Don Rich

Guitarist, fiddler, singer, songwriter

Born in 1941 in Olympia, Wash.; died in 1974

• Plays lead guitar for Ted Mitchell at age 15

• In 1958, meets Buck Owens, who has moved to Tacoma. The two play together at dances and on a Tacoma-area TV program, with Don primarily playing fiddle

• Quits college and moves to Bakersfield in December 1960, rejoining Buck, who had returned to California six months earlier following his first successes for Capitol Records

• Forms the Buckaroos with Owens in 1961; “You’re for Me” and “Kickin’ Our Hearts Around” among first hits

• Rich and the Buckaroos make a number of albums on their own, including “The Buckaroos Play the Hits,” an all-instrumental collection released in April 1971. Rich releases his own LP, “Fiddlin’ Man,” a few months later. By now, however, he is better known for his virtuoso ability on the guitar

• Rich becomes a national celebrity thanks to “Hee Haw,” starring his boss and primary collaborator

• Rich is killed on July 17, 1974, en route to meet his family in Morro Bay, when his motorcycle strikes a highway divider. He is a month shy of his 33rd birthday