tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6344993590139159352.post8141544237672376921..comments2024-03-28T21:22:49.157-04:00Comments on Fayfare's Opry Blog: April Opry Highlightsfayfarehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00173166778978335059noreply@blogger.comBlogger5125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6344993590139159352.post-19325265070140692442011-04-04T20:04:20.539-04:002011-04-04T20:04:20.539-04:00Yet there are many stories about how helpful all o...Yet there are many stories about how helpful all of them have been to other artists--Mr. Acuff kept Faron Young from leaving the Opry in the mid-1950s, for example, and helped Porter Wagoner when he was starting. Again, complex people.<br /><br />Then you have Bill Monroe, who mellowed with age but still could be incredibly difficult, according to many stories I read, and when you think about his upbringing (or for that matter Mr. Acuff's, or Mr. Snow's), you find it easier to understand. They had it a lot tougher than a lot of the younger artists.<br /><br />I've always remembered the night Garth Brooks was on Mr. Acuff's segment, and he began introducing him by saying, "This boy is really big," followed by screams from the audience. Mr. Acuff smiled a little and said, "I was big, too." I thought, bigger than Garth, if you think about it.Michaelhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01998867386294693956noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6344993590139159352.post-72639013667560640922011-04-04T09:49:10.598-04:002011-04-04T09:49:10.598-04:00You are so right about Roy Acuff. So many of us re...You are so right about Roy Acuff. So many of us remember him as the kindly, old man that we would see at the Opry later in his life, that we tend to forget that he was a difficult man during most of his career. <br /><br />I remember that show with Minnie Pearl on Nashville Now, and Ralph Emery does a great job telling the story in one of his books. And, even though Minnie and Roy were often together on stage, behind the scenes there were issues between the two of them at times. <br /><br />I have heard it said many times that the entertainers that get on top have that competitive streak in them, as many of us do, and they all worked hard to get on top and don't want to be replaced as the most popular entertainer. I am sure it was a problem for Roy when he was no longer the "top dog" at the Opry. But it happens to all of them. <br /><br />Some accept it and make jokes about it, Bill Anderson being one of those, and others, such as Porter Wagoner, battle it to the end.Byronhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07610237116677181633noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6344993590139159352.post-16830524623571895302011-04-03T23:51:00.886-04:002011-04-03T23:51:00.886-04:00We tend to forget that Roy Acuff was not just the ...We tend to forget that Roy Acuff was not just the kindly and sometimes crusty old King of Country Music we saw, but, at one time, a tough, younger guy who liked a fight and was intensely competitive--and enjoyed a good time. I remember the Nashville Now salute to Jimmie Rodgers where Mr. Acuff couldn't bring himself to say anything nice about him, and poor Minnie Pearl was almost ready to brain him. I also recall that he once said that George Morgan was great at singing a song but didn't know how to sell it, which was a bit of an insult, but he also walked up to Lorrie Morgan at one point--I think it was after Keith Whitley died--and told her she was going to be all right because she was tough and she was her father's daughter. He was a complicated man. Aren't we all?Michaelhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01998867386294693956noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6344993590139159352.post-29273935830221180592011-04-02T18:11:38.066-04:002011-04-02T18:11:38.066-04:00You brought up an interesting question about Roy A...You brought up an interesting question about Roy Acuff and Red Foley. I did some checking and found a few things.<br /><br />From the book, "Roy Acuff, The Smoky Mountain Boy", by Elizabeth Schlappi, she wrote, "As a Grand Ole Opry performer, Roy Acuff's popularity grew and was at its peak during the latter war years. It is not an exaggeration to state that Roy alone transformed the Opry from just one of the many regional barn dances into a national institution. But during this period Roy was becoming increasingly dissatisfied with the network 'Prince Albert Show.' Many reliable sources staunchly maintain that the sponsor, in response to Madison Avenue marketing ideas, wanted him to get away from the more traditional styles and modernize his performances. Roy maintains that no such pressure was applied,, that the trouble lay elsewhere."<br /><br />Then later in the same book, "So on April 26, 1947, Roy Acuff returned to the Opry, as host of the 'Royal Crown Cola Show.' The fans welcomed him by regularly giving Roy's show more applause than Red Foley's network 'Prince Albert Show.'<br /><br />Those statements in the book would lead me to believe that there was some sort of rivalry between Roy and Red and also that with the network wanting a change of direction for the 'Prince Albert Show', that Roy viewed that as a personal statement toward him. And Red was a nationally known figure, with a completely different style than Roy. And, it is common knowledge that the 'Prince Albert Show' actually became more popular with Red as the host than with Roy hosting it. <br /><br />The other interesting thing about Red Foley coming the Opry, it was the advertising agency for the network show, the Esty agency, that did research to see if he would be a good host for the national broadcast. (Basically, it was the New York agency that had the final say on who was on the national show). When Red was hired by the Opry, he was still based in Chicago. <br /><br />When Red came to the Opry, he was quoted as saying, "I guess I never was more scared than I was the night I replaced Roy Acuff... The people thought I was a Chicago slicker who had come to pass himself off as a country boy and bump Roy out of his job."<br /><br />And this from another source, "There seems to have been some resentment among the Opry musicians, at first, toward this New York-dictated invasion by a Chicago star. Foley was well received by the audience, however, and Acuff's wail began to be rivaled by newer, less traditional, generally softer Opry voices, especially those of Foley and Eddy Arnold".<br /><br />I will venture an opinion that Roy found out that the advertising agency was talking to Red about replacing him on the 'Prince Albert Show', and Roy got upset and decided to leave the Opry altogether. I will also offer the guess that Roy probably thought that when he did resign, that the Opry management would talking to New York and convince them that Roy should stay as the 'Prince Albert' host. Then later, when Harry Stone saw that Roy's career was going down and wanted to come back to the Opry, Harry, along with Ernest Tubb, made the move to ask Roy back. <br /><br />The other interesting point is that Red was very friendly with Ernest Tubb, Minnie Pearl and many of the other Opry stars. Just not Roy.Byronhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07610237116677181633noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6344993590139159352.post-86190298413325799872011-04-01T20:01:04.539-04:002011-04-01T20:01:04.539-04:00Great as always. I had to say a few things.
--On...Great as always. I had to say a few things.<br /><br />--On the lineup, I notice Curly Fox, who had, I think, left as a member the previous year. I also notice how they billed band members--not only the Smoky Mountain Boys, but Don Helms with the Wilburn Brothers.<br /><br />--For a while after Herman Crook died, the lineups billed them as "Lewis Crook and the Opry Square Dance Band." I am not sure when Lewis Crook quit performing, but I think it was at least a year or two after Herman Crook's death.<br /><br />--I seem to recall reading elsewhere that one reason Mr. Acuff quit the Opry was the decision to bring in Red Foley to replace him as host. Does that ring any bells?<br /><br />--Your comment about Clint Black ... I bow in your direction.Michaelhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01998867386294693956noreply@blogger.com