A Genius Rendition of “Malagueña” By Roy Clark

Many readers may remember Roy Clark as the famous country picker who did so much to popularize the genre as a performer onstage and, in the Seventies, on the TV show Hee Haw.

In fact, if you’re old enough, you may recall seeing Roy make an appearance on the Seventies sitcom The Odd Couple, starring Jack Klugman and Tony Randall. During the show’s Roy Clark episode, which originally aired February 14, 1975, Clark showed his range and virtuosity on guitar with a performance of “Malagueña,” by Cuban composer Ernesto Lecuona, as Tony Randall and Jack Klugman looked on, not really knowing how to react.

The song was written in 1928 and originally the sixth movement of Lecuona’s Suite Andalucia.  Countless guitarists over the decades covered the song.  They include Brian Setzer in his brilliant Ignition! album.

Take a trip down memory lane and watch it again in the clip below.

Back in 1971, Roy Clark and the Hee Haw Show was in its last year but still very popular. The show featured Roy Clark, Buck Owens and a whole pile of characters depicting the comedy and music of Nashville and the Southern USA.

Probably, most of us have this list on our favorite shows. Bobby Thompson for those of you that don’t know was the banjo player on that intro song.

Roy Clark, who also plays banjo really is first, a guitarist.

“Malagueña”

“Malagueña” is often performed in drum and bugle corps and marching competitions. Both the University of Massachusetts Minuteman Marching Band and the University of Minnesota Marching Band performed and recorded the song numerous times. Eventually, the song became one of the groups’ identity. The Madison Scouts Drum and Bugle Corps did one of the most memorable drums and bugle corps performances of the song. That was in 1988. They then earned them the Drum Corps International championship title. This has continued to be a fan favorite of drum and bugle corps.

Here at Country Daily, our favorite traditional country artists are our items. We welcome you to suggest songs that can be featured on this site. Because here at Country Daily, we are keepin’ it country!