He was a featured performer on the TV variety program The Lawrence Welk Show during its entire broadcast run from 1955 to 1982.

Born in Madisonville, Kentucky, he was serving in the United States Army after World War II when he was hit with the "show business" bug.

Although he receded from the national spotlight by the late 1970s, Roberts continued to perform and tour until the early 1990s.

Promoter/percussionist Jay Van Hall was the host of the program, and the outfit achieved modest financial and commercial success in the Tampa Bay area, where Roberts lived.

He and his second wife, Vi, were married from 1985 until his death in Clearwater, Florida from bone cancer in 1999, just two months before his 76th birthday.