Jerry Scoggins
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Jerry Scoggins (1913, Mount Pleasant, Texas - December 7, 2004, Westlake Village, California) was a United States country singer who performed in radio, movies, and television from the 1930's onward. He was noted for singing The Ballad of Jed Clampett, the theme song to the 1960s sitcom The Beverly Hillbillies.
Scoggins was born in Mount Pleasant, Texas in 1913. He sang and played guitar on the Dallas radio in the early 30's and in 1936 formed his own group, the Cass County Kids, with John Dodson and Fred Martin. Ten years later, country music and cowboy legend Gene Autry changed their name to the Cass County Boys when he hired them to work on his Melody Ranch radio program. They appeared in 17 of his films and worked with him on radio and TV for 12 years, while also appearing with Bing Crosby on early 50's TV. In 1996 the Boys were inducted Western Music Hall of Fame. They also received a Golden Boot Award from the Motion Picture and Television Fund.
In 1962 Scoggins was working as a stockbroker and singing on weekends when he was asked to sing the theme song for a new sitcom called The Beverly Hillbillies. Lester Flatt and Earl Scruggs played guitar and banjo while he sang the lyrics. The Ballad of Jed Clampett was a smash hit on the charts and immortalized for decades to come. In 1993, a retired Scoggins learned that 20th Century Fox was making a film version of the series. He called their offices only to be told that they'd had no idea he was still alive. The studio preferred Johnny Cash or Willie Nelson sing the theme song, but the director, Penelope Spheeris, insisted Scoggins get the job. And he did. He said that he had probably sung the ballad over 1,000 times since the original recording.
On December 7, 2004, Scoggins died from natural causes in his Westlake Village, California home. Scoggins, a widower, is survived by two daughters, Judy Headley of Santa Barbara and Jane Kelly of Westlake Village; five grandchildren; and one great-granddaughter.
