Michelle Kaplan

ROY CLARK: COUNTRY ICON WHO’S STILL PICK’N AND GRIN’N

Many public schools in America are graced with names such as Kennedy, Roosevelt and Lincoln, respected presidents, maybe even beloved.

In Tulsa, Oklahoma there is an elementary school that bears the name Roy Clark, country music icon, actor… and maybe even beloved.

After all, in the collective consciousness of a generation, Roy Clark, 73, is synonymous with a certain television show that was more than a little different from what was on TV in the 1960’s.

The show, Hee Haw, was produced by CBS to replace the Smothers Brothers
Comedy Hour in 1969. It was the first nationally-televised country variety
show ever and was watched by over 30 million viewers weekly. Although
Hee Haw only ran for two years, it ran for another 20 years in syndication
until 1991, and still again in reruns until 1997.

Roy Clark, along with Buck Owens and a large cast including a variety of
celebrity guests, brought humor (country style that is) to the American public.
He played comic, straight man, and performed music on this variety-style
show. Hee Haw’s brand of humor was… well… corny. For starters, the show supposedly hailed from Kornfield County and was known for its running gags, one-liners, and musical parodies… as well as busty girls in tiny daisy dukes.

Clark was not originally headed for show business. In his youth, he was an
athlete who gave up a career in baseball for boxing until he found music after winning a few banjo playing contests. He became a regular on a Washington DC-based television show called Country Style with Jimmie Dean.

He later became band leader to Wanda Jackson, whose manager, Jim Halsey,
landed Clark a reoccurring role on the Beverly Hillbillies, where he played
Cousin Roy and Big Mama Halsey.

What many do not know is that Clark is an accomplished Grammy award-winning musician, playing the guitar as well as the banjo. Although he is known primarily as a country-style musician, Clark also plays classical
guitar.

He joined the Grand Ole Opry in 1987, but his first appearance there was at age 17. His discography boasts 30 albums as well as a few comedy albums.

Clark has won several awards, such as a Grammy for Best Country Instrumental Performance “Roy Clark - Alabama Jubilee” in 1982.
In addition, he has also been named Entertainer of the Year, Instrumentalist
of the Year and Comedian of the Year by the Country Music Awards.

Clark was also honored by Guitar Magazine who named him “Best Country Guitarist.” Some of his bestknown songs are: Come Live With Me, Yesterday When I Was Young, Thank God and Greyhound, I Never Picked Cotton, Another Lonely Night with You and Somewhere Between Love and Tomorrow.
He has appeared on numerous television shows such as Love American Style, The Odd Couple, The Jackie Gleason Show, sometimes playing himself. He was also the first country music artist to guest host the Tonight Show for Johnny Carson.

Years before, it was on that television show that Clark made his first national
appearance. Clark has performed at Carnegie Hall, The Grand Palace in Brussels, Madison Square Garden, and the Rossiya Theatre in Moscow.

According to his website, Clark is currently working on releasing a new all
acoustical album that he is recording with his band, Roy’s Toys. His spare
time is spent fishing, flying planes, and riding motorcycles. He enjoys stock
car racing and sponsors driver Will Vaught, whose aspiration is to make it
on the NASCAR’s top circuit. Clark and his wife Barbara live in Okalahoma.

See the Story As it Ran - Click Here