Posted on 11/10/2023 4:41:05 PM PST by OttawaFreeper
On this day fifty years ago, November 10th, 1973, Stringbean Akeman frailed his final phrases on a Vega #9 five-string banjo, did his signature hand wave and hat flip one last time, and stepped off the Opry stage and into the history books in what would come to signal a change for the Opry itself, country music as an industry, and even country music as an institution. Before the night was out, Stringbean Akeman and his wife Estelle (Stanfill) were shot by two 23-year old cousins who’d come to know of Stringbean’s habit of keeping large amounts of cash on hand.
Understanding how significant Stringbean was to the Grand Ole Opry, and to Country Music as an entity, can be difficult for those who didn’t live through it, or for those whose knowledge of the later golden years of country music is cursory at best. And it can be difficult to explain because Stringbean’s contributions to country music are oft-understated, and sometimes outright overlooked.
(Excerpt) Read more at savingcountrymusic.com ...
I can also recall when TNN showed episodes of Hee Haw, they never ever showed any with Stringbean, even though they show had been produced independently since 1970 (after one season on CBS).
I wonder if there had been some unwritten policy about that with TNN executives as that show in 1973-74 lost both Stringbean and Don Rich (Buck Owens’ main backup man in a motorcycle accident). Even though they showed episodes with Grady Nutt (air crash in 1982), Junior Samples (1983 from diabetes/heart disease related issues), and Archie Campbell and Kenny Price (both in 1987 due to heart attacks). You can, of course, watch Hee Haw episodes featuring Stringbean on YouTube.
I remember that! so long ago! He was a standard on Hee Haw!
RFD TV used to, and maybe still might, run Hee Haw. They’ve aired many of the earlier episodes with Stringbean.
First time I’ve ever heard of him is right now.
I’ll admit, I’m not well versed with Country Music, me having grown up in Motown (Detroit, Mi) during the 60’s, but I did hear a lot of it on TV back then. We sometimes watched Grand Ol Opry on Saturdays, after Lawrence Welk and the Lennon Sisters. I recall my mom telling me about the price tag still hanging on Minnie Pearl’s sun hat.
I read that he flashed his cash a lot and friends had warned him not to. He attracted the wrong kind of attention.
There’s a pretty good documentary on that on youtube.
They noted the discovery of the remains of Stringbean’s money in the chimney. I remember learning about that on some documentary about the tragedy in that the new owners of the place noticed some sort of dust or paper like substance falling into the fire and they later found some storage/shelflike thing in the chimney where the money’s remains were still there after all of those years. Unfortunately, the bills had rotted away so badly they were no longer negotiable cash.
I remember that. Still sad.
Male country music singers today all sound just alike — nasal twang, dejected, effeminate, broken hearted, pathetic.
Much like popular music. Now, if these modern pop singers had one molecule of testosterone break loose in their body, they would have a stroke.
From the article:
“Compared to the other genres pre-1973, country music may as well all have happened in one building. The performers interacted with one another, recorded whole albums together, and shared their art in a way unique to the golden era of country music. Indeed, the Opry brought nearly every major country music personality together under one roof, much the same way Hee Haw would do on television.”
It is interesting to consider also how country music very much influenced ones like Elvis or Buddy Holly or the Beatles or even the Rolling Stones and other artists in the rock and roll genre. Certainly a far cry from what the music is like nowadays as per your observation.
Never heard of him, but his top song on Spotify is great: “Run Little Rabbit Run.”
This article must have triggered the creation of the “This is Stringbean” playlist on Spotify yesterday.
This anniversary must have triggered the creation of the “This is Stringbean” playlist on Spotify yesterday.
I found that just a little of Stringbean goes a long way, so I just switched to the “Boogie & Swing” channel for a while.
“Oh, they call it that good-ole Mountain Deeewww...”
Jeeze i remember him but this writer makes it sound like Waylon and Willie, Buck Owens, Rodger Miller, Johnny Cash and many others take a back seat.
WELL. I’ll hush up my mug if you’ll fill up my jug with that good old mountain dew. S
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