Born in Oklahoma 90 Years Ago, the Bassist Who Took Merle Haggard’s Place Behind Buck Owens and Helped Shape the Bakersfield Sound

On this day (June 30) in 1936, Doyle Floyd Hendricks was born in Perkins, Oklahoma. History remembers him best as Doyle Holly, the Buckaroos bass player during the height of Buck Owens’ career. He took over the band’s low end when Merle Haggard embarked on his solo career, leaving Owens without a bassist. After leaving the band, Holly had a brief solo career that produced a pair of country hits.

Holly had spent time in the United States Army and in the oilfields of Kansas and Oklahoma before he relocated to California. Before long, he was playing rhythm guitar and bass in Bakersfield-area clubs. In 1963, he was playing with Joe Maphis when he got the call that would change his life and put him at the center of a musical movement.

According to the Los Angeles Times, Don Rich called Holly one evening and invited him to play bass for the Buckaroos because Haggard couldn’t make it to the gig. He accepted the offer and sat in with them on a temporary basis. Then, Haggard left the band to start his solo career. Holly became the band’s full-time bassist.

Doyle Holly and the Buckaroos

This was a pivotal time for Owens and the Buckaroos. They found their first No. 1 single in 1963 with “Act Naturally,” a song that would later be covered by the Beatles. That was the beginning of 14 consecutive chart-toppers. Among those hits was “Love’s Gonna Live Here,” which spent 17 weeks at No. 1, setting a chart record that wouldn’t be broken for nearly 50 years.

While Holly was with the Buckaroos, they released seven albums without Owens. Those albums, which included instrumentals and songs on which either Holly or Rick sang lead vocals, all went to No. 1. Additionally, the band won several CMA and Grammy Awards.

Owens and the band’s success helped create the Bakersfield Sound, a rougher, louder, and more traditional country style that was a reaction to the slick production and string arrangements of the Nashville Sound.

Holly Goes Solo

Doyle Holly left the Buckaroos in 1971. Two years later, he released his self-tiled debut album, which peaked at No. 43 on the country chart. His sophomore album was more successful, reaching No. 31. It was his final LP to chart, though.

He had a few hits as a solo artist. 1973 was his most successful year. The songs “Queen of the Silver Dollar” and “Lila” went to No. 29 and No. 17, respectively.

Holly entered semi-retirement in the early 1980s, opening a music store in Hendersonville, Tennessee. He still played a handful of concerts, but never toured again.

In 2000, he reunited with Buck Owens and the rest of the living Buckaroos to record Together Again. Unfortunately, Johnny Russell died before they could finish the album. This loss pushed the album’s production back. Finally, in 2003, the bluegrass-tinged collection of Buckaroos hits hit shelves.

Featured Image by Don Paulsen/Michael Ochs Archives/Getty Images

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