Clarence White (born Clarence Joseph LeBlanc; June 7, 1944 – July 14, 1973), was an American bluegrass and country guitarist and singer.He is best known as a member of the bluegrass ensemble the Kentucky Colonels and the rock band The Byrds, as well as for being a pioneer of the musical genre of country rock during the late 1960s.White also worked extensively as a session musician, appearing on recordings by The Everly Brothers, Joe Cocker,Ricky Nelson, Pat Boone, The Monkees, Randy Newman,Gene Clark,Linda Ronstadt,Arlo Guthrie,and Jackson Browne amongst others.He was also an innovator and inventor, known for modifying his instruments to achieve particular sounds. Together with frequent collaborator Gene Parsons, he invented the B-Bender. 　　Clarence Joseph LeBlanc was born on June 7, 1944 in Lewiston, Maine.The LeBlanc family, who later changed their surname to White, were of French-Canadian ancestry and hailed from New Brunswick, Canada.Clarence's father, Eric LeBlanc, Sr., played guitar, banjo, fiddle, and harmonica, ensuring that his offspring grew up surrounded by music.A child prodigy, Clarence began playing guitar at the age of six.At such a young age he was barely able to hold the instrument and as a result, he briefly switched to ukulele, awaiting a time when his young hands would be big enough to confidently grapple with the guitar.