Born in Jamestown, New York, United States,[1] he was raised in Buffalo, New York, where as a small boy his showmanship became evident. After he learned to play the banjo, Strunk began entertaining locals and went on to wide recognition after appearances on national television network shows such as Rowan & Martin's Laugh-In and The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson.
Although much of Strunk's material was humorous, his most popular song was not. "Daisy a Day", which Strunk wrote and recorded in 1973, is a gentle, sentimental ballad in 3/4 time, describing the relationship between a boy and girl who ultimately grow old together. For every day of their lives, he gives her a daisy as a sign of their love. In the last verse, she has died, but her widower husband continues to make daily visits to her grave. The song made the Billboard Top 20 on both the country and pop music charts.[1] A cover version, Een Roosje, M'n Roosje (A Rose, My Rose) by Conny Vandenbos, reached No. 7 on the Dutch Top 40 hit list in 1974.
Laugh-In
Strunk was a regular member of the Laugh-In cast during its last season in 1972 and 1973.[1]— During the Laugh-In Looks at the News segment, he often reported fictitious sporting events "directly from Farmington, Maine, spahts capitol of the wahld".
Other material
Strunk also wrote three humorous songs that made it into the country music charts, and he toured with the Andy Williams Road Show. One of these songs, "The Biggest Parakeets in Town," was a tongue-in-cheek story of a woman who is a bird fancier. Its central joke is the unspoken pun of "parakeets/pair o'tits" used in the title. Other singles, such as "Next Door Neighbor's Kid" and the patriotic "My Country," appeared on various Billboard surveys.[1] Strunk also scored a songwriting hit with "Bill Jones' General Store", the title track of his 1971 album of a similar name;[1] Canadian musician Tommy Hunter charted in the top 20 on the country and adult contemporary charts in Canada with the song.
Last years and death
Strunk became a folk hero in Maine and in 1970 narrowly lost the election for Senate seat in the state legislature. He was also a private pilot and purchased a 1941 Fairchild M62-A. On October 5, 1981,[3] he suffered a heart attack just after take-off in the aircraft at Carrabassett Valley Airport, in Maine. The plane flipped over, falling some 300 feet, killing him instantly along with his passenger, Dick Ayotte, a long-time friend and local businessman. Strunk was 45 years old.
Legacy
His sons contribute to the Sugarloaf Community, with Jud's grandson performing onstage at The Rack on Friday evenings.
strunk, this, article, needs, additional, citations, verification, please, help, improve, this, article, adding, citations, reliable, sources, unsourced, material, challenged, removed, find, sources, news, newspapers, books, scholar, jstor, september, 2014, le. This article needs additional citations for verification Please help improve this article by adding citations to reliable sources Unsourced material may be challenged and removed Find sources Jud Strunk news newspapers books scholar JSTOR September 2014 Learn how and when to remove this template message Justin Roderick Strunk Jr June 11 1936 October 5 1981 1 was an American singer songwriter and comedian Jud StrunkBackground informationBirth nameJustin Roderick Strunk Jr Born 1936 06 11 June 11 1936Jamestown New York U S DiedOctober 5 1981 1981 10 05 aged 45 Carrabassett Valley Maine U S GenresCountry popOccupation s Singer songwriterInstrument s BanjoYears active1973 1976LabelsColumbia MGM MCA Contents 1 Biography 1 1 Early years 1 2 Academic 1 3 Daisy A Day 1 4 Laugh In 1 5 Other material 1 6 Last years and death 1 7 Legacy 2 Discography 2 1 Albums 2 2 Singles 3 References 4 External linksBiography EditEarly years Edit Born in Jamestown New York United States 1 he was raised in Buffalo New York where as a small boy his showmanship became evident After he learned to play the banjo Strunk began entertaining locals and went on to wide