Speedy Haworth

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Speedy Haworth (born Herschel Haworth Jr.; May 16, 1922 – February 26, 2008) was an American guitarist and singer who helped shape the Ozarks’ country music scene on radio and TV. He was a key performer on ABC-TV’s Ozark Jubilee from 1955 to 1960 and later worked in gospel music and small venues around the Ozarks and Nashville. He is in the Missouri Country Music Hall of Fame.

Early life
Haworth was born in Springfield, Missouri. His mother’s family came from Tennessee and they were musical, so he learned to play guitar. He won a yodeling contest at age 10 and was making music on the radio by his teens. He and his mother, known on air as Aunt Martha, joined Slim Wilson to form The Goodwill Trio, with Haworth singing as “Junior” and later “Speedy.”

Radio and early TV
The Goodwill Trio performed on Springfield radio stations KGBX-AM and KWTO in the 1930s, and they recorded about 250 transcriptions for KWTO. The group later became The Goodwill Family. In the 1950s, Haworth moved from radio to television when KWTO’s Ozark Jubilee began on KYTV in Springfield and later moved to ABC-TV, where Haworth played lead guitar for nearly six years. He also appeared on NBC’s Five Star Jubilee in 1961. In 1964, he joined The Slim Wilson Show on KYTV as part of the Tall Timber Trio with Wilson and Bob White.

Porter Wagoner and legacy
Haworth was part of the original Porter Wagoner Trio with Don Warden on steel guitar. Wagoner’s group helped launch Wagoner’s career, with hits like “Company’s Comin’” and “A Satisfied Mind.” Haworth performed in Nashville with Wagoner and others but preferred living in Springfield. He was later inducted into the Missouri Country Music Hall of Fame alongside Wagoner.

Later years and death
Later in life, Haworth sang more gospel music and performed in smaller venues around the Ozarks and Nashville. He suffered a fall in Bolivar, Missouri, broke his hip, and needed several weeks of rehabilitation. He also had Parkinson’s disease and spent his final weeks in hospice. Haworth died on February 26, 2008, in Springfield and was buried in Eastlawn Cemetery. A number of streets in the Nixa area are named after Ozark Jubilee performers, including Haworth Court.