Junior Alvin Monroe Samples was born in Cummings, Georgia in 1926, and to say that he had a limited education is a glorious understatement. Dropping out of sixth grade due to ‘failing’ comprehension skills, a young Samples sought his path in life, and somehow, it led into carpentry.
Searching the shoreline one day in 1966, Samples’ son came across a giant fish head, obviously discarded by another outdoorsman. Realizing an opportunity to improve his own reputation, the 40 year-old family man told his drinking buddies that the remnant belonged to a record setting bass, one weighing over 22 pounds. Like all rural rumors, word spread fast among the local population, and soon Samples was being interviewed by the State Fish and Game Commission. It was obvious from the moment he took to the microphone Samples was lying. He concocted a tale so outlandish and ridiculous that many dismissed it as the ravings of a backwater buffoon. But one man, the radio personality who reported the story, found the conversation absolutely hilarious. He played it repeatedly on his program, and soon, requests were coming in for the eloquence-addled rube with the fantastic gift of endearing exaggeration.
As with most popular country comedy bits, a copy of the interview ended up at a small independent recording label. Realizing that Samples had something, Chart Records released the track. Entitled “The World’s Biggest Whopper”, it became a massive mainstream sensation. Suddenly, Samples was in demand. He left home and started touring, making appearances on all manner of radio and television programs.
Quickly hauled back into the studio, a full length LP entitled The World of Junior Samples was released near the end of 1967. Again, it was a smash.
At 42, Samples was suddenly a celebrity.
In 1969 he was asked to join the cast of the country variety show “Hee-Haw.” He developed a character made famous by his bumbling delivery often forgetting lines and messing up jokes. His most famous role was a used car salesman inviting potential customers to call his phone number, “BR-549.” He released several other comedy albums and was twice nominated as “Comedian of the Year” by the Country Music Association.
A sixth-grade dropout, Samples was a stock car racing driver and carpenter by trade who went on the radio at the age of 40 and told a story about catching the largest fish ever seen in his hometown.
The story was a humorous tall tale, and the recording of this radio story became a best-selling novelty record, “World’s Biggest Whopper”.
The story of the Biggest Whopper, put him on the Radar, for an audition with Hee Haw and the rest is BR 549 history
He would have been 100 in 2026, dying at too young of an age at 57, in 1983.
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Hee Haw was made for Junior. He was the best part of the show, and made BR 549 a household number. Hope I can find one of his records.
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Gifted storytellers are in hot demand in any age; just look at Paul Bunyan, Mark Twain, Irish stories, the bigger the exaggeration, the better! Good story!
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