Kenny Price

Six-foot tall, 300-pound Kenny "The Round Mound of Sound" Price was best remembered for his work on the long-running television show Hee Haw; he was also a talented singer/songwriter and musician who never quite made it to the big-time, despite having 34 chart singles over his 15-year career. A native of Boone County, Kentucky, Price was raised on a ranch and began playing guitar when he was only five. He got his start at age 14 playing on WZIP, Cincinnati, but music was only a hobby; Price really aspired to be a farmer. From 1952 to 1954, Price was in the military; while stationed in Korea, he auditioned for a USO show. By the time he was discharged, Price had decided to become a professional musician and studied briefly at the Cincinnati Conservatory of Music. Later in 1954 he began playing on Midwestern Hayride at WLW Cincinnati. Three years later he was appearing on Buddy Ross' local televison show Hometown. His third single, "Walking on the New Grass," made it to the Top 10 in 1966, as did his next single "Happy Tracks." Through the rest of the '60s, Price had several medium level hits and in 1969 had a Top 20 hit with "Northeast Arkansas Mississippi County Bootlegger." This was followed by two Top 10 hits including "The Sheriff of Boone County," which made a brief appearance on the pop charts. Through 1973, he had three more minor hits and in 1976, joined Hee Haw. Price died of heart failure on August 4, 1987. ~ Sandra Brennan, Rovi