Roy Clark

• Genre: Country Pop/Cosmopolitan
• Hometown: Meherrin

About

Roy Clark seemed to personify country music in the 1970s. His voice carried a true grit behind his warm personality that translated well to television audiences everywhere; from his brief stints filling in for host Johnny Carson on The Tonight Show, as well as a long, prolonged career hosting the ever-popular Hee Haw. He even appeared on a few episodes of The Beverly Hillbillies. Although Clark was a skilled picker of strings and singer of songs, he fancied himself as an entertainer rather than a musician. His version of Country Pop was a little more torn and frayed than what was coming out of the radio at the time. Conversely, his recordings reflected something much softer and less threatening than the Country Rock echoing in the canyons of the West Coast.

- Eric Shea