Speedy Haworth
Encyclopedia
Herschel Haworth, Jr. better known as Speedy Haworth, was an American guitarist and singer who was involved with the golden age of country music
broadcasting in the Ozarks. He was a featured cast member of ABC-TV's Ozark Jubilee
from 1955–1960 and is a member of the Missouri Country Music Hall of Fame.
at home. His father, Herschel Haworth, was a carpenter of English ancestry. His mother was Vancie Martha Haworth (née Wilson), whose family came to Missouri in a covered wagon from the hills of Tennessee
and settled in Nixa, Missouri
. She had five sisters: Cassie, Carrie, Edna, Bertha and Myrtle; and one brother, Clyde "Slim" Wilson
. The family was musical on his mother's side, therefore Haworth learned to play guitar. His mother and her sisters and brothers often sang together at church functions, and there are some folk music
recordings of them in the Library of Congress
. Haworth won a yodeling contest when he was 10, and was notable by the age of 21.
in Springfield in 1932, but moved to co-owned KWTO-AM
, the more powerful station, soon after it signed on in 1933. The group made its first public appearance in 1936 at the county courthouse in Galena
at a fundraiser.
The trio later became The Goodwill Family when Guy Smith joined them as "Uncle George." The station, heard across the Ozarks, was a stepping-stone during Haworth's years for such musicians as Porter Wagoner
, Les Paul
, Chet Atkins
and The Browns
. The Goodwill Family recorded 250 transcriptions
for airing on KWTO when they toured.
produced Ozark Jubilee beginning in December 1953. The program moved to ABC-TV in 1955 and introduced Haworth to a national television audience, where he played lead guitar and remained for the program's nearly six-year run. He also appeared on NBC-TV's Five Star Jubilee
in 1961.
Beginning in 1964, he appeared on The Slim Wilson Show on KYTV as a member of the Tall Timber Trio with Wilson and Bob White.
(steel guitar). The group began touring, and 1954 brought Wagoner his first top 10 hit with "Company’s Comin’". "A Satisfied Mind" came next, went to No. 1 for four weeks and stayed on the charts for more than eight months. In 1955, Wagoner also became a part of Ozark Jubilee, but on February 23, 1957 he moved to Nashville, Tennessee
and joined the Grand Ole Opry
. Haworth performed in Nashville with Wagoner, Rex Allen
, and Leroy Van Dyke
, but preferred living in Springfield. Haworth was later inducted into the Missouri Country Music Hall of Fame with Wagoner.
while going to play his guitar at a dance. He broke his hip and required several weeks of rehabilitation after surgery.
He suffered from Parkinson's disease and was in hospice care for several weeks before his death on February 26, 2008. Haworth was buried in Springfield's Eastlawn Cemetery.
with his wife Pam, among many other family members who carry on his legacy in gospel
and country music, including his youngest niece, Stormie Haworth, who is an up-and-coming country music singer/songwriter and guitarist. Daughter and fellow singer Shirley remembered a humble man who was happiest sharing the music his audiences loved. "When he played, it was like angels fingers on the strings," she said.
Haworth Court is among several streets in a residential neighborhood northeast of downtown Nixa, Missouri named for performers on Ozark Jubilee, including Red Foley
Court, Zed Tennis Street, Slim Wilson Boulevard
and Ozark Jubilee Drive.
Country music
Country music is a popular American musical style that began in the rural Southern United States in the 1920s. It takes its roots from Western cowboy and folk music...
broadcasting in the Ozarks. He was a featured cast member of ABC-TV's Ozark Jubilee
Ozark Jubilee
Ozark Jubilee is the first U.S. network television program to feature country music's top stars, and was the centerpiece of a strategy for Springfield, Missouri to challenge Nashville, Tennessee as America's country music capital...
from 1955–1960 and is a member of the Missouri Country Music Hall of Fame.
Early years
Haworth was born on May 15, 1922 in Springfield, MissouriSpringfield, Missouri
Springfield is the third largest city in the U.S. state of Missouri and the county seat of Greene County. According to the 2010 census data, the population was 159,498, an increase of 5.2% since the 2000 census. The Springfield Metropolitan Area, population 436,712, includes the counties of...
at home. His father, Herschel Haworth, was a carpenter of English ancestry. His mother was Vancie Martha Haworth (née Wilson), whose family came to Missouri in a covered wagon from the hills of Tennessee
Tennessee
Tennessee is a U.S. state located in the Southeastern United States. It has a population of 6,346,105, making it the nation's 17th-largest state by population, and covers , making it the 36th-largest by total land area...
and settled in Nixa, Missouri
Nixa, Missouri
Nixa is a city in Christian County, Missouri, United States. The population was 12,124 at the 2000 census, though a 2009 estimate places it at 19,458. It is part of the Springfield, Missouri Metropolitan Statistical Area.-Geography:...
