Laura Weber White, also known as Laura White, Laura Weber, Laura Cash, and Laura Weber Cash is an American

country A country is a distinct part of the world, such as a state, nation, or other political entity. When referring to a specific polity, the term "country" may refer to a sovereign state, state with limited recognition, constituent country, ...

fiddler A fiddle is a bowed string musical instrument, most often a violin or a bass. It is a colloquial term for the violin, used by players in all genres, including classical music. Although in many cases violins and fiddles are essentially syno ...

, singer, songwriter, and guitar player. White has worked as a

session musician A session musician (also known as studio musician or backing musician) is a musician hired to perform in a recording session or a live performance. The term sideman is also used in the case of live performances, such as accompanying a reco ...

on many albums and toured with several artists, including the late

Johnny Cash John R. Cash (born J. R. Cash; February 26, 1932 – September 12, 2003) was an American singer-songwriter. Most of his music contains themes of sorrow, moral tribulation, and redemption, especially songs from the later stages of his career. ...

and

June Carter Cash Valerie June Carter Cash (June 23, 1929 – May 15, 2003) was an American country singer and songwriter. A five-time Grammy Award–winner, she was a member of the Carter Family and the second wife of singer Johnny Cash. Prior to her marria ...

. She has released two solo albums: ''Among My Souvenirs'' in 2003 and ''Awake But Dreaming'' in 2010. Both were recorded at the Cash Cabin Studio. White became known as a fine stage fiddler after winning both state and National Fiddler contests in

Oregon Oregon ( , ) is a U.S. state, state in the Pacific Northwest region of the United States. It is a part of the Western U.S., with the Columbia River delineating much of Oregon's northern boundary with Washington (state), Washington, while t ...

and

Idaho Idaho ( ) is a landlocked U.S. state, state in the Pacific Northwest and Mountain states, Mountain West subregions of the Western United States. It borders Montana and Wyoming to the east, Nevada and Utah to the south, and Washington (state), ...

. She is an artist on 16 Cash family albums from 2003 to 2014. In 1999, White joined the ''

Press On Press On may refer to: * ''Press On'' (June Carter Cash album), 1999 * ''Press On'' (Selah album), 2001 {{dab ...

'' tour with Carter Cash and Johnny Cash, where she met their son,

John Carter Cash John Carter Cash (born March 3, 1970) is an American country singer-songwriter, musician and author. He is the only child of Johnny Cash and his second wife June Carter Cash. He is the grandson of Mother Maybelle Carter. Biography John has ...

, whom she wed in 2000. They later divorced in 2013. She played on June Carter Cash's 2003 album, ''

Wildwood Flower "Wildwood Flower" (or "The Wildwood Flower") is an American song, best known through performances and recordings by the Carter Family. It is a folk song, cataloged as Roud Folk Song Index No. 757. History "Wildwood Flower" is a variant of th ...

'', which won a

Grammy Award The Grammy Awards, stylized as GRAMMY, and often referred to as The Grammys, are awards presented by The Recording Academy of the United States to recognize outstanding achievements in music. They are regarded by many as the most prestigious ...

for Best Traditional Folk album. White also contributed fiddle to Johnny Cash's '' American III'' and '' American IV'' albums. From 2012 to 2016, White was a member of the Carter Family III music group. The Carter Family III released their first album, ''Past & Present'', in 2010. The Carter Family III was made up of Laura Cash, John Cash and Dale Jett. Dale Jett is the grandson of

A.P. Carter Alvin Pleasant Delaney Carter (December 15, 1891 – November 7, 1960) was an American musician and a founding member of the Carter Family, one of the most notable acts in the history of country music. A.P. suffered from a tremor in his right h ...

and

Sara Carter Sara Elizabeth Carter (née Dougherty, later Bayes; July 21, 1898 – January 8, 1979) was an American country music musician, singer, and songwriter. Remembered mostly for her deep, distinctive, mature singing voice, she was the lead singer on ...

. John Carter is the grandson of

Maybelle Carter "Mother" Maybelle Carter (born Maybelle Addington; May 10, 1909 – October 23, 1978) was an American country musician and "among the first" to use the Carter scratch, with which she "helped to turn the guitar into a lead instrument." It ...

