Jud Strunk

Jud Strunk
Background information
Birth name	Justin Strunk, Jr.
Born	(1936-06-11)June 11, 1936 Jamestown, New York
Died	Carrabassett Valley, Maine
Genres	Country, pop
Occupation(s)	Singer-songwriter
Instruments	Banjo
Years active	1973–1976
Labels	Columbia, MGM, MCA

Jud Strunk (June 11, 1936—October 5, 1981) was an American singer, songwriter and comedian.

Biography

Born Justin Strunk, Jr. in Jamestown, New York, 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 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 that 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.

When Strunk performed this song on Rowan & Martin's Laugh-In (seated on a stool and accompanying himself on banjo), a bizarre decision was made to film his performance on a set resembling a lunar landscape, apparently to remind the audience that this song had been played on the moon. Jud Strunk was a regular member of the Laugh-In cast during its last season; he often reported fictitious sporting events direct "from Farmington, Maine."

Strunk also wrote three humorous songs that made it into the country music charts, and he toured with the Andy Williams Road Show. One of these songs, "The Biggest Parakeets in Town," was a tongue-in-cheek story of a woman who is a bird fancier. Its central joke is the unspoken pun of "parakeets/pair o'tits" used in the title. Other singles, such as "Next Door Neighbor's Kid" and the patriotic "My Country," appeared on various Billboard surveys. Strunk also scored a songwriting hit with “Bill Jones' General Store” [sic], the title track of his 1971 album of a similar name; Canadian musician Tommy Hunter charted in the top 20 on the country and adult contemporary charts in Canada with the song.

Strunk became a folk hero in Maine, and in 1970 narrowly lost the election for Senate seat in the state legislature. He was also a private pilot and purchased a 1941 Fairchild M62-A. On 5 October 1981, he suffered a heart attack while taking off in the aircraft at Carrabassett Valley Airport in Maine and was killed instantly along with his passenger, local businessman Dick Ayotte. He was 45 years old.

Jud's sons contribute to the Sugarloaf Community, with Jud's grandson performing onstage at The Rack on Sunday afternoons.

Discography

Albums

Year	Album	Chart Positions		Label
		US Country	US
1970	Downeast Viewpoint	—	—	Columbia
1971	Jones' General Store	—	—	MGM
1973	Daisy a Day	18	138
1977	A Semi-Reformed Tequila Crazed Gypsy Looks Back	—	—	MCA

Singles

Year	Single	Chart Positions						Album
		US Country	US	US AC	CAN Country	CAN	CAN AC
1973	"Daisy a Day"	33	14	4	18	3	5	Daisy a Day
	"Next Door Neighbor's Kid"	86	—	—	85	—	50
1974	"My Country"	—	59	—	—	—	—	singles only
1975	"The Biggest Parakeets in Town"	51	50	—	20	71	—
1976	"Pamela Brown"	88	—	—	—	—	—

External links

• Jud Strunk in findagrave.com