Fayfare's Opry Blog

Remembering Hank Locklin

2012-02-15T16:01:00.002-05:00

I wanted to take a moment and remember one of the finest singers in the history of the Grand Ole Opry and that is Lawrence Hankins Locklin, known to all of us as Hank Locklin, who would have celebrated his 94th birthday today, February 15. Hank Locklin had one of the most pleasing and popular country music voices of the 1960s. Not only was he very popular in the United States, but he had a strong career in England and Ireland.

Hank was born on February 15, 1918 in McClellan, Florida. He grew up and attended school in Munson and was singing in amateur contests by the age of 10. He worked various jobs until accepting his first radio job in 1942, at WCOA in Pensacola. He also did radio shows in Panama City and Mobile.

After serving in the military he moved west and appeared on the Big D Jamboree in Dallas and then the Louisiana Hayride. He did some early recording on Decca Records before signing with Bill McCall's 4 Star label. His first hit was in 1949 with "The Same Sweet Girl" which made the top 10 in the country charts. His first number one record came in 1953 with "Let Me Be The One", after which he signed with RCA Records.

His first RCA hit was "Why Baby, Why" followed by "Geisha Girl", which became a top 5 hit. From that point on, Hank would show up on the charts on a regular basis. In 1958, he had the first of his 2 major hits, "Send Me the Pillow That You Dream On", which was a top 5 hit. His biggest hit came in 1960 with, "Please Help Me, I'm Falling", which spent 14 weeks at #1 and was also a top 5 pop hit.

The success continued as Hank had 70 singles that made it onto the country charts, and he recorded 65 albums. He stayed with RCA until 1972, when he left to go to MGM. He stayed there for 3 years, finally moving to Plantation Records.

Hank joined the Grand Ole Opry on November 9, 1960. He would remain an Opry member until his death. While Hank was a regular performer on the Opry for most of his career, he prefered not to live in Nashville, but in Florida. In fact, his title was the honorary mayor of McClellan, Florida, and he was introduced that way many times on the Opry.

Hank's voice stayed strong right up until his death on March 8, 2009. Even in his later years, he was still recording new material. When he passed away at the age of 91, he was the Opry's oldest living member. Over the last decade of his life, Hank spent most of his time living in Brewton, Alabama, which is where he passed away. He would come up and do the Opry several times each yer, making his last scheduled appearance on Saturday September 8, 2007.

To remember Hank Locklin, here is the Opry line up from the night of his last scheduled appearance on the Grand Ole Opry:

6:30: Steve Wariner (host); Jesse McReynolds & The Virginia Boys; Wade Hayes
7:00: The Whites (host); Catherine Britt; Blue County
7:30: Jimmy C Newman (host); Dale Ann Bradley; Jennifer Hanson
8:00: Porter Wagoner (host); HANK LOCKLIN; Jeff Bates; Opry Square Dancers
8:30: John Conlee (host); Mel McDaniel; Buddy Jewel

Hank was one of those Opry members that had such a great voice and he had a fine career in country music.

Recap of Last Week's Opry

2012-02-13T13:12:00.004-05:00

This past Friday and Saturday, my wife and I were in Nashville and attended both Opry shows. This was her 1st trip in 2 years, so I always enjoy hearing her opinions on what she sees and hears as it offers me a perspective of someone who does not see the show as often as I do. And, she does know enough about the Opry to offer some solid opinions on the show.

For the Friday Night Opry, the Opry House was actually pretty full. The lower level was completely filled as was a good portion of the balcony. I would guess the crowd at about 3,500, which for this time of the year, is very good. All the artists that were on the show looked and sounded great. Jean Shepard especially looked better than when I last saw her. Jeannie Seely looked a little ragged, but then she was saying that she was on the Opry cruise the previous week and apparently a number of people on the ship caught a virus, including Jeannie. But, she sounded good. The biggest reactions of the night were for Montgomery Gentry and Josh Turner, as you would expect. They each did 3 songs and really played up to the crowd. I also thought Diamond Rio did an excellent job. We were sitting in the 2nd row and Marty Roe of Diamond Rio gave my wife a little smile and wave, which made her day. (She did wave back). A new group called The Farm, was also on and I can't say I was really impressed by them. They are a trio and sounded good, but I just don't think they have the makings of being a big act. There already seems to be a number of country trio's out there right now. But all in all, Friday night was a good one.

Saturday night was very special. Thanks a friend in Nashville, (no names, please), we were granted access to backstage. I have to say, you know you are in for a special night when you park in the same lot as the artists and the bands behind the Opry House and when you walk into the performer's entrance to check in, (praying you are on the list), you are standing behind Jimmy C Newman and waiting for him to finish up at the desk. Anyways, it was a great night. We spent time walking the halls and checking out the dressing rooms and spent some time just hanging out in the green room behind the stage. We also able to be on the stage right before the show and able to say hi to the musicians getting ready to go. For most of the show, we either stood in the wings or sat in the seats up on the stage. (we sat right behind the drums and I was just amazed at how the musicians were switching off and communicating between the songs). My wife was thrilled that John Conlee came over and sat next to her for one of the segments. We also were able to get up close and personal with Craig Morgan, Buck White, Sunny Sweeney and James Wesley. They were all nice and pleasant and allowed us to listen in on conversations that they had with their band and friends.

As far as the show, it was another good crowd, with again the lower level pretty much filled out and all the balcony except for the very top rows and the wings. I would guess the crowd at about 3,800 or so. As with Friday night, it was a fine show and all the artists did a great job. There was a convention in town, the Wild Turkey Federation, and I think they made up a number of the crowd on Saturday. I have heard, though I cannot confirm it, that when conventions have been coming to town and staying at the Gaylord Opryland, that many of those attending the conventions have been offered free or greatly discounted tickets to the Opry. I do know that WSM was giving away lots of tickets over the weekend, so those 2 things might have helped to inflate the crowd. When we did walk out front for a short period of time, I did hear a few comments from people that while they were enjoying the show, they did not seem happy that there were no big names on the show.

