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 that developed in the 1940s in the Appalachian region of the United States. The genre derives its name from the band Bill Monroe and the Blue Grass Boys. Bluegrass has roots in African America ...

artist, performing principally on the

mandolin A mandolin (, ; literally "small mandola") is a Chordophone, stringed musical instrument in the lute family and is generally Plucked string instrument, plucked with a plectrum, pick. It most commonly has four Course (music), courses of doubled St ...

. He was inducted into the

International Bluegrass Music Hall of Fame For a professional in the bluegrass music field, election to the International Bluegrass Music Hall of Fame is the highest honor the genre can bestow. An invitation can be extended to performers, songwriters, promoters, broadcasters, musicians, a ...

in 2017.

Biography

White was born in

Madawaska, Maine Madawaska is a town in Aroostook County, Maine, United States. The population was 3,867 at the 2020 census. Madawaska is opposite Edmundston, Madawaska County in New Brunswick, Canada, to which it is connected by the Edmundston–Madawaska B ...

, 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) 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 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 takes its n ...

. 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 (music), bluegrass guitarist and mandolinist, best known for his collaboration with banjo picker Earl Scruggs in the duo Flatt and Scruggs. Flatt's career spanned ...

. 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, staying with them for 13 years. In 1987, he joined the Nashville Bluegrass Band, 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 Ischemia, blood flow decreases or stops in one of the coronary arteries of the heart, causing infarction (tissue death) to the heart muscle. The most common symptom ...

.Roland White passes
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Discography

Solo albums

* 1976: ''I Wasn't Born To Rock'n Roll'' ( Ridge Runner) reissued in 2010 by Tompkins Square * 1994: ''Trying To Get To You'' ( Sugar Hill) * 2003: ''Jelly On My Tofu'' ( Copper Creek) with the Roland White Band * 2014: ''Straight-Ahead Bluegrass'' (Roland White Music) with the Roland White Band * 2018: ''A Tribute to the Kentucky Colonels'' (Mountain Home) Roland White And Friends

Collaborations

* 1964: ''Dobro Country'' ( World Pacific) with Tut Taylor 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 Byrds ...

* 2018: ''Jim Lauderdale & Roland White'' (recorded 1979) (Sky Crunch Productions, Inc./Yep Roc Records)

With the
Kentucky Colonels The Kentucky Colonels were an American professional basketball team based in Louisville, Kentucky. They competed in the American Basketball Association (ABA) from 1967 to 1976. The name is derived from the historic Kentucky Colonels. The Colo ...

* 1964: ''Appalachian Swing!'' (World Pacific) * 1975: ''Livin' In The Past'' ( Polygram) live recordings 1961-1965 * 1976: ''1965-1966'' ( Rounder) compiled privately recorded live sessions * 1978: ''1966'' (Shiloh) * 1984: ''On Stage'' (Rounder) * 1991: ''Long Journey Home'' (

Vanguard The vanguard (sometimes abbreviated to van and 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. ...

) 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

* 1976: ''Out To Lunch'' (

Flying Fish The Exocoetidae are a family (biology), family of Saltwater fish, marine Actinopterygii, ray-finned fish in the order (biology), order Beloniformes, known colloquially as flying fish or flying cod. About 64 species are grouped in seven genus, ge ...

) * 1976: ''Country Gazette Live'' (

Antilles The Antilles is an archipelago bordered by the Caribbean Sea to the south and west, the Gulf of Mexico to the northwest, and the Atlantic Ocean to the north and east. The Antillean islands are divided into two smaller groupings: the Greater An ...

) * 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

* 1990: ''The Boys Are Back in Town'' (Sugar Hill) * 1991: ''Home of The Blues'' (Sugar Hill) * 1993: '' Waitin' for the Hard Times to Go'' (Sugar Hill) * 1995: '' Unleashed'' (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 purposesL. Brookes (ed.) '' Chambers Dictionary''. Edinburgh: Chambers Harrap Publishers Ltd, 2005. in some nations. The term is derived from the Old French denoti ...

) * 1971:

and

Mac Wiseman Malcolm Bell Wiseman (May 23, 1925 – February 24, 2019) was an American bluegrass and country singer active for seven decades in the twentieth century. He was part of Bluegrass music's earliest generation, though bluegrass never defined him. ...

- ''Lester 'N' Mac'' (

RCA Victor RCA Records is an American record label owned by Sony Music Entertainment, a subsidiary of Sony Group Corporation. It is one of Sony Music's four flagship labels, alongside Columbia Records (its former longtime rival), Arista Records and Epic ...

) * 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'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 - ''Forty Years Late'' (Rounder) * 1977: Buck White and the Down Home Folks - ''That Down Home Feeling'' (Ridge Runner) * 1978: Bobby Hicks - ''Texas Crapshooter'' (

) * 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. Early life 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 ol ...

- ''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. He won seven Grammy awards as well as a Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award. His ...

- '' On Praying Ground'' (Sugar Hill) * 1991: David Grier - ''Freewheeling'' (Rounder) * 1992:

Stuart Duncan Stuart Ian Duncan (born April 14, 1964) is an American bluegrass musician who plays the fiddle, mandolin, guitar, and banjo. Life Duncan was born in Quantico, Virginia, and raised in Santa Paula, California, where he played in the school ...

- ''Stuart Duncan'' (Rounder) * 1992:

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 ...

- '' Let There Be Country'' (

Sony Music Sony Music Entertainment (SME), commonly known as Sony Music, is an American multinational music company owned by Japanese conglomerate Sony Group Corporation. It is the recording division of Sony Music Group, with the other half being the ...

) * 1994: Gene Wooten - ''Sings & Plays Dobro'' ( Pinecastle) * 1995:

Clint Black Clint Patrick Black (born February 4, 1962) is an American country music singer, songwriter, musician, actor, and record producer. Signed to RCA Nashville in 1989, Black's debut album '' Killin' Time'' produced four straight number one singles ...

- '' Looking for Christmas'' (RCA) * 1995:

and Alan Munde - ''Windy Days and Dusty Skies'' (Flying Fish) * 1996: Leroy Mack - ''Leroy Mack & Friends'' ( Rebel) * 1996:

Bernadette Peters Bernadette Peters ( ''née'' Lazzara; born February 28, 1948) is an American actress and singer. Over a career spanning more than six decades, she has starred in musical theatre, television and film, performed in solo concerts and released reco ...

- ''I'll Be Your Baby Tonight'' (

Angel An angel is a spiritual (without a physical body), heavenly, or supernatural being, usually humanoid with bird-like wings, often depicted as a messenger or intermediary between God (the transcendent) and humanity (the profane) in variou ...

) * 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) * 2004: Clint Black - '' Christmas with You'' ( Equity) * 2007:

Ry Cooder Ryland Peter 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, and h ...

- '' My Name Is Buddy'' ( Nonesuch) * 2010: Skip Battin - ''Topanga Skyline'' ( Sierra)

References

Relevant literature

*Black, Bob. ''Mandolin Man: The Bluegrass Life of Roland White''. University of Illinois Press, 2022.

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 Blue Grass Boys members