. She had five sisters: Cassie, Carrie, Edna, Bertha and Myrtle; and one brother, Clyde "Slim" Wilson
Slim Wilson
Clyde Carol Wilson , better known as Slim Wilson, was an American singer, songwriter, bandleader, and radio and TV personality who was a cornerstone of country music in the Ozarks for more than 50 years beginning in the 1930s; both in his own right, and as a member of The Goodwill Family and The...
. The family was musical on his mother's side, therefore Haworth learned to play guitar. His mother and her sisters and brothers often sang together at church functions, and there are some folk music
Folk music
Folk music is an English term encompassing both traditional folk music and contemporary folk music. The term originated in the 19th century. Traditional folk music has been defined in several ways: as music transmitted by mouth, as music of the lower classes, and as music with unknown composers....
recordings of them in the Library of Congress
Library of Congress
The Library of Congress is the research library of the United States Congress, de facto national library of the United States, and the oldest federal cultural institution in the United States. Located in three buildings in Washington, D.C., it is the largest library in the world by shelf space and...
. Haworth won a yodeling contest when he was 10, and was notable by the age of 21.
Radio career
Haworth started appearing on the radio with George Earl—Earl read the newspaper comics on the air and Haworth sang. His mother, known on-air as "Aunt Martha," and her brother Slim formed The Goodwill Trio with Haworth as "Junior." They first appeared on KGBX-AMKSGF (AM)
KSGF is a radio station licensed to serve Springfield, Missouri, USA. The station, which launched in 1926 as KGBX, is owned by the Journal Broadcast Corporation. The station also simulcast on 104.1 FM, which is licensed to Ash Grove, Missouri, USA....
in Springfield in 1932, but moved to co-owned KWTO-AM
KWTO
KWTO refers to two radio stations in Springfield, Missouri, USA. On AM, KWTO can be found at 560 kHz, where it airs a news-talk format. On FM, KWTO operates at 98.7 MHz and carries a sports talk format....
, the more powerful station, soon after it signed on in 1933. The group made its first public appearance in 1936 at the county courthouse in Galena
Galena, Missouri
Galena is a city in Stone County, Missouri, United States. The population was 451 at the 2000 census. It is the county seat of Stone County. Galena is part of the Branson, Missouri Micropolitan Statistical Area.-Geography:...
at a fundraiser.
The trio later became The Goodwill Family when Guy Smith joined them as "Uncle George." The station, heard across the Ozarks, was a stepping-stone during Haworth's years for such musicians as Porter Wagoner
Porter Wagoner
Porter Wayne Wagoner was a popular American country music singer known for his flashy Nudie and Manuel suits and blond pompadour. He introduced the young Dolly Parton near the beginning of her career on his long-running television show, and they were a well-known duet throughout the late 1960s and...
, Les Paul
Les Paul
Lester William Polsfuss —known as Les Paul—was an American jazz and country guitarist, songwriter and inventor. He was a pioneer in the development of the solid-body electric guitar which made the sound of rock and roll possible. He is credited with many recording innovations...
, Chet Atkins
Chet Atkins
Chester Burton Atkins , known as Chet Atkins, was an American guitarist and record producer who, along with Owen Bradley, created the smoother country music style known as the Nashville sound, which expanded country's appeal to adult pop music fans as well.Atkins's picking style, inspired by Merle...
and The Browns
The Browns
The Browns were an American country and folk music vocal trio best known for their 1959 Grammy-nominated hit, "The Three Bells". The group, composed of Jim Ed Brown and his sisters Maxine and Bonnie Brown, had a close, smooth harmony characteristic of the Nashville sound, though their music also...
. The Goodwill Family recorded 250 transcriptions
Acetate disc
An acetate disc, also known as a test acetate, dubplate , lacquer , transcription disc or instantaneous disc...
for airing on KWTO when they toured.
Television career
Haworth was one of several KWTO performers who made the transition to television when Springfield's KYTVKYTV (TV)
KYTV, virtual channel 3, is the NBC-affiliated television station for the Ozark Plateau area of Southwestern Missouri that is licensed to Springfield. It broadcasts a high definition digital signal on UHF channel 44 from a transmitter in Fordland...
produced Ozark Jubilee beginning in December 1953. The program moved to ABC-TV in 1955 and introduced Haworth to a national television audience, where he played lead guitar and remained for the program's nearly six-year run. He also appeared on NBC-TV's Five Star Jubilee
Five Star Jubilee
Five Star Jubilee was an American country music variety show carried by NBC-TV from March 17–September 22, 1961. The live program, a spin-off of ABC-TV's Jubilee USA, was the first network color television series to originate outside New York City or Hollywood.From March 17 to May 5, the...
in 1961.
