Don Rich - We lost him 35 years ago today!

Tay Joslin · Post by **Tay Joslin** » 17 Jul 2009 4:40 am

I always remember the incomparable
"Dangerous" Don Rich on July 17
each year. What a tragic loss to
this great industry! He will always
be "Mr. Telecaster" in my book!

John McGuire · Post by **John McGuire** » 17 Jul 2009 10:45 am

Heaven is full of some great music with Don Rich, Buck, Doyle Holly and Tom Brumbley. RIP to Don and all the Buckaroos.

Jaclyn Jones · Post by **Jaclyn Jones** » 17 Jul 2009 2:50 pm

I saw Don when I was 12 and knew I had to learn to play a Tele! Sparkle suits and awsome tone would sway any girl.

Hal Higgins · Post by **Hal Higgins** » 17 Jul 2009 5:00 pm

I was onstage with the Late Dick Curless when we got the news of Don's passing. We were on the road a good bit with the Buck Owens Road Show sponsored by Capitol Records, the label that both Buck and Dick were on at the time. There's not a year goes by that I don't think about Don and his amazing guitar playing and great harmonies. I still miss my good friend Dick, too. May they both RIP. HAL

Clinton Erb · Post by **Clinton Erb** » 17 Jul 2009 8:40 pm

May Donald Eugene Ulrich rest in peace.

August 15, 1941 - July 17, 1974

He will always be my hero and my biggest influence on guitar.

Glen Derksen · Post by **Glen Derksen** » 17 Jul 2009 11:22 pm

Don Rich was one of my first links to playing a Telecaster. He was also a very good fiddle player as well. Thanks for the wonderful pickin' and the inspiration, Don.

Danny Bates · Post by **Danny Bates** » 18 Jul 2009 4:32 pm

I forwarded this thread to a close friend who is married to Don's sister. This was his reply...

On behalf of Don Ritches family we want to thank you for the tribute that you sent. Don changed the spelling of his last name cause that is what they did back in those days. It brought tears to my mother-in-law. They grew up in Mount Carm, which is a small community outside of Waco,Texas.

Paul King · Post by **Paul King** » 19 Jul 2009 1:43 pm

I was a young man when Don passed on. I have tried to remember him but just cannot. I have watched videos and television shows where he performed and man he was so talented. His impact on many singers and musicians will go on for years.

Paul Graupp · Post by **Paul Graupp** » 22 Jul 2009 8:52 am

On the Steel On The Web Forum is a a thread titled Curly Chalker on E9. The second clip is a fine example of Don's talent and it was surely good to see him again.

Regards, Paul

Jim Walker · Post by **Jim Walker** » 15 Aug 2009 11:06 am

My parents took me to my first concert when I was 4. Buck Owens and the Buckaroos and we sat front row, center stage. The memories of that day are vague but I sure remember Don and that sparkle Tele! I've been hooked on Twang ever since!

Tay Joslin · Post by **Tay Joslin** » 17 Jul 2010 9:51 pm

Now, it has been 36 years. Buck, Don, Doyle, and Tom have all passed on - only Willie Cantu is left.

Jeff Evans · Post by **Jeff Evans** » 18 Jul 2010 12:00 am

— http://www.findagrave.com/cgi-bin/fg.cg ... d=13792259

Clyde Mattocks · Post by **Clyde Mattocks** » 18 Jul 2010 8:02 am

For someone who was not a "star" in his own right, no one had a greater impact on country music. He was certainly a star to us pickers.

Paul Graupp · Post by **Paul Graupp** » 18 Jul 2010 8:56 am

Well said, Clyde. I couldn't agree with you more !!

Regards, Paul

Richard Sinkler · Post by **Richard Sinkler** » 19 Jul 2010 12:08 am

Don was the classic example of " a singer is no better than the band backing him/her up". I don't think Buck would have been as successful as he was without Don (and Buck knew that). I met Don in the early 70's and have always thought he was the reason Buck succeeded. Of course, that's not to minimize the effect that players like Brumley, Maness, Willie Cantu and the others had on his success. I can't believe it's been that long since he passed. Seems like yesterday. Don is one of those talents that will never be duplicated.

