Roland Joseph White (né LeBlanc; April 23, 1938 – April 1, 2022) was an American
bluegrass music
Bluegrass music is a genre of American roots music
The term American folk music encompasses numerous music genres, variously known as ''traditional music'', ''traditional folk music'', ''contemporary folk music'', ''vernacular music,'' or ...
artist, performing principally on the
mandolin
A mandolin ( it, mandolino ; literally "small mandola") is a stringed musical instrument in the lute family and is generally plucked with a pick. It most commonly has four courses of doubled strings tuned in unison, thus giving a total of 8 ...
.
Biography
White was born in
Madawaska, Maine, on April 23, 1938, as Roland Joseph LeBlanc, and grew up speaking French. He was of French-Canadian descent.
At an early age, White formed himself, his two brothers (Eric and
Clarence Clarence may refer to:
Places
Australia
* Clarence County, New South Wales, a Cadastral division
* Clarence, New South Wales, a place near Lithgow
* Clarence River (New South Wales)
* Clarence Strait (Northern Territory)
* City of Clarence, a l ...
) and his sister (Joanne) into a bluegrass band which performed locally. When the family moved to California, the group won a talent show on a local radio station, after which a television station hired them (minus Joanne) as The Country Boys.
After a two-year US Army enlistment, White re-joined the Country Boys, now renamed
The Kentucky Colonels. In 1967, he had the opportunity to join the Blue Grass Boys, the backup band of his childhood idol
Bill Monroe
William Smith "Bill" Monroe (; September 13, 1911 – September 9, 1996) was an American mandolinist, singer, and songwriter, who created the bluegrass music genre. Because of this, he is often called the " Father of Bluegrass".
The genre take ...
. He contributed to nine cuts with this band. He stayed with that group until 1969, when he joined the Nashville Grass, the new backup band of
Lester Flatt
Lester Raymond Flatt (June 19, 1914 – May 11, 1979) was an American bluegrass guitarist and mandolinist, best known for his collaboration with banjo picker Earl Scruggs in the duo Flatt and Scruggs.
Flatt's career spanned multiple decades, ...
. White stayed with Flatt until 1973, when he, Clarence and Eric re-united as The New Kentucky Colonels. This only lasted a few months; he and Clarence were struck by an automobile as they loaded their equipment into their car after a performance. Roland White suffered a dislocated shoulder, but Clarence died in the accident.
White then joined the progressive bluegrass group
Country Gazette
''The Country Gazette'' is a weekly newspaper serving the Massachusetts towns of Bellingham, Foxborough, Franklin, Medway, Millis, Norfolk, Plainville and Wrentham. The free paper is distributed to residents of these towns located along the ...
, staying with them for 13 years. In 1987, he joined the
Nashville Bluegrass Band
The Nashville Bluegrass Band is an American bluegrass music ensemble founded in 1984.
The group's members first played together in 1984 as a backing band for Vernon Oxford and Minnie Pearl; each of the members was an established musician from t ...
, staying with that group until 2000. After that he formed the Roland White Band, which was still active until his death.
White was a noted mandolin teacher who gave many workshops and private lessons and published book/CD instruction sets. Roland White died on April 1, 2022, at the age of 83 from complications of a
heart attack
A myocardial infarction (MI), commonly known as a heart attack, occurs when blood flow decreases or stops to the coronary artery of the heart, causing damage to the heart muscle. The most common symptom is chest pain or discomfort which may tr ...
.
Roland White passes
/ref>
Discography
Solo albums
* 1976: ''I Wasn't Born To Rock'n Roll'' ( Ridge Runner) reissued in 2010 by Tompkins Square
Tompkins Square Park is a public park in the Alphabet City portion of East Village, Manhattan, New York City. The square-shaped park, bounded on the north by East 10th Street, on the east by Avenue B, on the south by East 7th Street, and on ...
Collaborations
* 1964: ''Dobro Country'' (World Pacific
Pacific Jazz Records was a Los Angeles-based record company and label best known for cool jazz or West coast jazz. It was founded in 1952 by producer Richard Bock (1927–1988) and drummer Roy Harte (1924–2003). Harte, in 1954, also co-founded ...
