Entertainer, Musician. He teamed up with Floyd Rutledge as the musical comedy duo "Lennie and Goo Goo", and were pioneers that set the stage for what became known as "hillbilly music." Famous for their comedy and musical talent by playing cow bells and their crude homemade instruments, their career spanned from the 1920s to the 1960. When he was twelve years old, he lost three fingers on one hand in a sawmill accident. Despite his loss, he was able to master the fiddle and any other instrument he could get his hands on. Performing with childhood friend Rutledge, in 1928 he began his career by joining the "Weaver Brothers and Elviry" vaudeville act, first billing themselves as "Flash and Whistler." Later they became personal friends with Louis Marshall "Grandpa" Jones, who worked with them on radio shows in West Virginia and in road shows and personal appearance. Aleshire and Rutledge joined the "Korn's-A-Krackin" radio show on KWTO in Springfield, MO and made regular appearances on the ABC-TV television show, "Ozarks Jubilee" from 1955 to 1961, which was hosted by Red Foley. The "Ozarks Jubilee" would go on to become first the "Country Music Jubilee" then "Jubilee USA", and had a weekly viewing audience of 25 million people. Due to the musical uniqueness of the cow bells, Grandpa Jones started using them in his act after he joined the Grand Ole Opry in Nashville, Tennessee. Porter Wagoner, Billy Walker, Leroy Van Dyke and Brenda Lee are among other Nashville country music recording artists that worked with "Lennie and Goo Goo" during the Ozarks Jubilee era. Today the instruments he and Rutledge performed with are on display in the Ralph Foster Museum at the College of the Ozarks in Hollister, Missouri.
Entertainer, Musician. He teamed up with Floyd Rutledge as the musical comedy duo "Lennie and Goo Goo", and were pioneers that set the stage for what became known as "hillbilly music." Famous for their comedy and musical talent by playing cow bells and their crude homemade instruments, their career spanned from the 1920s to the 1960. When he was twelve years old, he lost three fingers on one hand in a sawmill accident. Despite his loss, he was able to master the fiddle and any other instrument he could get his hands on. Performing with childhood friend Rutledge, in 1928 he began his career by joining the "Weaver Brothers and Elviry" vaudeville act, first billing themselves as "Flash and Whistler." Later they became personal friends with Louis Marshall "Grandpa" Jones, who worked with them on radio shows in West Virginia and in road shows and personal appearance. Aleshire and Rutledge joined the "Korn's-A-Krackin" radio show on KWTO in Springfield, MO and made regular appearances on the ABC-TV television show, "Ozarks Jubilee" from 1955 to 1961, which was hosted by Red Foley. The "Ozarks Jubilee" would go on to become first the "Country Music Jubilee" then "Jubilee USA", and had a weekly viewing audience of 25 million people. Due to the musical uniqueness of the cow bells, Grandpa Jones started using them in his act after he joined the Grand Ole Opry in Nashville, Tennessee. Porter Wagoner, Billy Walker, Leroy Van Dyke and Brenda Lee are among other Nashville country music recording artists that worked with "Lennie and Goo Goo" during the Ozarks Jubilee era. Today the instruments he and Rutledge performed with are on display in the Ralph Foster Museum at the College of the Ozarks in Hollister, Missouri.
Bio by: J. D. McConnell
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