Originally Dave "Stringbean" Akeman was hired to reinforce Bill Monroe's Bluegrass Boys as a Baseballplayer. But occasionally he was allowed to contribute some banjo playing bits. But as Monroe was not too much impressed by his talents, he never played a significant part in the band. Only weeks after his departure he was replaced by Earl Scruggs.
But what could have been the end of a career proved to be just the beginning. Though his clawhammer style was outdated by the Scruggs style, he soon developed a comic talent wich caused the attention of Uncle Dave Macon who took Stringbean under his wings and taught him all of his tricks.
By the time of Macons death in 1952 Akeman was ready to fill the gap. His enduring friendship with the other surviving clawhammer banjo palyer, Granpa Jones, resulted in putting up the HEE HAW TV programme in order to preserve old time music.
In 1973 he and his wife were killed by burglars. Years later the new owners of the house observed strange dust falling from the fireplace chimney. It was $ 20000 hidden away and now torn apiece by mice...