During the 1970s, Clark frequently guest-hosted for Johnny Carson on The Tonight Show and enjoyed a 30-million viewership for Hee Haw. Clark is highly regarded and renowned as a guitarist and banjo player, and is also skilled on classical guitar and several other instruments. Although he has had hit songs as a pop vocalist (e.g., "Yesterday, When I Was Young" and "Thank God and Greyhound"), his instrumental skill has had an enormous effect on generations of bluegrass and country musicians. He was a member of the Grand Ole Opry since 1987 and, in 2009, was inducted into the Country Music Hall of Fame.
Clark was born in Meherrin, Virginia. Roy also grew up in Staten Island, New York and lived as a teenager in southeast Washington, D.C., where his father worked at the Washington Navy Yard. At 14, Clark began playing banjo, guitar, and mandolin, and by age 15 he had already won two National Banjo Championships and world banjo/guitar flatpick championships. He was simultaneously pursuing a sporting career, first as a baseball player and then as a boxer, before dedicating himself solely to music. At 17, he had his first appearance on the Grand Ole Opry.
At the age of 23, Clark obtained his pilot's license and then bought a 1953 Piper Tri-Pacer (N1132C), which he flew for many years. This plane was raffled off on December 17, 2012, to benefit the charity Wings of Hope. He has owned other planes, including a Mitsubishi MU-2, Stearman PT-17 and Mitsubishi MU-300 Diamond 1A bizjet.
By 1955, he was a regular on Jimmy Dean's Washington, D.C., television program. Dean, who valued punctuality among musicians in his band, the Texas Wildcats, fired Clark for habitual tardiness, telling him, "You're the most talented person I've ever fired." Clark married Barbara Joyce Rupard on August 31, 1957. In 1960, Clark went out to Las Vegas, where he worked as a guitarist in a band led by former West Coast Western Swing bandleader-comedian Hank Penny. During the very early 1960s, he was also prominent in the backing band for Wanda Jackson—known as the Party Timers—during the latter part of her rockabilly period.
When Dean was tapped to host The Tonight Show in the early 1960s, he asked Clark to appear, introducing him to a national audience for the first time. Subsequently, Clark appeared on The Beverly Hillbillies as a recurring character (actually two: he played businessman Roy Halsey and Roy's mother, Myrtle). Once, in an episode of the Sunday evening Jackie Gleason Show dedicated to country music, Clark played a blistering rendition of "Down Home". Later, he appeared in an episode of The Odd Couple, where he played "Malagueña".
In 1963, Clark signed to Capitol Records and had three top ten hits. He switched to Dot Records and again scored hits. He later recorded for ABC Records, which had acquired Dot, and MCA Records, which absorbed the ABC label.
In the mid '60s, he was a co-host (along with Molly Bee and Rusty Draper) of a weekday daytime country variety series for NBC entitled "Swingin' Country", which was cancelled after two seasons. In 1969, Clark and Buck Owens were the hosts of Hee Haw. The show was dropped by CBS Television in 1971 but continued to run in syndication for 21 more years. During its tenure, Clark was a member of the Million Dollar Band and participated in a host of comedy sketches. In 1983, Clark opened the Roy Clark Celebrity Theatre in Branson, Missouri, becoming the first country music star to have his own venue there, thus beginning a trend which led to Branson becoming a center of live music performance, as it is today. Many of the celebrities who play in Branson first performed at the Roy Clark Celebrity Theatre.
Clark frequently played in Branson during the 1980s and 1990s. He has since sold the venue (now owned by the Hughes Brothers and renamed the Hughes American Family Theatre) and gone back to a fairly light touring schedule, which usually includes a performance with Ramona Jones and the Jones Family Band at their annual tribute to Clark's old Hee Haw co-star Grandpa Jones in Mountain View, Arkansas.
In addition to his musical skill, Clark has often displayed his talents as a comedian and actor. During his years on Hee Haw, Clark entertained with numerous comedy sketches, including a recurring feature where he played the reservation desk clerk of the "Empty Arms Hotel". Clark released several albums of his comedic performances, to varying critical acclaim and commercial success.
Clark endorsed Mosrite, Gretsch, and many other brands of guitars during his career. He also endorsed Heritage Guitars, which makes a Roy Clark model. On August 22, 1987, Clark was made a member of the Grand Ole Opry. He played an annual benefit concert at Longwood University in Farmville, Virginia, the proceeds of which go to fund scholarships for aspiring musicians.
Clark was married to his wife Barbara whom he married in 1957 and they have 4 children.
For many years Clark has made his home in Tulsa, Oklahoma. Roy Clark Elementary School in Tulsa's Union School District was named in his honor in 1978. Fellow Oklahoma resident Mickey Mantle arranged for Clark to sing "Yesterday When I Was Young" at his funeral (which Clark did in 1995).
Clark died at his home in Tulsa due to complications of pneumonia, on November 15, 2018, aged 85.
Clark published an autobiography, My Life in Spite of Myself, in 1994.
