Roy Clark, our good friend

The first time I met Roy Clark was pretty funny. I had known General Yeager about 10 months. We were at the Safari Club Convention in Reno attending their black tie dinner. Gen Yeager said: Oh, Roy’s a friend of mine, come on. I thought, oh these famous people, they’re all “friends”.

We went backstage and to the “green room” which was just an big area behind a curtain. Roy looked up when we were still 30 feet away and yelled: CHUCK! HI, my ol’ friend.”

I thought, “Whoo-oops. Guess they are friends, ” glad I kept my thoughts to myself.

Gen Y introduced us – Roy was very gracious. We all chatted for awhile – really they chatted and I happily listened.

We left to let him get ready to perform and to take our dinner table seats. We happened to have the last two seats at the President’s table which were front row for the show.

Roy and his band came out. He was excellent. In the middle, he told some jokes and then said, “This song is for my good friend Chuck Yeager and Victoria.” Wow! He remembered my name having only heard it once! I know it was a great song but I sure don’t remember it – I was still impressed about his memory and generosity.

He apparently had played at the Nevada County Fair many years before and Gen Yeager had done a fly over.

The next time I remember seeing Roy was around 2002 maybe in Tulsa at a General Aviation airport nearby. His wife came with  him. VERY nice gal with a lot of good sense. We all sat and watched some of the air show. Gen Yeager and I had flown a T-6 in.

I noticed Roy’s sharp, brilliant, blue eyes. His wife agreed. Roy told me he was brought up in Virginia and poor so felt a kinship with Gen Yeager. That and he also likes to fly, hunt, and fish.

Roy also told me about participating in the One Shot Antelope Hunt in Wyoming. He knew if he had just waited another second, he would have nailed that antelope. He told that story as if it was happening right then. Hunters and fisherman are like that.

The Clarks had a prior engagement that night so we didn’t see him at dinner. Dinner was at a home that was very Gothic. Fascinating but a bit too dark in feel for me to ever feel comfortable living there. It suited the hostess.

Then Roy invited us to his 70th birthday party – 50 years of marriage, 60 years of show business (yes he started very young). It worked out for our schedule because we were supposed to be in Dallas just before.

However, getting to Tulsa was a challenge – they had a very bad snow and ice storm. Our friends, who sell luggage, took us to the country club for lunch – sooo nice of them.

It took some time to get  to the event that evening due to the ice but boy are we glad we came to Tulsa and got to the evening’s festivities.

They were a fundraiser for the Roy Clark Elementary School in Tulsa’s Union School District which was a great idea. So dinner was in the school cafeteria, a bright and open space. We ate with Roy and his wife. What fun! The dinner was delicious – down home barbecue.

Then the show. A Hee Haw reunion plus Chuck Yeager. It was fantastic!

Several people got up to talk about Roy. Gen Yeager got up and told about Roy flying with him in the P-51 and he wouldn’t get out – so they went up again. And a few more stories.

When Chuck sat down, Roy called out: “Let me tell you about Chuck Yeager! His commander said, ‘We don’t have enough Aces,  we need more Aces in our squadron. So Chuck went out and shot down 5 Germans in a day on one mission. That’s Chuck!” (And Chuck did shoot down 5 in one day, 4 in another).

Lulu got up to talk. She said, “Don’t I look gooo-ooood.” And she did a slow pirouette. The crowd roared. She looked good but certainly wasn’t petite. Well. I was told later, compared to what she looked like on Hee Haw, she was down right anorexic. I vaguely remembered seeing her as I was flipping through channels when there were only 3-6. She had become a minister. She told the story that they had put out a casting call for a fat girl. And she fit the bill then. And to play dumb. She loved it. She loved working with Roy.

I got copies of the program and was soooo sorry no one had taped it. But it was fun – and the crowd loved it. Raised a bit of money for the school, too.

The next day we headed home.

I invited Roy to General Yeager’s 80th birthday party and he tried to get there – flying himself – he owned a Stearman and a modern plane (can’t remember which one) but the weather didn’t cooperate. Darn!

The next time we saw Roy (although we keep watching his website www.royclark.orgto see if he’s playing where we’ll be)…I had called to see if he’d come as a guest (not necessarily to perform) to Chuck’s 85th birthday party. It was originally going to be in Las Vegas – some people said they would handle it all as a fundraiser but they….well, frankly, they lied.

Ultimately that was fortunate. We had it at Beale AFB. And it was spectacular!

Before we figured out we wouldn’t be in Las Vegas, Roy’s manager scheduled him to be in that vicinity – Arizona – at that time so he could come.

When we switched, we organized some friends to pick Roy up in their plane and bring him to the party and then deliver him back for the show. Roy graciously invited them to the show, too, so they spent the night in Arizona.

I had tried to keep some items as surprises for Chuck for his birthday party. But I realized that for him, the planning is as fun as the event. So each week leading up to the party, I told him one more surprise. He loved it. Couldn’t believe I was pulling all this together.

I had asked Roy – or told him that Chuck had said, I hope Roy plays Malaguena. And suggested if he wanted to, we’d love it.

At the party, which was one of the best ever, Roy came in and his musical director told me that the driver had driven off with the guitar in the back. Since Roy was coming back the same day, the driver forgot there was a piece of luggage in the back. I went to the Vice Commander and said I need a guitar, I’ll even buy one. He looked at me like I had grown two heads.

I went to the Chief MSgt. His reaction? “Okay.” And he left. He was back in 10 minutes with a guitar. A friend of his had just bought one. Wow. He earned his lunch.

Roy led the Happy Birthday to the relief of the Vice Commander.

And after the cake and the Oakland Raiders got up to razz Chuck (made him an honorary soul brother), Roy’s musical director, having tuned the guitar, brought it over to Roy. He looked up and asked, “Is it okay?” Richard, the musical director, nodded and gave it to him.

Roy played Malaguena. Wow! And he was having a blast too. I’m sure if I had asked for another, he would have – I was thinking I’d love to hear his voice! – esp since we’re here without amplification. But I didn’t want to overstep. What was sooo exciting, was his enjoyment – he easily brought the rest of us with him. What a birthday present for Chuck!

Later, Roy said, I wish I’d known it was new, I would have done some hand exercises. Oops, I thought – I hope he didn’t hurt his million dollar hands. Yikes!

He was quite happy to be a part of the whole celebration.

We listen to his CDs all the time especially when we go on long drives. Just great! And “Yesterday” gets better as we get older. Funny about that – I met the composer of it ages ago – Charles Aznevour, French, of Armenian descent. I liked him too – anyone who can compose that song. Wow. He had a deal with a director I knew – don’t think the film ever happened.

Roy and we have gotten together since and I sure hope we do sp again soon. What a spectacular fellow and great musician.

c. GCYI