Shotgun Red is a puppet best known as a co-host for the television talk show ''

Nashville Now ''Nashville Now'' was an American talk show that focused on country music performers in the style of ''The Tonight Show''. The show aired live on weeknights on TNN from 1983–1993. The host was Nashville TV/radio personality Ralph Emery. The sho ...

'', which aired from 1983–1993 on

The Nashville Network The Nashville Network, usually referred to as TNN, was an American country music-oriented cable television network. Programming included music videos, taped concerts, movies, game shows, syndicated programs, and numerous talk shows. On September ...

(TNN). Often appearing alongside the show's host

Ralph Emery Walter Ralph Emery (March 10, 1933 – January 15, 2022) was an American country music disc jockey, radio and television host from Nashville, Tennessee. Emery promoted numerous stars on his radio and TV shows, and was called the Dick Clark o ...

, Shotgun Red was performed by Steve Hall, a musician, comedian and voice artist who was born in

Sheldon, Iowa Sheldon is a city in O'Brien and Sioux counties in the U.S. state of Iowa, along the Floyd River. The population was 5,512 at the time of the 2020 census; it is the largest city in O'Brien County. History and culture Sheldon got its start in ...

. The puppet, best recognized for his large gray mustache and straw cowboy hat, was discovered by Hall in 1980 in a Minnesota hobby shop, where he bought it for forty dollars. Hall first used Shotgun Red as the emcee for his band at the time, ''Southbound '76''. After traveling to Nashville to compete in the final round of The Seagram's 7 battle of the bands contest, Hall and Shotgun "crashed" Ralph Emery's local morning TV show. Emery fell in love with the little puppet and later made him his co-host on ''Nashville Now''. The puppet's popularity led to the duo releasing two albums for

RCA Records RCA Records is an American record label currently owned by Sony Music Entertainment, a subsidiary of Sony Corporation of America. It is one of Sony Music's four flagship labels, alongside RCA's former long-time rival Columbia Records; also A ...

, ''Ralph & Red: Songs for Children'' and ''Christmas With Ralph & Red'' (1989). Shotgun Red went on to appear on the television variety show ''

Hee Haw ''Hee Haw'' is an American television variety show featuring country music and humor with the fictional rural "Kornfield Kounty" as the backdrop. It aired first-run on CBS from 1969 to 1971, in syndication from 1971 to 1993, and on TNN from 199 ...

'' regularly for eight years and host TNN's music video show ''Country Clips'' for six years. He appeared at the

Grand Ole Opry The ''Grand Ole Opry'' is a weekly American country music stage concert in Nashville, Tennessee, founded on November 28, 1925, by George D. Hay as a one-hour radio "barn dance" on WSM. Currently owned and operated by Opry Entertainment (a divis ...

and the puppet remained a part of ''Steve Hall's Shotgun Red Band'', which operated out of Nashville, aboard the General Jackson Showboat for 15 years and the Nashville Nightlife Dinner Theater. Hall and Shotgun Red were nominated ten times for the Music City News Comedy Act of the Year. Shotgun Red also hosted his very own television show for

RFD-TV RFD-TV is an American pay television channel owned by Rural Media Group, Inc. The channel features programming devoted to rural issues, concerns and interests. The channel's name is a reference to Rural Free Delivery, the name for the United Sta ...

for four seasons from 2011 to 2014 called "The Shotgun Red Variety Show". Hall died on December 28, 2018, at the age of 64 in his hometown of

Brainerd, Minnesota Brainerd is a city in Crow Wing County, Minnesota, United States. Its population was 14,395 at the 2020 census. It is the county seat of Crow Wing County. Brainerd straddles the Mississippi River several miles upstream from its confluence with ...

, where he was taking a trip to go ice fishing. He died of natural causes. Alongside his fiancée "Miss Sheila" Keeton, Hall started a cooking show on his YouTube channel called "Cooking with Shotgun Red" which reached over 100,000 subscribers. Since his passing, Miss Sheila and longtime band member and friend Jennifer Bruce have continued the channel.

References

External links

The TV show ''Nashville Now''The Shotgun Red Homepage
Puppets Television characters introduced in 1983 Mass media in Nashville, Tennessee Fictional cowboys and cowgirls {{Puppet-stub