With the departing Michael Devin, Whitesnake announce the addition of bassist Tanya O’Callaghan.
Frontman David Coverdale said in a statement, “Well, well, well…ladies & gentlemen…boys & girls…we are very proud to announce & to introduce you all to our newest snake…or should I say…snakette!!! Please give a loud Whitesnake choir welcome to the Irish tornado!!! A whirling dervish of a performer whom we feel will bring a fresh, new, exciting musicality & welcome energy to the band, both in the studio & onstage… Here she is… Irish born & bred…the one & only… Tanya O’Callaghan!!!
For whatever reason, Whitesnake has never featured a female musician in the band before… Bad boys!!!…But when we saw Tanya performing with our friend Steven Adler‘s band at the M3 festival in 2019 & we were all blown away… An electrifying performer… When Whitesnake & Michael Devin decided to go their separate ways, Tanya was the first person we reached out to & thankfully she accepted our invitation to become a snake…
We are thrilled & delighted to welcome Tanya O’Callaghan to Whitesnake!!
Let the music do the talking!!!”
O’Callaghan commented on her addition in a social media post, writing,”I guess the snake’s out of the bag. What an absolute honor to be joining Whitesnake/David Coverdale for their worldwide farewell tour 2022/23.
This small town gal still pinches herself over the amount of legends I’ve had the joy to work, tour and record with over the past few years since I made the terrifying solo leap across the Pacific with no clue how everything would unfold.
It’s been a wild ride and just when I thought it couldn’t get any better, who calls, only feckin’ Whitesnake! And the best part, to step into the snake shoes of my bass brothers Rudy Sarzo, Tony Franklin, Neil Murray and Michael Devin … are you kidding me.. .what a f#*king honor beyond belief!!! My heart is exploding.”
Coverdale, who turned 70 in September, recently confirmed that he plans to retire from touring after the band’s remaining concerts around the world.
Although he will no longer perform with Whitesnake, he is still planning on writing and recording fresh material once he has retired from the road.
4 Responses
Looking forward not only to seeing Tanya, but dino jelusick with whitesnake as well , dino will most likely be doing most of the heavy lifting vocally ,with coverdales aging voice not really what it once was , but at least he did the right thing getting real vocal help from an amazing vocalist and not going the lip sync route like paul stanley ….
“My heart is exploding” – She shouldn’t say that after Richie Faulkner’s incident.
Hmm. So I suppose Coverdale will still be recording while another vocalist tours with the band after David retires. Is that accurate?
My heart is exploding….. she’s obviously not the sharpest knife in the drawer ….