View source for The Kentucky Colonels (band)

{{About|the bluegrass music band|other uses|Kentucky Colonel (disambiguation)}}
{{short description|Bluegrass music band}}
{{Infobox musical artist
| name                = The Kentucky Colonels
| background          = group_or_band
| image               = Kentuckycolonels.jpg
| caption             = The Kentucky Colonels in 1964<br />From left to right: [[Roland White]], [[Roger Bush (musician)|Roger Bush]], [[Clarence White]], Bobby Slone, and [[Billy Ray Latham]]
| alt                 =
| image_size          =
| landscape           =
| years_active        = 1954–65; 1966–67; 1973
| origin              = [[Burbank, California]], United States
| genre               = [[Bluegrass music|Bluegrass]]
| label               = Sundown, Republic, Briar International, [[Pacific Jazz Records|World Pacific]], [[Sierra Records|Sierra]]
|associated_acts = The White Brothers, the New Kentucky Colonels, [[the Byrds]], [[the Dillards]], [[Country Gazette (band)|Country Gazette]], [[Tut Taylor]], [[Eric Weissberg]], the [[Nashville Bluegrass Band]], [[the Flying Burrito Brothers]]
| past_members        = [[Roland White]]<br />[[Clarence White]]<br />[[Billy Ray Latham]]<br />LeRoy Mack<br />[[Roger Bush (musician)|Roger Bush]]<br />Bobby Slone<br />[[Scotty Stoneman]]<br />Eric White Jr.<br />Dennis Morris<br />Bob Warford<br />Bobby Crane
| website              =
}}
'''The Kentucky Colonels''' were a [[Bluegrass music|bluegrass]] band that was popular during the [[American folk music revival]] of the early 1960s.<ref>{{cite web|last=Brennan|first=Sandra|title=The Kentucky Colonels biography|website=[[Allmusic]]|publisher=Rovi Corp|url={{Allmusic|class=artist|id=mn0000083453/biography|pure_url=yes}}|accessdate=2017-05-28}}</ref> Formed in Burbank, California in 1954, the group released two albums, ''The New Sound of Bluegrass America'' (1963) and ''[[Appalachian Swing!]]'' (1964). The band featured the influential bluegrass guitarist [[Clarence White]], who was largely responsible for making the [[acoustic guitar]] a lead instrument within bluegrass,<ref name="rollingstone">{{Cite web|url=https://www.rollingstone.com/music/lists/100-greatest-guitarists-20111123/clarence-white-20111122|title=100 Greatest Guitarists: Clarence White|website=[[Rolling Stone]]|publisher=Wenner Media|accessdate=2013-08-13}}</ref> and who later went on to join the Los Angeles [[Rock music|rock]] band [[the Byrds]].<ref>{{cite web|last=Erlewine|first=Stephen Thomas|authorlink=Stephen Thomas Erlewine|title=Clarence White biography|website=[[Allmusic]]|publisher=Rovi Corp|url={{Allmusic|class=artist|id=mn0000136588/biography|pure_url=yes}}|accessdate=2017-05-28}}</ref>  The Kentucky Colonels disbanded in late 1965, with two short-lived reunions taking place in 1966 and 1973.
