If it had strings, Roy Clark was a master of it. Guitar, banjo, fiddle, and mandolin.

That was being played LIVE with the people maybe 20 feet away! I have seen him live myself and had the honor of sitting in on an impromptu with him and Glen Campbell once in Nashville in a hotel! He was that good and better as the recording media of the day just could not pick up all of his speed and the nuances of the sound. He Played Malaguena for us on an acoustic guitar, and I swear to God his right hand was a freekin blur most of the time. Also when you think that Van Halen wanted Roy to sit with him and give him some pointers and lessons, you have to realize that Very talented people in the industry thought extremely highly of his skills! If you think he is a 7, then Van Halen and many other huge names in music would like to talk to you as they called Roy THE GOAT!

A 7 is like saying you're a 0.5 as a reactor, just being brutally honest.

I was Roy’s sound man for a few decades. What you got is what he played…that didn’t come out right. Seriously, Roy was a great player and entertainer, but even better human being. He enjoyed good music irregardless of the genre.

No way did he mimic it. Watch him play in other venues. He is the goat. He played all different genres. Van Halen and others called him the goat.

Having seen Roy Clark in person, I can tell you he did that straight up. He was a guitar genius.

I swear Roy Clark and Prince are probably two of the most under-rated guitar players ever....

Did it really look like he needed to fake it? Check Roy out on The Odd couple show, the song is maleguena.

Roy Clark was the real deal. Definitely not mimicking. Seriously one of the most legit guitarists of all time. Definitely underrated and over shadow by the rock guys who would come not long behind. Check out some of his acoustic stuff.

Its really a shame the bigger audiences dont talk about Roy as they do about Clapton or Hendrix. Roy was extremely ahead of his time, he was sweeping and shredding on stage while Hendrix was still growing a peach fuzz mustache. He’s belongs in the avant-garde of Guitar players.

A seven? Stop huffing paint in the shed.

Roy Clark could play any instrument with strings. He was astoundingly talented. And he never faked it, because he could play it.

Easily the top 5 greatest guitarists that ever lived

Yeah, no, he didn't 'mimic' - the technology didn't really exist for that to happen. Plus, hell, look at his fingers - dead on with the audio. Check out what he did on "The Odd Couple" - astonishing!

The man wasn't just an expert guitarist. He was an entertainer.

You have to see Roy Clark perform on "The Odd Couple". It went from a sitcom to a performance where the actors are blown away. Tom Dutkiewicz

No mimic. Explore him further. Multi instrumentalist. Fiddle guitar banjo mandolin. Plenty of concert footage out there. Not to mention Hee Haw!

Lived in Nashville in the 60's-early 70's and attended several shows with Roy. He did NOT Mimic!!! He'd goof, play and joke around, but he was so good and loved to show off his skills and just exclaim "twurnt noth'in".

Roy Clark, the bluegrass guitarist that played ragtime, jazz, rock, blues, latin music, and classical guitar at a comparable level to the top musicians in each of those genres.

I see the look on his face as a performance for the audience. Goofy around for the audience, he is kind of like a cross between Benny Hill and Eric Clapton. A musical and performance master, draws you in.

a 7? now that's stupid...

When Eddie Van Halen is asking you for guitar lessons, you're not dealing with someone who's all smoke and mirrors. Great review. 🤘Rock On!🤘

He didn't mimic, he didn't have to. Roy Clark had the chops to play what you hear. Since back then the technology was not that advanced, you better knew what you were doing. Roy Clark was Wanda Jackson's guitar player and Twelfth Street Rag appeared on his 1963 album "The Lightning Fingers of Roy Clark".

Roy Clark wasn't mimicking anything. I saw Roy Clark play that live 12 feet in front of me. Roy Clark is easily one of the masters of strings with few peers.

Thats a ten my guy not seven

You should watch him playing "Malaguena" on acoustic. It will blow your mind. I saw him in Vegas in 1986. Fantastic player.

The only player I ever saw to play flamenco with a pick. He’s as good as anybody ever and could do it on anything with strings. RIP Roy. The world need’s celebrities like you again..

The man Roy Clark is one of the greatest guitarists ever. There is also a video of Roy and Glen Campbell playing in together. You should look for that one.

Roy Clark mimicked nothing

He could play the laces of an old army boot and make it sound great.

I am a huge fan of country music, and Roy Clark was probably one of the most entertaining instrumentalist back in the 1960's - 1990's. That clip was recorded around 1961 - 1968 on The Jimmy Dean Show. This guy is 'bad to the bone' guitar player. I meant to say he is really good in my opinion.

He had a huge impact on Danny Gatton who as a kid was his neighbor in Maryland.

he was a show man. I believe it was in the old movie "the great waldo pepper" an old pilot told the new barnstormer (waldo) the 3 fundamentals of showmanship (stunt flying ) 1. Make the hard stuff look easy 2. Make the easy stuff look hard 3. Never attempt the impossible nuff said.

A 7? 7??? Really? Roy killed it!

