The Ballad of Jed Clampett
Encyclopedia
"The Ballad of Jed Clampett" was the theme song for The Beverly Hillbillies
TV show and movie, providing the back story for the series. The song was written and composed by Paul Henning
, and sung by Jerry Scoggins
, who was accompanied by bluegrass
musicians Lester Flatt and Earl Scruggs. The song spent twenty weeks on the Billboard country singles charts, reaching a peak of number one for three weeks and reached #44 on the music charts in 1962. It is one of the better-known defining banjo songs of the 1960s, remembered as it is for its catchy rolls and lyrics.
merged the first two stanzas of the Ballad with the instrumentals to the Dire Straits
song "Money For Nothing
" in his 1989 single "Money for Nothing/Beverly Hillbillies*", which was written for his film UHF
.
In the late 1970s, Saturday Night Live
did a spoof on the "Beverly Hillbillies," in a sketch about a wealthy family from an oil-rich Mideastern country moving to Southern California. The theme song in the sketch was called, "The Bel-Arabs."
Banjo
virtuoso Béla Fleck
often plays the Ballad in concert. Fleck also accompanied Jerry Scoggins on a re-recording of the song for the 1993 film adaptation of The Beverly Hillbillies.
Country music artist Neal McCoy
uses a rap version of the song as part of his "Hillbilly Rap," which also features elements of "The Banana Boat Song" and "Rapper's Delight
."
In his 2005 tour, Kid Rock included a sample of the song in the middle of "Hillbilly Stomp."
During the Bill Clinton
Presidential administration, Saturday Night Live
staged a spoof of the Ballad, substituting Clinton's name for Jed Clampett's and changing the destination from Beverly Hills to the White House.
On August 13, 2009, national broadcaster Q&A featured a spoof version of the song lampooning the leader of the Australian Liberal Party Malcolm Turnbull
by Stefan Sojka - Bellevue Hillbilly - making fun of his wealth, his unpopularity as a leader and his admission that he once tried cannabis
The Beverly Hillbillies
The Beverly Hillbillies is an American situation comedy originally broadcast for nine seasons on CBS from 1962 to 1971, starring Buddy Ebsen, Irene Ryan, Donna Douglas, and Max Baer, Jr....
TV show and movie, providing the back story for the series. The song was written and composed by Paul Henning
Paul Henning
Paul William Henning was an American producer and writer. Most famous for the successful TV sitcom The Beverly Hillbillies, he was crucial in the development of several "rural" comedies for CBS.-Early life:...
, and sung by Jerry Scoggins
Jerry Scoggins
Jerry Scoggins was an American country/western singer, guitarist, and band leader. He performed on radio, in movies, and on television from the 1930s to the 1980s...
, who was accompanied by bluegrass
Bluegrass music
Bluegrass music is a form of American roots music, and a sub-genre of country music. It has mixed roots in Scottish, English, Welsh and Irish traditional music...
musicians Lester Flatt and Earl Scruggs. The song spent twenty weeks on the Billboard country singles charts, reaching a peak of number one for three weeks and reached #44 on the music charts in 1962. It is one of the better-known defining banjo songs of the 1960s, remembered as it is for its catchy rolls and lyrics.
Adaptations
"Weird Al" Yankovic"Weird Al" Yankovic
Alfred Matthew "Weird Al" Yankovic is an American singer-songwriter, music producer, accordionist, actor, comedian, writer, satirist, and parodist. Yankovic is known for his humorous songs that make light of popular culture and that often parody specific songs by contemporary musical acts...
merged the first two stanzas of the Ballad with the instrumentals to the Dire Straits
Dire Straits
Dire Straits were a British rock band active from 1977 to 1995, composed of Mark Knopfler , his younger brother David Knopfler , John Illsley , and Pick Withers .Dire Straits' sound drew from a variety of musical influences, including jazz, folk, blues, and came closest...
song "Money For Nothing
Money for Nothing (song)
"Money for Nothing" is a single by British rock band Dire Straits, taken from their 1985 album Brothers in Arms. It was one of Dire Straits' most successful singles, peaking at number one for three weeks in the United States, and it also reached number one for three weeks on the U.S. Mainstream...
