ROOTS of Country Music

The Professional Work of Don Rich

Don Rich was a country musician who helped develop the Bakersfield sound in the early 1960s. Rich was Buck Owens' lead guitarist, harmonizer and fiddle player, and leader of Owens' back-up band the Buckaroos, until his death in a motorcycle accident. Most people won't remember his name alone. If you tell them he was Buck Owens' guitarist, the leader of the Buckaroos, some people might recall the handsome, talented guy who died too soon.

Don Rich was born Donald Eugene Ulrich on August 15, 1941 in Olympia,Washington,USA. He began playing violin at the age of three. As a teenager growing up inTumwater,Washington, he picked up the guitar as well. During those years he caught the ear of Buck Owens, then a DJ and musician inTacoma. After Don graduated from high school, he planned to become a music teacher. He quit college after a year or so to join Buck's band, named the Buckaroos by Merle Haggard.

Don signed on with Buck for $75 a week in December 1960. The first single he played on was "Excuse Me (I Think I've Got A Heartache) (No. 2, 1960). When Buck and Don weren't recording, they would throw Buck's Telecaster and Bassman Amp and Don's fiddle into the back of Buck's old Ford pickup and hop from bar to bar, dance hall to dance hall, while playing with whatever house band they could find.

Buck and Don continued recording singles back in Bakersfield. In 1961 Foolin' Around spent eight weeks on the number two slot. In 1962, change came to Buck and Don. Up until that point Buck had stuck to the Texasshuffle style, with Don playing the role of the lonesome fiddler. That sound changed with Buck's single, You're For Me (No. 10, 1962, a song he'd written several years prior. The shuffle on the snare drum moved to a tightly closed-high-hat. The off-beat was accented by an aggressive half-rim-shot half-click on the snare drum. The bass went from upright to electric. Buck dubbed it the "freight train" sound and it is now often referred to as the "Bakersfield Sound".

In 1963, Buck decided to create a backing band for the sake of convenience when recording and touring, including drums, bass, and pedal steel. Don, naturally, was chosen as the band leader. Buck's old Ford gave way to a Chevrolet camper. During the early years of the band, members came and went quickly. Former members include Ken Presley (who died in a car accident while a member), Jay McDonald, Mel King, Wayne Stone, and Merle Haggard. Before leaving, the latter christened the band "The Buckaroos" and the name stuck

Don and Buck were an amazing combination. Buck has been quoted as saying that their two voices joined to make more than the sum of their parts. It takes only a short listen to their music to see what Buck means by this. There was something magical about the way their voices blended together.

From the 1950's through today, many Buckaroos came and went, but Buck only had one right arm and that was Don Rich. Together they went from playing one night stands to the top of the charts. In the late 1960's, the Buckaroos won Band of the Year awards several times. Through TV shows like The Buck Owens Ranch and Hee Haw, the Buckaroos' audience grew.

There were several Buckaroos albums without Buck. Don's talent was not limited to the guitar and his singing voice. He was an excellent fiddle player as well. He cut an album in 1972 called That Fiddlin' Man.

On July 17, 1974, after an evening in the studio, Don rode his motorcycle toward Morro Bay, California, where he planned to join his wife Marlene and their two sons, Vic and Vance, on a fishing trip. Don never made it to MorroBay. Somewhere near San Luis Obispohe crashed his motorcycle and left this world way too soon. He was buried in Hillcrest Memorial Park, Bakersfield,California,USA.