If you're not sure if Roy can play or not check him out playing Malaguena on " The Odd Couple" it's amazing

We watched him every week when I was young in the late 60-70 and we didn’t appreciate his playing because he he made it look simple . Just approaching his talent now after he’s gone is sad

Roy Clark was not an “old-timey” guitarist. He died in 2018. In addition: he was a country music legend; was the highest paid singer in country music in the 70’s; was a Las Vegas headliner; was a Tonight Show regular and frequently guest-hosted for Carson; had his own theater in Branson; had several number one country hits and two huge crossover hits with ‘Come Live With Me’ and ‘Yesterday, When I Was Young.’ He was also the co-host of ‘Hee-Haw’ for 28 years. AND, when Eddie Van Halen was asked: “How does it feel to be the best guitar player in the world?” Van Halen replied: “I don’t know, you’ll have to ask Roy Clark.” Clark was also a brilliant banjo and violin (fiddle) player!

He was truly playing. Nothing added or taken away. I heard that when it was played live on the Jimmy Dean Show in 1964

Not just Roy but check out Glenn Campbell. Vince Gil. Brad Paisley. Many country stars are always overlooked at their guitar skills

I saw a "pickin' contest at the Grand Ol' Opry between Les Paul, Chet Atkins, Roy Clark and a special guest. That was JEFF BECK! Les did his thing. Chet stepped it up a bit. Roy tore the band aid off and Jeff ripped a stank solo the left Les walking over to him, and yanked the cord from Jeff's axe. Les was just shakin' his head in that Oh Hell No kinda way...

He was one of the top musicians in the World and could play any type of music

That video is from 1964 on the Jimmy Dean Show

Eddie VanHalen was asked what it was like to be the best guitar player in the world. He said, I don’t know, go ask Roy Clark.

he was just as good on banjo, fiddle and mandolin. natural virtuoso

Find the video of him playing Malenguenga (?) on The Odd Couple tv show.

There were a lot of strings on that performance. There's a great version he did live on the Johnny Cash show with less strings in the background so you could hear his playing clearer. As far as fast guitar players go, check out Jimmy Bryant if you don't know him already. Same era. He played so fast on some records people thought he was playing it slower and just speeding up the record. So in response, the guy travels around the country performing to show it was real. His solo on Tex Williams version of "Wild Card" is a great example.

He liked to clown aroud while he played so the face's we're just part of the act. You should check out him playing malaguena on the odd couple show.

Check out Roy Clark play Malagueña! And then Charo play Malagueña!

Roy Clark and Glenn Campbell Ghost Riders In The Sky 🔥🔥🔥

Fantastic musician and perhaps the most financially successful guitarist of all time, for decades he was the highest paid guitar player and amassed a fortune of millions upon millions as well as a small fleet of private air craft.

I don’t get your question about mimicking. Mimic means to imitate someone else. Are you asking whether he was imitating someone else’s style? Or, are you using mimic as we would use the term lip-synch with regard to vocals, suggesting that he was only faking that he was playing? I watched this guy growing up, especially on the TV show Hee Haw, and this is classic Roy Clark. He was super, super skilled, and he always made faces to inject humor into is playing. He was, essentially, a comedian, and loved to keep things light.

Roy Clark was a GENIUS WITH ALL string instruments.

Yesterday, when I was young, is possibly one of the saddest, most haunting and moving song I have ever heard. What a great lead in to a sermon on the Prodigal Son from the book of Luke.

Judging by his suit, this was the mid to late 50's. He was playing that fast to impress. In the 60's and 70's he had the confidence to simply play very, very well.

A reporter, it is rumored, asked Jimmy Hendrix "what's it like being the greatest guitar player ever" ? He responded "ask Roy Clark and let me know".

Never noticed before, but the camera technology couldn’t even record his hands without blurr.

Jimmy Hendricks, was asking... what is it like to be the greatest guitar player who ever live. His reply "I don't know, you will have to ask Mr. Roy Clark that question.

I'd guess that was clip was recorded before color became the norm for TV. Internet says that was recorded on the Jimmy Dean show that aired between 1963 and 66.

Brother I have watched him live sitting around a fire with my family playing and no mimic involved. The man was magic to watch.

Roy Clark wasn't just a master gutarist he was a master musican .....I'm a total thrash metal fan and anybody old enough to have been around during the heyday of the guitar virtuouso 80s era knew of Roy Clark.....he isn't a 7 player he is a 10.....the Eddie Van Halen or Randy Rhoades of his day.....what you saw was all real picking.

What are the headphones this guy is using?