On May 17, 2009, Clark was inducted into the Country Music Hall of Fame along with Barbara Mandrell and Charlie McCoy. On September 23, 2010, Clark sang "God Bless America" during the seventh-inning stretch at Dodger Stadium in a game featuring the Los Angeles Dodgers versus the San Diego Padres. On April 12, 2011, Clark was honored by the Oklahoma House of Representatives. He was honored by the Oklahoma Music Hall of Fame as Oklahoma's Music Ambassador for Children and presented with a commendation from Oklahoma Governor Mary Fallin. In 2007, he was inducted into the Cheyenne Frontier Days Hall of Fame.
God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen
Roy Clark Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Let nothing you dismay
Remember Christ our savior
Was born on Christmas day
To save us all from Satan's power
When we were gone astray
O tidings of comfort and joy
O tidings of comfort and joy
From God our heavenly father
A blessed angel came
And unto certain shepherds
Brought tidings of the same
How that in Bethlehem was born
The son of god by name
O tidings of comfort and joy
Comfort and joy
O tidings of comfort and joy
"Fear not", then said the angel
"Let nothing you afright
This day is born a Savior
Of virtue, power, and might
So frequently to vanquish all
The friends of Satan quite"
O tidings of comfort and joy
Comfort and joy
O tidings of comfort and joy
The shepherds at those tidings
Rejoiced much in mind
And left their flocks a-feeding
In tempest, storm, and wind
And went to Bethlehem straightway
This blessed babe to find
O tidings of comfort and joy
Comfort and joy
O tidings of comfort and joy
But when to Bethlehem they came
Whereat this infant lay
They found him in a manger
Where oxen feed on hay
His mother Mary kneeling
Unto the Lord did pray
O tidings of comfort and joy
Comfort and joy
O tidings of comfort and joy
Now to the Lord sing praises
All you within this place
And with true love and brotherhood
Each other now embrace
This holy tide of Christmas
All others doth deface
O tidings of comfort and joy
Comfort and joy
O tidings of comfort and joy
The lyrics of "God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen" tell the story of the birth of Jesus in Bethlehem. The song begins with reassuring words: "God rest you merry gentlemen Let nothing you dismay." The singer encourages the listener not to be worried, as Christ our savior was born on Christmas Day to save us all from Satan's power. The purpose of this song is to bring peace to the listener's heart and to remind them of the hope of salvation that was born with the birth of Jesus Christ.
The lyrics speak of the blessed angel who brings the good news to certain shepherds in Bethlehem. They were informed that a son of God had been born in the city, and was lying in a manger. The angel reassured them not to be afraid as a savior had been born, who would be able to vanquish all the friends of Satan. The shepherds were filled with joy and went to visit the newborn baby.
When the shepherds arrived in Bethlehem, they found the baby in a manger, with his mother Mary kneeling beside him. The song ends with the exhortation to sing praises to the Lord and embrace each other in love and brotherhood, for Christmas is a time of comfort, joy, and salvation.
Line by Line Meaning
God rest you merry gentlemen
May God give you peace and rest, gentlemen
Let nothing you dismay
Don't be discouraged by anything
Remember Christ our savior
Keep in mind that Jesus Christ is our savior
Was born on Christmas day
He was born on the day we celebrate as Christmas
To save us all from Satan's power
He came to rescue us from the control of Satan
When we were gone astray
When we had wandered away from the right path
O tidings of comfort and joy
These are joyful tidings of comfort
From God our heavenly father
An angel sent by our heavenly father
A blessed angel came
A holy angel arrived
And unto certain shepherds
To certain group of shepherds
Brought tidings of the same
Supplied them with the same good news
How that in Bethlehem was born
That Jesus was born in Bethlehem
The son of god by name
Who is the son of God
Fear not", then said the angel
"Do not be afraid," the angel said
Let nothing you afright
Don't let anything frighten you
This day is born a Savior
On this day, a savior is born
Of virtue, power, and might
Who is full of excellence, power, and strength
So frequently to vanquish all
To frequently overcome all
The friends of Satan quite
All of Satan's allies
The shepherds at those tidings
The shepherds who received this news
Rejoiced much in mind
Were overjoyed in their minds
And left their flocks a-feeding
And left their sheep feeding
In tempest, storm, and wind
Despite the bad weather
And went to Bethlehem straightway
They immediately went to Bethlehem
This blessed babe to find
To find this blessed baby
But when to Bethlehem they came
But when they arrived in Bethlehem
Whereat this infant lay
Where this baby was lying
They found him in a manger
They found him in a feeding trough
Where oxen feed on hay
Where the cattle were eating hay
His mother Mary kneeling
His mother Mary was kneeling
Unto the Lord did pray
She prayed to the Lord
Now to the Lord sing praises
Sing praises to the Lord now
All you within this place
All of you within this vicinity
And with true love and brotherhood
And with genuine love and brotherly affection
Each other now embrace
Embrace one another now
This holy tide of Christmas
This holy season of Christmas
All others doth deface
Defeats everything else
Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC
Written by: Traditional
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind