Junior Samples

Country comedian Junior Samples earned widespread affection as a longtime fixture on Hee Haw, where audiences came to recognize him through rambling anecdotes, a thick and often muddled drawl, playful mangling of everyday speech, and his signature pair of overalls. Born Alvin Samples on April 10, 1926, in Cumming, Georgia, he left school after sixth grade and stumbled into comedy in 1966 when his son brought home a sizable fish head. Samples described the find to friends as the remains of a 22-pound, 9-ounce bass that would have shattered the existing world record. The state Fish and Game Commission invited him onto a radio program for an interview, during which his fabrication became obvious; nevertheless, the host found the exchange so amusing that he aired the segment repeatedly, sparking an enthusiastic listener reaction. Chart Records set the recorded exchange to music and issued it as the single “World’s Biggest Whopper,” which climbed close to the country Top 50 in 1967. The exposure led to further radio and television appearances, prompting the label to release the full-length comedy album The World of Junior Samples. In 1968 Chart followed with Bull Session at Bull’s Gap. The next year, shortly after Hee Haw debuted, Samples joined its cast. He quickly became a standout, punctuating his monologues with harmonica interludes, deliberate misreadings of cue cards, and an extended bit as a used-car salesman. To take advantage of his growing visibility, Chart issued the 1970 album That’s a Hee Haw. From that point forward Samples devoted himself chiefly to television work, remaining a Hee Haw regular until his death on November 13, 1983.