) with Tut Taylor
Robert Arthur "Tut" Taylor Sr. (November 20, 1923 – April 9, 2015) was an American bluegrass musician.
Taylor played banjo and mandolin as a child, and began playing dobro at age 14, learning to use the instrument with a distinctive flat-pick ...
and Clarence White
Clarence White (born Clarence Joseph LeBlanc; June 7, 1944 – July 15, 1973) was an American bluegrass and country guitarist and singer. He is best known as a member of the bluegrass ensemble the Kentucky Colonels and the rock band the Byrd ...
* 2018: ''Jim Lauderdale & Roland White'' (recorded 1979) (Sky Crunch Productions, Inc./Yep Roc Records)
With the
Kentucky Colonels
The Kentucky Colonels were a member of the American Basketball Association for all of the league's nine years. The name is derived from the historic Kentucky colonels. The Colonels won the most games and had the highest winning percentage of ...
* 1964: ''Appalachian Swing!'' (World Pacific)
* 1975: ''Livin' In The Past'' (Polygram
PolyGram N.V. was a multinational entertainment company and major music record label formerly based in the Netherlands. It was founded in 1962 as the Grammophon-Philips Group by Dutch corporation Philips and German corporation Siemens, to be a ...
) live recordings 1961-1965
* 1976: ''1965-1966'' (Rounder
Rounder(s) or The Rounder(s) may refer to:
Film and television
* ''The Rounders'' (1914 film), a comedy short
* ''The Rounder'' (1930 film), a comedy short
* ''The Rounders'' (1965 film), a western comedy
* ''Rounders'' (film), a 1998 poker f ...
) compiled privately recorded live sessions
* 1978: ''1966'' (Shiloh)
* 1984: ''On Stage'' (Rounder)
* 1991: ''Long Journey Home'' (Vanguard
The vanguard (also called the advance guard) is the leading part of an advancing military formation. It has a number of functions, including seeking out the enemy and securing ground in advance of the main force.
History
The vanguard derives fr ...
) recorded July 1964 at the Newport Folk Festival
* 2003: ''Live in Stereo'' (FGM) 1965 Vancouver concert
With th
New Kentucky Colonels
* 2012: ''Live in Holland 1973'' (Roland White Music)
* 2016: ''Live in Sweden 1973'' (Roland White Music)
With
Country Gazette
''The Country Gazette'' is a weekly newspaper serving the Massachusetts towns of Bellingham, Foxborough, Franklin, Medway, Millis, Norfolk, Plainville and Wrentham. The free paper is distributed to residents of these towns located along the ...
* 1976: ''Out To Lunch'' (Flying Fish
The Exocoetidae are a family of marine fish in the order Beloniformes class Actinopterygii, known colloquially as flying fish or flying cod. About 64 species are grouped in seven to nine genera. While they cannot fly in the same way a bird do ...
)
* 1976: ''Country Gazette Live'' (Antilles
The Antilles (; gcf, label=Antillean Creole, Antiy; es, Antillas; french: Antilles; nl, Antillen; ht, Antiy; pap, Antias; Jamaican Patois: ''Antiliiz'') is an archipelago bordered by the Caribbean Sea to the south and west, the Gulf of Mex ...
)
* 1977: ''What a Way To Make a Living'' ( Ridge Runner)
* 1979: ''All This, and More Money, Too'' (Ridge Runner)
* 1981: ''American and Clean'' (Flying Fish)
* 1982: ''America's Bluegrass Band'' (Flying Fish)
* 1986: ''Bluegrass Tonight'' (Flying Fish)
* 1987: ''Strictly Instrumental'' (Flying Fish)
* 1991: ''Hello Operator...This is Country Gazette'' (Flying Fish)
With The
Nashville Bluegrass Band
The Nashville Bluegrass Band is an American bluegrass music ensemble founded in 1984.
The group's members first played together in 1984 as a backing band for Vernon Oxford and Minnie Pearl; each of the members was an established musician from t ...
