Buddy Meredith born 13 April 1926

Buddy Meredith (April 13, 1926 – January 15, 2016) was an American country music singer. 

Born William G. Meredith in Beaver Falls, Pennsylvania, he was the son of the late William and Agnes (Todd) Meredith (Goen). After graduating high school in 1944, Buddy enlisted in the U.S. Navy and served in the South Pacific during World War II.  After the war, Buddy returned to Pennsylvania where he met Lois Brown – they were married on September 10, 1949.  A year later the couple moved to Rapid City, SD where Buddy pursued his dream of a career in country music. 

                                    

Beginning in the 1950’s, Buddy formed and played in numerous bands that performed all over the Midwest.  Buddy was instrumental in bringing the music of dozens of Nashville stars to the Black Hills area, and is warmly remembered for playing dances throughout the local 5 state area.  Along with Polly Johnson they presented the Buddy & Polly Show on KOTA radio in the 50’s. He then had a weekly gig on local Rapid City KOTA-TV's  Hoedown Jamboree, where he appeared with his band The Dakota Cowboys (Bob Haley, Stringbean Svenson and Lowell Sterling),and several women singers including Dalene Desersa every Sunday night during the late 1950's and early 1960's. Flop Top Beer was their signature song. 

Polly Johnson & Buddy Meredith

During his career he was invited to perform at the Grand Ole Opry several times when visiting Nashville. Meredith broke into the Billboard country charts in 1962 with ‘I May Fall Again’ and recorded several singles for Starday and Rice Records. During 1963 whilst Meredith was working as a DJ at KRSD and touring with his group the Country Men in Nebraska, Kansas, South Dakota, Montana and Wyoming, he recorded his first LP with Starday Records titled “Sing Me A Heart Song.” Most, if not all of the songs on his Stop LP (1971) first came out as singles on Rice Records and other indies, as well as at least one single for the Stop label ("Accidental Touch") that came out around the same time as this LP. Buddy Meredith also seems to have re-recorded and re-released several of his songs, carrying the same tunes to different labels, or repeatedly floating them as singles with different B-sides, etc. 

In his later days, Buddy joined the Circle B Cowboys and played nightly dinner shows for nearly 20 years.  In 2006, the governor presented Buddy with the Rushmore Honors Award for his contribution to the arts and cultural life of the Rapid City community. Though he lived and worked in various places, he’s remembered primarily as a South Dakota musician and was inducted into the state’s Country Music Hall of Fame in 2008. 

He passed away in Rapid City, South Dakota on January 15, 2016, two months short of his 90th birthday and was buried  at Black Hills National Cemetery near Sturgis, with full military honors.

(Scarce information edited from Discofantic @ Discogs, Marmoset Music, Billboard & My Ranching Life)