![]() White, in spite of his resume and extensive discography, was just getting started when he was killed by a drunk driver in 1973. The turnarounds, phrasing, and off-time things he used to do have inspired guitar players for the last 50 years." He used to say to me, 'What you don't play is as important as what you do play.' Some of the things he originated, you'll hear guitar players emulate today. “He was a minimalist, just putting in what was really necessary. “His concern was to make the artist sound good," says Gene Parsons. And yet White, despite his stature, remained an understated team player. Whole schools, encompassing acoustic flatpickers such as Tony Rice to steel-inspired Tele players like Brad Paisley and Marty Stuart, trace straight back to White. White's originality and mastery of the instrument put him in the unique position of revolutionizing not one, but two distinct styles of guitar playing. ![]() He and his bandmate Gene Parsons (no relation to Gram) invented the StringBender (often called a B-Bender), which let him execute pedal-steel-like bends without taking his hands off the neck. When he joined the Byrds, White was a relative newcomer to electric guitar, but he would soon innovate a way of playing that instrument. ![]() Though he was only 24 years old, by 1968 he had almost a decade's worth of recording and touring experience, and his early recordings with the Kentucky Colonels had redefined the role of bluegrass guitar. As a session musician, he had already played on three Byrds' releases. But he had an ace up his sleeve: In July of that year, he reunited with founding bassist Chris Hillman and they recruited guitarist Clarence White into the band. By mid-year, McGuinn was the only remaining original member. But by 1968 the original lineup had disbanded and version two-featuring multi-instrumentalist and vocalist Gram Parsons-was also ending. Built around tight vocal harmonies and Roger McGuinn's jangly Rickenbacker 12-string, their chart-topping music incorporated elements of folk, early rock, country, and psych. In the mid 1960s, the Byrds were one of a handful of bands that defined the era. ![]()
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