Gloom, Despair and Agony On Me

[The Toyroom]

Up here in New York, Hee Haw was a staple in our house...my mom was just getting into country music in the 70s. Now I've never been a big country music fan myself but I still have a fondness for the stars of the Hee Haw era and find myself humming the tunes of Charlie Pride, Kenny Rogers and Conway Twitty every now and then. My brother and I enjoyed Hee Haw at our age for a different reason than the music though back then...the "corny" humor and the Hee-Haw Honeys.

Recently I caught a Hee Haw marathon on CMT and was disappointed that the majority of the shows were later ones from around the Garth Brooks era of country music...and most of the Hee Haw Honeys I was familiar with had been replaced with new chicks. Plus, no Junior Samples, Archie Campbell, Buck Owens....kind of a letdown.

[David Lee]

Never had those... but I can re-iterate all the HEE HAW sentiment... Mississippi + 1970's= Hee Haw... It was what it was...


-Dave

[megoat]

I read many reports about Buck Owens after he died. I get the impression he felt he was slumming on Hee Haw too.

Well in many way, Buck WAS slumming it. It was a SELLOUT gig for him. It did indeed make him a household name, but he was sorta perceived as a corny buffoon after Hee Haw. Many people forgot/did not realize that Buck Owens' recordings of the late 50's thru mid 60's were some of the finest post war C&W to ever be put to wax: hard, twangy and real. A highly influential form that typified what is commonly referred to as the "Bakersfield Sound" (A twin Telecaster attack, an ELECTRIC bass all with a prominent back beat)--his band The Buckaroos were one of the finest bands of the 60's REGARDLESS of genre (even the Beatles were fans!)......

Anyway, those overalls rule.

[megomaniac]

Living near Nashville, it was a requirement that we watched this show. To this day I still have nightmares. LOL

Although it was kinda cool walking thru the now defunct Opryland theme park and actually see Grandpa Jones signing autographs. His "what's for supper, Grandpaw?" routine still survives in my family to this day