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Legendary country artist Buck White has died, his family confirmed in a statement shared by fellow singer and musician Ricky Skaggs. White was 94.
White’s daughters, Sharon, Cheryl, Rosie and Melissa, wrote the statement that Skaggs shared on his social media accounts on Monday (January 13). The statement reads: “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. 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.”
White was known for founding The Whites, a country music group from Fort Worth, Texas, which also included daughters Rosie, Sharon and Cheryl. The family, also performing under the names Buck White and the Down Home Folks and The Down Home Kids, moved to Arkansas in the early 60s, and relocated to Nashville in 1971. Sharon married Skaggs, and the bluegrass legend co-produced the musical group’s first-ever record on a major label, in the early 80s, per information from the Grand Ole Opry. The Whites were inducted into the Opy in 1984. The family group is known for “You Put the Blue in Me,” “Hangin’ Around,” “Keep On The Sunny Side,” and more.
The Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum shared a tribute to White on the organization’s social media pages on Tuesday (January 14). The tribute included a black-and-white photo of Cheryl, Sharon, and Buck White in the 80s.
“His versatility was a key ingredient in his success. In his early years in Texas, he sometimes backed major stars like Hank Snow and Ernest Tubb onstage, and in time he became the leader of his famed family band, the Whites,” the Country Music Hall of Fame’s post reads, in part. “The group—known as the Down Home Folks—began in the early sixties after the White family moved to Arkansas. White’s wife, Pat, joined the group first, and their daughters Cheryl, Sharon, and Rosie soon followed. At the dawn of the 1980s, as traditional sounds began to return to the country airwaves, the group renamed itself the Whites.” The Whites earned Grammy, CMA, and International Bluegrass Music Association awards for their music over the years. Their final album, a collaboration with Skaggs, arrived in 2007.