* 1990: ''The Boys Are Back in Town'' (Sugar Hill)
* 1991: ''Home of The Blues'' (Sugar Hill)
* 1993: ''Waitin' for the Hard Times to Go
''Waitin' for the Hard Times to Go'' is an album by the Nashville Bluegrass Band
The Nashville Bluegrass Band is an American bluegrass music ensemble founded in 1984.
The group's members first played together in 1984 as a backing band for Ve ...
'' (Sugar Hill)
* 1995: ''Unleashed
Unleashed may refer to:
Art and entertainment Film and television
* ''Unleashed'' (2001 film), a film featuring Jeff Anderson
* ''Unleashed'' (2005 film), a 2005 martial arts film starring Jet Li
* ''Unleashed'' (2016 film), a film starring ...
'' (Sugar Hill)
* 1998: ''American Beauty'' (Sugar Hill)
Also appears on
* 1969: Joe Greene - ''Joe Greene's Fiddle Album'' (County
A county is a geographic region of a country used for administrative or other purposesChambers Dictionary, L. Brookes (ed.), 2005, Chambers Harrap Publishers Ltd, Edinburgh in certain modern nations. The term is derived from the Old French ...
)
* 1971: Lester Flatt
Lester Raymond Flatt (June 19, 1914 – May 11, 1979) was an American bluegrass guitarist and mandolinist, best known for his collaboration with banjo picker Earl Scruggs in the duo Flatt and Scruggs.
Flatt's career spanned multiple decades, ...
and Mac Wiseman
Malcolm Bell Wiseman (May 23, 1925 – February 24, 2019) was an American bluegrass and country singer.
Early life
He was born on May 23, 1925, in Crimora, Virginia. He attended school in New Hope, Virginia, and graduated from high school the ...
- ''Lester 'N' Mac'' (RCA Victor
RCA Records is an American record label currently owned by Sony Music Entertainment, a subsidiary of Sony Corporation of America. It is one of Sony Music's four flagship labels, alongside RCA's former long-time rival Columbia Records; also Aris ...
)
* 1971: Lester Flatt - ''Flatt on Victor'' (RCA Victor)
* 1972: Lester Flatt - ''Foggy Mountain Breakdown'' (RCA Victor)
* 1972: Lester Flatt and Mac Wiseman - ''On The South Bound'' (RCA Victor)
* 1972: Lester Flatt - ''Kentucky Ridgerunner'' (RCA)
* 1973: Lester Flatt - ''Country Boy Featuring Feudin' Banjos'' (RCA)
* 1973. Lester Flatt and Mac Wiseman - ''Over the Hills to the Poorhouse'' (RCA)
* 1975: Alan Munde
Alan Munde (pronounced "mun-dee") (born November 4, 1946) is an American five-string banjo player and bluegrass musician.
Biography
Born in Norman, Oklahoma, Munde learned banjo from a well-regarded Oklahoman banjo player, Ed Shelton. He frequen ...
- ''Alan Munde's Banjo Sandwich'' (Ridge Runner)
* 1976: Dave Ferguson and his Friends - ''Somewhere Over the Rainbow and Other Fiddle Tunes'' (Ridge Runner)
* 1976: Dan Huckabee - Why Is This Man Smiling (Ridge Runner)
* 1977: Charlie Hardiman - ''On The Well-Beaten Path To Bluegrass'' (Hillside)
* 1977: Butch Robins
Joseph Calvin "Butch" Robins (born May 12, 1949, in Lebanon, Russell County, Virginia) is an American five-string–banjo player with his own, distinct style. He's an individualist and, according to himself, "a seeker of information, knowledge and ...
- ''Forty Years Late'' (Rounder)
* 1977: Buck White and the Down Home Folks - ''That Down Home Feeling'' (Ridge Runner)
* 1978: Bobby Hicks
Bobby Hicks (born July 21, 1933) is a Grammy Awardbr>winningAmerican bluegrass fiddler and a professional musician with more than fifty years of experience.