. White played for the 45th Annual

Academy of Country Music Awards The Academy of Country Music Awards, also known as the ACM Awards, were first held in 1966, honoring the industry's accomplishments during the previous year. It was the first country music awards program held by a major organization. The academy ...

in 2010. She played in the documentary, ''The Winding Stream: The Carters, the Cashes and the Course of Country Music'', the story of the musical generations of the Carter and Cash families.

Biography

Laura Weber White was born in

Sandwich, Illinois Sandwich is a city in DeKalb County, Illinois, DeKalb and Kendall County, Illinois, Kendall counties in the U.S. state of Illinois. Its population was 7,421 at the 2010 census and 7,221 at the 2020 census. History The town's history is tied to ...

, in 1971. Her mom and dad were living in

Plano, Illinois Plano is a city near Aurora in Kendall County, Illinois, United States, with a population of 11,847 as of the 2020 census. It is part of the Chicago metropolitan area, being about 55 miles (90 km) from Chicago. The city was home to the Pla ...

, at the time. The family moved when she was 6 and she grew up in

Corvallis, Oregon Corvallis ( ) is a city in and the county seat of Benton County, Oregon, Benton County in central western Oregon, United States. It is the principal city of the Corvallis, Oregon Metropolitan Statistical Area, which encompasses all of Benton Co ...

. She started to play music at the age of nine. She received from her father a restored fiddle which became her special instrument. To have the fiddle restored, her dad traded carpentry work for the restoration. She started to win fiddling contests in the

western United States The Western United States (also called the American West, the Western States, the Far West, the Western territories, and the West) is List of regions of the United States, census regions United States Census Bureau. As American settlement i ...

at age 12. Her teacher was fiddler and rhythm guitarist Joey McKenzie. She won a number of State and Regional titles. By 17 she won the National Junior Fiddle Champion title at

Weiser, Idaho Weiser ( ) is a city in and the county seat of Washington County, Idaho. With its mild climate, the city supports farm, orchard, and livestock endeavors in the vicinity. The city sits at the confluence of the Weiser River with the great Snake Ri ...

. In 1989 she enrolled in

Oregon State University Oregon State University (OSU) is a Public university, public Land-grant university, land-grant research university in Corvallis, Oregon, United States. OSU offers more than 200 undergraduate degree programs and a variety of graduate and doctor ...

, but in 1990, she departed college at age 18 to take a job playing and singing with

Patty Loveless Patty Loveless (born Patricia Lee Ramey, January 4, 1957) is an American country music singer. She began performing in her teenaged years before signing her first recording contract with MCA Records' Nashville division in 1985. While her first ...

in Nashville. She had been in Nashville before for Grand Master's Fiddle Contests. In addition to fiddling, she sings, plays the guitar and mandolin. In 1991 White played bluegrass in

Sakaide, Kagawa file:Sakaide City Hall 2021-08 ac (1).jpg, 270px, Sakaide City Hall file:Sakaide city center area Aerial photograph.2007.jpg, 270px, Aerial view of Sakaide city center is a Cities of Japan, city located in Kagawa Prefecture, Japan. , the city had ...

. Back in Nashville, she toured with Patty Loveless,

Pam Tillis Pamela Yvonne Tillis (born July 24, 1957) is an American country music singer, songwriter, record producer, and actress. She is the eldest child of country singer Mel Tillis. After recording unsuccessful pop material for Elektra Records, Elektra ...

, James House, Harley Allen and Chalee Tennison. She played fiddle with

Roy Acuff Roy Claxton Acuff (September 15, 1903 – November 23, 1992) was an American country music singer, fiddler, and promoter. Known as the "King of Country Music", Acuff is often credited with moving the genre from its early string band and "hoedown ...

on his show. She played the

Grand Ole Opry The ''Grand Ole Opry'' is a regular live country music, country-music Radio broadcasting, radio broadcast originating from Nashville, Tennessee, Nashville, Tennessee, on WSM (AM), WSM, held between two and five nights per week, depending on the ...

with

Ray Price Noble Ray Price (January 12, 1926 – December 16, 2013) was an American country music singer, songwriter, and guitarist. His wide-ranging baritone is regarded as among the best male voices of country music, and his innovations, such as prope ...

