The Hager twins from Hee Haw

The Hager twin's first claim to fame came from the Television series HEE HAW. They were also known as The Hagers or the Hager Brothers. The identical siblings were comedians as well as country music singers They were born in Chicago, on August 30, 1941, and adopted by a Methodist minister and his wife Jack and Frances Hager (a school teacher). James Henry Hager passed away from a heart attack on May 1, 2008. John William Hager died in his sleep 9 months later on January 9, 2009.

Like many famous American singers, the brothers first sang in the church choir. When they were teenagers they sang on a Saturday morning WGN-TV series that was targeted to those in their age group. The twins attended Maine Township High School in Park Ridge and graduated in 1959. They were one year ahead of Harrison Ford and a few years ahead of Hillary Rodham Clinton. Both siblings served in the United States Army and performed during officers' and non-commissioned officers' clubs throughout Europe and the United States.

After their stint in the armed forces the twins moved to California and began performing at the Ledbetter's Night Club in Los Angeles. Steve Martin, The Carpenters, The New Christy Minstrels, Kenny Rogers, and John Denver, also performed at this venue. The brothers began working Disneyland, where they were discovered by Buck Owens who quickly signed them to contracts. The twins became opening acts for Owens, Lefty Frizzell, Billy Jo Spears, Tex Ritter, and Wynn Stewart.

The Hager twins became popular when they joined the cast of the CBS television series HEE HAW, from 1969. to 1986. The Hager brothers signed with Capitol Records in 1969 and their first hit on the Country charts was "Gotta get to Oklahoma ('Cause California's Gettin' To Me)"] They also charted with Merle Haggard's "Silver Wings", which was the B-Side of the siblings "Working Man Blues." During their career, they produced seven albums for various labels. They also did great covers of other artists such as Bill Withers hit "Aint no sunshine when she's gone."

In February 1973 the Hagar twins posed partially nude in the second premiere edition of PLAYGIRL and in 1976, the brothers starred as Tony and Shep Thomas opposite Lillian Gish in the Television movie TWIN DETECTIVES. They also appeared in A FEW TV commercials and joined Florence Henderson in COUNTRY KITCHEN on TNN. Jim and Jon were also in an episode of THE BIONIC WOMAN on February 11 1978 where they portrayed cloned detectives Dier and Verm in the episode "Sanctuary Earth. In 1979 they appeared onthe nationally-syndicated New Soupy Sales Show, singing "Pizza Man."

The Hagers never married or had children which led to rumors they were gay. The twins never discussed their sexuality but continued to appreciate their adoring public. Some considered them to be a rhinestone version of Sonny and Cher while others compared the twins to Liberace. They spent the last 2 decades of their lives living in Nashville and appearing at nostalgia events, and county fairs. They also participated in the annual Twins Day Festival in Twinsburg, Ohio. One of my favorite performances by the singing siblings is 'Driving my life away" which you can view in the following video.

Decades ago Gay rumors and posing nude led to the death of some careers but the Hagers remained loved and sought after by the public. The brother continued riffing, singing, and signing autographs for their thousands of devoted fans until their deaths which came 6 months apart. The Hager twins were also said to have given big to the charities of their choice. HEE HAW continues today in syndicatgion on variosu television networks so fans can still enjoy Jim and Jon during their prime where it all began.

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