Rodney Leon Brasfield (August 22, 1910 – September 12, 1958) was an American comedian who was prominently featured on the

Grand Ole Opry The ''Grand Ole Opry'' is a weekly American country music stage concert in Nashville, Tennessee, founded on November 28, 1925, by George D. Hay as a one-hour radio "barn dance" on WSM. Currently owned and operated by Opry Entertainment (a divi ...

from 1947 until his death in 1958. In 1987, he was inducted into the Country Music Hall of Fame.

Life and career

Brasfield was born in Smithville, Mississippi, United States. He began his career in the late 1920s with Bisbee's Dramatic Shows, a touring tent

repertory A repertory theatre is a theatre in which a resident company presents works from a specified repertoire, usually in alternation or rotation. United Kingdom Annie Horniman founded the first modern repertory theatre in Manchester after withdrawi ...

troupe, serving as a straight man for his older brother, actor and comedian

Boob Brasfield Laurence Lemarr Brasfield (March 1, 1898 – September 9, 1966) and Neva Inez Fisher Brasfield (March 14, 1889 – March 19, 1980), better known as Uncle Cyp and Aunt Sap, were an American country comedy duo. Their acting careers, which began in th ...

. In 1931, he married Eleanor Humphrey, a Hohenwald, Tennessee school teacher. Brasfield was recruited by George D. Hay for the

in 1944. With his trademark baggy suit, battered hat and rubbery face, he could make audiences laugh before he spoke a word. He soon became the primary comic on ''The

Prince Albert Prince Albert most commonly refers to: *Albert, Prince Consort (1819–1861), consort of Queen Victoria *Albert II, Prince of Monaco (born 1958), present head of state of Monaco Prince Albert may also refer to: Royalty * Albert I of Belgium ...

Show'', the Opry's NBC Radio broadcast, playing off the show’s host,

Red Foley Clyde Julian "Red" Foley (June 17, 1910 – September 19, 1968) was an American musician who made a major contribution to the growth of country music after World War II. For more than two decades, Foley was one of the biggest stars of the gen ...

. Assuming the role of a hapless hayseed, he often poked fun at country life—always with good humor. He formed a double act in 1948 with Minnie Pearl, playing what she referred to as "double comedy", in which each of them delivered alternating punch lines and neither played the straight man. Some of these routines were broadcast on the Opry's live ABC television network show from 1955–56. He lived in Hohenwald, called himself the Hohenwald Flash, and often mentioned the local restaurant (which he once owned), the Snip-Snap-and-Bite, in his routines. Brasfield sometimes did

ventriloquist Ventriloquism, or ventriloquy, is a performance act of stagecraft in which a person (a ventriloquist) creates the illusion that their voice is coming from elsewhere, usually a puppeteered prop known as a "dummy". The act of ventriloquism is v ...

routines with a dummy named Bocephus, after whom

Hank Williams Sr. Hank Williams (born Hiram Williams; September 17, 1923 – January 1, 1953) was an American singer, songwriter, and musician. Regarded as one of the most significant and influential American singers and songwriters of the 20th century, he reco ...

nicknamed his then-infant son Hank Williams Jr.; and also did comedy with June Carter. In March 1956, Brasfield appeared with

Elvis Presley Elvis Aaron Presley (January 8, 1935 – August 16, 1977), or simply Elvis, was an American singer and actor. Dubbed the "Honorific nicknames in popular music, King of Rock and Roll", he is regarded as Cultural impact of Elvis Presley, one ...

at Atlanta's Fox Theatre. In '' A Face in the Crowd'' (1957) he played

Andy Griffith Andy Samuel Griffith (June 1, 1926 – July 3, 2012) was an American actor, comedian, television producer, southern gospel singer and writer whose career spanned seven decades in music and television. Known for his Southern drawl, his characte ...

’s ex-con sidekick, and appeared in '' Country Music Holiday'' (1958).

Heart failure Heart failure (HF), also known as congestive heart failure (CHF), is a syndrome, a group of signs and symptoms caused by an impairment of the heart's blood pumping function. Symptoms typically include shortness of breath, excessive fatigue, ...

combined with an ongoing problem with alcohol abuse, led to his death at age 48 in 1958 in Martin, Tennessee. He is buried in Smithville.

Filmography

References

Other sources

* ''Encyclopedia of Country Music'', Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum (Oxford University Press) * Faye, Byron "Remembering Rod Brasfield", ''FayFair's Opry Blog'', August 22, 2011 * ''Rod Brasfield - Smithville'' at the Mississippi Country Music Trail

External links

At the Country Music Hall of Fame
* {{DEFAULTSORT:Brasfield, Rod 1910 births 1958 deaths American country singer-songwriters American male comedians American radio personalities Country Music Hall of Fame inductees Grand Ole Opry members People from Monroe County, Mississippi Singer-songwriters from Mississippi People from Hohenwald, Tennessee 20th-century American comedians 20th-century American singers Country musicians from Tennessee Country musicians from Mississippi Singer-songwriters from Tennessee