Junior Samples(1926-1983)
One of the most unlikely TV stars in history, Alvin Samples, Jr., was a
carpenter by vocation and avid fisherman and teller of tall tales by
avocation. A recording of Junior's tall tales, originally made for a
radio program, was heard by Chet Atkins, who, in turn, introduced him
to country music comedian Archie Campbell. The album the two men made,
"Bull Session at Bull's Gap" on RCA, was a direct stepping stone to
both men's being signed to the "Hee Haw" television show, where they
remained regulars for years. A mammoth bear of a man, whose weight came
close to 400 pounds, Samples was still a regular on the program when he
died of a heart attack at age 57.
