During the folk revival spanning the late 1950s and early 1960s, the progressive bluegrass outfit known as the Kentucky Colonels enjoyed a brief yet storied run. Brothers Roland, Eric, and Clarence White, along with sister Joann, launched the group in Los Angeles during the early 1950s. After Joann’s departure, the remaining siblings adopted the name Three Little Country Boys, secured a spot on local television by capturing top honors in a talent competition, and continued performing under that billing. Arkansas-born Billy Ray Lathum took over banjo duties in 1958; the following year Dobro specialist Leroy Mack came aboard, enabling Roland White to move to his preferred mandolin. Still performing as the Country Boys, they cut their debut single, “I’m Head Over Heels in Love with You,” began regular appearances on Town Hall Party and Hometown Jamboree, and made recordings for Gene Autry’s imprint. In 1961 bassist-banjoist Roger Bush entered the lineup once Eric exited to wed; under the Three Little Country Boys name the ensemble then issued the Capitol album Songs, Themes & Laughs from the Andy Griffith Show. Roland was conscripted before year’s end, forcing a two-year absence that left the group without a mandolinist. Their first Briar long-player followed, after the label rejected the existing name and proposed alternatives, ultimately favoring the Kentucky Colonels. Fiddler Bobby Sloane joined in 1963, the same year Roland rejoined; by then the Colonels had built an audience via nationwide touring and performed at both the UCLA and Newport folk festivals in 1964. Several additional albums appeared, along with a cameo in the film The Farmer’s Other Daughter. Musical momentum peaked after Scott Stoneman replaced Sloane on fiddle, yet the band dissolved in 1965 and the musicians pursued separate paths.
