Clarence White

This article is about guitarist Clarence White. For the composer see Clarence Cameron White , for the photographer see Clarence Hudson White .

The Byrds (1970): v. l. No. Roger McGuinn, Skip Battin, Clarence White, Gene Parsons

Clarence White (born June 7, 1944 in Lewiston , Maine , † July 14, 1973 in Palmdale , California) was an American bluegrass guitarist who was a member of the Kentucky Colonels and the Byrds .

Clarence White was from the northern US state of Maine and had a Canadian father. From early childhood his love belonged to the bluegrass music from the south. After the family moved to California, he founded the Three Little Country Boys with his brothers Eric and Roland , which became the Kentucky Colonels in 1962. The band played a modern bluegrass that also incorporated elements of other styles.

During these years a small but high-quality bluegrass scene emerged on the west coast, which knew how to assert itself against the overwhelming folk movement. It was worn by talented musicians such as Chris Hillman , The Gosdin Brothers and Clarence White.

After the Kentucky Colonels broke up in 1965, White initially worked as a session guitarist. He worked on recordings by Gib Guilbeau and Gene Parsons , the Gosdin Brothers, Wynn Stewart and others and played an album of his own, which was not released.

In 1968 he joined the group Nashville West , in which, among others, Gene Parsons and Gib Gilbeau played. In the same year he became a member of the Byrds. Here he replaced Gram Parsons , who had left the band in a dispute. After Chris Hillman had left to found the Flying Burrito Brothers together with Gram Parsons and Sneaky Pete Kleinow , White took over the musical direction together with Roger McGuinn .

During the course of recording sessions, White and Parsons came up with the idea in 1968 to make variations possible by installing a lever mechanism (string bender) in the Telecaster Whites, which until then had only been possible on the pedal steel guitar . White used this effect extensively on Byrds recordings. Today the sound of B-Bender Telecasters (today's name for Fender) can be heard on many country recordings.

The Byrds broke up for good in 1973, and White returned to working as a session musician. He joined the bluegrass group Muleskinner for a short time and supported Gene Parsons in recording his first solo album. A little later the Kentucky Colonels formed anew. A European tour and a first own album were planned. On July 14, 1973 there was a tragic accident while loading the instruments after a bluegrass gig. Clarence White and his older brother Roland were seriously injured by a drunk driver. Clarence died of severe brain injuries. The day before, new plans had been forged to continue working with Roger McGuinn at his birthday party. Clarence White left his wife with two young children. Clarence's instruments were sold to musician friends after his death. His Telecaster (Frankenstein) is played today by Marty Stuart, who, as a kind of holy grail, always shows the guitar to the audience for inspection. His acoustic guitar is played by Tony Rice. Replicas of these guitars were made by Fender, Martin, and Santa Cruz.

In 2011, the Rolling Stone listed White as 52nd of the 100 best guitarists of all time . In a list from 2003 he was ranked 41st.

Individual evidence

1. ↑ 100 Greatest Guitarists of All Time. Rolling Stone , December 18, 2015, accessed August 8, 2017 . 
2. ↑ 100 Greatest Guitarists of All Time - David Fricke's Picks. Rolling Stone , December 2, 2010, accessed August 8, 2017 .