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, as well as for being a pioneer of the musical genre of country rock during the late 1960s. White also worked extensively as a session musician, appearing on recordings by the Everly Brothers, Joe Cocker, Ricky Nelson, Pat Boone, the Monkees, Randy Newman, Gene Clark, Linda Ronstadt, Arlo Guthrie, and Jackson Browne among others.
Clarence White | |
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White in 1970 | |
| Background information | |
| Birth name | Clarence Joseph LeBlanc |
| Born | June 7, 1944 Lewiston, Maine, U.S. |
| Died | July 15, 1973 (aged 29) Palmdale, California, U.S. |
| Genres | Bluegrass, country, country rock, rock |
| Occupation(s) | Musician, singer |
| Instrument(s) | Guitar, mandolin, vocals |
| Years active | 1954–1973 |
| Labels | Sundown, Republic, Briar International, World Pacific, Bakersfield International, Columbia, Warner Bros. |
Together with frequent collaborator Gene Parsons, he invented the B-Bender, a guitar accessory that enables a player to mechanically bend the B-string up a whole tone and emulate the sound of a pedal steel guitar. White was inducted into the International Bluegrass Music Association Hall of Fame in 2016, and was inducted a second time in 2019 as a member of The Kentucky Colonels.