John Houston Hitch ¹

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Posted: Sunday, March 4, 2012 12:00 am

John Houston Hitch, who passed away Friday at the age of 77, was known by his family and friends as a comedian, said his wife of 28 years, Ruby. "He was always telling jokes, even when he was in the hospital," Ruby said, as she was conducting a family visitation at McCammon-Ammons-Click Funeral Home in downtown Maryville, where funeral services were held Sunday evening. "He may not have known what he was saying, but everything would come out in a joke."

Hitch, who lived in Knoxville, was involved in the music industry for more than five decades. He and Ruby performed radio shows where he used his comedic persona whose alter ago was known as "Zero." When he was 12, he started a band with a friend and co-worker. They would often travel to Sevierville and had to collect money to perform two radio shows that would last 15 minutes. "He didn't know what to call himself," so it was recommended that he call himself 'Zero,' I don't know why," Ruby said with a laugh. At the age of 14, Hitch performed in The Country Ramblers, a three-person band, playing at shows such as Lowell Blanchard's "Tennessee Barn Dance" on Knoxville's WNOX Radio. That "Tennessee Barn Dance" would later on become a signature part of Hitch's life. When Blanchard retired, he resurrected the concept as the "Tennessee Valley Barn Dance" and even hosted it. Hitch also worked as a music promoter, booking legendary artists such as Kenny Rogers and George Jones. "He booked a lot of (artists) through the years," Ruby said. "He was known by people all over the place '97 Nashville, Bristol, North Carolina '97 people knew him." The basement in his home and several outbuildings on his property serve as a repository for a collection of dozens of cassettes, CDs, LP records and 45-rpm records.
However, that's just small fraction of memorabilia compared to what is possibly his finest accomplishment. After traveling to Bristol for a family reunion, his cousin talked about decorating a room for his son in memorabilia of the town of Mayberry of "The Andy Griffith Show" fame. Thus, he became the owner and operator of the "Town of Mayberry" at their home. "That's where he got (the idea) of turning our backyard into Mayberry, building buildings such as Floyd's Barber Shop, the Blue Bird Diner, Emmett's Fix-It Shop, Ellie's Drug Store...he just loved his Mayberry stuff."
Visitors have dropped by their home almost daily to see the Mayberry businesses in their backyard. They have never charged a fee for people to see it. Ruby said that her husband's legacy was that "he loved people. He always wanted to make it big in country music. He lived it, and wanted to take everybody else with him." Besides music, comedy and "running" Mayberry, along with his sons helped operate Donny Hitch Collision & Repair in Oak Ridge. "I worked with him there for about eight or nine years," said Johnny Hitch. "He was so exciting '97 there was never a dull moment with him."
Ruby Hitch added that the words that were inscribed inside his casket were the ones he wanted to live by '97 "May the work I've done speak for me."
Hitch was preceded in death by his father and mother, Dewey and Emma Cochran Hitch; brother, Don Hitch; sisters, Lillian Lewis, Dorothy Bond, Virginia Breedlove. Besides his wife and sons, Hitch is survived by his daughter and son-in-law, JoAnn and Tim Porter of Tallassee; sons and daughters-in-law, Johnny and Ellen Hitch of Maryville, Donny and Tina Hitch of Greenback; stepson and wife, Earl and Danielle Edwards of Dayton, Ohio; four grandchildren, Tiffany Goodson, Blake Hitch, Hunter and Hailey Edwards; brother, Charles Hitch of Maryville; sisters, Mary Shropshire, Margaret Chapman, Ina Carver, all of Maryville; mother-in-law, Christina Riffey and numerous other in-laws; and several nieces and nephews.
The Rev. Richard Nicely and Sammy Sawyer, known locally for his impersonation of Andy Griffith's bungling deputy Barney Fife, officiated the service. Family and friends will meet at 11 a.m. today in the cemetery of Clark's Grove Cumberland Presbyterian Church Cemetery, where the Hitches were members, for the interment service.

John married Edith Harmon.

John next married Ruby Jo Riffey in 1984.