Jerry Scoggins

Who was Jerry Scoggins?

Jerry Scoggins was an American country/western singer, guitarist, and band leader. He performed on radio, in movies, and on television from the 1930s thru the 1980s. He was noted for his work with Gene Autry and Bing Crosby and especially 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 1911. He sang and played guitar on Dallas radio stations in the early 1930s and in 1936 formed his own group, the Cass County Kids, with John Dodson and Fred Martin. Ten years later in 1946, 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 1950s TV. In 1996 the Boys were inducted into 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".