==History==
===Early years===
In 1954, the three White brothers, [[Roland White|Roland]] ([[mandolin]]), [[Clarence White|Clarence]] ([[acoustic guitar]]), and Eric Jr. ([[banjo]] and [[double bass]]) formed a [[Country music|country]] trio called Three Little Country Boys.<ref name="hjort">{{Cite book|last=Hjort|first=Christopher|authorlink=Christopher Hjort|page=14|year=2008|title=So You Want To Be A Rock 'n' Roll Star: The Byrds Day-By-Day (1965–1973)|publisher=Jawbone Press|location=London|isbn=1-906002-15-0}}</ref>  The family group, which was occasionally augmented by the brothers' sister Joanne on bass,<ref name="timeless">{{Cite book|last=Rogan|first=Johnny|pages=267–268|year=1998|title=The Byrds: Timeless Flight Revisited - The Sequel|edition=2nd|publisher=Rogan House|location=London|isbn=0-9529540-1-X}}</ref><ref name="Kingsbury">{{cite book|last=Kingsbury|first=Paul|title=The Encyclopedia of Country Music: The Ultimate Guide to the Music|url=https://archive.org/details/encyclopediaofco00coun|url-access=registration|year=1998|publisher=Oxford University Press, USA|location=New York City|isbn=0-19511-671-2|page=[https://archive.org/details/encyclopediaofco00coun/page/581 581]}}</ref> won a talent contest early on in their career, on radio station KXLA in Pasadena, and, by 1957, had managed to attract the interest of country guitarist [[Joe Maphis]].<ref name="byrdwatcher"/>  With Maphis's help, the Three Little Country Boys made several appearances on the popular television program ''[[Town Hall Party]]''.<ref name="byrdwatcher"/>
As a result of Roland's growing interest in [[bluegrass music]], the group soon switched to an entirely bluegrass repertoire.<ref name="Kingsbury"/>  In 1957, banjoist [[Billy Ray Latham]] and [[Dobro]] player LeRoy Mack were added to the line-up,<ref name="timeless"/> with the group renaming themselves the Country Boys soon after.<ref name="hjort"/>  In 1961, [[bassist]] [[Roger Bush (musician)|Roger Bush]] replaced Eric Jr., who had left the band to get married.<ref name="hjort"/>  That same year, the quartet had become popular enough to appear twice on ''[[The Andy Griffith Show]]''.<ref name="hjort"/>  Between 1959 and 1962, the Country Boys released three singles on the Sundown, Republic and Briar International [[record label]]s.<ref name="byrdwatcher">{{cite web|last=Connors|first=Tim|title=Clarence White with the Kentucky Colonels: 1954-1965|publisher=Euclid Business Network|website=ByrdWatcher: A Field Guide to the Byrds of Los Angeles|url=http://ebni.com/byrds/memcw1.html|accessdate=2013-08-13|url-status=dead|archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20141108221612/http://ebni.com/byrds/refdiscogcw.html|archivedate=2014-11-08}}</ref>
===Commercial success===
In September 1962, the Country Boys recorded their debut [[album]] for Briar International.<ref name="hjort"/>  At Maphis's suggestion, the band decided to change their name to the Kentucky Colonels,<ref name="hjort"/> with their album being released in early 1963, under the title ''The New Sound of Bluegrass America''.<ref name="timeless2">{{Cite book|last=Rogan|first=Johnny|pages=581–584|year=1998|title=The Byrds: Timeless Flight Revisited - The Sequel|edition=2nd|publisher=Rogan House|location=London|isbn=0-9529540-1-X}}</ref>  Around this time, Clarence's [[flatpicking]] guitar style became a more prominent part of the group's sound,<ref name="Kingsbury"/> with his speed and virtuosity on the instrument being largely responsible for making the guitar a lead instrument within bluegrass music.<ref name="timeless2"/><ref name="rollingstone"/>  In addition to being accomplished musicians, the Kentucky Colonels' music often featured close [[Vocal harmony|harmony vocals]], with Clarence singing [[Lead vocal|lead]] and [[baritone]], Roland singing lead and [[tenor]], Roger on lead and [[bass (voice type)|bass]], and Billy Ray singing lead, tenor, and [[Baritone#Baritone voices in other music|high baritone]].<ref>{{cite AV media notes|title=Livin' in the Past|others=[[Kentucky Colonels]]|year=1975|first=John|last=Kaparakis|page=Back cover|type=Album notes|publisher=Briar International Records|location=Tennessee}}</ref>
