Hager Twins
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
| Jim Hager and Jon Hager | |
|---|---|
| Born | Jim Hager: August 30, 1946 Jon Hager: August 30, 1946 Chicago, Illinois, U.S.A. |
| Died | Jim Hager: May 1, 2008 (aged 61) Jim Hager: Nashville, Tennessee |
| Other name(s) | Hager Brothers |
| Occupation | country music singers and comedians |
| Official website | |
The Hager Twins, also known as the Hager Brothers, were a duo of American country music singers and comedians who first gained fame on the TV series Hee Haw. They were identical twin brothers Jim (born August 30, 1946, died May 1, 2008) and Jon Hager (born August 30, 1946)
[edit] Biography
The brothers were born August 30, 1946 in Chicago, Illinois [1] and adopted by Jack and Frances Hager, a Methodist minister and a schoolteacher.
The Hager brothers first sang in the church choir. As teenagers, they sang on a Saturday morning WGN-TV series targeting others in their age group. Both brothers served in the United States Army and performed at Officers' Clubs and NCO Clubs in the United States and Europe.
They attended Maine Township High School, Park Ridge, Illinois (Class of 1959), one year ahead of Harrison Ford and a few more years ahead of Hillary Rodham. As with many other show business personalities, the Hager brothers' age and birthday somehow changed as they grew older, but they still looked good even into their sixties.
After leaving the military, the Hager brothers moved to California and performed at the Ledbetter's Night Club in Los Angeles with The Carpenters, The New Christy Minstrels, John Denver, Steve Martin and Kenny Rogers. They also worked at Disneyland, which is where Buck Owens saw them perform and signed them to contracts. In addition to Owens, the brothers served as opening acts for Tex Ritter, Wynn Stewart, Billie Jo Spears and Lefty Frizzell.
Most of the country first came to know Jim and Jon on the CBS series Hee Haw, on which both were cast members from 1969 [2] to 1986. [3]
The Hager brothers signed with Capitol Records in 1969 and hit the country charts with "Gotta Get To Oklahoma ('Cause California's Gettin' To Me)".[4] In all, they recorded six albums--three for Capitol, two for Elektra-Asylum, and one for Barnaby Records.[5]
The brothers were featured in the second preview issue of Playgirl, February, 1973.
Their TV appearances also include the original The Bionic Woman, in which Jim and Jon played Verm and Dier, respectively, in the February 11, 1978, episode "Sanctuary Earth."[6] The characters were cloned detectives. [7]
In 1976, Jim and Jon starred, with Lillian Gish, as Tony and Shep Thomas in the TV-movie Twin Detectives.[8] They also appeared in TV commercials and with Florence Henderson in Country Kitchen on TNN. [9]
The Hager Brothers continued to entertain, and also contributed to numerous charities.[10]
Jim Hager died of an apparent heart attack on May 1, 2008 in Nashville, Tennessee.[11]
[edit] References
- ^ http://imdb.com/name/nm0353502, Retrieved on 2008/01/17.
- ^ /http://www.thehagertwins.com/bio.htm, Retrieved on 2008/01/17.
- ^ http://imdb.com/name/nm0353502, Retrieved on 2008/01/17.
- ^ http://www.thehagertwins.com/bio.htm, Retrieved on 2008/01/17.
- ^ http://www.barberusa.com/country/hagers.html, Retrieved on 2008/01/18.
- ^ http://imdb.com/title/tt0526198, Retrieved on 2008/01/17.
- ^ http://www.thehagertwins.com/bio.htm, Retrieved on 2008/01/17.
- ^ http://imdb.com/title/tt0075358, Retrieved on 2008/01/17.
- ^ http://www.thehagertwins.com/bio.htm, Retrieved on 2008/01/17.
- ^ http://www.barberusa.com/country/hagers.html, Retrieved on 2008/01/18
- ^ Country musician Jim Hager dies at 66 - Yahoo! News