Career
Hicks was born in Newton, North Carolina and learned to play the fiddle befor ...
- ''Texas Crapshooter'' (County
A county is a geographic region of a country used for administrative or other purposesChambers Dictionary, L. Brookes (ed.), 2005, Chambers Harrap Publishers Ltd, Edinburgh in certain modern nations. The term is derived from the Old French ...
)
* 1978: Paul Warren with Lester Flatt and The Nashville Grass - ''America's Greatest Breakdown Fiddle Player'' ( CMH)
* 1980: Joe Carr
Joseph Benedict Carr (22 February 1922 – 3 June 2004) was an Irish amateur golfer.
Carr was born in Inchicore, a suburb of Dublin, Ireland, to George and Margaret Mary "Missie" Waters (the fifth of seven children). At 10 days old, he was ado ...
- ''Otter Nonsense'' (Ridge Runner)
* 1980: Alan Munde - ''The Banjo Kid Picks Again'' (Ridge Runner)
* 1981: Blaine Sprouse - ''Summertime'' (Rounder)
* 1983: The Dreadful Snakes - ''Snakes Alive!'' (Rounder)
* 1988: Glen Duncan - ''Sweetwater'' (Turquoise)
* 1990: Doc Watson
Arthel Lane "Doc" Watson (March 3, 1923 – May 29, 2012) was an American guitarist, songwriter, and singer of bluegrass, folk, country, blues, and gospel music. Watson won seven Grammy awards as well as a Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award. W ...
- ''On Praying Ground
''On Praying Ground'' is an album by the American musician Doc Watson, released in 1990. It is a collection of gospel songs. The version of "I'm Gonna Lay My Burdens Down" was inspired by Mississippi John Hurt's arrangement.
At the Grammy Awards o ...
'' (Sugar Hill)
* 1991: David Grier
David Grier is an American acoustic guitarist. He is considered to be one of the premier flatpicking guitarists in the world. His crosspicking, unique phrasing, and his ability to create multiple variations on a theme are hallmarks of his play ...
- ''Freewheeling'' (Rounder)
* 1992: Stuart Duncan - ''Stuart Duncan'' (Rounder)
* 1992: Marty Stuart
John Marty Stuart (born September 30, 1958) is an American country and bluegrass music singer, songwriter, and musician. Active since 1968, Stuart initially toured with Lester Flatt, and then in Johnny Cash's road band before beginning work as a ...
- ''Let There Be Country
''Let There Be Country'' is the seventh studio album by country singer Marty Stuart, released in 1992, though it was technically the fourth album he recorded, cut between '' Marty Stuart'' and '' Hillbilly Rock''.
''Let There Be Country'' was re ...
'' (Sony Music
Sony Music Entertainment (SME), also known as simply Sony Music, is an American multinational music company. Being owned by the parent conglomerate Sony Group Corporation, it is part of the Sony Music Group, which is owned by Sony Entertainment ...
)
* 1994: Gene Wooten
Gene Wooten (June 5, 1953 in Franklinton, North Carolina – November 7, 2001 in Nashville, Tennessee) was an American dobro player and multi-instrumentalist.
Biography
Wooten became serious about playing music professionally while a student at ...
- ''Sings & Plays Dobro'' ( Pinecastle)
* 1995: Clint Black
Clint Patrick Black (born February 4, 1962) is an American country music singer, songwriter, musician, and record producer. Signed to RCA Nashville in 1989, Black's debut album '' Killin' Time'' produced four straight number one singles on the ...
- '' Looking for Christmas'' (RCA)
* 1995: Joe Carr
Joseph Benedict Carr (22 February 1922 – 3 June 2004) was an Irish amateur golfer.
Carr was born in Inchicore, a suburb of Dublin, Ireland, to George and Margaret Mary "Missie" Waters (the fifth of seven children). At 10 days old, he was ado ...
and Alan Munde
Alan Munde (pronounced "mun-dee") (born November 4, 1946) is an American five-string banjo player and bluegrass musician.
Biography
Born in Norman, Oklahoma, Munde learned banjo from a well-regarded Oklahoman banjo player, Ed Shelton. He frequen ...
