Roy Clark

Clark was born April 15, 1933, in Meherrin, Virginia. He spent his childhood in Meherrin, New York City and Washington, DC.

He is a singer, musician and TV host. He is best known for having hosted Hee Haw, a nationally televised country variety show,  enjoying a 30- million viewership. He is a multi-award winning virtuoso, actor, vocalist, philanthropist, and all ’round great human being!

He has headlined some of the world’s most prestigious venues such as Carnegie Hall, Madison Square Garden, Grand Palace in  Brussels and the Rossiya Theatre in Moscow!

Clark was an important and influential figure in country music, both as a performer and in helping to popularize the genre. Roy Clark was highly regarded and renowned as a guitarist, banjo player, and fiddler. His instrumental skill had an enormous effect on generations of bluegrass and country musicians.

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 pop vocalist including, “Yesterday, When I Was Young” and “Thank God and Greyhound”.

Clark was named “Entertainer of the Year” three times by the ACMA and the (CMA) . The Academy also named him “Best Lead Guitar Player” and “Best Comedy Act”, while the CMA named him an “International Friendship Ambassador” in 1976 after Clark toured the Soviet Union.

Tulsa, Oklahoma named the Roy Clark Elementary School in his honor in 1978.

Clark was inducted into the Country Music Hall of Fame in 2009. Clark was honored by the Oklahoma House of Representatives on  April 12, 2011. He was honored by the Oklahoma Music Hall of Fame as Oklahoma’s Music Ambassador for Children. They presented him with a commendation from Oklahoma Governor Mary Fallin. He was inducted into the Cheyenne Frontier Days Hall of Fame,
in 2007.

He became a member of the Grand Ole Opry in 1987, as well as, inducted into the Country Music Hall of Fame in 2009.

He published his autobiography, My Life in Spite of Myself, in 1994.

Roy Clark passed away November 15, 2018 at the age of 85, in Tulsa, Oklahoma, U.S.