Buck Trent was a country music guitarist and banjoist who played on Dolly Parton’s hit song “Jolene” and had a regular role on “Hee Haw.”
- Died: October 9, 2023 (Who else died on October 9?)
- Details of death: Died of natural causes at the age of 85.
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Buck Trent’s legacy
Trent played widely in the country music world, performing with Bill Monroe (1911–1996) and Porter Wagoner (1927–2007) in the early years of his career. He played guitar and banjo on several of Parton’s records, including on two of her best-known hits, “I Will Always Love You” and “Jolene.” In 1974, he joined the cast of the TV show “Hee Haw,” where he became known for his banjo playing and his signature phrase, “Oh yeah!” That phrase punctuated Trent’s “Talkin’ Blues” sketch, and he later revealed that he would say it when he didn’t have anything else to say to fill the end of a line.
In the 1970s, Trent and fellow banjoist Roy Clark (1933–2018) recorded two albums together, and they were twice named Instrumental Group of the Year at the Country Music Awards. The duo toured the Soviet Union in 1976, the first country musicians to do so. Beginning in the 1980s, Trent became a staple of the country music scene in Branson, Missouri, where he performed his “Buck Trent Country Music Show.” He is credited with having invented the electric banjo.
Tributes to Buck Trent
Full obituary: Tulsa World
