Number 7

Roy Clark

For Gen-Xers (aka nearly everyone reading this) Roy Clark is associated with Hee Haw. And he should be. And he would be happy about it! BUT…Roy Clark was as good at guitar as is humanly possible. Veeeeeery few people can play like he could, and he did it while goofing and doing other things that made it look like it as as easy and toasting bread.

As you will no doubt notice, nearly everyone on my list is hard rock or rock and roll, where as Roy Clark was country and bluegrass. Well, here is an example of what he could do. He didn’t really do face-melting solos…his whole song was face melting. Here is another example. And another! In fact, Clark was just as good with a banjo or fiddle as he was with a guitar. He was known for country and bluegrass music, but was a master at classical music, Latin music, and pop.

Roy was, simply put, one of the most entertaining entertainers to entertain. He acted like a silly country boy, hell, sometimes like a straight up idiot, but when he would play it was clear that this was an extraordinarily gifted musician who worked very, very hard at his craft. As Gen-Xers growing up being forced to watch Hee Haw it was easy to not pay attention to the guitar/banjo/fiddle playing of the “grinnin’” part of “pickin’ and grinnin’”. I mean, all I wanted to do was watch The Dukes of Hazzard, not a bunch of bumpkins making fun of my own culture. But, as an adult, I can look at these people they assembled for that show and realize it was probably the most gifted band ever put on a TV show, and Roy…well, Roy was the best AND the leader.

Just go on YouTube, type his name in, and you’ll see what I mean. The guy was unbelievable. And for those of us who spent most of our lives wishing we could turn Hee Haw off but couldn’t because our grandparents would whoop us, as adults, or hell, even grandparents ourselves, we can appreciate that this guy was every bit as good as an Eddie Van Halen or Randy Rhodes, and quite a bit better than pretty much everyone else below them. THAT is why he’s on this list. HEEEEEEEEE HAAAAAAAWWWW!