One of the world’s finest multi-instrumentalists, and one of the first cross-over artists to land singles on both the pop and country charts, Roy Clark was a musical pioneer who turned Branson, Missouri, into the live music capital of the world.
Beginning his musical career on the banjo and mandolin, Clark didn’t own a guitar until he was fourteen, the same year he had his first TV appearance. After winning a national banjo competition in 1950, he was invited to perform at the Grand Ole Opry. In 1954, he joined Jimmy Dean and the Texas Wildcats, appearing in clubs, on radio and TV, and even backing up Elvis Presley. But in 1960, Clark was twenty-seven and still scrambling; his big break came when he received an invitation to open for Wanda Jackson at the Golden Nugget in Las Vegas.
This break led to a 345-straight-night tour, and when he returned to Vegas in 1962 at age twenty-nine he was a headliner and a recording star. The recognition landed him a show critics hailed as a “countrified Laugh-In with music.” Hee Haw, shot in Nashville, Tennessee, premiered in 1969, costarring Clark and Buck Owens, and it was an immediate hit. Although CBS canceled the show after only two-and-a-half years, the series segued into syndication, where it remained until 1992.
Clark has had a series of hits since beginning his career in 1947, including “The Tips of My Fingers” (1963); “Yesterday” (1969); “I Never Picked Cotton” and “Thank God and Greyhound” (1970); “The Lawrence Welk–Hee Haw Counter-Revolution Polka” (1972); “Come Live With Me” and “Somewhere Between Love and Tomorrow” (1973); and “If I Had It to Do All Over Again” (1976). In addition, his twelve-string guitar rendition of “Malaguena” is considered a classic, and in 1982 he won a Grammy (Best Country Instrumental Performance) for “Alabama Jubilee.”
Today, Clark remains one of the most popular entertainers on stage, on record, and on TV. He has inspired countless artists in bluegrass, country, and pop and continues to remind everyone that there is much more to him than just fast fingers and a quick wit. Clark, who still tours today from his home base in Tulsa, tells the audience at the end of each show, “We had to come, but you had a choice. Thanks for being here.” With responding smiles, audiences continue to thank Roy Clark for being there, too.
Tickets are $30 or $25 plus tax and an online/phone ticketing fee (this fee is waived when tickets are purchased in the Gift Shop). Tickets in the ADA section are for patrons with mobility disabilities and up to three companions. If companion seating is not available because the ADA section is sold out, GFCR will offer other seats as close as possible to the accessible seat, if available, at the purchase price of the other section.
Hotel packages will be available by calling 877-511-4FUN. Packages include a Saturday night stay in a deluxe king or double queen room, two tickets to the show and two dinners at Robert's Buffet. There are a limited number of hotel packages available.
