Jud Strunk - Biography

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.

In 1973, he wrote and recorded the song "A Daisy a Day," which made the Billboard Top 20 on both the country and pop music charts. He also wrote and recorded three humorous songs that made it into the country music charts, and he toured with the Andy Williams Road Show. One of these songs, which continues to be played on the Dr. Demento show, is "The Biggest Parakeets in Town," 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 and carried throughout the song. Other lesser singles, such as "Next Door Neighbor's Kid" and the patriotic "My Country," appeared on various Billboard surveys.

Although much of Strunk's material was humorous, his most popular song was not. "A Daisy a Day" is a gentle, sentimental ballad in 3/4 time, describing the relationship between a boy and girl as they grow up together and ultimately grow old together. For every single day of their joined 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... and he still gives her a daisy a day.

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 became a folk hero of sorts in Maine and in 1970 he narrowly lost the election for a Senate seat in the state legislature. He was also a private pilot and purchased a 1941 Fairchild M62-A. Unfortunately, on 5 October 1981, he suffered a heart attack while taking off in the aircraft at the 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 continue to contribute to the Sugarloaf Community, with Jud's grandson performing onstage at The Rack on Sunday afternoons.