White was born in Madawaska, Maine, on April 23, 1938, as Roland Joseph LeBlanc, and grew up speaking French.

[1] At an early age, White formed himself, his two brothers (Eric and Clarence) and his sister (Joanne) into a bluegrass band which performed locally.

[2] After a two-year US Army enlistment, White re-joined the Country Boys, now renamed The Kentucky Colonels.

In 1967, he had the opportunity to join the Blue Grass Boys, the backup band of his childhood idol Bill Monroe.

White was a noted mandolin teacher who gave many workshops and private lessons and published book/CD instruction sets.