ABOUT DON RICH
Remembered for his key role in the development of the "Bakersfield sound" (a country music sub-genre that originated in California during the 1960s), this fiddle player and guitarist frequently performed with country singer Buck Owens as a member of Owens' backing band, the Buckaroos.
He began playing the violin when he was just three years old. In his teens, he was the opening act for Elvis Presley at a tour stop in Tacoma, Washington.
Tragically, he had a fatal motorcycle accident in his early thirties.
He grew up in Olympia, Washington, as the adopted child of Bill and Anne Ulrich. His marriage to Marlane Schindler resulted in children named Vance and Vic.
He and Merle Haggard both performed with the Buckaroos.
