Roy Clark was an American singer and musician. Roy was best known as the host of the country music television show, Hee-Haw, and for his guitar playing abilities. Roy Clark was born Roy Linwood Clark on April 15, 1933, in Meherrin, Virginia; one of five children, his father was a tobacco farmer. Roy Clark’s father was a semi-professional musician who played banjo, fiddle, and guitar; his mother played the piano. Roy’s first instrument was a cigar box with a ukulele neck attached to it. Roy Clark’s father taught him to play guitar. By the time Roy was fourteen years old he was able to play the banjo, guitar, and mandolin.

Roy Clark had many hit records from the early 1960’s through the 1980’s including Come Live With Me, which was number one on Billboard magazine’s country singles chart in 1973, and Yesterday When I Was Young, which was a Billboard top country hit in 1969. Roy was awarded Entertainer of the Year by the Country Music Association in 1973 and was reportedly the highest paid country star between 1969 and 1971. Roy Clark married Barbara Joyce Rupard on August 31, 1957. The couple had five children and made their home in Tulsa, Oklahoma. Roy Clark died in his home on November 15, 2018, from complications related to pneumonia.