EDIT: Put down LATE 70's when it was actually the EARLY 70's. Old-Timers disease is setting in.

Dale Bessant · Post by **Dale Bessant** » 19 Jul 2010 3:38 am

I realize that Buck was the star, but I strongly believe it to be Don that put him there,and kept him there, they were the "duo" before "duo's" were popular, a very talented man with a huge heart and smile....

Jim Simon · Post by **Jim Simon** » 19 Jul 2010 2:18 pm

Tay:

Thank you for keeping the memory of Don alive with your reminder. Don was, is , and will always be my inspiration. I think of him often but your nudge gave me the impetous to sit quietly and remember him as I saw him many times. Smiling having a great time doing what he loved. God Bless Dangerous Don.

Best Regards,

Jim

Bill Cunningham · Post by **Bill Cunningham** » 19 Jul 2010 6:39 pm

Wow. I remember the day like yesterday. I had just turned 14. I had a job cutting the lawn of my aunt's mother-in-law. (It was a small town).

After I finshed the job and got in her car for the ride home she said she had just heard it on the news.

Some things you just never forget.

Tay Joslin · Post by **Tay Joslin** » 20 Jul 2010 5:06 pm

Thank you, Jim Simon, for your kind accolades! I was born in 1980, so I never met nor saw Don in a live performance. However, I met and became friends with Tom Brumley in 2003 and he filled-in the gaps for me. Tom was (in my opinion) an equal heavyweight with Don Rich as a Buckaroo.

Keeping Don Rich's legacy alive is a passion of mine, as well as many other instrumentalists such as Tom Brumley, John Hughey, Don Helms, and the like. I am grateful to DeWitt Scott for hosting such a fine venue as the ISGC which enabled me to meet the aforementioned legends before their passing.

Jack Harper · Post by **Jack Harper** » 20 Jul 2010 6:29 pm

tay..........
i must commend you for the wisdom that you express on this forum.
i would have never guessed that you and the urban cowboy movie share the same year of birth.
keep on keepin' on.........
jack..........

Joe Casey · Post by **Joe Casey** » 21 Jul 2010 9:01 am

I'm not to sure that Buck and Don are "together Again"..

In any case I for one agree what Don meant to the Buck Owens sound.. There is a very interesting book a bio about Buck Owens out recently by Eileen Sisk and availible on Amazon .com..16 bucks plus shipping..This book holds nothing back including a very interesting chapter on Don Rich..

Bill Bailey · Post by **Bill Bailey** » 21 Jul 2010 11:03 pm

I worked with Ronnie Jackson, Bucks 5 string Banger player after he left Buck, Ronnie said Buck died inside along whith Don, and was a broken spirit and never the same man after Don's passing. Buck tried to fill the emptyness by marrying a fiddle player name Janna Jay, just made matters worse for the whole band. I know exactly where I was when I got the news, kinda like when Kennedy was killed. I would love to re contact Ronnie Jackson.

Bill Lowe · Post by **Bill Lowe** » 24 Jul 2010 7:01 pm

what a great talent both playing and singing,just a great entertainer, That group of guys clearly had that "magic"

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SA2N7XbaG4I

Ben Rubright · Post by **Ben Rubright** » 28 Jul 2010 6:21 pm

I related to Don right away. I was as big of a fan of his as I was of Buck's. Buck was right......he and Don were meant to make music together. The sum of the two was much more than the individual parts. May their memory endure forever.

Whip Lashaway · Post by **Whip Lashaway** » 4 Aug 2010 9:50 am

How time does go by. I remember this vividly. I was in the midst if basic military training at Lachland AFB. I called home and my Dad told me about it. He and I were both huge Buck and Don fans, all of the Buckaroos for that matter. It was a very sad day for us. I'm still a huge Buck, Don and all the Buckaroos fan. They are missed soarly.
Whip

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Don Rich - We lost him 35 years ago today!

Don Rich - We lost him 35 years ago today!

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