Wednesday Video Spotlight: Oklahomans Roy Clark, Roger Miller and Tony Randall on “The Muppet Show”
Listed on wimgo Movies under Children
Kermit the Frog, Miss Piggy, Gonzo the Great and their lovable, fuzzy cohorts are making their highly anticipated comeback with today’s release of the new movie “The Muppets.”
In honor of this momentous pop culture occasion, I’m featuring in this Wednesday Video Spotlight clips from the original “The Muppet Show” featuring Oklahoma celebrities. “The Muppet Show” aired from 1976-81, and Tulsa resident Roy Clark, Erick product Roger Miller and Tulsa native Tony Randall all hosted the show in various episodes.
To read my “The Muppets” movie review, click here. Also, look for my soundtrack review and two features from the Los Angeles press day for the film on Friday.
-BAM
OklahomaRock.com counting down state’s top 100 country songs in August
Checotah native Carrie Underwood performs " All-American Girl" during the 2008 CMT Music Awards in Nashville, Tenn. (AP file)
From Friday’s Weekend Look section of The Oklahoman. To see the second part of my column in which I reveal my top 10 Oklahoma country songs, click here.
BAM column: State website counts down the top 100 Oklahoma country songs
OklahomaRock.com is unveiling the list throughout the month of August.
In 1922, fiddlers “Uncle Henry” Gilliland of Altus and Alexander “Eck” Robertson of Borger, Texas, traveled to New York City and recorded four duets for the Victor Talking Machine Co.
They played “Arkansas Traveler” and “Turkey in the Straw” and in the process made what has become widely regarded as the first country music record.
Oklahoma and country music have a long, broad and deep history, and Ryan LaCroix has spent the past several weeks delving into it.
The intrepid founder/owner/editor of OklahomaRock.com has compiled a list of the top 100 Oklahoma country songs. He unveiled the first entries — Nos. 100 to 96 — Thursday on his website. He will divulge five songs from the list every weekday through Wednesday, Aug. 31, when the top five will be revealed.
“I thought it would be kind of interesting to do another countdown. We don’t really focus on country music on my site too much, so I thought it would be neat to put a little more focus on that,” LaCroix said. “But it’s a tough process for sure.”
The sheer number of country greats with Oklahoma ties makes such list-building daunting. But LaCroix is experienced: For the 2007 centennial, he ranked the top 100 state musicians, and in 2010, he counted down the top 100 Oklahoma albums of the 2000s.
To determine the top 100 Oklahoma country songs, LaCroix consulted with state experts such as disc jockeys, musicians and journalists, including yours truly; polled the public on Twitter and Facebook; and consulted chart rankings and non-Oklahoma-specific greatest country songs lists.
At LaCroix’s request, I developed a list of my 21 favorite Oklahoma country songs. Here are Nos. 11 to 21; I’ll unveil my top 10 next week:
Roy Clark
21. “Thank God and Greyhound,” recorded by Roy Clark, written by Larry Kingston and Earl Nix.
I had to add one more to my top 20 list after my recent interview with the charming Clark. This hilarious hit perfectly matches the longtime Tulsa resident’s wily sense of humor.
20. “Pt. 1/Never That Easy,” written and recorded by Green Corn Revival.
One could argue that the opening tracks of the Weatherford band’s 2010 debut album “Say You’re a Sinner” aren’t really country. But I maintain that any musical number that so effectively invokes spaghetti Westerns and the plains of Custer County qualifies as country. (Hey, it’s at least as country as Kid Rock, and he not only gets played on CMT, he has twice hosted the CMT Music Awards. I rest my case.)
19. “Back in the Saddle Again,” recorded by Gene Autry, written by Autry and Ray Whitley.
“Back in the Saddle Again” is like “Happy Birthday to You” or “Home on the Range” in that we sort of assume that it always existed. Like Autry’s other venerable hit “Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer,” it’s one of those tunes that’s become so iconic that it’s hard to comprehend that someone actually wrote it and initially recorded it. But the legendary singing cowboy did just that, and it became his signature song.
18. “John Deere Green,” recorded by Joe Diffie, written by Dennis Linde.
As a sophomore at Lindsay High School in 1993, this funny story song seemed so true to life, like something that could happen any day if one of my schoolmates got their hands on enough beer and tractor paint.
17. “New San Antonio Rose,” written and recorded by Bob Wills & the Texas Playboys.
You can’t have a decent Oklahoma country music list without some Western swing on it, and if you’re spotlighting Western swing, you might as well feature the King of Western Swing. This classic enchants no matter who is doing the singing, and the list of stars who have sung it is pretty impressive.
16. “Brand New Man,” recorded by Brooks & Dunn, written by Ronnie Dunn, Kix Brooks and Don Cook.
