I enjoyed watching him on Hee Haw when I was a kid, and I was always impressed when they did a segment that showcased his musical talent.
When I was in kindergarten, my parents decided on my behalf that I should take violin lessons. I didn’t know what a violin was, so my parents showed me a guy playing one on Hee Haw. I can’t remember if Roy was playing, but the guy was really “playin’ it hot,” and it looked like a lot of fun.
At my first lesson, the teacher presented me my violin, and I immediately started playing it like crazy. In my brain, I sounded just like the guy on Hee Haw, but I suppose I didn’t.
The teacher grabbed both of my hands to stop the noise, and he showed me how to play an open A note. I found that to be quite boring, as compared to my own freestyle playing. I never did get good enough to play the really cool stuff.