The Grand Ole Opry has announced the line ups for the 2 shows this weekend. As usual for this time of year, there is 1 show on Friday night and 1 show on Saturday night.
The Friday Night Opry will feature the return of Vince Gill to the Opry stage. This will be just his 3rd appearance so far this yea. Also performing on Friday night will be Opry members Diamond Rio along with frequent Opry guests, Dailey & Vincent.
Saturday night's Grand Ole Opry will feature a trio of non-Opry members who have been appearing on the Opry in recent months, those being Josh Thompson, Jimmy Wayne and Will Hoge.
Friday February 24
7:00: Mike Snider (host); Jim Ed Brown; Lee Brice
7:30: Jimmy Dickens (host); Jimmy C Newman; Dailey & Vincent
INTERMISSION
8:15: Jeannie Seely (host); Riders In The Sky; Diamond Rio
8:45: Vince Gill (host); Bobby Osborne & The Rocky Top X-Press; The Whites
Saturday February 25
7:00: Jimmy Dickens (host); The Whites; Josh Thompson
7:30: Mike Snider (host); Jean Shepard; Jimmy Wayne
INTERMISSION
8:15: Jim Ed Brown (host); Jan Howard; Will Hoge; Opry Square Dancers
8:45: Riders In The Sky (host); Connie Smith
Just my opinion for what it is worth, but Jean Shepard, as a Hall of Famer, should be hosting the segment instead of Mike Snider.
There are 12 artists scheduled on Friday night with 10 Opry members, and 11 artists on Saturday night, of whom 8 are Opry members.
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ReplyDeleteI agree 100%.
Second attempt.
ReplyDelete<< Jean Shepard, as a Hall of Famer, should be hosting the segment instead of Mike Snider. >>
I agree 100%
I agree on Jean. The Hall of Famers should be the hosts if possible. Nothing against Mike. He is a very funny and entertaining host.
ReplyDeleteMany moons ago, Hal Durham wrote in a letter to my mother, who had asked, that Hall of Famers hosted. But I noticed that in those days, The Potato might not host if Messrs. Acuff, Monroe, and Snow were present along with, say, Porter Wagoner and Bill Anderson, who would host ahead of him. So I think the rule never really existed for the Big Names.
ReplyDeleteGrandpa Jones would host a lot to I remember. One night he introduced Bill Carlisle as Bill Monroe. Bill Monroe had already been dead for several months. Bless his heart. He would also forget the words to his songs the last 5 or 6 years of his life.
ReplyDeleteJean may not want to host... it seems to he hard on her to move around much here lately.
ReplyDeleteI've also never understood why Mike Snider is on so often. He's never had a hit and was barely on Hee Haw. Yes, he is very entertaining when he tells jokes or sings his comedy songs, but anymore all he does is play with his string band -- Which loses the majority of the audience.
Fred here:
ReplyDeleteJimmy, you're probably right about an instrumental number losing a majority of the audience. Yet, it's good history for them, since (if they don't know) string-band music is what the Opry -- and much of country music -- was all about in the beginning. And, I assure you, there is that minority of the audience that enjoys these numbers very much.
For me, looking at that Saturday-night lineup, Snider would be the highlight of the show, after Jimmy Dickens and Riders in the Sky.
What I like to see at the Opry, or in listening to the Opry, is variety from week to week. It just seems like the Opry is getting into a familiar pattern regarding the hosts and part of that pattern is getting a lot of Mike Snider. This is nothing against Mike or is stringband, as they are very, very good. As far as the comment that the instrumental number losing a majority of the audience, as someone who goes to the Opry a lot, I really don't see that. But on the radio, I can understand. Sometimes his song does go on.
ReplyDeleteI think the reason that Mike is a host is because he is funny, keeps people entertained, knows he is not the reason people are coming to the Opry and makes fun of it, and finally, he makes good introductions of his guests and brings his segment in on time. For the last song, if he is running over, he will cut short his intrumental number, while many of the hosts will sing that final song no matter how long the segment goes. Because of how long Jimmy Dickens goes, sometimes the Opry needs someone like Mike, who is willing to cut his segment short without complaining. (If anyone wants a history lesson on how to host a segment, go back and listen to some of the older Hank Snow segments. He knew how to host and the one thing you can say about Hank is that if the segment was scheduled for 30 minutes, it lasted 30 minutes, no more and no less).
Regarding Jean Shepard, again as someone who saw her 2 weeks ago, she was moving around and seemed better than when I saw her last. She still sounds great. As far as not wanting to host, I don't know about that as I really don't think Pete Fisher goes around asking. But if you remember, Roy Acuff hosted many a segment and toward the end, never left center stage. He would sit on a stool. I know Jean did the same thing right before Christmas.
And yes, in looking at the Saturday show, you are probably right about Dickens and Riders In The Sky as the highlights. I would kindly debate after that.
David B, since I teach history, I call them professorial moments, but as they get older ... I remember Hank Snow, of all people, forgetting someone's name in mid-introduction (not to be confused with his inability from the beginning to say the name Lonzo, as in introducing them as "Alonzo and Oscar," then as "munamunamunazo and Oscar," or something like it). Mr. Acuff was legendary, including the night he introduced a writer of story songs with the right first name, but after that ... Tom P. Hay. I've been told that may have had something to do with Tootsie's Orchid Lounge being 37 steps away from the back door of the Ryman, but that pattern continued later. Anyway .... No offense, but we're all human, after all.
ReplyDeleteAs for hosting, I remember that when TNN started televising the Opry, Hal Durham did try to rotate the hosting duties but he gave extra shots to Porter, Whisper, and Jim Ed, who had the most TV experience of anybody around there, and they were good at bringing their segments to a close. Hank Snow was indeed a legend, and one of my favorite Opry stories was when Ernest Tubb supposedly asked Marty Robbins why the Midnight Jamboree so often started at about 12:30 and Marty said something, "I have to tell you Ernest, Hank Snow just can't get off on time." ET knew better, of course. But I also remember when Mr. Acuff was hosting one night and had Minnie Pearl and Connie Smith come out to sing "I Saw the Light" and commented that the segment hadn't gone in the order people wanted it, but it was his segment, so he'd do what he wanted. I think that was the attitude among the old-timers, though they could compromise a bit when necessary.
They ought to have the Opry go back the way it used to be [1930s-1950s] and leave it there.
ReplyDeleteListening to the Friday Night Opry last night, I thought it was an excellent show. Jimmy Dickens sounded a little weak, but overall not too bad.
ReplyDeleteJeannie Seely had Riders In The Sky do a third number which was great and Diamond Rio was outstanding. Vince Gill did his usual great job.
2 non-Opry members turned in strong performances. Lee Brice did a very nice job, but I thought that the performance of the night was turned in by Dailey & Vincent. They had the crowd on their feet with an outstanding gospel number to close out their segment. I can really see the Opry inviting them to become members at some point. They would fit in nicely.
I'm surprised that Mike Snider is on the Opry as much as he is, since he isn't a draw for Gaylord's preferred demographic. I am glad that he is part of the core group of members who are allowed to play the Opry somewhat regularly, since he and his group give a taste of the kind of music that made up the Opry back in the beginning.
ReplyDeletePersonally, I have always found it annoying when a performer cuts off a song to get the segment ended on time. Especially now, with just four segments, the entire show would only run about ten to twelve minutes long if each host finished his or her last song. As much as it costs to see the Opry these days, I don't think it's unreasonable to expect to hear a song in its entirety. (I've also never been a fan of doing a medley of parts of several songs, even though that's gone on at the Opry forever.)