Roy Clark

Roy Linwood Clark (April 15, 1933 – November 15, 2018) was an American singer, musician and television presenter. He is best known for having co-hosted Hee Haw, a nationally televised country music variety show, with Buck Owens, from 1969 to 1993. Clark was an important and influential figure in country music, both as a performer and in helping to popularize the genre. Clark was highly regarded and renowned as a guitarist, banjo player and fiddler. During the 1970s, Clark frequently guest-hosted for Johnny Carson on The Tonight Show; he also enjoyed a 30-million viewership for Hee Haw. He was skilled in the traditions of many genres, including classical guitar, country music, Latin music, bluegrass and pop. He had hit songs as a country music vocalist (e.g., "Yesterday, When I Was Young" and "Thank God and Greyhound") and his instrumental skill had an enormous effect on generations of bluegrass and country musicians. He became a member of the Grand Ole Opry in 1987 and, in 2009, was inducted into the Country Music Hall of Fame. He published his autobiography, My Life—in Spite of Myself, in 1994.