Roy Clark

A photo of Roy Linwood Clark, known professionally as Roy Clark. He was born April 15, 1933 in Meherrin, Virginia, one of 7 children - his father was a tobacco farmer and a semi-professional musician who played banjo, fiddle, and guitar. His mother played piano. Because of the Depression, the family moved to Washington D.C. and Roy was influenced by the musicians in the area, copying what they did on the guitar. On the banjo, he was influenced by Earl Scruggs and although rock and roll was popular with kids his age in the 1950's, he gravitated to country music. Being shy, he used humor in his act in the beginning to deflect attention from his timidity. Humor remained a part of his public persona throughout his career.

After appearing with Jimmy Dean as a part of his band, competing on Arthur Godfrey's Talent Scouts on CBS, and playing the guitar in Vegas in the early 1960's, Roy began to really create a career on TV - first on Johnny Carson's Tonight Show and then as a recurring character on the tv show The Beverly Hillbillies. But he is best known for the music comedy show Hee Haw, which he co-hosted with Buck Owens from 1969 to 1997. Clark opened the Roy Clark Celebrity Theatre in Branson, Missouri, in 1983 and played there frequently during the 80's and '90s. Then he sold the theater, returning to a light tour schedule, playing country music.

In 1957, he married wife Barbara and they had 4 children. Their home was in Tulsa Oklahoma. He died in Tulsa on November 15, 2018, at the age of 85. The cause of death was complications due to pneumonia.