Entertainer. He was a successful recording artist in the 1950s, 60s and 70s. With his baritone voice and his skills on the organ, saxophone and other instruments, he released many records and turned out such hits as "Ladder of Love" and "Lovin' Lies". Lovin' Lies went on to knock off the Brian Hyland hit "Itsy Bitsy Teenie Weenie Yellow Polkadot Bikini" as the number one song on the WILS music chart in August 1960. Not only was he a recording artist, but he also found his way onto the small screen in many capacities during the 1960s. He had a recurring role on the NBC daytime soap opera The Doctors as Dr. McKenzie. For three years, he made semi-regular appearances on The Tonight Show with Johnny Carson and Merv Griffin doing skits with Jackie Leonard and other comedians. He often portrayed his comedic down-home character Homer T Barfarkle on Hee Haw, Merv Griffin and Mayberry R.F.D. The exposure of the character on Mayberry R.F.D. led to talks of a possible spin-off comedy centering around the Barfarkle character, but he quickly dismissed the idea in favor of spending more time with his family. In 1962, he was invited to join the Harlem Globetrotters as master of ceremonies, travelling with the team and providing the halftime entertainment, which he accepted and traveled with the team for 3 years. He was responsible for pinning the nickname "Curly" on bald Harlem Globetrotters great, Curly Neal.
Entertainer. He was a successful recording artist in the 1950s, 60s and 70s. With his baritone voice and his skills on the organ, saxophone and other instruments, he released many records and turned out such hits as "Ladder of Love" and "Lovin' Lies". Lovin' Lies went on to knock off the Brian Hyland hit "Itsy Bitsy Teenie Weenie Yellow Polkadot Bikini" as the number one song on the WILS music chart in August 1960. Not only was he a recording artist, but he also found his way onto the small screen in many capacities during the 1960s. He had a recurring role on the NBC daytime soap opera The Doctors as Dr. McKenzie. For three years, he made semi-regular appearances on The Tonight Show with Johnny Carson and Merv Griffin doing skits with Jackie Leonard and other comedians. He often portrayed his comedic down-home character Homer T Barfarkle on Hee Haw, Merv Griffin and Mayberry R.F.D. The exposure of the character on Mayberry R.F.D. led to talks of a possible spin-off comedy centering around the Barfarkle character, but he quickly dismissed the idea in favor of spending more time with his family. In 1962, he was invited to join the Harlem Globetrotters as master of ceremonies, travelling with the team and providing the halftime entertainment, which he accepted and traveled with the team for 3 years. He was responsible for pinning the nickname "Curly" on bald Harlem Globetrotters great, Curly Neal.
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