Former Tulsan Dunn and Louisiana native Brooks, who became the best-selling duo in country music history, made an auspicious 1991 chart-topping debut with this earnest, uptempo ballad.
15. “Louisiana Woman, Mississippi Man,” recorded by Conway Twitty and Loretta Lynn, written by Becki Bluefield and Jim Owen.
Oklahoma City resident Twitty did some of his best work with Kentucky native Lynn, and this Canjun-flavored duet has become a country classic.
14. “She’s in Love with the Boy,” recorded by Trisha Yearwood, written by Jon Ims.
The future Mrs. Garth Brooks broke out with this 1991 ballad that captures the resilience of young love.
13. “A Little Rain Will Do,” written and recorded by Greg Jacobs.
Maybe it’s just the weather getting to me, but this modern-day Dust Bowl anthem just rings true.
12. “You Can’t Roller Skate in a Buffalo Herd,” written and recorded by Roger Miller.
Roger Miller
Yes, I know it’s one of those funny novelty songs that tend to overshadow the Erick-bred artist’s true songwriting ability. But I really loved it as a kid, and it actually boasts a deeper message than it may seem on a casual listen. (On an only somewhat related side note, I’m not sure who had the nutsy idea to cast Miller as the rooster in the 1973 Disney animated version of “Robin Hood,” but his narration and songs totally made that movie for me, even as a kid.)
11. “All-American Girl,” recorded by Carrie Underwood, written by Underwood, Ashley Gorley and Kelley Lovelace.
As an all-American daddy’s girl, I can’t resist this anthem, which highlights the big voice of Checotah’s sweetheart.
-BAM
Roy Clark keeps pickin’ and grinnin’, bringing live show Saturday to Oklahoma City metro
From Friday’s Weekend Look section of The Oklahoman.
BAM column: Roy Clark keeps pickin’ and grinnin’
The Country Music Hall of Famer and longtime Tulsan will play hits and fan favorites, spin stories and maybe even imitate Johnny Cash when he plays Saturday at Rose State Performing Arts Theatre in Midwest City.
By the time he was 17 years old, Roy Clark had already won two national banjo championships, made his first appearance on the Grand Ole Opry and traded a promising potential career as a boxer to pursue his love for music.
Six decades later, the Country Music Hall of Famer is still feeling that love of music every day.
“I think that I’m not as fast as I used to be, but I’m more often. But I do, I love it probably more,” Clark said with an impish laugh during a phone interview from his longtime home base of Tulsa.
“When I first started — it tickles me now to look back on it — but I thought with my luck, by the time that I get old enough to learn how to play and play with the professionals, they will have used all the musical dots up and there’ll be none left for me,” he added with another chuckle.
“And then the more I got involved, I said now I realize there is no end for the different variations that you can do in music.”
Over the years, music has taken the Virginia native far and wide. He was in his early 20s when he became a regular on Jimmy Dean’s Washington, D.C.-based television show, “Country Style,” taking over the series when Dean left for New York. In 1960, Clark headed for the bright lights of Las Vegas, where he became a fixture at the Golden Nugget. He later joined Oklahoma native Wanda Jackson as leader of her band.
In the 1960s and ’70s, Clark charted several top 10 country singles, including “Tips of My Fingers,” “Yesterday When I Was Young” and “Thank God and Greyhound.” He also ventured again into television, guest hosting and appearing on “The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson” and playing Cousin Roy on “The Beverly Hillbillies.
In 1969, he and Buck Owens were cast in their best-known roles, as co-hosts of “Hee Haw,” the long-running country variety show that made them household names. For 25 years, the seminal series showcased Clark’s quick-witted, down-home comedy along with his fleet-fingered musical prowess.
“Every time I count back, it gets further,” Clark quipped as he considered his long career, “but I tell you what, it beats the alternative.”
Perhaps taking a cue from “Hee Haw,” Clark, 78, promises he will bring a variety show when he plays Saturday night at Rose State Performing Arts Theatre.
“I can’t believe … how long it has been since I have played the city. I said, that’s like something is wrong. I should’ve been playing Oklahoma City twice a week for the last 30 years. So I’ve got so many friends there that I haven’t seen this is really like a homecoming,” said Clark, who moved to Tulsa in 1971 at the urging of his legendary manager Jim Halsey.
“Now, I’ve been there for different reasons other than doing a concert, but this is a bona fide showing what I can or can’t do and trusting that the folks will be as nice this time as they were the first time I did it that many years ago.”
The concert will likely include his hits and fan favorites, popular songs, — “not necessarily that’s a big hit for someone right now, but just songs that people know” — “Hee Haw” tidbits like “PFFT! You Was Gone!” and “I’m a pickin’ and I’m a grinnin’,” and of course, his funny story-spinning. He may even work in his Johnny Cash imitation, noting “I’m not set on anything.”