Following the release of their debut album, the Kentucky Colonels became well known on the bluegrass circuit during 1963 and 1964, performing at a multitude of folk and country venues throughout California and the United States, including an appearance at the prestigious Monterey Folk Festival in May 1963.<ref name="hjort"/>  While they may not have enjoyed the same level of commercial success as their contemporaries [[the Dillards]], the group were highly influential and their strict adherence to a traditional, purist bluegrass repertoire saw their albums become underground classics.<ref>{{cite book|last=Rosenberg|first=Neil V.|title=Bluegrass: A History|year=2005|publisher=[[University of Illinois Press]]|location=Champaign, Illinois|isbn=0-252-06304-X|page=[https://archive.org/details/bluegrasshistory0000rose/page/193 193]|url=https://archive.org/details/bluegrasshistory0000rose/page/193}}</ref><ref>{{cite book|last=Einarson|first=John|title=Desperados: The Roots of Country Rock|year=2001|publisher=[[Rowman & Littlefield|Cooper Square Press]]|location=New York City|isbn=0-8154-1065-4|page=[https://archive.org/details/desperadosrootso00eina/page/33 33]|url=https://archive.org/details/desperadosrootso00eina/page/33}}</ref>
In 1964, while continuing to make live appearances,<ref name="hjort"/> the band were signed to [[Pacific Jazz Records|World Pacific Records]] by [[Record producer|producer]] [[Jim Dickson (producer)|Jim Dickson]],<ref name="hjort2">{{Cite book|last=Hjort|first=Christopher|page=18|year=2008|title=So You Want To Be A Rock 'n' Roll Star: The Byrds Day-By-Day (1965–1973)|publisher=Jawbone Press|location=London|isbn=1-906002-15-0}}</ref> who would later become the manager of the [[folk rock]] band [[the Byrds]].  After the recruitment of [[fiddle]] player Bobby Slone,<ref name="hjort"/> the Colonels released their second album, the purely [[instrumental]] ''[[Appalachian Swing!]]'' in April 1964.<ref>{{Cite AV media notes |title= Appalachian Swing! |others=Kentucky Colonels |year=1993 |first=Chris |last= Skinker |first2=Tom |last2= Skinker |type=CD booklet |publisher= [[Rounder Records]] |location= Cambridge, Massachusetts}}</ref>  Although it failed to chart, the album was a commercial success, with White's flatpicking permanently expanding the language of bluegrass guitar.<ref name="hjort2"/>  Writing for the [[AllMusic]] website, critic Thom Owens has described the album as "one of the most influential albums in the whole of bluegrass music, primarily because of the stunning playing of Clarence White."<ref name="allmusic2">{{Cite web|url={{Allmusic|class=album|id=appalachian-swing%21-mw0000706601|pure_url=yes}}|title=Appalachian Swing! album review|last=Owens|first=Thom|website=[[Allmusic]]|publisher=Rovi Corp|accessdate=2013-08-13}}</ref>  Owens also noted that White's playing on the album "helped pioneer a new style in bluegrass; namely, he redefined the acoustic guitar as a solo instrument."<ref name="allmusic2"/>  By the close of the year, the Kentucky Colonels were considered by fans and critics to be one of the best bluegrass groups in the United States.<ref name="hjort"/>
Although they were now a successful recording act, it was becoming increasingly hard for the Colonels to make a living playing bluegrass.<ref name="byrdwatcher"/>  The folk music revival of the late 1950s and early 1960s—which had helped facilitate the Colonels' commercial success—had been dealt a serious blow in 1964 by the popularity of the [[beat music]] of the [[British Invasion]].  However, it wasn't until mid-1965, with the release of the Byrds' folk rock single "[[Mr. Tambourine Man]]" and [[Bob Dylan]]'s "[[Subterranean Homesick Blues]]", that the folk revival's popularity began to seriously wane.  Before long, many young folk performers and some bluegrass acts were switching to [[electric instrument]]ation.<ref name="byrdwatcher"/>  The Kentucky Colonels followed suit, plugging in with electric instruments and hiring a [[drummer]], in order to keep a concert booking as a country dance band at a [[bowling alley]].<ref>{{Cite news|last=Delgatto|first=John|title=The Too-Short Career of Clarence White|pages=12–14|newspaper=Frets Magazine|publisher=GPI Publications|location=Cupertino, California|year=1986}}</ref>  The band added fiddle player [[Scotty Stoneman]] to their line-up in mid-1965, as a replacement for Slone,<ref name="byrdwatcher"/> but some months later, the Kentucky Colonels dissolved as a band after a show on October 31, 1965.<ref name="timeless2"/>
