Jim Nabors

The ever-genial Jim Nabors was born in 1930 in Alabama and graduated from the University of Alabama. He was discovered doing a cabaret act at "The Horn", a then-popular Santa Monica nightclub. Combining his gifts for classical singing and gawky hick characterizations, his highly unique schtick was either ridiculously insane or totally brilliant.

Andy Griffith caught his silly singing "down home" gimmick as well and offered him the part of "Gomer Pyle" on his popular bucolic 60s sitcom. Jim's career took off like a skyrocket. His sheepish "gawwwleee" and bug-eyed "shazzayam" expressions became part of the American vernacular and he soon spun the character into his own series, "Gomer Pyle, U.S.M.C." (1964) where the bumbling, painfully naive, gentle do-gooder found himself hilariously at odds with the Marine Corps and a particularly tough Sergeant Carter (played terrifically by the late Frank Sutton).

The show ran a solid five seasons and Jim became a beloved household name. Following this, he focused more on singing again and recorded a number of easy listening albums with five going gold and one platinum. Jim earned a gold record for his rendition of "The Lord's Prayer". He went on to his own TV variety series "The Jim Nabors Show" (1978) and became the annual opening season guest on close friend Carol Burnett's TV variety series during her twelve-year run. Another good friend, Burt Reynolds, helped Jim make his theater debut as "Harold Hill" in "The Music Man" at the Burt Reynolds Dinner Theatre with Florence Henderson as his "Marian the Librarian".

Jim's career took a serious hit in 1994 when, after years of ill health, he was forced to have a liver transplant. He has returned to the limelight but only in spurts, enjoying the relaxing life he has in Hawaii running a macadamian nut plantation.