MITCH MALLOY Opens Up About His Exit From GREAT WHITE: 'It Wasn't Really Fun Anymore'

Mitch Malloy has opened up about his departure from GREAT WHITE, explaining that being in the band "wasn't really fun anymore."

Malloy's exit from GREAT WHITE was announced in February 2022. He had been in GREAT WHITE for nearly four years, having joined the group in 2018 following the dismissal of Terry Ilous. Mitch was initially replaced by Andrew Freeman (LAST IN LINE),who sang for GREAT WHITE for only five months before Brett Carlisle became the band's latest vocalist.

Malloy discussed his split with GREAT WHITE in a new interview with Thomas S. Orwat, Jr. of Rock Interview Series. He said about his decision to leave (as transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET): "I actually left a couple of times.

"It was a frustrating situation for me for a lot of different reasons that I don't need to really get into.

"It's too easy to talk about bad stuff. I just prefer not to do it," he explained.

"So, yeah, I wasn't happy. It wasn't really fun anymore. And it was a lot of work — hard work. One of the hardest jobs I've ever had, actually. People don't understand that, 'cause they see you on stage and they see all this wonderful… The crowd's there… They don't see what we had to do to get there. So it was a very difficult way to live. And I did not enjoy that aspect of it. It was just really, really hard."

Mitch continued: "It's kind of a long story, and I guess people are probably interested in hearing my version of it. But I don't know… I just don't really feel like that's needed. And I don't wanna hurt their fans as well by saying negative things.

"When you're in a band, it's a relationship, like the old cliché, and you don't always get along. It's five guys and different opinions. It was tough. It was time for me to go."

Malloy went on to say that "three" of the members of GREAT WHITE "are equal" partners and they call all the shots when it comes to the band's business affairs.

"I was always shocked when they asked me my opinion on anything," the 61-year-old Mitch said. "One time [drummer] Audie [Desbrow] asked me what I thought the color of the new backdrop should be, and I was shocked. [Laughs] And I gave him my opinion, but I was so shocked that he asked me.

"So I didn't really have anything to do with anything except for my performance leading that band on stage," he continued. "That was my job, that's how I saw it, and that's something that they couldn't mess with. That's what I did, and I was gonna do that how I do it. And that's the only way you can do it successfully, is if you do it how you do it. Then it's real. The crowd can tell it's real. They're, like, 'Wow, he's into it.' And I was. That was real. The shows were fantastic. That part was awesome."

Malloy added: "Oh, well. I'm appreciative of the time with them and loved aspects of it — loved."

In a June 2022 interview with Dr. Music, GREAT WHITE guitarist Mark Kendall stated about Mitch's departure: "We were going in separate ways in the sense that he was always by himself; he didn't really talk to us much. He just kind of showed up… That's just not the way a band works, as far as we're concerned. He's a wonderful singer. I don't think he's used to him not being in full control of everything because he's been a solo artist for so many years. He's a sweet guy. I really liked him. I think a few of our songs are a little out of his range, so it's a little bit of a struggle. But nothing real heavy — no big, huge fights. Nothing ever came to fisticuffs, if you will. [Laughs] So it wasn't a case of that."

Malloy has just released a new solo album, "The Last Song".

In addition to being an artist, Mitch is no stranger to the studio, and has worked with a variety of artists, labels, and brands from Taylor Swift, Boys Like Girls, Kenny Loggins, Craig Morgan and Sony Music, to singer/songwriters Victoria Show, Gary Burr and Billy Falcon, and even voiceover work for Outdoor Channel, Field & Stream and many more. Mitch has even been the voice for Starburst candy.

Mitch is also an award-winning songwriter, and has written with legendary songwriters like Jim Weatherly, Richard Lee, Mike Reid, Desmond Child, Dennis Morgan, Victoria Shaw and Gray Burr. He's been signed to publishing deals with Warner Chappell and Chrysalis Music, but later launched his own publishing company to control his copyrights. Mitch loves the craft of songwriting — telling a story and resonating with his audience.

Mitch's voice has been highly sought after as a frontman for legendary acts as well as a guest vocalist on other artists' projects. In the mid-1990s, Mitch was asked to replace Sammy Hagar as lead singer for VAN HALEN. But after spending time and recording with the band, the collaboration ended.