In 1966, Clarence, Roland and Eric Jr. reunited, with [[rhythm guitar]]ist Dennis Morris, banjo player Bob Warford, and fiddle player Bobby Crane to form a new version of the Kentucky Colonels.<ref name="byrdwatcher2">{{cite web|last=Connors|first=Tim|title=Clarence White Plugs In: 1965-1968|publisher=Euclid Business Network|website=ByrdWatcher: A Field Guide to the Byrds of Los Angeles|url=http://ebni.com/byrds/memcw2.html|accessdate=2013-08-14|url-status=dead|archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20141107081350/http://ebni.com/byrds/memcw2.html|archivedate=2014-11-07}}</ref>  This line-up of the band made sporadic concert appearances and also recorded a series of [[Demo recording|demos]] that were eventually released in 1979 on the archival album ''Kentucky Colonels 1966''.<ref name="byrdwatcher2"/>  The group continued to make concert appearances until 1967 when Clarence was asked to play with [[Bill Monroe|Bill Monroe and the Blue Grass Boys]].<ref name="byrdwatcher2"/>  Although Clarence declined the offer, his brother Roland took the job and, as a result, the Colonels once more disbanded.<ref name="byrdwatcher2"/>
===1973 reunion===
In early 1973, Roland, Eric Jr. and Clarence reunited once again for a series of shows as the White Brothers (a.k.a. The New Kentucky Colonels).<ref name="byrdwatcher4">{{cite web|last=Connors|first=Tim|title=Clarence White: With the Byrds and After, 1968-1973|publisher=Euclid Business Network|website=ByrdWatcher: A Field Guide to the Byrds of Los Angeles|url=http://ebni.com/byrds/memcw3.html|accessdate=2013-08-13|url-status=dead|archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20141007004707/http://ebni.com/byrds/memcw3.html|archivedate=2014-10-07}}</ref>  The trio was augmented by [[Herb Pedersen]] on guitar and [[Alan Munde]] on banjo.<ref name="roland">{{Cite web|url=http://www.smokemusicarchive.com/content/roland-white-solo-record|title=A Record of His Own: Roland White's Solo Reissued|last=Moses|first=Bob|website=Smoke Music Archive|publisher=Smoke Creative|accessdate=2014-03-03|url-status=dead|archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20151004101904/http://www.smokemusicarchive.com/content/roland-white-solo-record|archivedate=2015-10-04}}</ref>  After playing a handful of shows in California, including one at the [[Ash Grove (music club)|Ash Grove]] folk club in Los Angeles, the White Brothers departed for Europe in May 1973.<ref name="roland"/>  One of the band's Swedish shows was later released in 1976 as ''The White Brothers: The New Kentucky Colonels Live in Sweden 1973'',<ref name="byrdwatcher4"/> while a concert recording from [[Breda]] in the Netherlands was issued in 2013 as ''Live in Holland 1973''.<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.rolandwhite.com/liveinholland.htm|title=The New Kentucky Colonels: Live in Holland 1973 - Liner Notes by Roland White|last=White|first=Roland|authorlink=Roland White|website=Roland White Homepage|accessdate=2014-03-03|url-status=dead|archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20140303034024/http://www.rolandwhite.com/liveinholland.htm|archivedate=2014-03-03}}</ref>
Returning to the United States, the New Kentucky Colonels took part in a four-date [[country rock]] package tour in June 1973, with [[Gram Parsons]], [[Emmylou Harris]], [[Country Gazette (band)|Country Gazette]], [[Sneaky Pete Kleinow]], [[Gene Parsons]], [[Byron Berline]], and [[Chris Ethridge]] among others.<ref>{{cite book|last=Meyer|first=David N.|title=Twenty Thousand Roads: The Ballad of Gram Parsons and His Cosmic American Music|year=2007|publisher=Villard Books|location=New York, NY|isbn=978-0-375-50570-6|pages=[https://archive.org/details/twentythousandro00meye/page/404 404–405]|url=https://archive.org/details/twentythousandro00meye/page/404}}</ref>
Clarence White died on July 15, 1973, after being struck by a [[drunk driver]], while he loaded his gear into the back of a car, in Palmdale, California, following a concert by the New Kentucky Colonels.<ref>{{Cite book|last=Hjort|first=Christopher|authorlink=Christopher Hjort|page=321|year=2008|title=So You Want To Be A Rock 'n' Roll Star: The Byrds Day-By-Day (1965–1973)|publisher=Jawbone Press|location=London|isbn=1-906002-15-0}}</ref>  This tragic event marked the end of the Kentucky Colonels.
