Died On This Date (July 28, 2010) John Aylesworth / Co-Created “Hee Haw”

John Aylesworth
DOB Unknown – July 28, 2010

John Aylesworth was a television writer and producer who’s biggest mark on popular music came with the hit country music infused program, Hee Haw.  Aylesworth moved from Canada to the U.S. in the late ’50s and quickly found himself as a writer for the popular music program, Your Hit Parade.   He went on to write for other music programs like Hullabaloo and specials for Frank Sinatra, Perry Como and Judy Garland, to name a few.  During the late ’60s, Aylesworth and partner, Frank Peppiatt developed a show that married the best elements of Laugh-In to those of The Beverly Hillbillies, and Hee Haw was born.   The show, hosted by Buck Owens and Roy Clark,went on to become one of the most popular programs for many years thanks to its down home humor and weekly performances by the biggest names in country music.   John Aylesworth was 81 when he died from complications of pneumonia on July 28, 2010.



Died On This Date (July 17, 1974) Don Rich / Played With Buck Owens

Don Rich (Born Donald Ulrich)
August 15, 1941 – July 17, 1974

donrichNot many can say they opened for Elvis Presley, but then not many were as gifted as Don Rich.  Just 17 and playing the clubs in and around Tacoma, Washington when Elvis came to town for a show.  Young Rich, who had been playing the guitar and fiddle since he was a child, landed the gig and within a year he was one of the hottest draws in town.  One of those admirers to catch a show was Buck Owens who hired Rich to play fiddle for him when he came to town.  Rich put his music career on hold to go to college, but was soon reunited with Owens down in Central California where he became one of the architects of the “Bakersfield Sound.”  For the better part of the next fifteen years, Rich recorded and toured with Owens, playing both fiddle or lead guitar.   Rich even wrote some of Owens’ biggest hits and regularly performed on television with the Buckaroos.  On July 17, 1974, hopped on his motorcycle after a Bakersfield recording session to meet his family for vacation along California’s central coast.  Rich was killed when he lost control of his bike and crashed into highway guard rail.  He was 32 at the time of his death.

What You Should Own

Click to find at amazon.com
Click to find at amazon.com

Country Pickin' - The Don Rich Anthology - Don Rich & the Buckaroos

Died On This Date (May 1, 2008) Jim Hager / Hee Haw’s Hager Twins

Jim Hager
August 30, 1941 – May 1, 2008

Jim Hager, left with Roy Clark and brother Jon Hager
Jim Hager, left with Roy Clark and brother Jon Hager

Jim Hager was a country singer and comedian who performed with his twin brother, Jon Hager as the Hager Twins on the TV show, Hee Haw.   The brothers were born in Chicago, but moved to Los Angeles where they performed in support of Steve Martin, the Carpenters and Kenny Rogers.  They were also regular performers at Disneyland which is where Buck Owens discovered them and offered them a contract.  In 1969, the Hager Twins began a 17-year run on Hee Haw.  Signed to Capitol Records at the time, the Hagers had a handful of country hits.   Jim Hager passed away of a heart attack on May 1, 2008.



Died On This Date (April 28, 2009) Vern Gosdin / Country Music Star

Vern Gosdin
August 5, 1934 – April 28, 2009

vernVern Gosdin was nicknamed “The Voice” for a reason.  He had one of the most beautifully soulful singing voices in all of country music, and if honky-tonk had a Mount Rushmore, Vern Gosdin would likely sit alongside George Jones, Merle Haggard, Lefty Frizzell and Buck Owens.   Gosdin scored several hits throughout the ’70s and ’80s, including “Set ’em Up Joe,” “Chisled In Stone,” and “If You’re Gonna Do Me Wrong (Do It Right).”   Gosdin began singing as a child in his Alabama church.  In the early ’60s he moved to Los Angeles where he became an integral part of the blossoming west coast country scene.  He soon signed to Capitol Records where he released a few marginal hits.  But it wasn’t until he moved to Atlanta, retired and then came out of retirement that he hit his stride with a series of chart toppers throughout the ’80s.  Vern Gosdin passed away in a Nashville hospital after suffering a stroke in recent weeks.

Thanks to Stephen of Stephen Brower for the assist.

What You Should Own

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Chiseled In Stone - Vern Gosdin

Died On This Date (April 15, 1998) Rose Maddox / Country Legend

Rose Maddox (Born Roselea Brogdon)
August 15, 1925 – April 15, 1998

rose-maddoxRose Maddox was a country singer, musician and songwriter who performed with her siblings as Maddox Brothers and Rose during the late ’30s and early ’40s.  When her brothers went off to serve their country in WWII, Rose continued as a solo act and later rejoined the boys upon their return.  And even though they were considered a “hillbilly” band, they were most popular in California, likely due to its growing population of Southern immigrants.   They have been called the “greatest hillbilly band of all time,” while Rose has been referred to as the “grandmother of rockabilly.”  After the group disbanded in the late ’50s, Rose signed to Capitol Records as a solo act.  She scored several Top 20 hits including a #4 hit duet with Buck Owens.   In the mid ’60s, Rose switched gears a bit and started performing bluegrass.  She found a new audience among the folk revivalists of the era.  She continued recording and performing occasionally well into the ’90s, even earning a Grammy nomination in 1996.  She died of kidney failure in 1998 at the age of 71.

What You Should Own

Click to find at amazon.com

America's Most Colorful Hillbilly Band, Vol. 1 - The Maddox Brothers and Rose