Country music legend Buck White has died. White, founder of the Grammy Award-winning bluegrass family trio The Whites, passed away “peacefully” Tuesday morning at the age of 94, his daughters Sharon, Cheryl, Rosie, and Melissa confirmed in a statement shared by their frequent collaborator and Sharon’s husband, Rick Skaggs. A cause of death was not disclosed.
“The Lord answered our prayers and took our daddy, Buck White, home peacefully this morning at 8:00 a.m. We are so thankful for his 94 years on this earth,” the statement read. “He was a great dad who taught us by example to put Jesus first always. His great loves were the Lord, our mother, his family, and music. Most people will remember him not only for being a great musician and entertainer, but also for being fun-loving and full of mischief. He lived a full life and finished well.”
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Born H.S. White in Oklahoma City in 1934, and raised in Wichita Falls, Texas, per Bluegrass Today, White took up music as a teen when he started playing piano and later the mandolin. He, along with his wife Pat Goza, went on to perform with honky tonk country bands, including Hank Snow and Ernest Tubb, throughout Texas and Oklahoma.
It was after White, his wife, and their two daughters Sharon and Cheryl moved to Fort Smith, Arkansas that they formed their first family group, The Down Home Folks, with Arnold and Peggy Johnson. The group renamed to Buck White & The Down Home Folks, and later just The Whites, after the family relocated to Nashville in 1971. Pat retired from the group two years later to raise their two younger daughters.
The group released their first album under the name The Whites in 1980. More Pretty Girls Than One featured White on mandolin, Sharon on guitar, and Cheryl on bass. They released several more albums in the years that followed, and scored hits with songs like “You Put the Blue in Me,” “Hangin’ Around,” and “I Wonder Who’s Holding My Baby Tonight.”
At the time of his passing, White was the Grand Ole Opry’s oldest member after following a 40-year membership, according to Saving Country Music. The Whites became members of the Opry in 1984 following the release of their sophomore album, Forever You.
“Thank you for all the music, memories, laughs, and for ‘Doing It By The Book’, Buck White,” the Grand Ole Opry wrote in tribute of White. “We will miss you.”
In addition to their Opry membership, The Whites were inducted into the Texas Country Music Hall of Fame in 2008. The group was also included on the Grammy-winning album O Brother, Where Art Thou? in 2001, and earned CMA Awards nominations in categories including horizon award, instrumental group of the year and vocal group of the year.