==Members==
*[[Roland White]] - [[mandolin]], vocals <small>(1954–67, 1973)</small>
*[[Clarence White]] - [[guitar]], vocals <small>(1954–67, 1973)</small>
*Eric White Jr. - [[banjo]], [[double bass]], vocals <small>(1954–61, 1966–67, 1973)</small>
*[[Billy Ray Latham]] - banjo, vocals <small>(1957–65)</small>
*LeRoy Mack - [[Dobro]] <small>(1957–65)</small>
*[[Roger Bush (musician)|Roger Bush]] - double bass, vocals <small>(1961–65)</small>
*Bobby Slone - [[fiddle]] <small>(1964–65)</small>
*[[Scotty Stoneman]] - banjo, fiddle <small>(1965)</small>
*Dennis Morris - guitar <small>(1966–67)</small>
*Bob Warford - banjo <small>(1966–67)</small>
*Bobby Crane - fiddle <small>(1966–67)</small>
*[[Herb Pedersen]] - banjo <small>(1973)</small>
*[[Alan Munde]] - banjo <small>(1973)</small>
==Discography==
===Albums===
* ''The New Sound of Bluegrass America'' (1963, Briar International 109)
* ''[[Appalachian Swing!]]'' (1964, World Pacific 1821)
* ''Kentucky Colonels'' (1974, United Artists UAS 29514 ) &mdash; <small>UK reissue of ''Appalachian Swing!'' with two bonus tracks.</small>
* ''Livin' in the Past'' (1975, Briar BT-7202) &mdash; <small>various live recordings from 1961–1965.</small>
* ''The Kentucky Colonels 1965–1966'' (1976, Rounder 0070) &mdash; <small>live recordings.</small>
* ''The White Brothers: The New Kentucky Colonels Live in Sweden 1973'' (1976, Rounder 0073) &mdash; <small>live recordings from a 1973 concert in Sweden.</small>
* ''Scotty Stoneman, Live in LA with the Kentucky Colonels'' (1978, Sierra Briar SBR 4206) &mdash; <small>live recording from 1965.</small>
* ''Kentucky Colonels 1966'' (1979, Shiloh SLP-4084) &mdash; <small>studio demo recordings for an unreleased album.</small>
* ''Clarence White and the Kentucky Colonels'' (1980, Rounder 0098) &mdash; <small>live recordings.</small>
* ''On Stage'' (1984, Rounder 0199) &mdash; <small>live recordings.</small>
* ''Long Journey Home'' (1991, Vanguard VCD 77004) &mdash; <small>live recordings from the 1964 [[Newport Folk Festival]].</small>
* ''Live in Stereo'' (1999, Double Barrel DBL/BRL 1001 ) &mdash; <small>live recordings from a 1965 concert in Vancouver, Canada.</small>
* ''Bush, Latham & White'' (2011, Sierra 6033) &mdash; <small>live recordings from 1964.</small>
* ''Live in Holland 1973'' (2013, Roland White Music RW0001) &mdash; <small>live recordings from a 1973 concert in Breda, Netherlands.</small>
===Singles===
* "Head Over Heels in Love with You"/"Kentucky Hills" (1959, Sundown 131) [released under the name the Country Boys]
* "The Valley Below"/"High On a Mountain" (1960, Republic 2013) [released under the name the Country Boys]
* "To Prove My Love For You"/"Just Joshing" (1962, Briar International 45-150) [released under the name the Country Boys]
* "Ballad of Farmer Brown"/"For Lovin' Me" (1965, World Pacific 427)
==References==
{{Reflist}}
==External links==
* [http://www.rolandwhite.com Roland White homepage]
* [http://clarencewhiteforum.com The Clarence White Forum]
* {{discogs artist|The Kentucky Colonels}}
* {{imdb name|2734439}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Kentucky Colonels}}
[[Category:American bluegrass music groups]]
[[Category:Musical groups established in 1961]]
[[Category:Musical groups from Los Angeles]]
[[Category:1961 establishments in California]]
{{authority control}}