“Daddy Buck,” the patriarch of the White family began his music career long before starting a family. Proficient at both piano and mandolin, Buck was a solid sideman in the 1950s–his skills on the piano landed him some gigs playing for Hank Snow, Ernest Tubb, and other artists.

But Buck pushed away his own ambitions following the birth of his daughters, Sharon and Cheryl (born in 1953 and 1955, respectively). Putting family first, in 1962, he and his wife Pat moved to Arkansas to escape the hustle-bustle life of the honky tonks. However, it wasn’t long before Buck and Pat entered the Bluegrass scene as half of the group Down Home Folks.

Obvious heirs of the musical gene, both Sharon and Cheryl excelled at music, and soon, they were on the stage performing as Down Home Kids (along with the other children of Down Home Folks). By the mid 60s, the musical family had made strides in the bluegrass community and Sharon and Cheryl decided they wanted to pursue a career performing professionally. In 1971, the family moved to Nashville and continued to perform and record as the Down Home Folks. When Pat retired from the band in 1973, the family rebranded as The Whites. One of the most impactful opportunities for the band came two years later when The Whites performed with Emmylou Harris in Washington D.C.

In 1982, Sharon White married bluegrass musician Ricky Skaggs, who played in Emmylou Harris’ band. The Whites often performed with Skaggs following the marriage. Skaggs also co-produced The Whites major label debut album, Old Familiar Feeling, which yielded four Top-10 hits for the band.

In 2000, The Whites starred in the hit film, “O Brother, Where Art Thou,” in which they performed a rendition of the Carter family classic “Keep on the Sunny Side.” In the same year, they released their album A Lifetime in the Making.

The Whites were inducted into the Texas Country Music Hall of Fame in 2008, the same year their collaboration with Skaggs called Salt of the Earth achieved a Grammy award.

The Whites were inducted into the Grand Ole Opry on March 2, 1984 and continue to perform regularly today. To learn more about The Whites, please visit: https://skaggsfamilyrecords.com/artists/whites