From Wikipedia the free encyclopedia Roy Linwood Clark April 15 1933 November 15 2018 was an American singer and musician He is best known for having hosted Hee Haw a nationally televised country variety show from 1969 to 1997 Clark was an important and influential figure in country music both as a performer and in helping to popularize the genre During the 1970s Clark frequently guesthosted for Johnny Carson on The Tonight Show and enjoyed a 30million viewership for Hee Haw Clark was highly regarded and renowned as a guitarist banjo player and fiddler He was skilled in the traditions of many genres including classical guitar country music Latin music bluegrass and pop He had hit songs as a pop vocalist eg Yesterday When I Was Young and Thank God and Greyhound and his instrumental skill had an enormous effect on generations of bluegrass and country musicians Clark became a member of the Grand Ole Opry in 1987 and in 2009 was inducted into the Country Music Hall of Fame He published his autobiography My Life in Spite of Myself in 1994