Hee Haw Howd they do it?

John McGuire · Post by **John McGuire** » 5 Jul 2009 4:52 pm

I watch Hee Haw every week and was wondering how they did the music. Some artist it is obvious they are lip syncing, no guitar cords, mics, etc. The Buckaroos always have cables and cords and Buck changes the song a wee bit from the record. How did they do it. Sorry if I posted in the wrong section.

Larry Jamieson · Post by **Larry Jamieson** » 5 Jul 2009 5:16 pm

Hee Haw was one of the first shows to be edited together from scenes which were shot separately, then edited together on video tape to make an hour length show.

It is very difficult to mike several different instruments and vocalists, and get a good mix and balance in a tv studio without spending some time doing it. So, some artists just pretend to play, and lip sync to a record being played in the studio. The show gets a good sound, and the taping is done quickly.

Other artists may not want to go that way, so they have to take the time to set up mikes for everything, do a sound check, then record live, and re-record if any glaring mistakes are made during the take.

I speak from several years experience as a television producer/director. Some of the artists who actually appeared on Hee Haw may want to add their comments...

Larry J.

John McGuire · Post by **John McGuire** » 6 Jul 2009 8:49 am

Thanks Larry. Never notice things like guitar cables and such when I was a kid. I guess all the years that Buck did his Ranch Shows he was more comfortable or insistant on recording in the TV studio.

John Billings · Post by **John Billings** » 6 Jul 2009 9:03 am

My best friend was a post-production editor at TNN since before they went on the air, until it's demise. He was always on the Hee Haw crew. The first time I visited him at work, he was adding the timpani sound when the two fat guys bumped tummies!

Richard Bass · Post by **Richard Bass** » 6 Jul 2009 1:50 pm

Over the yrs working with Faron Young we did Hee Haw quite a few times and always live.
Richard

Mike Jones · Post by **Mike Jones** » 6 Jul 2009 7:12 pm

When I was with Mandrell, we always played live to the studio audience. most times we got the take in the first pass. Hee Haw was filmed at the Opry house in the TV Studio part of it in the later years, before that it was filmed in the WLAC channel 5 studio's in downtown Nashville. The Opry studio was where Pop goes the Country & the Statlers Brothers show was also filmed along with That Nashville Music. At one time that was a busy studio.
Damn I miss those days.

Cookie

Bill Fisher · Post by **Bill Fisher** » 6 Jul 2009 9:08 pm

John: With reference to the Buck Owens "Ranch" shows, I was there for most every one of them, and yes, they were ALL recorded live. Make a mistake? Do it again. That's how it was.

Bill

John McGuire · Post by **John McGuire** » 7 Jul 2009 6:06 am

Thanks for the replies!

Cal Sharp · Post by **Cal Sharp** » 7 Jul 2009 8:23 am

Don Rich was playing fiddle on a song on "Hee Haw" and tucked it under his arm and walked over to the mic to sing harmony with Buck and you could still hear fiddle music. Jerry Brightman used to grin at the camera during his whole solo. Fake, fake, fake, fake.

I don't much care for canned music. I know it's cost effective to lip and finger sync to a track on a TV show, but it just ain't real, folks.

I've seen a few Wilburn Bros. shows where Loretta didn't come in when she was supposed to after Hal's intro and where she broke time. (Ya gotta love those girl singers.) That's part of the charm of live music.

Norman Granz, who produced Joe Pass, was known to use a take where Joe fluffed a note, just because everything else was so great.

And Buddy Emmons can make a mistake the highlight of the song.

Richard, remember the stage director on "Hee Haw" counting 4-3-2-1 while Cootie was counting 3-4-1-2?

Richard Bass · Post by **Richard Bass** » 7 Jul 2009 1:10 pm

I remember that Cal. Took many false starts before I kicked the song off right. My brain was definitely befuddled.

Rick Campbell · Post by **Rick Campbell** » 7 Jul 2009 1:43 pm

Cal Sharp wrote: I don't much care for canned music. I know it's cost effective to lip and finger sync to a track on a TV show, but it just ain't real, folks.

Reckon why you never see Jimmy Dickins singing to tracks?

I love Jimmy. Nobody can sing a ballad like he can.

Tiny Olson · Post by **Tiny Olson** » 10 Jul 2009 7:48 pm

Mike, Cal & Richard:
Yeah, those days of doing it live were fun. We too did Hee Haw and the others quite a few times with Watson and it was allways live and pretty much one-take.
One time, at the old channel 5 studio we were the first of the day to record and had to be there at 6:00 am. We had done a Capitol Records show the night before at The Parthanon and didn't get out of there 'til around 2:00 am. I think that was in '77 or '78.

Chris "Tiny" O.

James Cann · Post by **James Cann** » 11 Jul 2009 7:51 am

I don't much care for canned music.

Here we go again. Take it from one who knows canned music as George Hamilton knows toasty: it's an acquired taste.

Cheers!

Charles Davidson · Post by **Charles Davidson** » 11 Jul 2009 9:46 am

Was talking to Roni Stoneman one time,she was telling me some of the stories about Hee Haw,She said one time her and Roy were sitting around between tapings they started playing their banjos together,she was playing MORE hot licks than he was,One of her friends came over upset,told Roni DON'T do that again,you embarrased Roy,She said I was so naive I didnt know that.The next time they taped the sketch where several banjo pickers [including Roy] where on these hay bales,when she came in to do the thing,they directed her to a spot off to the side of the hay bales,told her to stand there,had a piece of tape on the strings of her banjo so all she could do was stand there and grin.She said she was afraid she may get fired . She said she and Roy were always good friends and don't think he did that,but his manager did.She said that taught her a lesson,NEVER upstage the star. DYK?BC.