Roland White (1938 to 2022) was a mandolin player, singer, and teacher. He was the older brother of guitarist Clarence White, and together they led the Kentucky Colonels, whose 1964 album Appalachian Swing! changed bluegrass picking. Roland then worked for Bill Monroe and Lester Flatt, spent 13 years in Country Gazette, and more than a decade in the Nashville Bluegrass Band. He joined the International Bluegrass Music Hall of Fame on his own in 2017 and with the Kentucky Colonels in 2019.
Why White matters
White connected the founders to the modern era. He played in Monroe’s and Flatt’s bands, then helped build the progressive sound of Country Gazette and the polished sound of the Nashville Bluegrass Band. He was also one of the great mandolin teachers. His books, workshops, and lessons reached thousands of players, and he brought a young Marty Stuart into Lester Flatt’s band.
Life and career
White was born Roland Joseph LeBlanc on April 23, 1938, in Madawaska, Maine, and grew up speaking French. As a boy he formed a family band with his brothers Eric and Clarence and his sister Joanne. When the family moved to California, they won a radio talent show, and a TV station hired the boys as the Country Boys.
After two years in the Army, Roland rejoined his brothers in the renamed Kentucky Colonels. Their 1964 World Pacific album Appalachian Swing! turned heads around the world. In 1967 White joined Bill Monroe’s Blue Grass Boys, playing guitar and singing, and recorded nine cuts with the band. In 1969 he moved to Lester Flatt’s Nashville Grass on mandolin and stayed four years. In 1972 he invited a 13-year-old Marty Stuart to sit in with Flatt, and Stuart soon joined the band.
In 1973 Roland, Clarence, and Eric reunited as the New Kentucky Colonels. That tour ended when a car struck Roland and Clarence as they loaded equipment after a show. Roland dislocated his shoulder. Clarence died. Roland then joined Country Gazette with banjo player Alan Munde and stayed 13 years. His 1976 solo album, I Wasn’t Born to Rock ‘n Roll, became a favorite among pickers.
In 1987 he joined the Nashville Bluegrass Band. With White on mandolin, the band won Grammys for Best Bluegrass Album with Waitin’ for the Hard Times to Go (1993) and Unleashed (1995). In 2000 he formed the Roland White Band with his wife, guitarist Diane Bouska. He lived in Nashville, taught often, and published instruction books, including a book of his brother’s guitar leads. He died on April 1, 2022, at 83, a week after a heart attack.
Playing style
White’s mandolin is clean, melodic, and full of good taste. He came out of Monroe, but he played with a lighter touch and a lot of swing. On Appalachian Swing! his mandolin trades breaks with Clarence’s guitar, and the two of them play with a relaxed, rhythmic bounce that was new to bluegrass in 1964.
He was a master of the plain chop and the well-placed fill. In the Nashville Bluegrass Band he backed great singers with parts that sat just under the voice. He also taught chord shapes and rhythm with the same care as breaks, and his students learned to play in a band, not just to solo.
Influences and legacy
White’s childhood idol was Bill Monroe, and he got to play in Monroe’s band. He played beside his brother Clarence White, Lester Flatt, Paul Warren, Alan Munde, and the Nashville Bluegrass Band’s Pat Enright, Alan O’Bryant, and Stuart Duncan.
He opened the door for Marty Stuart. He played on early albums by David Grier and Stuart Duncan, and on Ricky Skaggs’s tribute to Bill Monroe. Mike Compton also played mandolin in the Nashville Bluegrass Band.
Signature tunes and songs
Black Mountain Rag Soldier’s Joy.
Essential recordings
Appalachian Swing!, with the Kentucky Colonels (World Pacific, 1964) I Wasn’t Born to Rock ‘n Roll (Ridge Runner, 1976) Strictly Instrumental, with Country Gazette (Flying Fish, 1987) Waitin’ for the Hard Times to Go, with the Nashville Bluegrass Band (Sugar Hill, 1993) A Tribute to the Kentucky Colonels (Mountain Home, 2018)
Awards and honors
Grammy Award, Best Bluegrass Album, Waitin’ for the Hard Times to Go, with the Nashville Bluegrass Band Grammy Award, Best Bluegrass Album, Unleashed, with the Nashville Bluegrass Band International Bluegrass Music Hall of Fame (2017) International Bluegrass Music Hall of Fame, with the Kentucky Colonels (2019)
Watch and listen
White plays Black Mountain Rag on mandolin. Watch how clean and relaxed his right hand stays at speed.
What to learn from White
Learn Black Mountain Rag on mandolin from his version. It moves fast but sits well under the fingers. Then copy his relaxed right hand. Play the tune at half speed with your wrist loose and your pick angle steady, and only speed up when it still feels easy. White’s playing shows that tone and ease come from a relaxed hand, not a tight one.
Sources
Roland White, Wikipedia Roland White passes, Bluegrass Today Marty Stuart, Wikipedia Nashville Bluegrass Band, Wikipedia Recipients and inductees by year, IBMA
Related players
See the mandolin players hub and the mandolin guide. White worked for Bill Monroe and brought Marty Stuart into Lester Flatt’s band. Mike Compton also played mandolin in the Nashville Bluegrass Band.