“’Course, everything that I do, I just started doing it. It was just a natural thing for me to do. I never started telling stories or trying to be funny or trying to do anything other than what I felt at that time,” he said.
“I’m playing a little banjo, a little fiddle, mostly guitar because that’s really where I feel at home. A guitar’s what got me started in wanting to play. And then I got to where I was intrigued by different sounds. So I never thought that I would learn how to play the banjo and the fiddle and the trumpet. I didn’t try to learn to do that thinking that it would enhance my show or just would be better for the outcome of the concert. I did it because I loved the sound of the instruments.”
His love of music already has earned him numerous honors, including a Grammy Award, an Academy of Country Music entertainer of the year trophy, a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame, membership in the Grand Ole Opry and induction into the country music and Oklahoma music halls of fame.
This year, Clark will be ushered into the Tulsa Hall of Fame and garner the Gene Autry Spirit of the West Award from the Autry National Center in Los Angeles. The late legendary singing cowboy and businessman was one of Clark’s idols, one he still feels lucky that he was able to call a friend.
While in Oklahoma City for his show, Clark plans to take a proper tour of another honor he recently received: the Oklahoma History Center’s exhibit “Pickin’ and Grinnin’: Roy Clark, ‘Hee Haw’ & Country Humor.”
“Every time there is an award that comes up, I’m very honored. And I don’t downplay anything that they have given me. The only thing that bothers me is every time I get another award, I call my doctor and ask him … if he’s told somebody something that has not got back to me,” Clark said, still laughing. “‘Are you telling me that I don’t have long enough so you’re gonna give me all these awards now?’ I don’t take that serious, but it is something to think about.”
Clark may be getting older, but he’s also getting wilier.
“I’ve got a very, very good, young band, and I utilize them ‘cause they’re so talented that it would be a sin for them to be in the background,” he said.
“In fact, somebody asked me not too long ago, said, ‘Why do you have all those other people up on stage? You don’t need all of them; you can do it by yourself.’ And I said, ‘No, I can’t.’ If there was a bad note on the stage, and I was surrounded by young people, all I would have to do is turn around and look at one of them and frown, and you’d think he did it. … But if I’m up there by myself and I hit a bad note, then everybody knows it. That’s why you won’t catch me onstage totally alone.”
In concert
Roy Clark
When: 7:30 p.m. Saturday.
Where: Rose State College Performing Arts Theatre, 6420 SE 15, Midwest City.
Information: 297-2264 or www.myticketoffice.com.
On exhibit
“Pickin’ and Grinnin’: Roy Clark, ‘Hee Haw’ & Country Humor”
Where: Oklahoma History Center, 800 Nazih Zuhdi Drive.
Information: 522-5248 or www.okhistorycenter.org.
-BAM
Roy Clark, Christian Kane, Wade Hayes to play CMA Music Festival
Roy Clark (AP file)
NASHVILLE – The Country Music Association has released a comprehensive list of the acts playing at the massive 2011 CMA Music Festival, and Oklahoma will be represented by Country Music Hall of Famer Roy Clark, actor/singer/songwriter Christian Kane and singer-songwriter Wade Hayes.
As previously announced, among the stars playing the festival’s premier venue, LP Field, will be Blake Shelton, Miranda Lambert, Reba McEntire and Rascal Flatts, who all have Oklahoma ties.
At the festival, fans will hear performances from newly-signed artists, radio favorites, today’s superstars, legendary members of the Country Music Hall of Fame, and more. Celebrating its 40th birthday this year, CMA Music Festival takes place Thursday-Sunday, June 9 to 12, in downtown Nashville.
“Fans will hear live music almost everywhere they turn at CMA Music Festival,” said Steve Moore, CMA Chief Executive Officer, in a news release. “We have legends, superstars, today’s favorites, multi-media personalities, rising stars, international celebrities, and unsigned artists performing almost around the clock. We appreciate all of these artists coming together to give our fans an outstanding celebration for the 40th CMA Music Festival.”
See performance lineups, listed in alphabetical order, after the break. Go to www.CMAfest.com for schedules and performance times. Artists are subject to change.
Roy Clark shares memories of “Hee Haw”
Roy Clark poses for a photograph as he sits in the new exhibit "Pickin' and Grinnin': Roy Clark, "Hee Haw" & Country Humor," at the Oklahoma History Center in Oklahoma City on Monday, May 2, 2011. Photo by John Clanton, The Oklahoman
From Tuesday’s Life section of The Oklahoman. To read other Oklahoma musicians’ memories of “Hee Haw,” click here.
