James Lawrence Riddle (September 3, 1918 – December 10, 1982) was an American

country musician Country (also called country and western) is a genre of popular music that originated in the Southern and Southwestern United States in the early 1920s. It primarily derives from blues, church music such as Southern gospel and spirituals, old- ...

and multi-instrumentalist best known for his appearances on the country music and comedy television show '' Hee Haw''. He was primarily known for the vocal art of eefing.

Biography

Riddle was born in

Dyersburg, Tennessee Dyersburg is a city and the county seat of Dyer County, Tennessee, United States. It is located in northwest Tennessee, northeast of Memphis on the Forked Deer River. The population was 16,164 at the 2020 census, down 5.72% from the 2010 census. ...

and got into show business in Memphis, Tennessee at age 16 by passing the hat in a local beer joint. He moved to Texas in 1939 where he later met

Roy Acuff Roy Claxton Acuff (September 15, 1903 – November 23, 1992) was an American country music singer, fiddler, and promoter. Known as the "King of Country Music", Acuff is often credited with moving the genre from its early string band and "hoedown ...

. He joined Acuff's Smokey Mountain Boys group in 1943 and became a regular member of the band. playing harmonica, piano, and accordion, until his death. Riddle was a featured performer on '' Hee Haw'' in the late 1960s and early 1970s. One day in 1970 he and guitarist Jackie Phelps were fooling around backstage, Phelps doing the rhythmic knee-slapping known as hambone while Riddle . Co-star Junior Samples was so impressed he encouraged the two to perform the routine for the producers. "The Hambone Brothers" became a semi-regular feature of the show. In the early 1980s Riddle joined

Boxcar Willie Lecil Travis Martin (September 1, 1931 – April 12, 1999), whose stage name was Boxcar Willie, was an American country music singer-songwriter, who sang in the "old-time hobo" music style, complete with dirty face, overalls, and a floppy hat. ...

's touring band, playing the harmonica solos, but remained in Acuff's band on the Opry. Riddle died of cancer in

Nashville Nashville is the capital city of the U.S. state of Tennessee and the seat of Davidson County. With a population of 689,447 at the 2020 U.S. census, Nashville is the most populous city in the state, 21st most-populous city in the U.S., and the ...

in 1982, aged 64.

External links

Biography
at Hee Haw * * 1918 births People from Dyersburg, Tennessee Musicians from Tennessee Deaths from cancer in Tennessee 1982 deaths {{US-tv-actor-1910s-stub