Lulu Roman, ‘Hee Haw' Star and Gospel Singer, Dies at 78
Lulu Roman played at the Grand Ole Opry in 2012.
Photo:'Hee Haw,' which premiered on CBS in 1969, was conceived as a kind of vaudeville revue for rural America: a parade of corny comedy sketches; buxom girls in pigtails, denim and gingham; and guest performances by country music A-listers—all hosted by the celebrated, cowboy-hat-wearing musicians Buck Owens and Roy Clark.
It was spun up as a summer replacement, after the network abruptly fired the Smothers Brothers for refusing to tone down the antiwar, pro-civil-rights politics of their show. With President Richard Nixon taking the White House that January, 'Hee Haw' was a hasty play to entertain the silent majority.
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