recognition after appearances on national television network shows such as Rowan amp Martin s Laugh In and The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson Academic Edit He graduated from the Virginia Military Institute in 1959 with a B A in History 2 Daisy A Day Edit Main article Daisy a Day Although much of Strunk s material was humorous his most popular song was not Daisy a Day which Strunk wrote and recorded in 1973 is a gentle sentimental ballad in 3 4 time describing the relationship between a boy and girl who ultimately grow old together For every day of their lives he gives her a daisy as a sign of their love In the last verse she has died but her widower husband continues to make daily visits to her grave The song made the Billboard Top 20 on both the country and pop music charts 1 A cover version Een Roosje M n Roosje A Rose My Rose by Conny Vandenbos reached No 7 on the Dutch Top 40 hit list in 1974 Laugh In Edit Strunk was a regular member of the Laugh In cast during its last season in 1972 and 1973 1 During the Laugh In Looks at the News segment he often reported fictitious sporting events directly from Farmington Maine spahts capitol of the wahld Other material Edit Strunk also wrote three humorous songs that made it into the country music charts and he toured with the Andy Williams Road Show One of these songs The Biggest Parakeets in Town was a tongue in cheek story of a woman who is a bird fancier Its central joke is the unspoken pun of parakeets pair o tits used in the title Other singles such as Next Door Neighbor s Kid and the patriotic My Country appeared on various Billboard surveys 1 Strunk also scored a songwriting hit with Bill Jones General Store the title track of his 1971 album of a similar name 1 Canadian musician Tommy Hunter charted in the top 20 on the country and adult contemporary charts in Canada with the song Last years and death Edit Strunk became a folk hero in Maine and in 1970 narrowly lost the election for Senate seat in the state legislature He was also a private pilot and purchased a 1941 Fairchild M62 A On October 5 1981 3 he suffered a heart attack just after take off in the aircraft at Carrabassett Valley Airport in Maine The plane flipped over falling some 300 feet killing him instantly along with his passenger Dick Ayotte a long time friend and local businessman Strunk was 45 years old Legacy Edit His sons contribute to the Sugarloaf Community with Jud s grandson performing onstage at The Rack on Friday evenings Discography EditAlbums Edit Year Album Chart Positions LabelUS Country US AUS 4 1970 Jud Strunk s Downeast Viewpoint Columbia Records1971 Jones General Store MGM Records1973 Daisy a Day 18 138 251973 Mr Bojangles And Other Favorites Harmony1977 A Semi Reformed Tequila Crazed Gypsy Looks Back MCA RecordsSingles Edit Year Title Peak chartpositions Record Label B side AlbumUSCountry US Pop US AC AUS 4 CANCountry CAN Pop CAN AC1969 The Santa Song AKA Santa s Got A Moto Ski Rockland Recording Studio A Special Christmas Tree 1970 Children at Play Columbia Records Self Eating Watermelon Jud Strunk s Downeast Viewpoint1971 Bill Jones General Store CoBurt Records The Runaway Jones General Store1972 Daisy a Day 33 14 4 1 18 3 5 MGM Records The Searchers Daisy a Day1973 Next Door Neighbor s Kid 86 22 85 50 I d Prefer to Do It All Again 1974 My Country 59 Capitol Records The Will 1975 The Biggest Parakeets in Town 51 50 68 20 71 Melodyland Records I Wasn t Wrong About You Pamela Brown 88 They re Tearing Down a Town References Edit a b c d e f Jud Strunk Biography amp History AllMusic Retrieved August 10 2021 1 permanent dead link Famous People Who Died in Aviation Accidents 1980s Planecrashinfo com Retrieved July 25 2013 a b Kent David 1993 Australian Chart Book 1970 1992 illustrated ed St Ives N S W Australian Chart Book p 297 ISBN 0 646 11917 6 External links EditJud Strunk at Find a Grave Jud Strunk discography at Discogs Retrieved from https en wikipedia org w index php title Jud Strunk amp oldid 1084513557, wikipedia, wiki, book, books, library,