Roy Clark keeps on “grinnin’”
The longtime Tulsa resident and Country Music Hall of Famer is honored in the Oklahoma History Center’s new exhibit “Pickin’ and Grinnin’: Roy Clark, ‘Hee Haw’ & Country Humor.”
For Roy Clark, the quarter-century he spent as the co-host of the TV show “Hee Haw” is the topper on his richly satisfying entertainment career.
“I’ve often said that it was the icing on the top of my professional cake,” Clark said in an interview from the Oklahoma History Center during the opening of the new exhibition “Pickin’ and Grinnin’: Roy Clark, ‘Hee Haw’ & Country Humor.”
The 3,000-square-foot exhibit offers a hearty “salute!” to “Hee Haw,” the long-running country variety show that showcased corny country humor alongside performances from top-notch country, gospel and bluegrass musicians and made Clark and co-host Buck Owens household names. With his lively sense of humor and prodigious musical skills, Clark was “the heart and soul of ‘Hee Haw,’” said Oklahoma Historical Society Executive Director Bob Blackburn.
Tulsa resident Roy Clark, left, and Buck Owens co-hosted the long-running TV show "Hee Haw" for many years. The Oklahoma History Center is giving a "salute!" to the long-running country variety show with the new exhibition "Pickin' and Grinnin': Roy Clark, 'Hee Haw' & Country Humor." Photo provided by the Oklahoma History Center.
“Prior to ‘Hee Haw,’ I had done every variety show that was on television. I had done everything from ‘Beverly Hillbillies’ to ‘The Ed Sullivan Show’ to ‘The Tonight Show.’ If it was on the air, I did it. But people back then, like at an airport or something, they’d look and see me and give me that look like ‘I know you from somewhere,’ and then they’d come up and maybe speak after awhile,” said Clark, a longtime Tulsa resident.
“But after ‘Hee Haw’ was on the air, it didn’t take two weeks and they’d come ‘Hey, Roy, how ya doing?’ They’d know who I was right off.”
Long-running fun
In 1968, the Virginia native was doing a guest spot on “The Jonathan Winters Show” when “Hee Haw” creators Frank Peppiatt and John Aylesworth approached him with the idea for a country version of “Laugh-In.”
“In television or any other field of entertainment, you learn right off to say yes to everything because a lot of times it never happens,” Clark said with a grin during last week’s exhibit opening. But when his longtime manager Jim Halsey called with news that the show was a go, Clark had forgotten about it.
“He said, ‘Well, they’re calling it ‘Hee Haw,’ and I said, ‘They’re calling what ‘Hee Haw?’” Clark said. “He said, ‘Well, they’ll probably come up with a better name than that by the time it goes on the air.’ But as you look back on it, what better of a title can you come up with. … People repeat it to themselves.”
The producers paired Clark with Owens, whose nationally syndicated program was shot at Oklahoma City’s WKY-TV.
“We did fit because we had worked together before on, like, tours,” Clark said of his co-host, who died in 2006. “We were two different people. As you can see, I laugh a lot and everything is a joke, which I think is a good way of handling life … because it’s gonna be sad soon enough. And Buck was a real businessman.”
“Hee Haw” debuted on CBS on June 15, 1969, as a summer replacement for the “Smothers Brothers Comedy Hour. It was a ratings success.
“A lot of people said … it won’t last for the summer. And I make no predictions even right now: I still don’t know if it’ll last. But I’m taking precautions that it will,” he said cheekily.
CBS canceled “Hee Haw” because executives felt it was “too rural” in 1971, the same year Clark moved to Halsey’s home base of Tulsa. So, the producers put together a syndication deal and continued the show in much the same format for another 20 years, making it one of the longest-running syndicated series in TV history. From 1981 to 1993, the show was kept on the air by broadcasting companies associated with The Oklahoma Publishing Co., which publishes The Oklahoman. Clark remained a constant on the series for its entire run.
“It was probably the easiest show I’ve ever done. As you can tell, there was very little if any rehearsing done. We just winged it. We’d just come out and we just did it. And if somebody blew their lines or so, we just did it again. And when they take that kind of pressure off of you, you wind up doing it the first time anyway. No one who ever did that show can say that they were ever under a strain ‘cause we left strain at the door,” said Clark, who was inducted into the Country Music Hall of Fame in 2009.
Tulsa resident Roy Clark, center, and the rest of the 1986-87 "Hee Haw" cast pose for a photo. The Oklahoma History Center is giving a "salute!" to the long-running country variety show with the new exhibition "Pickin' and Grinnin': Roy Clark, 'Hee Haw' & Country Humor." Photo provided by the Oklahoma History Center.
