David “Stringbean” Akeman
Best known for
Banjo
David "Stringbean" Akeman was a Kentucky-born clawhammer banjoist and comedian whose 1942–1945 stint in Bill Monroe's Blue Grass Boys placed him alongside the band that would soon define bluegrass — later a fixture on the Grand Ole Opry and "Hee Haw" until his and his wife's notorious 1973 murder.
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- Born David Akeman, June 17, 1915 in Annville, Kentucky; nicknamed "Stringbean" by Asa Martin for his tall, lanky frame.
- Played old-time clawhammer banjo, a style increasingly rare in commercial country by mid-century.
- Member of Bill Monroe's Blue Grass Boys 1942/1943–1945; recorded "Goodbye Old Pal" and other early bluegrass-era sides; was replaced by Earl Scruggs.
- Long-running Grand Ole Opry star and protégé of Uncle Dave Macon, whose comedic stage persona he carried forward.
- Cast member of the TV show "Hee Haw" from 1969 until his death; his "letter from home" segment became a signature bit.
- Murdered November 10, 1973 along with his wife Estelle at their home near Ridgetop, Tennessee, by cousins John A. Brown and Marvin Douglas Brown during a burglary.
- The case is one of the most infamous in country music history; John A. Brown was paroled in 2014 after 41 years.
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StringbeanPlayed on recordings with Stringbean
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Bill Monroe and His Blue Grass BoysPlayed on recordings with Bill Monroe and His Blue Grass Boys
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Mac WisemanPlayed on recordings with Mac Wiseman
