Died On This Date (July 17, 1974) Don Rich / Played With Buck Owens
themusicsover Don Rich (Born Donald Ulrich)
August 15, 1941 – July 17, 1974
Not 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.
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