Star-studded show
“Hee Haw” attracted an array of top-shelf guest stars, from Loretta Lynn and Jerry Lee Lewis to Johnny Cash and Sammy Davis Jr. About 40 famed folks with Oklahoma ties appeared on the show, including Roger Miller, Sheb Wooley, Wanda Jackson, Vince Gill, Reba McEntire and Garth Brooks.
The cast gathered in June and October to film all the segments for a full season of 26 episodes, giving the performers the rest of the year to record and tour. Clark forged tight friendships with many of his castmates, particularly Grandpa Jones and Junior Samples. Several “Hee Haw” regulars have died over the years, and he has mourned those losses.
“It was just like a family reunion twice a year,” Clark said. “I have nothing but great memories of the friends that I made on ‘Hee Haw,’ and I miss it. The hardest part of it is looking at a cast picture, and you find yourself — not consciously — just drawn to (saying) ‘he’s gone, he’s gone, she’s gone, they’re gone.’
“But instead of getting down and sad, you just think of the great times you had together, and it’ll pick you up. There was enough good times that we can stand it.”
“Hee Haw” airs in reruns on the cable channel RFD-TV, and the show still gets Clark recognized all over the world. Whether he’s in Dallas or New York City, people often hail him with Owens’ line from the show, “I’m a-pickin’,” to which Clark obligingly gives his famous answer, “I’m a-grinnin’.”
No doubt he says it with a grin.
On exhibit
“Pickin’ and Grinnin’: Roy Clark, ‘Hee Haw’ & Country Humor”
Where: Oklahoma History Center, 800 Nazih Zuhdi Drive.
Information: 522-5248 or www.okhistorycenter.org.
-BAM
Video: Oklahoma History Center salutes “Hee Haw” in new exhibit
The Oklahoma History Center is giving a “salute!” to the long-running country variety show with the new exhibition “Pickin’ and Grinnin’: Roy Clark, ‘Hee Haw’ & Country Humor,” which opens to the public Tuesday and will be on view for a year.
The 3,000-square-foot exhibit features recreations of the “Hee Haw” cornfield, barbershop and porch sets, spotlights the more than 40 Oklahoma stars who performed on the series, and traces the roots of the show’s rural humor back to 1920s tent shows and the early days of radio and television.
“Hee Haw” co-host Roy Clark and Friends will perform and tour the exhibit tonight at an invitation-only opening event that will also feature longtime “Hee Haw” producer Sam Lovullo. The exhibit is part of the Oklahoma Historical Society’s ongoing development of an Oklahoma Museum of Music and Popular Culture in Tulsa.
Check out this NewsOK video for more information, and click here to read my preview story on the exhibit.
On exhibit
“Pickin’ and Grinnin’: Roy Clark, ‘Hee Haw’ & Country Humor”
When: Opens Tuesday.
Where: Oklahoma History Center, 800 Nazih Zuhdi Drive.
Information: 522-5248 or www.okhistorycenter.org.
-BAM
“Hee Haw” gets a “salute!” in Oklahoma History Center’s new exhibit
Co-hosts Buck Owens, left, and Roy Clark, right, perform with other cast members during a taping of "Hee Haw" in 1986 in Nashville, Tenn. Shown between Owens and Clark is actor Ernest Borgnine, a guest on that episode. (AP File Photo)
A version this story appears in Monday’s Life section of The Oklahoman.
Oklahoma History Center salutes “Hee Haw”
The new exhibit “Pickin’ and Grinnin’: Roy Clark, ‘Hee Haw’ & Country Humor” explores the legacy of the long-running country variety show.
Easton Corbin still remembers vividly the Saturday TV lineup from childhood weekends spent on his grandparents’ Florida farm.
Easton Corbin (AP file)
It started with “Hee Haw,” followed by “Opry Backstage” and “Opry Live.”
Although none of his kin played an instrument, the country singer-songwriter who has been dubbed “the second coming of George Strait” was raised in a musical family because of the “pickin’ and grinnin’” beaming out of his grandparents’ television set.
“One of my earliest memories is music … you know, just being around it. And that’s what I’ve always wanted to do,” Corbin, 29, told The Oklahoman in a recent phone interview. “I grew up around them a lot, so their influences (are mine).”
The “A Little More Country than That” hitmaker isn’t the only one who laughs nostalgically as he recalls gathering around the TV to watch “Hee Haw” with his family.
“Sitting with grandparents on a Saturday afternoon watching ‘Hee Haw’: The first few times, you know, you hate it. And then it just kind of grows on you. It’s just so goofy and funny, and the music was great,” said Larry O’Dell, director of collections at the Oklahoma History Center, with a wide grin.
“There’s a shared memory of ‘Hee Haw.’ Three generations of people really — it was on from 1969 to ’93 — we all remember ‘Hee Haw.’”
