Speck Rhodes

Gilbert Ray 'Speck' Rhodes (born July 16, 1915, in West Plains, Missouri; died March 19, 2000) was a country music comedian and entertainer. Rhodes was best known for his appearances on the Porter Wagoner television show. He came from a musical family and with his two brothers and sister, were known as Speck, Slim, Bea, and Dusty. Also know as Log Cabin Mountaineers and Slim Rhodes and his Mountaineers. Speck played banjo, bass fiddle and developed his comic character. In 1960 Speck auditioned for a new television show Porter Wagoner was starting in Nashville. Having both come from West Plains, they had a natural chemistry, and Rhodes began an association with Wagoner that would last over 20 years. Grandfather of Caleb Steelman and Samuel Steelman. Rhodes died in 2000 and is buried at Spring Hill Cemetery in Nashville, Tennessee.