Beginning in 1964, he appeared on The Slim Wilson Show on KYTV as a member of the Tall Timber Trio with Wilson and Bob White.
Chart successes
Haworth, on electric guitar, was part of the original Porter Wagoner Trio with Don WardenDon Warden
Don Warden is an American country musician and manager best known for his years on The Porter Wagoner Show and as the manager of Wagoner and Dolly Parton.-Early life:...
(steel guitar). The group began touring, and 1954 brought Wagoner his first top 10 hit with "Company’s Comin’". "A Satisfied Mind" came next, went to No. 1 for four weeks and stayed on the charts for more than eight months. In 1955, Wagoner also became a part of Ozark Jubilee, but on February 23, 1957 he moved to Nashville, Tennessee
Nashville, Tennessee
Nashville is the capital of the U.S. state of Tennessee and the county seat of Davidson County. It is located on the Cumberland River in Davidson County, in the north-central part of the state. The city is a center for the health care, publishing, banking and transportation industries, and is home...
and joined the Grand Ole Opry
Grand Ole Opry
The Grand Ole Opry is a weekly country music stage concert in Nashville, Tennessee, that has presented the biggest stars of that genre since 1925. It is also among the longest-running broadcasts in history since its beginnings as a one-hour radio "barn dance" on WSM-AM...
. Haworth performed in Nashville with Wagoner, Rex Allen
Rex Allen
Rex Elvie Allen was an American film actor, singer and songwriter, known as the Arizona Cowboy, particularly known as the narrator in many Disney nature and Western film productions. For contributions to the recording industry, Allen was honored with a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame.-Family...
, and Leroy Van Dyke
Leroy Van Dyke
Leroy Frank Van Dyke is an American country music singer best known for his hits, "The Auctioneer" and "Walk On By" .-Biography:...
, but preferred living in Springfield. Haworth was later inducted into the Missouri Country Music Hall of Fame with Wagoner.
Later years and death
Later in his career, Haworth sang more gospel music and performed in smaller venues around the Ozarks and Nashville. He fell in BolivarBolivar, Missouri
Bolivar is the county seat of Polk County, Missouri, United States. The population was 10,325 at the 2010 census. The city was named for Bolivar, Tennessee, home to many of the original settlers, and like that city its name is pronounced to rhyme with Oliver...
while going to play his guitar at a dance. He broke his hip and required several weeks of rehabilitation after surgery.
He suffered from Parkinson's disease and was in hospice care for several weeks before his death on February 26, 2008. Haworth was buried in Springfield's Eastlawn Cemetery.
Legacy
Haworth is survived by his widow, Wanna Haworth; daughter Shirley Haworth, a singer; two sons, David Haworth and Stephen Haworth, who resides in Branson, MissouriBranson, Missouri
Branson is a city in Taney County in the U.S. state of Missouri. It was named after Reuben Branson, postmaster and operator of a general store in the area in the 1880s....
with his wife Pam, among many other family members who carry on his legacy in gospel
Gospel music
Gospel music is music that is written to express either personal, spiritual or a communal belief regarding Christian life, as well as to give a Christian alternative to mainstream secular music....
and country music, including his youngest niece, Stormie Haworth, who is an up-and-coming country music singer/songwriter and guitarist. Daughter and fellow singer Shirley remembered a humble man who was happiest sharing the music his audiences loved. "When he played, it was like angels fingers on the strings," she said.
Haworth Court is among several streets in a residential neighborhood northeast of downtown Nixa, Missouri named for performers on Ozark Jubilee, including Red Foley
Red Foley
Clyde Julian Foley , better known as Red Foley, was an American singer, musician, and radio and TV personality who made a major contribution to the growth of country music after World War II....
Court, Zed Tennis Street, Slim Wilson Boulevard
and Ozark Jubilee Drive.
External links
- http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=B-XPJt3AZ-4&feature=relatedWatch Speedy Haworth, "When You and I Were Young, MaggieWhen You and I Were Young, MaggieWhen You and I Were Young, Maggie is a famous folk song, popular song and standard. Though Springtown, Tennessee, has a small monument outside an old mill claiming the song was written by a local George Johnson, in 1820, for his Maggie, the truth is that its lyrics were written as a poem by the...
", on Ozark Jubilee] (Flash video) - Speedy Haworth obituary at KYTV-TV
- Speedy Haworth obituary at KSPR-TV
- Speedy Haworth Remembered in Photos