The Kentucky Colonels 1965-1966

I spent yesterday afternoon working in my garden and lounging on the patio with my aging cat. Earlier in the day I dropped by Buyers Choice Thrift Store to check on an auction item – a vintage Fender tube-amp, but alas, it was gone. This place is a physical nightmare of junk that is an ever-present and painful reminder of the surreality of our consumer society and the endless stream of waste that goes with it. Just finding where the records are in this place is enough of a problem, nevermind trying to sort through them without hurting yourself.

In any case, I managed to find a few bluegrass records, and so I brought them home to impress my cat and headed out to the garden with the stereo cranked and the windows open. The one record that really stood out was by a band I had never heard of: The Kentucky Colonels.

Ok bluegrass fans, I hear you laughing. That’s like someone saying they had never heard of The Beatles. While I love bluegrass music, I am still a neophyte to the history and many of the well known bands. Sure I know Bill Monroe, and Doc Watson, and a host of others, but I am still learning about the history and styles, etc.

Anyhow, a few minutes later I got a call from Blind Joe Death and I told him about the record. He also laughed at my ignorance and noted that I should know the White Brothers because of their place in The Byrds, but alas, I guess I don’t know much about The Byrds either – although I have been recently exploring their catalog. Check out the Adios Lounge for some background on Clarence White (still more here).

Long story short, it has been pouring rain off and on all day here, and so I had a couple of minutes to toss up this post of a rare out-of-print gem for y’all to crank up in your gardens and/or patios, etc. This rip of the original LP and artwork scans comes courtesy of Cousin Mike.

The Kentucky Colonels 1965-1966
Rounder Records 0070 (1976)
Personnel: Clarence White, Roland White, Eric White, Billy Ray Lathum, Roger Bush, Scott Stoneman, Bob Warford & Dennis Morris.

1. New River Train (2:06)
2. Blue Moon Of Kentucky (2:53)
3. Lee Highway Blues (2:37)
4. Don’t Let Your Deal Go Down (3:05)
5. New Soldiers Joy (2:59)
6. Wicked Path Of Sin (2:22)
7. Rawhide (2:43)
8. Bucking Mule (1:49)
9. How Mountain Girls Can Love (2:02)
10. Black Mountain Rag (1:25)
11. Sunny Side Of The Mountain (2:26)
12. Jimmy’s Barnyard Shuffle (1:48)
13. You Won’t Be Satisfied That Way (1:48)
14. Clinch Mountain Backstep (3:05)
15. Let Me Fall (1:40)

The back cover scan has a lot of the band’s history, but you can also read about the band at StarClusterMusic.de in Germany:

In 1958 Billy Ray Latham joined the White brothers. Now that they were a quartet they abbreviated their name to COUNTRY BOYS. Now they could play real bluegrass music. The line-up of this group was as follows: Clarence White on guitar, Roland White on mandolin, Eric White on acoustic bass and Billy Ray Latham on banjo. The COUNTRY BOYS performed in local radio shows, in various country shows and whenever they got the chance to play. During 1959 and 1960 they regularly played at the Ash Grove in Los Angeles. During this time the COUNTRY BOYS recorded their first single. At this time there were also some remarkable musical changes, Clarence White, who was just 15 years old, did not like to play the rhythm guitar only. Whenever he got the chance he impressed the audiences with his solo playing on the guitar. It didn’t take him long to create his own unique style of playing. He did not impress by playing as many notes as possible but by playing exactly the right things at the right time. In the beginning his solos followed closely the original recordings but after a short while he improvised the solos the way he felt them. Most of the time the COUNTRY BOYS did not perform as a quartet. At a very early stage of their career they were joined by Leroy Mack (Leroy McNees). He was a master of the dobro and he was writting lots of songs. Due to this the concerts of the COUNTRY BOYS offered an interesting mixture of bluegrass standards and original material.

Eric White had to leave the COUNTRY BOYS in 1961. He was replaced by Roger Bush. During the concerts Roger Bush became the speaker of the group. He always found a humorous way to introduce the group or to announce the songs. His sketches became an integral part of the stage show of the COUNTRY BOYS and later of the KENTUCKY COLONELS.

Roland White had to leave the group for a short time for military service. He was replaced by Scott Hambly. The group rehearsed with Scott Hambly taking the lead vocals on some of these songs.

Scott Hambly did not stay for a long time and thus the group became a quartet. The new line-up went to a recording studio and recorded the first album of the group, which later was released as the debut album for the KENTUCKY COLONELS (this was the new name for the COUNTRY BOYS).

In May 1962 Leroy Mack had to leave the COUNTRY BOYS. The group continues as a trio.

