David "Stringbean" Akeman

David Akeman (June 17, 1915 – November 10, 1973) better known as Stringbean (or String Bean), was an American singer-songwriter, musician, comedian, and semiprofessional baseball player best known for his role as a main cast member on the hit television show Hee Haw and as a member of the Grand Ole Opry. Akeman was well known for his "old-fashioned" banjo-picking style, careful mix of comedy and music, and his memorable stage wardrobe (which consisted of a long nightshirt tucked into a pair of short blue jeans belted around his knees — giving him the comical appearance of a very tall man with stubby legs). Akeman and his wife were shot and murdered by burglars in their rural Tennessee home near Ridgetop in 1973.

Birth and Death Data: Born June 17, 1916 (Annville), Died November 10, 1973 (Ridgetop)

Date Range of DAHR Recordings: 1945

Roles Represented in DAHR: banjo

= Recordings are available for online listening.
= Recordings were issued from this master. No recordings issued from other masters.

Recordings

Company	Matrix No.	Size	First Recording Date	Title	Primary Performer	Description	Role
Columbia	C4354	10-in.	2/13/1945	Rocky road blues	Bill Monroe and his Blue Grass Boys	String band, with male vocal solo	instrumentalist, banjo
Columbia	C4355	10-in.	2/13/1945	Kentucky waltz	Bill Monroe and his Blue Grass Boys	String band, with male vocal solo	instrumentalist, banjo
Columbia	C4356	10-in.	2/13/1945	True life blues	Bill Monroe and his Blue Grass Boys	Male vocal duet, with string band	instrumentalist, banjo
Columbia	C4358	10-in.	2/13/1945	Goodbye old pal	Bill Monroe and his Blue Grass Boys	String band, with male vocal solo	instrumentalist, banjo
Columbia	C4359	10-in.	2/13/1945	Footprints in the snow	Bill Monroe and his Blue Grass Boys	Male vocal solo, with string band	instrumentalist, banjo
Columbia	C4360	10-in.	2/13/1945	Blue grass special	Bill Monroe and his Blue Grass Boys	String band	instrumentalist, banjo

Citation

Discography of American Historical Recordings, s.v. "Akeman, David "Stringbean"," accessed May 2, 2024, https://adp.library.ucsb.edu/names/371753.

Akeman, David "Stringbean". (2024). In Discography of American Historical Recordings. Retrieved May 2, 2024, from https://adp.library.ucsb.edu/names/371753.

"Akeman, David "Stringbean"." Discography of American Historical Recordings. UC Santa Barbara Library, 2024. Web. 2 May 2024.