Jud Strunk

Justin Roderick Strunk Jr. (June 11, 1936 – October 5, 1981), better known as Jud Strunk, was an American singer-songwriter and comedian.

Born in Jamestown, New York, United States, he was raised in Buffalo, New York, where as a small boy his showmanship became evident. After he learned to play the banjo, Strunk began entertaining locals and went on to wide recognition after appearances on national television network shows such as Rowan & Martin's Laugh-In and The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson. He toured for 3 years across North America with ragtime composer-pianist Glenn Jenks between 1975 and 1978.

He graduated from the Virginia Military Institute in 1959 with a B.A in History.

Although much of Strunk's material was humorous, his most popular song was not. "Daisy a Day", which Strunk wrote and recorded in 1973, is a gentle, sentimental ballad in 3/4 time, describing the relationship between a boy and girl who ultimately grow old together. For every day of their lives, he gives her a daisy as a sign of their love. In the last verse, she has died, but her widower husband continues to make daily visits to her grave. The song made the Billboard Top 20 on both the country and pop music charts. A cover version, Een Roosje, M'n Roosje (A Rose, My Rose) by Conny Vandenbos, reached No. 7 on the Dutch Top 40 hit list in 1974.

Strunk was a regular member of the Laugh-In cast during its last season in 1972 and 1973.— During the Laugh-In Looks at the News segment, he often reported fictitious sporting events "directly from Farmington, Maine, spahts capitol of the wahld".

Biography summary from English Wikipedia, photograph via Wikimedia Commons.