Oby Edgar "Buddy" Starcher (March 16, 1906 – November 2, 2001) was an American

country A country is a distinct part of the world, such as a state, nation, or other political entity. When referring to a specific polity, the term "country" may refer to a sovereign state, state with limited recognition, constituent country, ...

singer whose first record releases were in 1946, although he had been performing since his teens, often billed as "The Boy from Down Home". Born in Ripley, West Virginia, he starred on his own show on

WCHS-TV WCHS-TV (channel 8) is a television station licensed to Charleston, West Virginia, United States, serving the Charleston– Huntington market as an affiliate of ABC and Fox. It is owned by Sinclair Broadcast Group, which provides certain servi ...

from 1960 to 1966, and ran a record label named B.E.S. (for his initials) during this time. However, he is best known for his

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entitled " History Repeats Itself", written with

Minnie Pearl Sarah Ophelia Colley Cannon (October 25, 1912 – March 4, 1996), known professionally as her stage character Minnie Pearl, was an American comedian and country singer who appeared at the Grand Ole Opry for more than 50 years (1940–1991) ...

. Originally released on his own label in 1965, it was re-released on the larger and better distributed Boone Records in 1966. The track recounts uncanny similarities between the assassinations of

Abraham Lincoln Abraham Lincoln (February 12, 1809 – April 15, 1865) was the 16th president of the United States, serving from 1861 until Assassination of Abraham Lincoln, his assassination in 1865. He led the United States through the American Civil War ...

and

John F. Kennedy John Fitzgerald Kennedy (May 29, 1917 – November 22, 1963), also known as JFK, was the 35th president of the United States, serving from 1961 until his assassination in 1963. He was the first Roman Catholic and youngest person elected p ...

, accompanied by a musical background featuring "

Battle Hymn of the Republic The "Battle Hymn of the Republic" is an American patriotic music, American patriotic song written by the abolitionist writer Julia Ward Howe during the American Civil War. Howe adapted her song from the soldiers' song "John Brown's Body" in N ...

" and "

America the Beautiful "America the Beautiful" is an American patriotic song. Its lyrics were written by Katharine Lee Bates and its music was composed by church organist and choirmaster Samuel A. Ward at Grace Church (Newark), Grace Episcopal Church in Newark, New ...

". The re-released single hit No. 39 on the US ''Billboard'' Hot 100

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and the album of the same name from which it was drawn peaked at No. 37 on the US Country Albums chart. His wife, Mary Ann Starcher (née Estes), was also a musician and often appeared with him on his television show.Ivan Tribe, ''Mountaineer Jamboree: Country Music in West Virginia'', 1996,

Discography

Albums

Singles

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Starcher, Buddy 1906 births 2001 deaths American country singer-songwriters Four Star Records artists Starday Records artists People from Randolph County, West Virginia 20th-century American singer-songwriters People from Ripley, West Virginia Country musicians from West Virginia Singer-songwriters from West Virginia