Hager Twins

Infobox actor
name = Jim Hager and Jon Hager


caption =
birthname =
birthdate = Jim Hager: birth date|1941|8|30
Jon Hager: birth date and age|1941|8|30
birthplace = Chicago, Illinois, U.S.A.
deathdate = Jim Hager: death date and age|2008|5|1|1941|8|30
deathplace = Jim Hager: Nashville, Tennessee
othername = Hager Brothers
occupation = country music singers and comedians
spouse =
website = http://www.thehagertwins.com
notable role =

The Hager Twins, also known as the Hager Brothers, were a duo of American country music singers and comedians who first gained fame on the TV series "Hee Haw". They were identical twin brothers Jim (born August 30, 1941, died May 1, 2008) and Jon Hager (born August 30, 1941)

Biography

The brothers were born August 30, 1941 in Chicago, Illinois [http://imdb.com/name/nm0353502, Retrieved on 2008/01/17.] and adopted by Jack and Frances Hager, a Methodist minister and a schoolteacher.

The Hager brothers first sang in the church choir. As teenagers, they sang on a Saturday morning WGN-TV series targeting others in their age group. Both brothers served in the United States Army and performed at Officers' Clubs and NCO Clubs in the United States and Europe.

They attended Maine Township High School in Park Ridge (Class of 1959), one year ahead of Harrison Ford and a few more years ahead of Hillary Rodham Clinton. As with many other show business personalities, the Hager brothers' age and birthday somehow changed as they grew older, but they still looked good even into their sixties.

After leaving the military, the Hager brothers moved to California and performed at the Ledbetter's Night Club in Los Angeles with The Carpenters, The New Christy Minstrels, John Denver, Steve Martin and Kenny Rogers. They also worked at Disneyland, which is where Buck Owens saw them perform and signed them to contracts. In addition to Owens, the brothers served as opening acts for Tex Ritter, Wynn Stewart, Billie Jo Spears and Lefty Frizzell.

Most of the country first came to know Jim and Jon on the CBS series "Hee Haw", on which both were cast members from 1969 [/http://www.thehagertwins.com/bio.htm, Retrieved on 2008/01/17.] to 1986. [http://imdb.com/name/nm0353502, Retrieved on 2008/01/17. ]

The Hager brothers signed with Capitol Records in 1969 and hit the country charts with "Gotta Get To Oklahoma ('Cause California's Gettin' To Me)". [ http://www.thehagertwins.com/bio.htm, Retrieved on 2008/01/17.] In all, they recorded six albums--three for Capitol, two for Elektra-Asylum, and one for Barnaby Records. [http://www.barberusa.com/country/hagers.html, Retrieved on 2008/01/18.]

The brothers were featured in the second preview issue of Playgirl, February, 1973.

Their TV appearances also include the original "The Bionic Woman", in which Jim and Jon played Verm and Dier, respectively, in the February 11, 1978, episode "Sanctuary Earth." [ http://imdb.com/title/tt0526198, Retrieved on 2008/01/17.] The characters were cloned detectives. [http://www.thehagertwins.com/bio.htm, Retrieved on 2008/01/17.]

In 1976, Jim and Jon starred, with Lillian Gish, as Tony and Shep Thomas in the TV-movie "Twin Detectives". [ http://imdb.com/title/tt0075358, Retrieved on 2008/01/17.] They also appeared in TV commercials and with Florence Henderson in "Country Kitchen" on TNN. [http://www.thehagertwins.com/bio.htm, Retrieved on 2008/01/17.]

The Hager Brothers continued to entertain, and also contributed to numerous charities. [http://www.barberusa.com/country/hagers.html, Retrieved on 2008/01/18]

Jim Hager died of an apparent heart attack on May 1, 2008 in Nashville, Tennessee. [ [http://news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20080502/tv_nm/hager_dc_1 Country musician Jim Hager dies at 66 - Yahoo! News ] ]

References

External links

* [http://www.thehagertwins.com/ Official website]