Rodney Leon Brasfield (August 22, 1910 – September 12, 1958) was an American comedian who was prominently featured on 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 div ...

from 1947 until his death in 1958. In 1987, he was inducted into the

Country Music Hall of Fame The Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum in Nashville, Tennessee, is one of the world's largest museums and research centers dedicated to the preservation and interpretation of American vernacular music. Chartered in 1964, the museum has ama ...

Life and career

Brasfield was born in Smithville, Mississippi, United States. He began his career in the late 1920s with Bisbee's Dramatic Shows, a touring tent

repertory A repertory theatre is a theatre in which a resident company presents works from a specified repertoire, usually in alternation or rotation. United Kingdom Annie Horniman founded the first modern repertory theatre in Manchester after withdrawin ...

troupe, serving as a

straight man The straight man is a stock character in a comedy performance, especially a double act, sketch comedy, or farce. When a comedy partner behaves eccentrically, the straight man is expected to maintain composure. The direct contribution to the c ...

for his older brother, actor and comedian Boob Brasfield. In 1931, he married Eleanor Humphrey, a

Hohenwald, Tennessee Hohenwald is a city in and the county seat of Lewis County, Tennessee. The population was 3,757 at the 2010 census. The name "Hohenwald" is a German word that means "High Forest". Meriwether Lewis, of the Lewis and Clark Expedition, died and ...

school teacher. Brasfield was recruited by George D. Hay for the

in 1944. With his trademark baggy suit, battered hat and rubbery face, he could make audiences laugh before he spoke a word. He soon became the primary comic on ''The Prince Albert Show'', the Opry's

NBC Radio The National Broadcasting Company's NBC Radio Network (known as the NBC Red Network prior to 1942) was an American commercial radio network which was in operation from 1926 through 2004. Along with the NBC Blue Network it was one of the first tw ...

broadcast, playing off the show’s host, Red Foley. Assuming the role of a hapless hayseed, he often poked fun at country life—always with good humor. He formed a double act in 1948 with Minnie Pearl, playing what she referred to as "double comedy", in which each of them delivered alternating punch lines and neither played the straight man. Some of these routines were broadcast on the Opry's live ABC television network show from 1955–56. He lived in Hohenwald, called himself the Hohenwald Flash, and often mentioned the local restaurant (which he once owned), the Snip-Snap-and-Bite, in his routines. Brasfield sometimes did

ventriloquist Ventriloquism, or ventriloquy, is a performance act of stagecraft in which a person (a ventriloquist) creates the illusion that their voice is coming from elsewhere, usually a puppeteered prop known as a "dummy". The act of ventriloquism is ve ...

routines with a dummy named Bocephus, after whom

Hank Williams Sr. Hank Williams (born Hiram Williams; September 17, 1923 – January 1, 1953) was an American singer, songwriter, and musician. Regarded as one of the most significant and influential American singers and songwriters of the 20th century, he reco ...

nicknamed his then-infant son Hank Williams Jr.; and also did comedy with June Carter. In March 1956, Brasfield appeared with

Elvis Presley Elvis Aaron Presley (January 8, 1935 – August 16, 1977), or simply Elvis, was an American singer and actor. Dubbed the " King of Rock and Roll", he is regarded as one of the most significant cultural figures of the 20th century. His ener ...

at Atlanta's Fox Theatre. In '' A Face in the Crowd'' (1957) he played Andy Griffith’s ex-con sidekick, and appeared in ''

Country Music Holiday ''Country Music Holiday'' is a 1958 American musical film directed by Alvin Ganzer and written by Harry Spalding. The film stars Ferlin Husky, Zsa Zsa Gabor, Rocky Graziano, Faron Young, Al Fisher, Lou Marks and June Carter Cash. The film was ...

'' (1958).

Heart failure Heart failure (HF), also known as congestive heart failure (CHF), is a syndrome, a group of signs and symptoms caused by an impairment of the heart's blood pumping function. Symptoms typically include shortness of breath, excessive fatigue, ...

combined with an ongoing problem with alcohol abuse, led to his death at age 48 in 1958 in

Martin, Tennessee Martin is a city in Weakley County, Tennessee, United States. The population was 11,473 according to the 2010 census. The city is the home of the University of Tennessee at Martin. History Martin is named for Captain William Martin. Willia ...

. He is buried in Smithville.

Filmography

References

Other sources

* ''Encyclopedia of Country Music'', Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum (Oxford University Press) * Faye, Byron "Remembering Rod Brasfield", ''FayFair's Opry Blog'', August 22, 2011 * ''Rod Brasfield - Smithville'' at the Mississippi Country Music Trail

External links

At the Country Music Hall of Fame
* {{DEFAULTSORT:Brasfield, Rod 1910 births 1958 deaths American country singer-songwriters American male comedians American radio personalities Country Music Hall of Fame inductees Grand Ole Opry members People from Monroe County, Mississippi Singer-songwriters from Mississippi People from Hohenwald, Tennessee 20th-century American comedians 20th-century American singers Country musicians from Tennessee Country musicians from Mississippi Singer-songwriters from Tennessee