, and has recorded with many artists including:

George Jones George Glenn Jones (September 12, 1931 – April 26, 2013) was an American Country music, country musician, singer, and songwriter. He achieved international fame for a long list of hit records, and is well known for his distinctive voice an ...

Loretta Lynn Loretta Lynn (; April 14, 1932 – October 4, 2022) was an American country music singer and songwriter. In a career spanning six decades, Lynn released multiple gold albums. She had numerous hits such as "Hey Loretta", "The Pill (song), The P ...

Kris Kristofferson Kristoffer Kristofferson (June 22, 1936 – September 28, 2024) was an American singer, songwriter, and actor. He was a pioneering figure in the outlaw country movement of the 1970s, moving away from the polished Nashville sound and toward a m ...

Merle Haggard Merle Ronald Haggard (April 6, 1937 – April 6, 2016) was an American singer, songwriter, guitarist, and fiddler. Widely regarded as one of the greatest and most influential figures in country music, he was a central pioneer of the Bakersfield ...

Willie Nelson Willie Hugh Nelson (born April 29, 1933) is an American singer, guitarist, songwriter, actor and activist. He was one of the main figures of the outlaw country subgenre that developed in the late 1960s as a reaction to the conservative restr ...

Sheryl Crow Sheryl Suzanne Crow (born February 11, 1962) is an American singer-songwriter, musician, and actress. She is noted for her Optimism, optimistic and Idealism, idealistic subject matter, and incorporation of genres including Rock music, rock, Po ...

Billy Joe Shaver Billy Joe Shaver (August 16, 1939 – October 28, 2020) was an American singer and songwriter. Billy Joe was a prominent figure in the outlaw country genre. He is considered one of the great American songwriters of his generation. He has recei ...

Larry Gatlin Larry Gatlin & the Gatlin Brothers are an American country music vocal group. The group consists of lead singer Larry Gatlin (born May 2, 1948) and his brothers, Rudy and Steve Gatlin. The group achieved considerable success within the country ...

Rodney Crowell Rodney Crowell (born August 7, 1950) is an American musician, known primarily for his work as a singer and songwriter in country music. Crowell has had five number one singles on Hot Country Songs, all from his 1988 album '' Diamonds & Dirt''. ...

Earl Scruggs Earl Eugene Scruggs (January 6, 1924 – March 28, 2012) was an American musician noted for popularizing a three-finger banjo picking style, now called "Scruggs style", which is a defining characteristic of bluegrass music. His three-finge ...

Benny Martin Benny Edward Martin (May 8, 1928 – March 13, 2001), was an American bluegrass fiddler who invented the eight-string fiddle. Throughout his musical career he performed with artists such as the Bluegrass Boys, Don Reno, the Smoky Mountain Boys ...

Emmylou Harris Emmylou Harris (born April 2, 1947) is an American singer, songwriter, musician, bandleader, and activist. She is considered one of the leading music artists behind the country rock genre in the 1970s and the Americana (music), Americana genre ...

, and

Marty Stuart John Marty Stuart (born September 30, 1958) is an American country music, 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 be ...

. White has two children with her ex-husband John Carter Cash. White lives in Nashville with her husband, Jeff White, a bluegrass guitarist and singer. They were married on March 12, 2017, in Goodlettsville, Tennessee.

Discography

White's Discography:

Albums

Solo Albums Group Album Vocals Instruments

Performances

*Selected: Tours, Performances and Events.

External links

Facebook Laura Weber White
*
youtube.com Laura solo on The Carter Family III
''

Bury Me Beneath the Willow "Bury Me Beneath the Willow" is a traditional ballad folk song, listed as number 410 in the Roud Folk Song Index. It is also known as "Bury Me Beneath the Weeping Willow", "The Weeping Willow", "The Willow Tree" and "Under the Willow Tree". Its a ...

''
youtube.com, Laura and Larry Gatlin sing Diamonds In The Rough, Ryman Auditorium Nov. 10, 2003youtube.com, Laura Weber contestant at Grand Master Fiddle Championship held at Opryland Theme Park June 11,1989vimeo.com, Video Laura Cash on Mother Maybelle, Guitarist

References