In 1963 the COUNTRY BOYS started to call themselves KENTUCKY COLONELS (the recordings of the COUNTRY BOYS had already been released as recordings of the KENTUCKY COLONELS). Even though there was only one more studio album from the KENTUCKY COLONELS, their work can be heard on numerous live records. John Delgatto, chief of Sierra Records, was a good friend of the KENTUCKY COLONELS and therefore he was allowed to tape most of their concerts. He was a kind of archivar of the KENTUCKY COLONELS music. Out of these recordings John Delgatto could compile various records. The KENTUCKY COLONELS had a very productive year in 1965. So it is quite usual that many recordings come from this time. Back in 1962 Roland White rejoined the group after his military service in September 1962

For a few months Bobby Slone joined the group for some concerts.

After Bobby Slone’s leaving the KENTUCKY COLONELS continue as a quartett.

In September 1964 Roland White took a break from the group, as his wife was having a baby. When the KENTUCKY COLONELS were book for one week to the Gaslight in New York City, David Grisman joined them on mandolin.

In the liner notes for the album “Rare Performances”, which was released in 2003 Billy Ray Lathum writes: This album was “recorded at Leon & Wilma Houston’s home in Chicago, IL in the fall of 1964. This taping was done at a rehearsal for an upcoming five-night gig at a renowned folk club in Chicago. At that time, Roland White was absent from our group, The KENTUCKY COLONELS. We, however, had an obligation to fulfill concert commitments, so the three of us – Clarence, Roger and I – decided to rehearse by ourselves and appear as a threesome at the gigs. This is a very special and rare recording, because Clarence and I had to play to cover Roland’s absence. Clarence played leads on everything. He even took some of my banjo licks, played them his way and they worked.”

The KENTUCKY COLONELS played some more shows as a quartet from November 1964 to February 1965. One of these concerts, which lasted about three hours, was edited for the CD “Live In Stereo” in 1999.

The year 1965 also brought some personel changes for the group. First of all they were joint by the fiddler Scotty Stoneman (of STONEMAN FAMILY fame). He influenced the group tremendously by playing an innovative fiddle style. This is remarkable on the album “Live In L.A. With Scotty Stoneman”. In September 1965 Scotty Stoneman left the group.

Scotty Stoneman was replaced by Bart Haney. Replacing is not the right expression, as Bart Haney was no fiddler at all, he was a drummer. In 1965 it was unheard that a bluegrass group had a drummer playing in their line-up. The folk boom was calming down and the group turned to country music. This was only the beginning of more changes, as the KENTUCKY COLONELS decided to plug their instruments in. For a few weeks they played electric bluegrass music. At the end of 1965 the KENTUCKY COLONELS disbanded. The group even tried to record some songs with this electric line-up, which remained unreleased for many years. Two of the songs (”Everybody Has One But You” / “Made Of Stonewere) were released in 2004 on the compilation album “Clarence White: Tuff & Stringy Sessions 1966-68″ on the Big Beat label.

Clarence White was offered the job to play guitar in BILL MONROE’S BLUEGRASS BOYS, but he declined the job and recommended Roland White instead. Clarence White wanted to continue with the electrified music experience which he started during the last weeks of the KENTUCKY COLONELS and therefore he played a few more concerts with Roger Bush on bass and Bart Haney behind the drums.

The audience didn’t give up. They begged the musicians to come back together again. After several months the audience succeeded. Clarence, Roland and even Eric White agreed to play together again. They added Bob Warford and Dennis Mooris and toured for almost a year. During that time they also started recording a new album, which was released many years later as “1966″ on the Shiloh Label. In May 1967 the group disbanded again.

In April 1973 the KENTUCKY COLONELS were revived again. Clarence White and his older brother Roland had met regularly all those years and even Roger Bush agreed to join the brothers till Eric White was ready to join. Roger Bush did not come alone, he brought along Byron Berline and Herb Pedersen, his partners in the COUNTRY GAZETTE. They did some practice and a few concerts together.

When Eric White arrived Byron Berline and Roger Bush returned to COUNTRY GAZETTE. Herb Pedersen stayed on a little longer. During a short European tour Herb Pedersen had to go back to America.

Herb Pedersen brought in Alan Munde, whom he had already introduced to COUNTRY GAZETTE. Alan Munde was still playing with COUNTRY GAZETTE but as they took a break from touring he was free to help the KENTUCKY COLONELS. Clarence, Roland and Eric White together with Alan Munde completed the European tour and one concert in Sweden was even released as an album. After their return to America Alan Munde had to return to COUNTRY GAZETTE and the brothers White started reforming the COLONELS once again.

In July 1973 the KENTUCKY COLONELS could present their new line-up. In addition to the three brothers the group had Jack Hicks and John Kaparakis. For Clarence White the group always came first so he postponed the recording sessions for his album. After one gig, when Clarence White was loading the group equipment a drunken driver lost control over her car and smashed in the group’s van. She hit Clarence and Roland White. Clarence White died shortly after and Roland White spend several weeks in the hospital.

In 1991 Roland White revived the KENTUCKY COLONELS once again to record three bluegrass tracks for the sampler “The All Night Gang – Bluegrass From Nashville”.