Died On This Date (July 14, 1973) Clarence White / The Byrds, Kentucky Colonels
themusicsover Clarence White
June 7, 1944 – July 14, 1973
Clarence White started his professional career as founding guitarist for the Kentucky Colonels, a progressive bluegrass outfit formed with his brothers. The Colonels were making a name for themselves in the Los Angeles area in the early ’60s, but their dreams of fame were soon derailed by the one-two punch of the British Invasion, and Bob Dylan going electric. White quickly found plenty of session working on records by the likes of the Monkees, International Submarine Band, and the Flying Burrito Brothers, after which he landed with the Byrds. His tenure with the Byrds started in 1966 with the California-country years of Gram Parsons, a perfect home for his style of playing. In the years following the Byrds break-up, White went back to session work, working with Randy Newman and Jackson Browne. He also joined a bluegrass “supergroup” called Muleskinner, playing alongside Peter Rowan, David Grisman, Bill Keith and Richard Green. Muleskinner’s contemporary sound would be the foundation of what would later be called “new grass.” Then in the early morning hours of July 14, tragedy struck. While loading gear into his car after a Kentucky Colonels reunion gig, White was struck and killed by a drunk driver. He was just 29.
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