Roy Linwood Clark (April 15, 1933 – November 15, 2018) was an American sing… Read Full Bio ↴Roy Linwood Clark (April 15, 1933 – November 15, 2018) was an American singer and musician. He is best known for hosting Hee Haw, a nationally televised country variety show, from 1969 to 1997. Roy Clark has been an important and influential figure in country music, both as a performer and helping to popularize the genre.
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.

Just a Closer Walk with Thee
Roy Clark Lyrics

Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴

I am weak but thou art strong,
Jesus, keep me from all wrong,
I'll be satisfied as long
As I walk, let me walk close to thee.

Just a closer walk to Thee,
Jesus grant my humble plea!
Daily walking close to thee,

Let it be, dear Lord, let it be.

Through this world of toils and snares,
If I falter Lord, who cares,
Who with me my burden shares?
None but thee, my dear Lord, none but thee.

Just a closer walk to Thee,
Jesus grant my humble plea!
Daily walking close to thee,
Let it be, dear Lord, let it be.

When the journey here is o'er,
Time for me will be no more,
Guide me to thy distant shore,
To thy shore, O dear Lord, to thy shore.

Just a closer walk to Thee,
Jesus grant my humble plea!

Daily walking close to thee,
Let it be, dear Lord, let it be.

Overall Meaning

Roy Clark's song, "Just A Closer Walk With Thee," is a gospel hymn that portrays an individual's desire to be close to Jesus, and to walk with Him on this earthly journey. Throughout the lyrics, the individual acknowledges their weakness and their reliance on Jesus to keep them from all wrong. The lyrics exude humility and a daily yearning for a closer relationship with Jesus Christ. The singer acknowledges that they are walking in a world full of toils and snares, and without Jesus' guidance, they would falter. The song ends with an acknowledgment that when the journey of life is over, the ultimate destination is to be with Jesus in paradise.

Roy Clark's vocal performance of "Just A Closer Walk With Thee" is a heartfelt and emotional rendition of the song. The lyrics are even more meaningful when considering that it was written by a person (author unknown) who recognizes their own limitations and vulnerabilities while seeking to be closer to God. The song encourages listeners to walk with Jesus and to seek His guidance in their spiritual journey.

Line by Line Meaning

I am weak but thou art strong,
I acknowledge my weaknesses, but I trust in your strength, dear Jesus, to protect me from all harm and evil.

Jesus, keep me from all wrong,
I humbly ask for your guidance and protection, dear Jesus, to keep me from straying away from a righteous path.

I'll be satisfied as long
I will live a contented life, dear Jesus, as long as I stay close to you and follow your teachings.

As I walk, let me walk close to thee.
I pray to be always close to you, dear Jesus, as I journey through life in faith and love.

Just a closer walk to Thee,
My fervent desire, dear Jesus, is to draw nearer to you every day, O Lord.

Jesus grant my humble plea!
I beseech you, dear Jesus, to grant my prayer to walk closer to you and live a righteous life.

Daily walking close to thee,
I commit myself, dear Jesus, to walking with you every day of my life, in faith and obedience.

Let it be, dear Lord, let it be.
I surrender myself to your will, dear Jesus, and pray that I may always be close to you and walk in your ways.

Through this world of toils and snares,
This life, dear Jesus, is full of hardships and obstacles, but with you by my side, I can overcome them all.

If I falter Lord, who cares,
In moments of weakness or doubt, dear Jesus, I know that you will always be there for me, to uplift and guide me.

Who with me my burden shares?
No one else, dear Jesus, can understand and share my struggles and burdens like you, my faithful Lord.

None but thee, my dear Lord, none but thee.
You alone, dear Jesus, are my true companion and source of strength, in this life and the hereafter.

When the journey here is o'er,
When my earthly journey comes to an end, dear Jesus, I trust that my soul will rest in your loving embrace.

Time for me will be no more,
In the end, dear Jesus, time and worldly possessions will lose all their value, and only a life of faith and love will truly matter.

Guide me to thy distant shore,
Lead me, dear Jesus, to the eternal paradise and peace of your heavenly kingdom, where I can dwell in your presence forevermore.

To thy shore, O dear Lord, to thy shore.
I long for that blessed shore, dear Jesus, where I can reunite with you and all the faithful who have walked before me, and praise your holy name for all eternity.

Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC
Written by: ROY CLARK

Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind

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