HAYNES, HOMER; AND BURNS, JETHRO

born July 27, 1920, Knoxville, Tenn., U.S. died Aug. 7, 1971, Hammond, Ind. born March 10, 1920, Knoxville, Tenn. died Feb. 4, 1989, Evanston, Ill. in full respectively Henry Doyle Haynes and Kenneth C. Burns American entertainers who appeared on radio and television as the Homer and Jethro country-music comedy team. The partnership began in 1932. With Homer strumming the guitar and Jethro playing the mandolin, they performed on radio in Knoxville before becoming cast regulars in 1939 on the Renfro Valley Barn Dance radio program. The team broke up during World War II, but they reunited in 1945 and performed for a decade as regulars on the National Barn Dance radio broadcast from Chicago. The duo later appeared on television, notably on such shows as The Beverly Hillbillies, The Tonight Show, and The Johnny Cash Show. Homer and Jethro were possibly best remembered for the zany commercials they made for Kellogg's Corn Flakes during the 1960s. Two of their most popular songs were That Hound Dog in the Winder (1953) and The Battle of Kookamonga (1959), which earned them a Grammy award in 1959 for the best comedy performance. The pair also produced more than 50 albums, including Homer and Jethro at the Country Club (1960) and Songs For the Out' Crowd (1967).