Renowned bluegrass musician Roni Stoneman died at the age of 85.
She was a well-liked guest on the classic variety show Hee Haw, where she was known as the “First Lady of the Banjo.”
The Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum reports that Stoneman, whose real name was Veronica Loretta Stoneman, died away on Wednesday.
Stoneman belonged to The Stoneman Family, a well-known country music trio.
Ernest “Pop” Stoneman, the father of the well-known country music family, gave birth to three daughters. She was the youngest.
Roni Stoneman was destined for a career in country music, according to Kyle Young, CEO of the Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum.
She played a funny, gap-toothed rural figure on “Hew Haw” for eighteen years, in addition to being a talented banjo player. She was a vital member of a legendary family in country music.
The cause of death wasn’t made public right away.
Pop, King Stoneman’s father, was a pioneer in the field of country music.
He moved to New York City to further his musical career from Galax, Virginia, which is about 11 miles north of North Carolina.
The well-known ballad “The Sinking of the Titanic,” which dates back to the early 1920s, was first recorded by Stoneman’s father.
Since she was a little child, her mother Hattie’s fiddle played music in the home.
By the mid-1950s, when Hattie and Pop were playing with their own kids, they had become well-known after making several TV program appearances.
The family had a TV show called “Those Stonesmans” in the late 1960s. 1967 saw them win CMA Vocal Group of the Year.
Roni Stoneman became well-known in the 1970s when she joined the cast of Hee Haw, following the death of her father in 1968.
Stoneman earned the moniker “The First Lady of the Banjo” for her comedy skills and her gap-toothed smile on the show.
She spent the whole 1980s performing with her sister Donna.
As a result, Donna earned the nickname “The First Lady of the Mandolin.”
A newsletter called Banjo states that the brother and sister team’s most recent performance took place in 2020.
Donna, Stoneman’s sister, will be sadly missed.
