1. Donald Eugene Ulrich, best known by the stage name Don Rich, was an American country musician who helped develop the Bakersfield sound in the early 1960s.
28 Facts About Don Rich
1. 2.
Don Rich was a noted guitarist and fiddler, and a member of The Buckaroos, the backing band of Don's best friend, country singer Buck Owens.
3.
Don Rich's parents began teaching Don the fiddle as early as age three, his father building a small scale violin for him to play.
4.
Don Rich's parents entered him in numerous talent contests and had him playing at various events.
5.
Don Rich formed an early rock-and-roll band called the Blue Comets with his friends, drummer Greg Hawkins and pianist Steve Anderson.
6.
Buck Owens, who was living in Tacoma while working at radio station KAYE, attended one of his shows and immediately went to speak with him; Don Rich was playing fiddle with Owens at local venues.
7.
Owens tried to convince Don Rich to come with him to Bakersfield, but Don Rich opted to go to Centralia College, where he served as a music tutor; he continued playing local venues.
8.
Don Rich returned to Washington to escort Marlane to Nevada, where they married.
9.
Owens and Don Rich toured somewhat haphazardly, throwing Owens' acoustic guitar and Don Rich's fiddle into the back of Owens' old Ford pickup and hopping from bar to bar, dance hall to dance hall, playing with whomever musicians they could find.
10.
Up to that point, Owens had stuck to the Texas Shuffle style, with Don Rich playing the role of the "lonesome fiddler".
11.
Owens was initially unimpressed, but Don Rich liked it, and they recorded it with The Buckaroos on February 12,1963.
12.
Owens and Don Rich followed "Act Naturally" with another 'freight train' rhythm song, "Love's Gonna Live Here", which spent 16 weeks at number one.
13.
Don Rich played an excellent ride on "My Heart Skips a Beat", and Tom Brumley played what has been called one of the greatest steel-guitar solos ever on "Together Again".
14.
Don Rich hired Willie Cantu, a young Texan, to play drums for The Buckaroos in January 1964.
15.
Owens and Rich continued recording, scoring number-one hits in 1966 with "Think of Me" and "Open Up Your Heart".
16.
In 1968, Owens and Don Rich began experimenting outside of the 'freight train' sound, but their success continued.
17.
Buck signed onto Hee Haw in 1968, with Don Rich named musical director.
18.
Don Rich added a new experimental fuzztone guitar part to the former.
19.
The Buckaroos' lineup changed over time, until Don Rich was the only original member.
20.
Don Rich had been en route to join his family for vacation on the central coast of California.
21.
Don Rich was pronounced dead on arrival at Sierra Vista Hospital in San Luis Obispo at 10:55 pm, 50 minutes after the incident was reported.
22.
Don Rich continues to stay involved in Don's legacy and endeavors to keep the love for his music alive.
23.
Don Rich received a Telecaster that had both its body and headstock finished in champagne metal flake in addition to having checkerboard binding on both sides of the guitar's body.
24.
The band received other Fender amplifiers, as well, so Don Rich played through a Twin Reverb amplifier.
25.
At some point, Don Rich had a one-off Telecaster-ish Red Mosrite that is in possession of the Owens estate.
26.
Owens and Don Rich received new guitars in 1966, a pair of Silver Flake Telecasters that were double bound in plain black.
27.
Don Rich received an ES-335 and a Les Paul Professional model.
28.
Owens and Don Rich later went back to playing their red, white, and blue Telecasters.