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Watch Bobby Thompson on Hee Haw
www.youtube.com/watch?v=tgW7dmG-efg
painting 2005 by Ken Hamilton
Robert Clark Thompson
July 5th, 1937 - May 18th, 2005
Bobby Thompson has a considerable musical legacy. He was in great demand as a studio musician in Nashville, recording with too many names to mention them all here, but we'll name a few:
Johnny Cash, Marty Robbins, Jim & Jesse, Hank Snow, Tammy Wynette, Elvis Presley, Carl Perkins, Jerry Lee Lewis, Loretta Lynn, Bill Monroe, Dolly Parton, Perry Como, Eddy Arnold, Les Paul, Connie Smith, Merle Haggard, Trini Lopez, the Monkees, Olivia Newton-John, Melanie, Jimmy Buffett, Dr Hook, Leon Russell, Neil Young and many others.
Bobby also played banjo on the Theme from "Hee Haw" and movie soundtracks "Coal Miners' Daughter", "Five Easy Pieces", "Smokey & the Bandit I & II", "Urban Cowboy" and others. In addition, he has played his banjo on those catchy little music "jingles" for practically every major company you can imagine.
Some of Bobby's best work was recorded with two of the best original bands to come out of Nashville. First he was a member of Area Code 615. This was the Dream Team of cutting edge musicians in Music City in the late sixties. His version of Mason William's Classical Gas is just amazing, he played banjo runs on these recordings that leave the best players in town shaking their heads still to this day. Later he became a member of the southern cult band Barefoot Jerry. With friends Wayne Moss, Charlie McCoy, Russ Hicks and others, they wrote and performed songs that were years ahead of their time.