The Oklahoma History Center is giving a “salute!” to the long-running country variety show
with the new exhibition “Pickin’ and Grinnin’: Roy Clark, ‘Hee Haw’ & Country Humor,” which opens to the public Tuesday and will be on view for a year. The 3,000-square-foot exhibit features recreations of the “Hee Haw” cornfield, barbershop and porch sets, spotlights the more than 40 Oklahoma stars who performed on the series, and traces the roots of the show’s rural humor back to 1920s tent shows and the early days of radio and television.
“Hee Haw” co-host Roy Clark and Friends will perform and tour the exhibit tonight at an invitation-only opening event that will also feature longtime “Hee Haw” producer Sam Lovullo. The exhibit is part of the Oklahoma Historical Society’s ongoing development of an Oklahoma Museum of Music and Popular Culture in Tulsa.
“Hee Haw” history
The exhibit tracks the history of “Hee Haw’s” development back to traveling tent shows put on by folks like the Standley Players. Beginning with Jack and Myrtle Standley, who got their start on the vaudeville stage, three generations of the Oklahoma family have been in the entertainment business.
“In the 1920s, Jack and Myrtle had a tent show that traveled the wheat harvest in Oklahoma, going to all the small towns. And it was like ‘Hee-Haw,’ it was music, skits, humor, and that’s what the rural people of Oklahoma enjoyed. So that’s what they catered to,” O’Dell said, noting that the Standleys’ grandson, Robert Knott, wrote and produced the film “Appaloosa.”
Their daughter, Martha Standley Knott, had a radio show on Oklahoma City’s KBYE called “Cousin Nellie,” starring a character similar to “Hee Haw” mainstay Sarah Ophelia Colley Cannon, better known as Minnie Pearl.
“Then, we talk about television in Oklahoma and how it was kind of pioneering for country music,” O’Dell said. “On WKY-TV, Hank Thompson had the first country music variety show in color … and Buck Owens shot his nationally syndicated show here in Oklahoma City.”
Tulsa resident and "Hee Haw" co-host Roy Clark smiles with the Hee Haw Honeys, the lovely ladies who appeared on the TV show. (Photo provided by the Oklahoma History Center)
When CBS set out to create a country version of “Laugh-In,” show creators Frank Peppiatt and John Aylesworth and producer Sam Lovullo found the ideal co-hosts in Owens, and Roy Clark, who has lived in Tulsa since 1971. A virtuoso guitar and banjo player, Clark had previously showcased his musical and comedic skills on “The Tonight Show,” “The Beverly Hillbillies” and “Jonathan Winters Show.”
“He was the heart of the show. He was there from the beginning to the very end,” O’Dell said. “He was perfect for ‘Hee Haw.’ … He was a triple threat because he could play, sing and do comedy.”
“Hee Haw” debuted on CBS on June 15, 1969, as a summer replacement for the “Smothers Brothers Comedy Hour,” and it was such a success it earned a mid-season debut. Despite solid ratings, the network canceled the show in 1971 because executives felt it was “too rural.”
“They said ‘Hee-Haw’ wouldn’t last,” Clark quipped recently while being honored by the state legislature. “But we were in production for over 25 years.”
The producers put together a syndication deal for “Hee Haw” and continued the show in much the same format for another 20 years, making it one of the longest-running syndicated series in TV history. From 1981 to 1993, the show was kept on the air by broadcasting companies associated with The Oklahoma Publishing Co., which publishes The Oklahoman.
“I’m convinced that without the Gaylord family involvement, ‘Hee Haw’ would have ended its
From left, Minnie Pearl, Gordie Tapp, George Lindsay and Tulsa native Gailard Sartain appear on "Hee Haw." (Photo provided by the Oklahoma History Center)
run much earlier,” said Bob Blackburn, executive director of the Oklahoma Historical Society, which operates the history center. “When E.L. and Thelma bought that … Mr. Gaylord’s first instructions to Sam Lovullo … were ‘don’t change a thing.’”
Lasting legacy
“Hee Haw,” which still airs in reruns on the cable channel RFD-TV, has been honored by the Country Music Hall of Fame, Museum of Broadcast Communications and Museum of Television and Radio. Many of the show’s skits — “The Cornfield,” “Pickin’ and Grinnin’,” “Pfft You Was Gone,” “Hee Haw Salutes” and “Gloom, Despair and Agony on Me,” to name a few — have become etched in the cultural consciousness and are highlighted in the exhibit.
But “Hee Haw” is perhaps best remembered for the long list of top-notch country, gospel and bluegrass musicians who performed on it. Among the Oklahoma music stars who played the show are Roger Miller, Sheb Wooley, Wanda Jackson, Vince Gill, Reba McEntire and Garth Brooks.