I'm an old person 66 and remember watching him on live show and it wasn't no fake stuff

On a side note. 12th street rag is a ragtime piece of music written for piano. As for Roy Clark , he grew up with an instrument in hand and he practiced religiously not just guitar , he was versatile with a lot of string instruments. As for mimicking this piece I don’t think so because he also performed 12 th street rag on other live shows and each performance never sounded identical if he was mimicking it would sound the same with every performance. Just sayin……. Check out Glen Campbell- William tell overture

He absolutely was not mimicking.. Like others have said... Roy Clark could play anything with a string.. I've heard that he could play 18 notes a second.. He started playing banjo when he was 14.. by the time he was 15 he was the national champion.. 2 years in a row I believe... But he was also a comedian and a singer... And he was so good he could incorporate all of that into his amazingly good playing.. Check out when he plays on the original odd couple series.. He is so good before a live audience that Jack clugman And Tony Randall brake character in amazement... And like you said.. all in clean tones.. nowhere to hide mistakes..🎸🎸🪕🪕🎻🎻🤗👍

This was just Roy playing around & having fun...check out his other vids you'll just become stunned by his mastery of stringed instruments..

This is from 1963 or 64 on the Jimmy Dean Show. Roy follows with a rendition of Folsom Prison Blues. He also did a couple of cameo appearances on "The Beverly Hillbillies" FYI The TV networks didn't start broadcasting in color until the Fall.of 65.

Roy Clark also cohosted television’s Hee Haw with country legend Buck Owens for many many years

He played the same song in 1976 on the Johnny Cash show. I am convinced they are played live.

Was him live.... Master of just about any string instrument....

To give him a 7 is a crime.

Roy Clark was a genius and NO Way that was mimicked. Any decent guitar player would know that after watching it. Here is another clip to show his amazing talent from a spot he did on the TV show "The Odd Couple". kzfaq.info/get/bejne/Y96jptGhnLiZYXU.html

This is how good Roy Clark was, all those facial expressions were an act. He could play and “act” all whilst doing very difficult music.

No mimic here. It was pure Roy Clark doing what he does best.

It's as real as it gets Roy Clark was one of the very best guitarists that ever lived, I put him up there in the very top three players of all time

Roy Clark was the real meal deal , he could easily out play any of the guys the call great today . And you can bet your ass they all know who he is .

Even all guys are defending Roy's habilities here in the comments - AND I MUST AGREE - I'm almost convinced that what's happening in this video could be a mimic thing. If it doesn't countain playback stuff, surely it has a video edition work on it for some reason: it's weird how the audio/video in some moments has a bit lack of sync. And between 4:00 and 4:01, as the camera view change, his face and body has a subit change. I believe it's not due Roy's honesty on stage, but for some strictly perfectionism on the production for that occasion, maybe against the opinion and will of the artist. If it's the case, that doesn't mean Roy couldn't play it for real.

Check more of him out. If you think he "mimicked" that. Just check more out

He definitely want miming anything. He was a master of all things strings. You should see his melaguena rendition.

No, I think they patched the video from maybe a different take for that five seconds that was obviously different. That was definitely live.

Play Rory Gallagher, Hands Off, Live, from the Irish Tour 1974 Album. You’ll love it.

Roy Clark can play almost anything with strings. See him on Banjo or Fiddle. You need to watch his 1964 performance on the Jimmy Dean show. Performing Johnny Cash's Folsome Prison.

Back in the 70s when I was playing in a few bands, (never actually _played_ anywhere), we’d look forward to the yearly Guitar Player magazine readers poll on best guitarist. They’d have the best in multiple categories: rock, jazz, country, etc. in rock it would be Santana, Howe, Page and so on but for a number of years running it was always Roy Clark in country. We’d watch Hee Haw every week just to see him play. Well that and the girls in those Dogpatch outfits. 🙃

Roy was the real deal.

This was live on the Jimmy Dean Show from early 60's .

To be brutally honest, I don't know what you mean by mimic. Roy Clark was a boss, on all kinds of strings. Mimic my ass.

Roy Clark and Glen campbell could do unbelievable things with strings

there was not a string instrument roy clark could not play,and out play everyone.the face that he could add humor to his acts..with facial expressions,just proves how easily he made it look..

Wrong! He was one of the greatest of all time. The tv shows in the early 60s were live, in front of audiences, not recorded. Of course, you wouldn't know. It was long before you were born.

Just watch him play Malaguena, pure talent.

If you can find it, he does an even better version of this song on the "Johnny Cash" tv show.

Not my type of music but I ve know of Roy Clarke since 1975. Most humble kind man I have ever seen enter a room. And yes the most talented musician ever

What blows my mind is people not knowing Roy Clark.

No way, have you seen him playing the banjo? Like your review.

Hi mate, let me rank a few brilliant guitar players: Django Reinhart; Wes Montgomery, Glen Campbell and Roy Clarke. I would add Eric Clapton, when he played a Gibson in his early years. Roy Clark was a showman, a plethora of material is out there, for your entertainment.

You should find videos of him and Glenn Campbell together going for it!

do a review on Clark's rendition of Malaguena!

Check out videos of Glen and Roy when they play the same guitar at the same time

Roy clark was a master Guitar player. He is the best of the best. He also played banjo, fiddle, harmonica and any string instrument. Many if his best numbers are hidden in Hee Haw and he could be really funny.

Yeah he really did that on a regular basis during live

I've seen him in person more than once. No mimic he could play anyway he wanted