Buck died last Saturday. I don't know if there are any country music fans here but Buck was a true music legend and his influence has been underestimated. He was a dj in Puyallup for a time. One of his sidemen, Don Rich, was from Tacoma and Merle Haggard played bass for the Buckaroos for a time.
Last night on the KEXP program, Swinging Doors, between 7:00 pm and 8:00 pm, Don Slack played an hour of Buck's music. The programs are archived for two weeks so if you have any interest in this legend, give it a listen. Go to KEXP.org and look for the streaming archives.
I got interested in his music while in the Navy. In 1966, when I was in Japan, one of the senior enlisted men and his wife would invite some of us young guys over for the weekend. After dinner, we'd listen to Buck and drink Jim Beam. Sometimes, his Japanese landlord would stop by to join us. He'd just grin, point at the turntable, give us a thumbs up and hit the Beam again. Music cuts across cultural lines when we don't expect it.

I grew up watchin' Hee Haw. Though as an aspiring guitar player I was more interested in Roy Clark... I enjoyed Buck's tunes and thought he was a great co-host.

I've found myself really getting into country music the last few years. Long live "The Bakersfield sound".