Speck Rhodes
Encyclopedia
Gilbert Ray 'Speck' Rhodes (born July 16, 1915, in West Plains, Missouri
; died March 19, 2000) was a country music
comedian
and entertainer.
Rhodes was best known for his appearances on the Porter Wagoner
television show.
He came from a musical family and with his two brothers and sister, were known as Speck, Slim, Bea, and Dusty. 1934 they were touring the RKO vaudeville
circuit as the Log Cabin Mountaineers. Rhodes played banjo
, bass fiddle and developed his comic character. In 1960 Speck auditioned for a new television show Porter Wagoner was starting in Nashville
. Having both come from West Plains, they had a natural chemistry, and Rhodes began an association with Wagoner that would last over 20 years.
Rhodes died in 2000 and is buried at Spring Hill Cemetery in Nashville, Tennessee
West Plains, Missouri
West Plains is a city in Howell County, Missouri, United States. The population was 10,866 at the 2000 census. It is the county seat of Howell County. The West Plains Micropolitan Statistical Area consists of Howell County.-Geography:...
; died March 19, 2000) was a country music
Country music
Country music is a popular American musical style that began in the rural Southern United States in the 1920s. It takes its roots from Western cowboy and folk music...
comedian
Comedian
A comedian or comic is a person who seeks to entertain an audience, primarily by making them laugh. This might be through jokes or amusing situations, or acting a fool, as in slapstick, or employing prop comedy...
and entertainer.
Rhodes was best known for his appearances on the Porter Wagoner
Porter Wagoner
Porter Wayne Wagoner was a popular American country music singer known for his flashy Nudie and Manuel suits and blond pompadour. He introduced the young Dolly Parton near the beginning of her career on his long-running television show, and they were a well-known duet throughout the late 1960s and...
television show.
He came from a musical family and with his two brothers and sister, were known as Speck, Slim, Bea, and Dusty. 1934 they were touring the RKO vaudeville
Vaudeville
Vaudeville was a theatrical genre of variety entertainment in the United States and Canada from the early 1880s until the early 1930s. Each performance was made up of a series of separate, unrelated acts grouped together on a common bill...
circuit as the Log Cabin Mountaineers. Rhodes played banjo
Banjo
In the 1830s Sweeney became the first white man to play the banjo on stage. His version of the instrument replaced the gourd with a drum-like sound box and included four full-length strings alongside a short fifth-string. There is no proof, however, that Sweeney invented either innovation. This new...
, bass fiddle and developed his comic character. In 1960 Speck auditioned for a new television show Porter Wagoner was starting in Nashville
Nashville, Tennessee
Nashville is the capital of the U.S. state of Tennessee and the county seat of Davidson County. It is located on the Cumberland River in Davidson County, in the north-central part of the state. The city is a center for the health care, publishing, banking and transportation industries, and is home...
. Having both come from West Plains, they had a natural chemistry, and Rhodes began an association with Wagoner that would last over 20 years.
Rhodes died in 2000 and is buried at Spring Hill Cemetery in Nashville, Tennessee
Nashville, Tennessee
Nashville is the capital of the U.S. state of Tennessee and the county seat of Davidson County. It is located on the Cumberland River in Davidson County, in the north-central part of the state. The city is a center for the health care, publishing, banking and transportation industries, and is home...