RIP Roy Clark

Rest In Peace.

 

R.I.P.
My father told me many times, during the Hee Haw era, that he saw Roy Clark (with Jimmy Dean) several times in the mid-late 1950s, in a roadhouse just outside DC in VA. Clark was in Dean's band at the time, but Dean always/sometimes gave Clark a solo spot. My dad got a kick and was sort of proud of Dean and that Roy was a star on Hee Haw and more.

 

Ladies and gentleman, please, a warm round of applause for Roy Linwood Clark!

*Roy enters from stage left*

"Thank you, thank you," Roy grins. He always had that charming smile, set nicely in his cherubim face. Even his laughing eyes makes the crowd go wilder. The audience lives vicariously through him, as they know that he is one of them. Any other day they might be sitting with Roy on the porch, sipping sun tea, and telling yarns: country fables and such, but now it's Roy's time. Roy holds up a hand to quiet the crowd.

"Ya know," He begins, "I've been pickin' this ol' banjo for a long time now. The joy you've had from me entertaining you folks for 70 years - and that's a long, long time for a fella like me - is nothing compared to the joy I've had in entertaining ya! But now that I'm hear, I reckon it wouldn't be fitting to do it by my lonesome, so I'm gonna call a dear friend to the stage, and I hope you don't mind..."

* Roy motions to stage right*

"Ladies and gentleman, let me introduce my good pal (I'm sure you know him well), Mr. Buck Owens!"

The two musicians, reunited again, begin to play the most angelic version of "Foggy Mountain Breakdown" that anybody has ever heard, on heaven or on earth. There's no speaker that can reproduce the sound, no human ear that can siphon its beauty from the air.

Now, whether you imagine a heaven or some other place, or if this scene merely occurs in your mind, it speaks to what Roy Clark was all about. He put others before him and always found it a joy to bring joy to others.

May Roy Clark exceed the pleasure he found in this world, and may he never rest in peace as long as there is preternatural soul to sop the sound.

This guy knew how to pick those strings.

 

One of my fave Roy performances from 1061, playing a very twisted-for-its-time lead guitar on a very twisted-for-its-time record from Wanda Jackson which is a solid damn classic today:

 

RIP Roy, wow had no idea today...terribly sad news

 

Yesterday, when I was young

 

Wanda, the female Elvis! And "Funnel" is the best weird song title I've heard in quite some time. At school in Arizona during the early 70's some of us would sit around the dorm TV room and watch Her Haw and the Porter Wagoner show. As I'm from NYC the Porter Wagoner thing was foreign territory. But after getting past a healthy dose of corn what always stopped me was the high level of musicianship by Roy and others. Used to love Don Rich's playing behind Buck too.

 

Oh man I love those facial expressions. I grew up watching Hee Haw and with Roy and Buck Owens it was like hanging out with your favorite uncles. Those guys were amazing talents.
RIP Mr Clark

 

Just watched him on a Johnny Cash Show re-run last week. What a player. I remember using one of his books when learning the guitar. Rest in peace.

 

Roy Clark got respect from guitarists in all sorts of genres. I once heard Funkadelic guitarist Gary Shider citing Roy Clark as an influence in a radio interview.

But speaking as a late-blooming tyro guitar player, I just find people like Clark annoying. Him and his "Malaguena"...

 

All time great guitar picker, and say what you want but I loved him with Buck on Hee-Haw back in the day.

 

DAMN!!

 

Thank you, Roy Clark!

 

Great guitarist, great entertainer, great human being. He brought a lot of smiles to a lot of people. They don't make them like RC anymore. RIP Good Buddy!

 

Roy Linwood Clark.

 

It's too bad he and Gatemouth Brown only make one album together.

 

Haven't watched the video yet, but I get a kick out of ....
It's a low-rez still of Gates and Roy, but the only thing that's blurry is Roy's right hand !
It's like he's signalling - where do you want to go to next?

 

Another classic gone. Very sad.

 

RIP Mr. Clark

One heck of a picker.

My father-in-law really liked him.

Both gone now.

 

Very sad news. Roy was an incredibly down to Earth guy. RIP Roy

 

I just heard, RIP. What an amazing talent he was.

 

RIP Mr. Clark.

 

As others have noted, an amazing musician whose (critical) reputation suffered due to the Hee-Haw connection — much as Buck Owens's reputation did.

Saw Roy perform at one of those 4th of July shindigs on the Mall in DC in 1984. As such concerts often do, things were running behind schedule, so someone in charge got the bright idea to begin the fireworks while he was still onstage. Roy looked a little surprised, but didn't miss a beat, launching into "I Saw the Light." Never stopped pickin' & grinnin'.

RIP, Mr, Clark.