When Doogie White came to Japan for two solo gigs in Tokyo, Roppongi Rocks’ Stefan Nilsson grabbed the chance to have a chat with Doogie backstage.
Scottish vocalist Doogie White has had a long career, which has included stints singing with artists such as Ritchie Blackmore’s Rainbow, Alcatrazz, Michael Schenker, Yngwie Malmsteen, Tank, Praying Mantis, Jon Lord and many more.
In this interview, Doogie talks about his first tour in Japan in 1991 with Praying Mantis, working with Michael Schenker (“It’s not a job for life”), his thoughts on joining already established bands, replacing Graham Bonnet in Alcatrazz (“He doesn’t speak to me anymore”), having to postpone his Japan visit due to getting pneumonia, landing the Rainbow gig (“I am here in many ways because of that lift that Ritchie gave me back 30 odd years ago and I will be forever in his debt for that”) and much more.
This interview was recorded backstage at Holiday Shinjuku in Tokyo, Japan, on 16th November 2025.
