Billy Ray Latham
Musician · b. 1938 · Wild Cat Corner, Arkansas
Billy Ray Latham was an Arkansas-born banjoist and harmony singer who came up in the West Coast bluegrass scene with the White brothers in the Country Boys / Kentucky Colonels — an early adopter of melodic banjo who later played in Country Gazette and the Dillards.
- Born January 12, 1938 in Wild Cat Corner, Arkansas; family moved to Michigan after a crop failure, where he learned banjo.
- Joined the Country Boys in 1957 alongside Roland and Clarence White and Dobro player LeRoy Mack.
- Founding and long-time banjoist of the Kentucky Colonels (1961–c. 1974), the rebranded Country Boys.
- Among the first West Coast banjo players to incorporate the melodic style popularized by Bill Keith and Bobby Thompson.
- Sang lead, tenor, and high baritone in the Kentucky Colonels' close-harmony stack.
- Toured and recorded with Ricky Nelson; helped form Country Gazette with Byron Berline before joining the Dillards (1974–c. 1978).
- Reportedly gave banjo lessons to a young Jerry Garcia in Los Angeles.
- Died August 19, 2018 at Vanderbilt University Medical Center in Nashville at age 80; lingering injuries from a head-on auto collision had hampered his playing for years.
-
The Kentucky ColonelsPlayed on recordings with The Kentucky Colonels
-
Laurel Canyon RamblersPlayed on recordings with Laurel Canyon Ramblers