Veronica Loretta "Roni" Stoneman, banjo player, comedian and cast member on the long-running television show Hee Haw, died Thursday (Feb. 22) at age 85.
Stoneman, known as "The First Lady of Banjo," was born May 5, 1938, as the second-youngest of 23 children born to Hattie Stoneman and pioneering bluegrass musician Ernest V. "Pop" Stoneman, known for his 1925 recording of "The Sinking of the Titanic." According to the Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum, Ernest's recordings later led executive Ralph Peer to set studio dates in Bristol, Tennessee to record Stoneman and other artists in 1927 - which would include the landmark first recording sessions for The Carter Family and Jimmie Rodgers.
Roni Stoneman, ‘Hee Haw' Star & Stoneman Family Musician, Dies at 85 (msn.com)​
Stoneman, known as "The First Lady of Banjo," was born May 5, 1938, as the second-youngest of 23 children born to Hattie Stoneman and pioneering bluegrass musician Ernest V. "Pop" Stoneman, known for his 1925 recording of "The Sinking of the Titanic." According to the Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum, Ernest's recordings later led executive Ralph Peer to set studio dates in Bristol, Tennessee to record Stoneman and other artists in 1927 - which would include the landmark first recording sessions for The Carter Family and Jimmie Rodgers.
Roni Stoneman, ‘Hee Haw' Star & Stoneman Family Musician, Dies at 85 (msn.com)​
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