Conversation so far:
Did Clarence influence anyone?
Clarence White helped popularize the acoustic guitar as a lead instrument in bluegrass music. Influential flatpickers Dan Crary, Norman Blake, and Tony Rice cite White as a primary influence.
what were they influenced by?
Prior to the advent of the more aggressive flatpicking style pioneered by guitarists like Watson and White, the guitar was strictly a rhythm instrument, save for a few exceptions.

Question: In what way were they influenced?
Self-contained rewrite: In what way were they influenced?