His innovative method can be heard on the theme tune to the 1962 series The Beverly Hillbillies.

BBC: Banjo musician Earl Scruggs dies aged 88

"These convoys aren't a bunch of guys driving down the road like the Beverly Hillbillies, " he said.

WSJ: U.S. Closes Its Mission on Uncertain Note

Network television, on the other hand, was the ultimate populist medium, where Bonanza and The Beverly Hillbillies competed for ratings.

FORBES: If You Think 'Breaking Bad' Is Edgy, You Obviously Haven't Seen Nam June Paik's 'Magnet TV'

Sure the Beverly Hillbillies are cutting their spending, but not for long.

FORBES: Getting Over Our Over-Levered Selves

He observes that television's representations of the South -- Andy Griffith's Mayberry, "The Dukes of Hazzard, " "The Beverly Hillbillies" -- seldom delve into the challenging issues underneath.

CNN: The South: Not all Bubbas and banjos

Deep down, the American family is more Beverly Hillbillies than Beverly Hills.

FORBES: Getting Over Our Over-Levered Selves

Beverly Hillbillies trying to live like the one percent in Beverly Hills.

FORBES: Getting Over Our Over-Levered Selves