L. E. White | |
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![]() White in 1978 | |
Background information | |
Born | May 27, 1930 Blaine, Tennessee, United States |
Died | (aged 74) Hendersonville, Tennessee, United States |
Genres | Country, bluegrass |
Occupation(s) | Singer, songwriter |
Instrument(s) | Vocals, fiddle |
L. E. White (27 May 1930 – 7 September 2004) was an American Grammy Award-winning songwriter, singer and musician.
Life and career
[edit]Luther Elmer White Jr. was born in 1930 in Blaine, Tennessee to Luther and Lillie (Jones) White.[1]
He began his career in 1949 playing bluegrass fiddle with The Bailey Brothers.[2] In the 1950s, he played with Bill Monroe's Blue Grass Boys and Wilma Lee & Stoney Cooper's Clinch Mountain Clan.[3] He also appeared with the Osborne Brothers in 1953.[4]
As a songwriter, White had over two hundred songs recorded,[3] including the "After the Fire Is Gone", written for Loretta Lynn and Conway Twitty, who won the 1971 Grammy Award for Best Country Performance by a Duo or Group with Vocal.[3][5] He had a number one hit with Twitty's "I Love You More Today" in 1969.[3] He also co-wrote Twitty's hit songs "To See My Angel Cry" (1969) and "I'm Not Through Loving You Yet" (1974).[1] White and Lola Jean Dillon charted in 1977 with their recordings of "Home, Sweet Home" and "You're the Reason Our Kids Are Ugly."[1]
In further collaboration with Conway Twitty, White established and administered Twitty's publishing companies, Hello Darling Music and Twitty Bird Music.[1]
From 1978 to 1984, White was a minority shareholder in the Nashville Sounds, a Double-A Minor League Baseball team in Nashville, Tennessee.[6][7]
White died of a heart attack on September 7, 2004, at age 74, at his home in Hendersonville, Tennessee.[1][3]
Personal
[edit]White was the father of Michael White, a songwriter who recorded for Reprise Records in the early 1990s.[1]
References
[edit]- ^ a b c d e f "Twitty Hit Writer, L. E. White, Dead at 74". Country Music Television. September 10, 2004. Retrieved May 18, 2019.[dead link]
- ^ Carlin, Bob (2014). String Bands in the North Carolina Piedmont. McFarland. p. 1985. ISBN 9780786480364. Retrieved May 18, 2019.
- ^ a b c d e Romero, Angel (September 9, 2004). "Bluegrass Pioneer L. E. White Dies at 74". World Music Central. Retrieved May 18, 2019.
- ^ Graves, Josh. "McReynolds Memorial Bluegrass Music Spectacular". Spotlight on Bluegrass. Retrieved May 18, 2019.
- ^ "1971 Grammy Award Winners". National Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences. Retrieved May 18, 2019.
- ^ "Owners". The Nashville Sounds 1978 Official Souvenir Program. Nashville Sounds. 1978. p. 3.
- ^ "Owners". The Nashville Sounds 1984 Official Souvenir Program. Nashville Sounds. 1984. pp. 6–7.