Dave "Stringbean" Akeman
David "Stringbean" Akeman (1915–1973) was an American old-time banjoist, singer, and country comedian. Born in Annville, Kentucky, he adopted his lifelong stage moniker from a promoter who forgot his name, a nickname reinforced by his lanky 6'5" frame and his exaggerated stage attire of a long nightshirt tucked into low-belted short blue jeans. He began his professional music career in the 1930s under the mentorship of Uncle Dave Macon and gained foundational bluegrass prominence from 1942 to 1945 as Bill Monroe’s first lead banjoist, preceding Earl Scruggs in the Blue Grass Boys. Akeman became a mainstay of the Grand Ole Opry in 1946 frequently partnering with his neighbor and fellow clawhammer banjoist Grandpa Jones. He achieved mainstream television stardom as an original cast member of Hee Haw starting in 1969. His extensive performance career tragically ended when he and his wife, Estelle, were murdered by burglars at their Ridgetop, Tennessee home following an Opry broadcast in November 1973. He was posthumously inducted into the American Banjo Museum Hall of Fame and the Kentucky Music Hall of Fame.
In the newsletter
- No. 28 January 2002