Hee Haw for the most part was stereotypical BS but they did get some top flight talent aboard. Roy Clark sang well but his forte was as a fretted Instrument player. Buck was a fine player, singer and wrote some great country tunes. Most active from 1959 to 1974. After his wingman Don Rich was killed Buck exited the business until the mid-nineties. Love to hear Rich do harmonies with Bucks lead vocals, the man was right there with James Burton on the Tele. Buck was right there with Haggard and Jones as my favorite country acts.
Ah music to my ears...
James Burton....! Other than Rich, I don't think it gets any better than James Burton....!
I got to see Burton numerous times, with Gram Parsons -Emmylou Harris, and the Fallen Angels Band. Later after GP's death, with The Hot Band and Emmylou.
GP was recorded by Haggard's Engineer Hugh Davies. Haggard was supposed to Produce the LP - GP, but Merle was going thru a bitter divorce, and couldn't be sobered up from his Hotel Room, where he holed up for months. Thus, his Eng'r. joined the project, and Gram along with Rik Grech of Blind Faith infamy, produced the new Country Rock moniker LP, which GP would refute the genre moniker given to his style of CR music.
That being said: when we moved to Shreveport for 3 years in the mid 60s, my Dad took me every single weekend evening, to the Luzianna Hayride shows. Every weekend, the best of Hall of Fame Classic C&W acts played. Got to see about everyone who was anyone, you name it....! George Jones - (the king of classic Honky Tonk, had no equal with his brand of HT music, and IMO, Honky Tonk today is all but dead, other than some frauds, who play POP muzak, not HT)... Jones, by far my favorite, right along with Merle....!
The Hayride, now refurbished, was the first ever stage Elvis played on....Due to that feat alone, its now a Landmark. Outside the entrance are two Bronz Statues. 1 of Elvis, and one of James Burton.....!
Not only was Burton a early Ricky Nelson lead guitarist on the Ozzie and Harriet show, and Ricky's LP's, he played with Elvis for quit awhile, until Elvis passed. (The same band Elvis would use, in his Las Vegas, black leathers made for TV special).
Gram hired Elvis entire band, to tour with and record 2 1/2 LP's, before GP's own death. (Glen D. Hardin, Burton, Al Perkins, and a host of others).
One of the musics best shows I've seen, was the 50 year Anniversary Special, of the Fender-Stratocaster ..... some of the greatest men to ever pick up a Tele or Strat, were on that stage; in the end all of the 25+ musicians played on stage all at once, with many a solo, by/of those greats. Including but not limited to: David Gilmour, Eric Clapton, James Burton, Albert not Alvin Lee (Burton's replacement with the GP band, and boyo could Lee play as hot fingered as Burton too)...Jeff Beck, you name it, if they were Iconic Legends, they were on that PBS Fender TV Special....
*only thing I love more than sports is Music...
** I met Emmylou Harris, in 1977 in Person, and chatted with her for 2 hours, over coffee, then Black Russian's, after she appeared at the Licorice Pizza Record store on Hollywood Blvd. and Vine...Emmy, drew the winning ticket at the record store, to promote her "Luxury Liner" LP new release. (A GP penned tune).
I tell ya', I love my Wife, but, Emmylou is an Angel walking this Earth, and we're honored to have her still singing with her Angelic Voice. Got plenty of 8X10's of her that day, which still hang on my wall. Damn where did I go wrong....???