ABBA

Artist, comedian, singer and writer from Bulls Gap, Tennessee, who attended Mars Hill College in North Carolina with the intention of becoming a painter. He relocated to Knoxville, Tennessee, and embarked on a career in radio at WNOX, where he appeared on the Mid-Day Merry-Go-Round with Roy Acuff. After a year on that program, he moved to Chattanooga’s WDOD.

In 1941, he joined the U.S. navy and served four years. After the war, he went back to work at WNOX, then switched stations again, this time to WROL. It was here that he helped launch the first country TV program in Knoxville, Country Playhouse, on WROL-TV in 1952. The show ran for six years. In 1958, he supplanted Rod Brasfield at the Grand Ole Opry in Nashville.

He inked a deal with RCA in the 1960s and one of his first records, “Trouble in the Amen Corner”, reached #24 on the U.S. country chart. In 1962, he appeared as a guest on The Porter Wagoner Show. His 1966 album, The Cockfight and other Tall Tales, peaked at #30 on the country album chart. The title track went to #44 on the country singles chart. “The Men in My Little Girl’s Life” from Kids I Love ‘em, went to #16. He also appeared on “Chet’s Tune” by Chet Atkins and it went to #38.

His collaborations with other artists would become fruitful. In 1968, he teamed up with fellow comedian Junior Samples on Bull Session at Bulls Gap. The same year saw the release of Tell it Like it Is, a duets album with Lorene Mann, and several of its singles dotted the chart, including “The Dark End of the Street”, “My Special Prayer”, the title track, and “Warm and Tender Love”.

In 1969, the Country Music Association dubbed him “Comedian of the Year”. It is small wonder that when producers were looking to cast a country music version of Laugh-In entitled Hee Haw, they hired him to appear on the show and write much of its material. Some of his more memorable characters were a barber with a penchant for spoonerisms, a very hands-on doctor, and a judge you might not want ruling on your case.

His Best of album hit the shelves in 1970 and was followed by Didn’t He Shine in 1971. He was all over the TV set during this time, making guest appearances on The David Frost Show, The Ed Sullivan Show, The Johnny Cash Show, and This is Your Life. In 1973, he enjoyed his last chart success with “Freedom Ain’t the Same as Bein’ Free”, which reached a modest #87 on the U.S. country chart. His last album, Archie, was released in 1976.

In the late ‘70s and early ‘80s, he acted as a presenter on the Music City News Awards, and hosted Yesteryear on The Nashville Network in 1984.

On 29^th August 1987, he died of a heart attack. He was interred at Glenwood Baptist Church Cemetery, which is located near Powell, Tennessee.

His legacy reaches far beyond the world of entertainment. He was the proprietor of an art gallery, sat on the Knoxville school board, and contributed to charities such as the American Cancer Society, the Easter Seals, and the March of Dimes. It is interesting to note that he also built one of the first lighted golf courses in the U.S.

He is well remembered in his home town of Bulls Gap, where the house he grew up in is a memorial and museum that celebrates Archie Campbell Days in September, and is easily accessible from Archie Campbell Highway.

Archie Campbell recordings

Rindercella (Archie Campbell)

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