“The biggest country music stars went on ‘Hee Haw’ because it had a national audience,” O’Dell said.
Along with audio and video clips from the series, the exhibit will feature a documentary about “Hee Haw” that includes interviews with the cast, crew and guests.
Garth Brooks (AP file)
“‘Hee Haw’ was as much a part of our family — I hate to say it — as going to church,” Brooks says in the documentary. “That was just a must.”
Easton Corbin attributes his unabashedly old-school country sound in part to those formative years watching “Hee Haw” and “Opry Live.”
“That’s the type of music that I grew up listening to and love and I just want to keep on doing if they’ll let me,” he said with a laugh.
On exhibit
“Pickin’ and Grinnin’: Roy Clark, ‘Hee Haw’ & Country Humor”
When: Opens Tuesday.
Where: Oklahoma History Center, 800 Nazih Zuhdi Drive.
Information: 522-5248 or www.okhistorycenter.org.
-BAM
Video: Roy Clark honored at Oklahoma House of Representatives
Country Music Hall of Famer and longtime Tulsa resident Roy Clark was honored today on the floor the Oklahoma House of Representatives.
The Oklahoma Music Hall of Fame recognized Clark as Oklahoma’s Music Ambassador for Children. State Rep. George Faught (R-Muskogee, where the Oklahoma Music Hall of Fame is based) presented “the legend of pickin’ and grinnin’” with a commendation from Gov. Mary Fallin.
Roy Clark (AP file)
“Thank you, I never thought it would resort to this,” Clark cracked. “But then they said ‘Hee-Haw’ wouldn’t last. But we were in production for over 25 years.”
Clark, who co-hosted the long-running TV comedy-variety show “Hee-Haw” with the late Buck Owens, said the most satisfying ventures of his long career have been the opportunities to work with children.
“That’s what all of this means is that I’m gonna play a little music with and for our children of Oklahoma,” he said. “God bless y’all for being so nice and letting me come into this hallowed hall.”
Clark was accompanied by his wife Barbara and legendary manager Jim Halsey.
Clark, who will turn 78 on Friday, learned to play the guitar, banjo and mandolin at a young age. By age 17, the Virginia native had won two national banjo championships, which earned him his first appearance on the Grand Ole Opry.
He became a regular on Jimmy Dean’s TV show “Town and Country Time” and took over the series when Dean left. Clark moved to Las Vegas in 1960 and became a fixture at the Golden Nugget. He later joined Oklahoma native Wanda Jackson as leader of her band.
In the 1960s and ’70s, Clark charted several Top 10 country singles including “Tips of My Fingers,” “Yesterday When I Was Young” and “If I Had It to Do All Over Again.”
He also ventured into acting, first with TV shows such as “The Tonight Show” and “The Beverly Hillbillies” and later in the movies “Uphill All the Way,” “Freeway” and “Gordy.”
In 1969, Clark and Owens were picked by CBS to co-host “Hee Haw,” a country version of the series “Laugh-In.” He and Owens, who died in 2006, hosted “Hee Haw” for more than 20 years.
In his six-decade career, Clark has won a Grammy and many other awards, gained a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame and joined the Grand Ole Opry. He and Jackson, a Rock and Roll Hall of Famer, were inducted into the Oklahoma Music Hall of Fame in 2000. Clark was inducted into the Country Music Hall of Fame in 2009.
In addition, Roy Clark Elementary School is named for him.
-BAM
Roy Clark helps Brad Paisley close “H20 World Tour” in Tulsa
Country Music Hall of Famer and Tulsa resident Roy Clark and Brad Paisley jam during Paisley's Nov. 20 concert at Tulsa's BOK Center. (Photo by Ben Enos)
Country Music Hall of Famer and Tulsa resident Roy Clark surprised Oklahoma music fans Nov. 20 when he joined superstar Brad Paisley on stage for a rare live performance. Paisley wrapped up his 2010 “H2O World Tour” with a concert at Tulsa’s BOK Center.
Clark made a special guest appearance to play an instrumental version of “Ghost Riders in the Sky” alongside Paisley, pairing two of country music’s great guitarists.
“I learned to play guitar with a Roy Clark songbook, so I blame all of this on him” Paisley told the sold-out crowd.
“Brad’s show and guitar playing really inspired me! I’m going on tour!” Clark said after feeling the excitement and energy of Paisley’s show.
It was the first time the two Country Music Association Entertainer of the Year award winners have ever played together. Clark received the top CMA honor in 1973 and Paisley won the title for the first time earlier this month at the 2010 CMA Awards.
Over the past year, Paisley has played to nearly a million fans in more than 73 markets, including more than 51,000 at Boston’s Gillette Stadium, 70,000 at AquaPalooza, more than 35,000 at Gulf Shores for “Concerts for the Gulf,” two sold-out shows in London, England, and Notodden Norway’s Musikkfestival.
