Randy Atcher

Randall "Randy" Atcher (December 7, 1918 – October 9, 2002) was an American country musician.

Atcher was born in Tip Top, Kentucky, the fifth in a family of eight. Soon after his birth his family moved to North Dakota, and then back to Kentucky when he was twelve. As a high schooler, Atcher played guitar and mandolin on WHAS radio in Louisville. He intended to continue his education at Western Kentucky State College, but a flood at the family home quashed the plan.

In 1938, he left Louisville for Chicago and put a band together there. He won slots performing on WJJD and WBBM and became a local star; he also recorded occasionally with his older brother, Bob Atcher. During World War II he spent nearly four years in the Army Air Forces, and married his wife Daphne, an Australian. Upon his discharge he returned to WHAS, performing on their Old Kentucky Barn Dance, and signed a contract with MGM Records. WHAS expanded into a television division in 1950, and the next year Atcher formed a new band, the Red River Ramblers, who performed on the WHAS children's show T-Bar-V Ranch every weekday at 4PM. Randy, the star of the show, and his sidekick, Cactus (played by Tom Brooks, brother of actor and comedian Foster Brooks), sang songs, performed skits, and gave parenting tips. In 1953, White Castle began advertising its hamburgers through the show, the first of several companies who contracted product placement.

The show ran until 1970, when it was abruptly cancelled. the Red River Ramblers, who included George Workman on bass, Shorty Chesser on guitar, Bernie Smith on guitar and banjo, Sleepy Marlin on fiddle, and Tiny Thomale on piano, also performed on the Hayloft Hoedown TV show (which ran to 1971) and live at local state fairs and events.

Atcher receded from fame after the show was cancelled, but remained a popular entertainer in Louisville. He died in 2002.

References

• Randy Atcher at Hillbilly-Music.com