The Kentucky Colonels

Band · Active 1954–1965 · Burbank, California
Traditional Bluegrass

The Kentucky Colonels were the most influential California bluegrass band of the 1960s — a family group anchored by the White brothers that introduced Clarence White's revolutionary flatpicking guitar style to the world. Their 1964 instrumental album Appalachian Swing! redefined the acoustic guitar as a lead instrument in bluegrass and influenced every flatpicker who came after.

  • Formed in 1954 in Burbank, California, as a family trio called Three Little Country Boys — Roland White (mandolin), Clarence White (guitar), and Eric White Jr. (banjo, bass), with sister Joanne occasionally on bass.
  • The White family was of French-Canadian descent, born in Maine as the LeBlancs; Roland was born April 23, 1938 in Madawaska, Maine; Clarence born June 7, 1944 in Lewiston, Maine.
  • Won a talent contest on KXLA Pasadena radio around 1954, which led to television appearances and caught the attention of country guitarist Joe Maphis.
  • Added banjoist Billy Ray Latham and Dobro player LeRoy Mack (McNees) in 1957 and soon renamed themselves the Country Boys; bassist Roger Bush replaced Eric Jr. in 1961.
  • Appeared twice on The Andy Griffith Show in 1961, reaching a national audience.
  • Renamed the Kentucky Colonels in September 1962 at Joe Maphis's suggestion to avoid confusion with other "Country Boys" groups.
  • Released The New Sound of Bluegrass America on Briar International in early 1963 — recorded while Roland was serving two years in the Army in Germany.
  • Released Appalachian Swing! on World Pacific in April 1964 with fiddler Bobby Slone added to the lineup — a purely instrumental album that is now considered one of the most influential records in bluegrass history.
  • Clarence White's flatpicking on Appalachian Swing! drew from Doc Watson, Don Reno, Earl Scruggs, and Django Reinhardt to establish the acoustic guitar as a solo instrument; his playing directly inspired Tony Rice and a generation of flatpickers.
  • Fiery fiddler Scott Stoneman joined the band in mid-1965 before its dissolution.
  • Dissolved after a show on October 31, 1965, amid the decline of the folk revival and rise of the British Invasion; a brief reunion followed in 1966.
  • Clarence White went on to join the Byrds (playing on every album from 1967 on), pioneered country rock, and invented the B-Bender guitar accessory with Gene Parsons.
  • Reunited in 1973 as the New Kentucky Colonels with Clarence, Roland, and Eric Jr., plus first Herb Pedersen and then Alan Munde on banjo; Clarence was killed by a drunk driver on July 15, 1973, while loading equipment after a show in Palmdale, California.
  • Clarence White inducted into the IBMA Hall of Fame in 2016; Roland White inducted in 2017; the Kentucky Colonels as a band inducted in 2019.
  • Clarence White
    Played on recordings with The Kentucky Colonels
  • Roland White
    Played on recordings with The Kentucky Colonels
  • Billy Ray Latham
    Played on recordings with The Kentucky Colonels
  • Roger Bush
    Played on recordings with The Kentucky Colonels
  • Eric White
    Played on recordings with The Kentucky Colonels
  • Scotty Stoneman
    Played on recordings with The Kentucky Colonels
  • Alan Munde
    Played on recordings with The Kentucky Colonels
  • Bob Warford
    Played on recordings with The Kentucky Colonels
  • Dennis Morris
    Played on recordings with The Kentucky Colonels
  • Tyler Mullins
    Played on recordings with The Kentucky Colonels
  • Barney Carter
    Played on recording with The Kentucky Colonels
  • Bob Worford
    Played on recording with The Kentucky Colonels
  • Bobby Slone
    Played on recording with The Kentucky Colonels
  • Herb Pedersen
    Played on recording with The Kentucky Colonels
  • Randy Howard
    Played on recording with The Kentucky Colonels
  • Ronnie Simpkins
    Played on recording with The Kentucky Colonels

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