Roland White has died.
https://bluegrasstoday.com/roland-white-passes/
Roland White has died.
https://bluegrasstoday.com/roland-white-passes/
Just saw that too, how sad.
I remember him after the show at the “Ark” in Ann Arbor, stayed there really late, Roland declined a beer until I said “You sure, I brought St. Pauli Girl?” The reply was
“Well. I’ll have one of THOSE!”
Another time my band was playing a show and doing some of the old Colonel’s tunes and he came up behind us and joined in as gentle as you please!
He will be missed to my dying day.
Enjoy playing with your brothers, my friend.
Timothy F. Lewis
"If brains was lard, that boy couldn't grease a very big skillet" J.D. Clampett
How sad. RIP Roland.
So sorry to hear this news. Rest in peace, Roland. A giant in the bluegrass world and one very great guy.
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A nice man and a wonderful musician. RIP
A true gentleman. My goodness, really brings home how temporary we are -- physically.
He left us a lot of great music. Glad I got to see him a couple of times at the Frankfort Bluegrass Festival.
I've also enjoyed many of the videos he and Diane made together. God bless them both.
Bummer. RIP Roland.
This is sad news. Roland was a dear friend and was a joy to be around. He was always fun to jam with and made everyone in the jam feel like they were a star. I saw the character of Roland when he played with those who were not on his level. He would hold back enough that the others in the group felt as if they were able to keep up. Not many people with his credentials were that kind. He always tried to them ymake feel as if they were as good as him. At SPBGMA one year Roland, Buck White and I were in the Gibson room before the place was open to the public. We spent an hour as Roland and Buck played what they felt like playing the way they felt like it. It was one of the most memorable “ shows” I ever saw. They played every genre you could imagine. When they got to the jazz and swing tunes they kicked it into high gear, and played one of the best shows I had ever witnessed. There were only the three of us and I went to mandolin school that day. I had the honor of working with Roland on his Gibson mandolin. I helped him design exactly what he wanted. It was actually interesting, because he didn’t want it to be special with extra fancies or finish. He was quite specific in what he wanted, and he was so excited when I gave it to him. He took it out of the case and played it. It was just like he wanted and he thanked me for several years for his mandolin. He held several workshops in our shop and was always so gracious to everyone. He was never bitten by the star bug. He was kind and gentle with everyone. I will miss my friend. I have not seen him much the last few years. I don’t get around very well and can’t get together with some of my friends I would like to, but in those times I would see Roland, he seemed excited to see me and we would talk for a bit and then do whatever we needed to do. Goodbye Roland. I will miss you my friend!
Have a Great Day!
Joe Vest
My goodness! That is a testimonial, a commemoration for the ages. The depth of your feeling comes through loud and clear., good and strong. And oh, to have been a fly on the wall at that "show."
I am not as conversant with Roland White's accomplishments as others have been. But I liked everything I heard him play. He had a very smooth touch, a real feel for the instrument and the music. He will be missed; he is already, very much so.
I just wish there weren't that ? in the thread title, esp. on this day. Made me wonder. I wish it had been a joke.
RIP, Roland White.
But that's just my opinion. I could be wrong. - Dennis Miller
Furthering Mandolin Consciousness
Finders Keepers, my duo with the astoundingly talented and versatile Patti Rothberg. Our EP is finally done, and available! PM me, while they last!
Sad another one of my favorites gone, at least we have the old records to remember what a musician!
It is a sad day.
One of the high moments of Kaufmann Kamp was one morning when I forgot my badge to get breakfast. I ran back to the dorm. As I was coming down here was Roland White. He said "Do you want a ride?" I was in awe to get to ride to and eat breakfast with one of my musical heroes.
Rest in peace Roland.
Roland taught at RockyGrass one year and was kind enough to give me a little private lesson. At the end of the lesson, I played "Why You Been Gone So Long" and he joined in on the harmony in the chorus. I about fell off my chair! Still makes me smile to think of that. Sitting right across from him, I couldn't tell which of his fingers was actually fretting a note. Just so efficient with his left hand. What a wonderful guy. Will never forget that. He never over played--just played what the song needed. So tasteful. A great loss.
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I am so saddened to hear this news. Roland White was one of the sweetest souls I ever encountered and a friend for nearly six decades. I'll never forget hearing and meeting the "Country Boys" in the basement of Gerde's Folk City when they first played there. I will always be grateful to Roland for giving me the life-changing opportunity to take his place in the band when they played the Gaslight Cafe, the week his daughter was born in 1964. His playing was honest and true and came from the heart. Rest in peace, Roland.
Roland White April 23rd, 1938, April 1, 2022
one of the New Kentucky Colonels, played guitar with Bill Monroe, and with Lester Flatt, and as a member of the Nashville Blue Grass Band.
its a cold day in the mandolin world.
and so he passes into legend
Last edited by tmsweeney; Apr-02-2022 at 5:40am.
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"Mean Old Timer, He's got grey hair, Mean Old Timer he just don't care
Got no compassion, thinks its a sin
All he does is sit around an play the Mandolin"
I have merged the Roland White threads.
"It's comparable to playing a cheese slicer."
--M. Stillion
"Bargain instruments are no bargains if you can't play them"
--J. Garber
Roland was a lovely man. He was my instructor at the Nashville Bluegrass camp years ago, just after he'd received that new Gibson mandolin. On our breaks he put the mandolin in the trash can. Much as he loved his new instrument, I think he was trying to show us that it was a tool and not a sacred object. He was also just being funny. He was the coach for our band which played on our last night at the Station Inn and he coached me on my break. I met him again a few years later and he immediately recognized me and came to say hi--not because I'm memorable but because that's who he was. I remember his teaching was all about being efficient, finding shapes near one another, using a lot of two-finger chords, and varying up the rhythm playing.
Cary Fagan
Roland was a wonderful person, a kind and unassuming human being who was able to share his knowledge of the mandolin simply and graciously. I had a workshop with him maybe 15 years ago that I still draw on for my playing. Thank you Roland.
Peace
Peace to his friends and family, and, of course, to Mr. White 😔
I'm so sad Roland White is gone from this world. My mandolin playing and my relationship with my audience and "the world" might have been poorer were it not for Roland He was the first person I heard start a solo from absolutely anywhere. Before I heard him play live shows in the early 1960s, as far as I knew, a lead player started a solo where a singer would begin a verse. On the first beat or with a pickup note or two. But Roland often started earlier. Sometimes he'd start before the singer(s) were done. This was such an eye and ear opener, such a revelation to this teenage musician that more musical freedom was possible than I had realized. Later as a member of the Nashville Bluegrass Band Roland White played a variety of sounds and patterns when playing rhythm which I had never heard before in any genre.
During the years in which I toured a lot we would cross paths from time to time and he was always... I want to say this right.... he was very much like the kid next door. Humble in a natural way. Several times we taught at the same musical camps and I watched how he corrected incorrect ideas and how he disagreed with nonsense. So gentle and matter-of-fact without a trace of admonition.
I have met many natural story tellers in my life and I have never met anyone with more musician stories than Roland White. These were always fabulously detailed and always fascinating. And one of the qualities of his stories is that he didn't *learn* or *hear* any of them. He was there. He lived them. He'd been in so many bands and so many musical situations.
RIP Roland
For those who may be interested, Bluegrass Unlimited did a podcast with Roland in Dec 2020:
https://www.bluegrassunlimited.com/p...-roland-white/
Rest in peace.
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