" in his 1989 single "Money for Nothing/Beverly Hillbillies*", which was written for his film UHF
UHF (film)
UHF is a 1989 American comedy film starring "Weird Al" Yankovic, David Bowe, Fran Drescher, Victoria Jackson, Kevin McCarthy, Michael Richards, Gedde Watanabe, Billy Barty, Anthony Geary, Emo Philips and Trinidad Silva, in whose memory the film is dedicated.The title refers to Ultra High Frequency...
.
In the late 1970s, Saturday Night Live
Saturday Night Live
Saturday Night Live is a live American late-night television sketch comedy and variety show developed by Lorne Michaels and Dick Ebersol. The show premiered on NBC on October 11, 1975, under the original title of NBC's Saturday Night.The show's sketches often parody contemporary American culture...
did a spoof on the "Beverly Hillbillies," in a sketch about a wealthy family from an oil-rich Mideastern country moving to Southern California. The theme song in the sketch was called, "The Bel-Arabs."
Banjo
Banjo
In the 1830s Sweeney became the first white man to play the banjo on stage. His version of the instrument replaced the gourd with a drum-like sound box and included four full-length strings alongside a short fifth-string. There is no proof, however, that Sweeney invented either innovation. This new...
virtuoso Béla Fleck
Béla Fleck
Béla Anton Leoš Fleck is an American banjo player. Widely acknowledged as one of the world's most innovative and technically proficient banjo players, he is best known for his work with the bands New Grass Revival and Béla Fleck and the Flecktones.-Early life and career details:Fleck was born in...
often plays the Ballad in concert. Fleck also accompanied Jerry Scoggins on a re-recording of the song for the 1993 film adaptation of The Beverly Hillbillies.
Country music artist Neal McCoy
Neal McCoy
Hubert Neal McGaughey, Jr. is an American country music singer of mixed Irish and Filipino descent. Known professionally as Neal McCoy, he has released ten studio albums on various labels, and has released 34 singles to country radio...
uses a rap version of the song as part of his "Hillbilly Rap," which also features elements of "The Banana Boat Song" and "Rapper's Delight
Rapper's Delight
"Rapper's Delight" is a 1979 single by American hip hop trio The Sugarhill Gang. While it was not the first single to feature rapping, it is generally considered to be the song that first popularized hip hop in the United States and around the world. The song's opening lyric "I said a hip hop, a...
."
In his 2005 tour, Kid Rock included a sample of the song in the middle of "Hillbilly Stomp."
During the Bill Clinton
Bill Clinton
William Jefferson "Bill" Clinton is an American politician who served as the 42nd President of the United States from 1993 to 2001. Inaugurated at age 46, he was the third-youngest president. He took office at the end of the Cold War, and was the first president of the baby boomer generation...
Presidential administration, Saturday Night Live
Saturday Night Live
Saturday Night Live is a live American late-night television sketch comedy and variety show developed by Lorne Michaels and Dick Ebersol. The show premiered on NBC on October 11, 1975, under the original title of NBC's Saturday Night.The show's sketches often parody contemporary American culture...
staged a spoof of the Ballad, substituting Clinton's name for Jed Clampett's and changing the destination from Beverly Hills to the White House.
On August 13, 2009, national broadcaster Q&A featured a spoof version of the song lampooning the leader of the Australian Liberal Party Malcolm Turnbull
Malcolm Turnbull
Malcolm Bligh Turnbull is an Australian politician. He has been a member of the Australian House of Representatives since 2004, and was Leader of the Opposition and parliamentary leader of the Liberal Party from 16 September 2008 to 1 December 2009.Turnbull has represented the Division...
by Stefan Sojka - Bellevue Hillbilly - making fun of his wealth, his unpopularity as a leader and his admission that he once tried cannabis
Cannabis
Cannabis is a genus of flowering plants that includes three putative species, Cannabis sativa, Cannabis indica, and Cannabis ruderalis. These three taxa are indigenous to Central Asia, and South Asia. Cannabis has long been used for fibre , for seed and seed oils, for medicinal purposes, and as a...
Chart performance
| Chart (1962–1963) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| U.S. Billboard Hot Country Singles | 1 |
| U.S. Billboard Hot 100 | 44 |