Buck Owens' right-hand man, Don Rich, is killed when the 1972 Harley-Davidson Sportster he's riding crashes in Morro Bay, California.
One of country music’s most distinctive guitar players, a rock solid fiddler, tear-jerkin' tenor harmony singer and an accomplished songwriter in his own right, Don Rich was equally as important as Buck Owens in creating the 'Bakersfield Sound', one of the few sustained commercial alternatives to Nashville.
After finishing work at Buck Owens' Bakersfield studio, Rich left to join his family for a vacation on the central coast of California. For unknown reasons, his Sportster hit a center divider on northbound Highway 1 at Yerba Buena Road in Morro Bay. He was pronounced dead on arrival at the then Sierra Vista Hospital in San Luis Obispo at 10:37 that evening, California Highway Patrol officials stated that there were no skid marks and no apparent mechanical problems.
Donald Eugene "Don Rich" Ulrich was 32.
Today in motorcycle history proudly supports the National Association for Bikers with a Disability (NABD). www.nabd.org.uk
Donald Eugene "Don Rich" Ulrich was 32.
Today in motorcycle history proudly supports the National Association for Bikers with a Disability (NABD). www.nabd.org.uk