- ''Windy Days and Dusty Skies'' (Flying Fish)
* 1996: Leroy Mack - ''Leroy Mack & Friends'' (Rebel
A rebel is a participant in a rebellion.
Rebel or rebels may also refer to:
People
* Rebel (given name)
* Rebel (surname)
* Patriot (American Revolution), during the American Revolution
* American Southerners, as a form of self-identification; ...
)
* 1996: Bernadette Peters
Bernadette Peters ( ''née'' Lazzara; born February 28, 1948) is an American actress, singer, and children's book author. Over a career spanning more than six decades, she has starred in musical theatre, television and film, performed in solo co ...
- ''I'll Be Your Baby Tonight'' (Angel
In various theistic religious traditions an angel is a supernatural spiritual being who serves God.
Abrahamic religions often depict angels as benevolent celestial intermediaries between God (or Heaven) and humanity. Other roles include ...
)
* 1998: Valerie Smith - ''Patchwork Heart'' (Rebel)
* 2000: Kazuhiro Inaba - ''Dixie Dream'' (Copper Creek)
* 2000: Valerie Smith - ''Turtle Wings'' (Rebel)
* 2002: Ricky Skaggs
Rickie Lee Skaggs (born July 18, 1954), known professionally as Ricky Skaggs, is an American neotraditional country and bluegrass singer, musician, producer, and composer. He primarily plays mandolin; however, he also plays fiddle, guitar, ma ...
and Friends - ''Sing The Songs Of Bill Monroe'' (Lyric Street
Lyric Street Records was an American country music record label. It was owned by the Disney Music Group and founded in 1997 by Randy Goodman. The label had its first successes in 1998 with singles by Lari White and Aaron Tippin, both formerly of ...
)
* 2004: Clint Black - '' Christmas with You'' (Equity
Equity may refer to:
Finance, accounting and ownership
* Equity (finance), ownership of assets that have liabilities attached to them
** Stock, equity based on original contributions of cash or other value to a business
** Home equity, the dif ...
)
* 2007: Ry Cooder
Ryland Peter "Ry" Cooder (born March 15, 1947) is an American musician, songwriter, film score composer, record producer, and writer. He is a multi-instrumentalist but is best known for his slide guitar work, his interest in traditional music, an ...
- ''My Name Is Buddy
''My Name Is Buddy: Another Record by Ry Cooder'' is the thirteenth studio album by Ry Cooder. It is the second social-political concept album by Ry Cooder. Cooder has described it as the second in a trilogy that began with '' Chávez Ravine'' and ...
'' (Nonesuch __NOTOC__
Nonesuch may refer to:
Plants
* ''Lychnis chalcedonica'', a wildflower
* ''Medicago lupulina'', a wildflower
Places and structures
*Nonesuch, Kentucky
*Nonesuch Island, Bermuda
*Nonesuch Mine, Michigan
*Nonesuch Palace, mis-spelling of ...
)
* 2010: Skip Battin
Clyde "Skip" Battin (February 18, 1934 – July 6, 2003) was an American singer-songwriter, bassist, performer, and recording artist. He was a member of the Byrds, the New Riders of the Purple Sage, and the Flying Burrito Brothers.
Εarly life
C ...
- ''Topanga Skyline'' ( Sierra)
See also
*Marty Stuart
John Marty Stuart (born September 30, 1958) is an American country and bluegrass music singer, songwriter, and musician. Active since 1968, Stuart initially toured with Lester Flatt, and then in Johnny Cash's road band before beginning work as a ...
References
External links
Official website
*
*
*
Roland White Interview
NAMM Oral History Library, June 18, 2008.
Personal tribute.
{{DEFAULTSORT:White, Roland
1938 births
2022 deaths
People from Madawaska, Maine
American bluegrass musicians
American bluegrass mandolinists
American country singer-songwriters
Military personnel from Maine
Musicians from Maine
Kentucky Colonels (band) members
Nashville Grass members
Nashville Bluegrass Band members