Darius Rucker and Justin Moore have been special guests on the tour, and Steel Magnolia, Easton Corbin and Josh Thompson were performers on the Water World Stage.
The final leg of the H2O World tour – appropriately renamed the “H2O Frozen Over” tour – kicks off Jan. 20 in Green Bay, Wisc., with Jerrod Niemann and Rucker as special guests. Check www.bradpaisley.com for tour information.
-BAM
Photo gallery: CMA Music Fest sets attendance record; Oklahoma stars light up Nashville event
Country music sweethearts Miranda Lambert and Blake Shelton, who live in Tishomingo, perform together during the 2010 CMA Music Festival. (Associated Press photos)
The CMA Music Festival hit an all-time record in 2010, selling out each night at LP Field, the venue for the nightly star-packed concerts, sending a strong message that Music City is back in business after the floods that devastated Nashville in May.
“This news is terrific for our community, our industry, and the artists who gave freely of their time over the past week to make CMA Music Festival the biggest and best event since it started as Fan Fair in 1972,” said Steve Moore, chairman of the CMA Board of Directors, in a news release. “After all we have been through, and all the hard work everyone contributed to getting the venues and businesses ready for our fans, this is a huge win for everyone who cares about Music City. This community needed a big win and we got it.”
With the unprecedented sell-out, the festival, which took place Thursday-Sunday, experienced a 16.7 percent increase in attendance at LP Field, including four-day ticket packages, promotional and single night tickets. Average nightly attendance topped 49,000.
The increase was felt throughout the festival, with record numbers in all the free zones, public events, and concert venues, including Riverfront Park, which experienced a daily increase of 6.4 percent over 2009, when the area was opened to the public for the first time.
Estimated daily attendance throughout the festival in 2010 was 65,000 compared to 56,000 in 2009.
“The impact of this year’s CMA Music Festival is more significant than ever because of its timing following the flood,” said Butch Spyridon, President of the Nashville Convention & Visitors Bureau, in the release. “The fact that this was the biggest and best CMA Fest in Nashville’s history is icing on the cake. It’s proof positive that Nashville is back!”
Oklahoma country music stars were a big part of the successful festival: Checotah native Carrie Underwood performed at LP Field Thursday, the event’s opening night, along with Alan Jackson, Lady Antebellum, Tim McGraw and more.
On Friday, Tishomingo resident Miranda Lambert and Chockie native Reba McEntire were part of the LP Field lineup.
“I remember exactly where I was sitting when I came to CMA Fest,” Lambert said, pointing toward the highest seats in LP Field and remembering her visit as one among thousands of Country Music fans.
Saturday night included performances by Billy Currington, Martina McBride, Zac Brown Band and Rascal Flatts, which includes Joe Don Rooney of Picher.
On Sunday, Tishomingo resident Blake Shelton performed, with special appearances by Lambert, his fiancee, and Chuck Wicks. Shelton also did a duet with Trace Adkins, his fellow “Hillbilly Bone” hitmaker. Others on the Saturday slate included Brad Paisley, Kellie Pickler and Darius Rucker.
“We came to Nashville this time to throw down. It’s time to throw down,” said Adkins. “Thank you for bringing your badonkadonks to Nashville.”
Country Music Hall of Fame member Roy Clark, who lives in Tulsa, was honored Sunday during the 31st annual Sunday Mornin’ Country concert at the Tennessee Performing Arts Center in Nashville, according to CMT.com. Set during the CMA Music Festival, the tribute was to feature fellow Hall of Fame member Charlie McCoy and several of Clark’s fellow “Hee Haw” cast members, including LuLu Roman, Roni Stoneman and the Nashville Edition.
In addition, several country stars, including Lambert and Oklahoma City-bred Vince Gill, played shows and threw parties for their fan clubs during the event.
The festival was filmed for a three-hour television special “CMA Music Festival: Country’s Night to Rock,” hosted by Tim McGraw and scheduled to air at 7 p.m. Wednesday, Sept. 1 on ABC.
Until then, check out these Associated Press photos of the Oklahoma stars in action at the CMA Music Festival:
Reba McEntire, who hails from Chockie, belts out one of her hits.
Rascal Flatts guitarist Joe Don Rooney, who grew up in Picher, plays during the fest.
Checotah native Carrie Underwood performs Thursday, the opening night of the CMA Music Festival.
Blake Shelton performs with Trace Adkins.
Miranda Lambert plays her signature pink guitar at the CMA Music Festival. It was a busy weekend for Lambert, who also played at the huge Bonnaroo Music Festival in Manchester, Tenn.
See more photos after the break.
