One of the greatest guitar players of the last century was Lewiston, Maine born Clarence White. Born Clarence LeBlanc, he formed a bluegrass with his brothers Roland and Eric. They appeared on The Andy Griffith show a couple of times, Clarence is in the middle on guitar.
Clarence moved on to electric and when in Nashville West he and drummer Gene Parsons would convert his Fender into what they called the string bender, that enabled him to simulate the sound of a pedal steel guitar. He was a studio player of renown playing on Ricky Nelson, Monkees, Joe Cocker, Jackson Browne, Arlo Guthrie and many others.
Clarence joined the Byrds and played from 69-73 with Roger McGuinn's revamped line up. After he left in 1973, he formed Muleskinner and played with his brothers in the White Brothers. He was struck and killed by a drunk driver after a show in 1973. But years later a family friend would resurrect the string bender.
Marty Stuart: The Story of Clarence White & The Parsons/White StringBender | Reverb Interview