Member Profile

Laura Weber White, raised in Corvallis, Oregon, began playing music at the age of nine. Her dad offered to build a two-story deck on the local luthier's house in exchange for fiddle restoration work, a barter that marked the beginning of a long musical journey. She soon discovered a special bond with the old instrument.

By the age of 12, Laura had developed a love for old time fiddling, winning contests throughout the western United States under the direction of Joey McKenzie. Some of her titles include the Oregon State Junior Champion, Western Open, Northwest Regional, The World Series of Fiddling Junior Champion, High Desert, Top Spud, Sierra Nevada Junior Champion, and the much coveted Benny Thomasson Memorial Award.  "My family was so supportive, enduring the miles, camping and late nights of so many fiddle contests, year after year.”  At age 17, Laura was titled National Junior Fiddle Champion at Weiser, ID, which she credits as one of her proudest moments.

In December 1989, she moved to Nashville, TN to tour with Patty Loveless, singing harmony and playing fiddle, guitar and mandolin. Afterwards, she spent a year in Sakaide, Japan, playing bluegrass. Upon returning to Nashville, Laura toured with several other artists, including James House, Pam Tillis, and Harley Allen, among others. "I was honored to fiddle in Mr. Roy Acuff's show and also appear with Ray Price’s Cherokee Cowboys on the Grand Ole Opry.”  She went on to tour with her then future in-laws, June Carter and Johnny Cash.

 Laura has released two solo albums, Among My Souvenirs, from 2003, and Awake But Dreaming, in 2010.  Encompassing the ideals of traditional country music, the songs were handpicked from the catalogs of her favorite singers and players.  She has dedicated much of her life to teaching, preserving and promoting these timeless sounds, hoping to restore traditional country music to where it should be: on our radios and in our homes. Laura’s playing and singing can also be heard on recordings with artists such as Johnny Cash, June Carter Cash, George Jones, Loretta Lynn, Kris Kristofferson, Merle Haggard, Willie Nelson, Sheryl Crow, Billy Joe Shaver, Rodney Crowell, Earl Scruggs, Benny Martin, Larry Gatlin, The Carter Family III, Emmylou Harris, and Marty Stuart, among others.

In 2009, twenty years after her previous title, Laura returned to the National Fiddle Contest in Weiser, ID, and won the adult division. She now lives in Nashville, Tennessee with her husband Jeff White, and her two children, AnnaBelle and Jack.