Don Epperson | |
|---|---|
| Born | 23 January 1938 Louisville, Kentucky, USA |
| Died | 17 March 1973 Cottonwood, Arizona, USA |
| Genres | Country music |
| Occupation(s) | Singer, actor |
| Labels | Sidewalk, RCA Victor, Amaret |
Don Epperson (born January 1938 - died 1973 in Arizona) was an American singer and actor. His daughter, Brenda Epperson is most well known for portraying Ashley Abbott on The Young and the Restless .
During Epperson's career, he was produced by Harley Hatcher of Sidewalk Productions, who also produced artists such as Jerry Naylor for Columbia, Max Frost and The Troopers for Tower, Saturday Revue for RCA, and Doug Brooks for Imperial. [1]
Epperson played the lead role of Reb in the 1969 film Wild Wheels which was about some dune-buggy-riding folks who take on a motorcycle gang. In the film, Reb loses his girlfriend to Knife, the leader of the bike gang. [2] It was reported in the 5 July 1969 issue of Billboard that with Epperson having recently completed Wild Wheels, his producer Harley Hatcher's umbrella management organization had worked out a deal with a picture production company, Kendall Associates. The deal was to allow Epperson to work in four films over the next two years. Epperson was reportedly working on Justice Cain. [3]
Epperson recorded the songs, "Sittin' by the Highway" and "How I Feel for You" which were released on single, RCA Victor 9661 in 1968. It was one of the Cash Box Best Bets singles for the week of 2 November 1968. [4]
It was reported in the 13 December 1969 issue of Billboard that the Amaret label had bought Epperson's master recording of "Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid" from Harley Hatcher. [5] It was released in Australia on RCA 47-9661 in 1970. [6] It made the AMR chart, getting to no. 64 for the week of 1 June 1970. [7]
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1968 | Jennie: Wife/Child | Singer in Bar | Uncredited |
| 1969 | Wild Wheels | Reb Smith | |
| 1971 | Cain's Cutthroats | Farrette | |
| 1971 | The Killers | Johnny Vegas | |
| 1971 | Big Jake | Saloon Bully in Escondero | |
| 1971 | The Female Bunch | Scott | |
| 1973 | The Devil and LeRoy Bassett | Sgt. Don | Directed by Robert E. Pearson |
| 1976 | A Whale Of A Tale | The Guard | (final film role) |