Country music giant Roy Clark dies at age 85
Gifted musician gained fame as co-host of TV’s ‘Hee Haw’ and as a hitmaker
Country music legend Roy Clark, a versatile and talented musician who gained household fame as a co-host of the “Hee Haw” television series, died at his home in Tulsa, Oklahoma, on Thursday from complications from pneumonia, reports said. He was 85.
Clark will be remembered as the “superpicker” who would amaze fans on guitar, banjo and a variety of other instruments. He was also one of the first to bridge the gap between country and pop, placing singles on both sides of the charts. And his charm, self- effacing wit and talent helped make “Hee Haw,” considered country music’s answer to “Rowan & Martin’s Laugh-In,” one of the longest-running syndicated shows in television history.
The two things that stood out throughout Clark’s career were his extraordinary musical talents and his warm, honest persona. He often said the two traits were intertwined.
Bob Hope reportedly once said to Clark that he was so warm his “face is like a fireplace.”
“A TV camera goes right through your soul,” Clark is quoted as saying. “If you’re a bad person, people pick that up. I’m a firm believer in smiles. I used to believe that everything had to be a belly laugh. But I’ve come to realize that a real sincere smile is mighty powerful.”
Roy Linwood Clark was born in Meherrin, Virginia, on April 15, 1933, but grew up in Staten Island, New York, and suburban Washington, D.C. He started performing music in his early teens and despite also being a talented athlete, he quickly mastered the banjo, guitar, mandolin and other stringed instruments. By his mid-teens, he was winning banjo contests and drawing the attention of country music performers and producers. He made his first appearance at the Grand Ole Opry when he was 17.
With his likable presence and ever- present smile, Clark became a fixture on television, appearing fre- quently on “The Tonight Show,” earning a recurring role on “The Beverly Hillbillies,” and making guest appearances on such programs as “The Jackie Gleason Show” and “The Odd Couple.” He earned widespread fame and exposure as a co-host and performer on the sketch comedy/music show “Hee Haw,” which premiered in 1969 and aired in various formats into the early 1990s.
The show was co-hosted for years by singer-musician Buck Owens, with whom Clark had a decades-long collaboration that began when both were up- andcoming West Coast musicians instrumental in developing country music’s “Bakersfield Sound.”
He won numerous Country Music Awards, including several prestigious Entertainer of the Year designations, and received a Grammy in 1982 for country instrumental performance for the song “Alabama Jubilee.” He became a member of the legendary Grand Ole Opry in 1987 and was inducted into the Country Music Hall of Fame in 2009.
Clark toured and performed live extensively throughout his career. Early on, he joined rockabilly star Wanda Jackson’s band and broke out as a solo act in the early 1960s. He released some 40 studio and concert recordings and had more than 20 Top 40 country hits. In the 1970s, he became one of the first country musicians to play the Soviet Union. He also became one of country’s first musicians to open his own theater in Branson, Missouri, eventually transforming the town into a country music and tourist mecca.
Clark dealt with tragedy earlier this year with the death of his 14-year- old grandson Elijah Clark on Sept. 24.
Clark is survived by his wife of 61 years, Barbara, four children and several grandchildren.
A memorial celebration will be held in the coming days in Tulsa, Oklahoma; details are forthcoming.