David Ernest White was born on Nov. 26, 1939, in Philadelphia. When he was 3 he joined his parents, Frank and Marcia Tricker, in their acrobatic touring act, Barry and Brenda and Company .

David White, who formed the doo-wop quartet Danny and the Juniors in the mid-1950s, co-wrote their No. 1 hit, “At the Hop,” and composed their successful follow-up, “Rock and Roll Is Here to ...