About Don Rich
Donald Eugene Ulrich, best known by the stage name Don Rich, was an American country musician who helped develop the Bakersfield sound in the early 1960s. He was a noted guitarist and fiddler, and a member of The Buckaroos, the backing band of Don's best friend, country singer Buck Owens. Rich was killed in a motorcycle accident in 1974 at the age of 32. The first single Rich played on was "Above and Beyond," which peaked at #3. Owens and Rich continued recording singles in Bakersfield. In 1964, for convenience when recording and touring, Owens decided to form a regular backing band, including drums, bass, and pedal steel, with Don Rich as the band leader. Owens was initially unimpressed, but Rich liked it, and they recorded it with The Buckaroos on February 12, 1963.
Biography source: Wikipedia. The profile adds birthday-specific historical context from the Celebs Birthday Today editorial database.