Shug Fisher
| Shug Fisher | |
|---|---|
Fisher c. 1950
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| Born |
George Clinton Fisher, Jr. September 26, 1907 Tabler, Oklahoma, U.S. |
| Died | March 16, 1984 (aged 76) Woodland Hills, Los Angeles, California, U.S. |
| Other names | Leroy Fisher |
| Occupation | actor, comedian, singer, songwriter, musician |
| Years active | 1931–1981 |
| Spouse(s) | Peggy Summers (1935-?) |
Shug Fisher (September 26, 1907–March 16, 1984), born George Clinton Fisher, Jr., was an American character actor, singer, songwriter, musician and comedian. During a 50-year career, he appeared in many Western films, often as a member of the Sons of the Pioneers in Roy Rogers serials. Fisher also had supporting roles on many TV shows, most frequently on Gunsmoke and The Beverly Hillbillies. His comic trademarks included his ability to stutter at will and his bemused facial expressions.
Fisher was born in Grady County, Oklahoma in Tabler (near Chickasha) into a farming family, the son of a Scots-Irish father and part-Choctaw mother and the youngest of four children. He gained the nickname "Shug" (short for sugar) at a young age, which he explained as, "My mama gave it to me 'cause I was such a sweet baby." In 1917, the family moved by covered wagon to Pittsburg County, Oklahoma, near Indianola. Soon thereafter, Fisher was drawn to the mandolin and the fiddle. His father refreshed his own fiddling ability and Fisher learned guitar to back him, and at age 16, he was playing with his father at local square dances. He could not afford a fiddle case and instead protected his instrument with a pillow case tied to the saddle horn.
After watching a comedian with a traveling medicine show in 1924, he decided to pursue a career in entertainment. The following year, Fisher, his father, and a friend drove a Ford Model T to California's San Joaquin Valley, where he worked as a fruit-picker and a cable and tool dresser in oil fields. He continued to perform, playing fiddle at social events and square dances. In 1927, he was asked to appear on The Fresno Bee's radio station, KMJ, but only for the publicity. He later said "publicity was fine, but you can’t eat it...My motto was, pay me something, or I don’t play."
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