst of the Gallagher chaos but kept the whole thing upright.
The last truly stable thing about Oasis before the inevitable rot set in.

Legacy

Gave Oasis the muscle they needed just as the world started to care.
Played on the records that still get shouted in bars every weekend.

Who is Alan White?