As far as any news, I did not hear anything big. Jimmy Dickens has not been on the Opry for the past 2 weeks and I heard that it is just a case of Jimmy being week to week, which at his age, is understandable. Carol Lee Cooper is still not back and there was not a word of mention about her. Jack Greene has not been on the Opry so far this year, but I did not hear any information on Jack. I did hear that Jeanne Pruett was backstage but I did not see her. Some also said that she was at the Opry the week before also. There is no updated news on the museum, but the Opry is really pushing and promoting the backstage tours, so that might be the answer to what happens to the museum. No news on any new members, but a lot of people speak highly of Rhonda Vincent and wonder why she still is not a member.

As we were driving back yesterday, I asked my wife what she thought. She did say that both shows were very good. She did venture the opinion that as good as Montgomery Gentry are, they are not country. She also thought when Diamond Rio first came on stage that they were the stagehands moving equipment around as they were dressed pretty bad. And let's just say Josh Turner was not in his Sunday best. Like me, she was surprised at the crowd, thinking it would be a lot smaller. And, she was blown away by being backstage on Saturday night. She did say that when you read about the Opry and watch the videos, they give the impression that most of the Opry artists come before the show starts and hang around the dressing rooms all night, just visiting and playing their instruments. But she said that she saw a number of the artists come in just before their segments and leave right afterwards, which did surprise her.

Regarding the Hall of Fame, I did not hear anything specific, but there seems to be an opinion of some that Garth Brooks might be the one to get in this year. The comment seemed to be that he would get in eventually, so why not just get it over with. Interesting line of thought, but I just don't know.

It was a good weekend in Nashville and it is always great to be able to attend an Opry show. As my schedule looks right now, I should be back in mid-April.

Grand Ole Opry 2/10 & 2/11--Updated

2012-02-08T16:02:00.003-05:00

We'll, that didn't take long. Already changes in the Friday night line up. Larry Gatlin and his brothers are off the schedule and they have moved a few folks around. Not sure the reason for Larry not being there as he is still scheduled for a concert on Saturday night. Anyways, at this point, no replacement for Larry.

The Grand Ole Opry has posted the line up for the 2 shows this weekend. As usual during the winter, there is 1 show on Friday night and 1 show on Saturday night, both at the Grand Ole Opry House.

I will be in Nashville this weekend attending the shows this weekend, and as always, when I get back on Monday, I will report on anything that I have heard or seen. But as the Opry goes through the winter, things remain pretty quiet.

The Friday Night Opry will feature Opry members Montgomery Gentry, Josh Turner and Larry Gatlin, along with newcomers The Farm. Saturday's Grand Ole Opry will feature Opry member Craig Morgan, along with frequent Opry guests James Wesley and Sunny Sweeney. As with last weekend, Jimmy Dickens is not scheduled.

Friday February 10:
7:00: Mike Snider (host); Connie Smith; The Farm
7:30: Jim Ed Brown (host); Jesse McReynolds; Diamond Rio
INTERMISSION
8:15: Bill Anderson (host); Jean Shepard; Montgomery Gentry
8:45: Jeannie Seely (host); Josh Turner

Saturday February 11:
7:00: Mike Snider (host); Jimmy C Newman; James Wesley
7:30: Jeannie Seely (host); The Whites; Diamond Rio
INTERMISSION
8:15: Jim Ed Brown (host); Jan Howard; Sunny Sweeney; Opry Square Dancers
8:45: John Conlee (host); Bobby Osborne & The Rocky Top X-Press; Craig Morgan

Friday definitely looks like the better night this week. Each show has 12 artists scheduled, with 11 Opry members on Friday night and 10 on Saturday night.

After a live show last weekend, this week the Midnight Jamboree goes back to having a taped show, this one featuring Jett Williams.

That should do it and if anything develops in Nashville this weekend at the Opry, I will let everyone know.

George Hamilton IV--52 Years As An Opry Member

2012-02-06T12:16:00.002-05:00

It was February 6, 1960, 52 years ago today that George Hamilton IV became a member of the Grand Ole Opry.

George was born in Winston-Salem, North Carolina on July 19, 1937. Although he began his career as a teen idol with the pop hit "A Rose and a Baby Ruth," he was one of the first pop singers to switch to country music, and he broadened country's appeal with his recordings of American and Canadian folk music.

In 1956, as a freshman at the University of North Carolina, he recorded "A Rose and a Baby Ruth" on Colonial, a small local label. By the way, the song was written by the great John D. Loudermilk. ABC-Paramount records bought the master, and it became the label's first million-selling record. Hamilton then began touring with such pop music stars as Buddy Holly and the Everly Brothers. He also was making some national television appearances.

In the late 1950s, he was a regular on Connie B. Gay's Town & Country radio and television shows in Washington, D.C., starring Jimmy Dean and featuring Patsy Cline. He also had a TV show of his own in the late 1950s. He then moved to Nashville and began recording country music for RCA Records in 1960. In 1963, "Abilene" was a #1 country hit and a top 20 pop hit. In the mid-1960s, he met Canadian singer Gordon Lightfoot and was introduced into the Canadian folk music circles, recording such hits as "Early Morning Rain."

Since the mid 1970s, Hamilton has recorded a number of folk/country/gospel albums, including several with his son, George Hamilton V. Also in the mid 1970s, he hosted his own country music television series in Canada and in the United Kingdom and was also one of the first performers to appear behind the Iron Curtain and in the Soviet Union.

His popularity overseas is so great that it has earned him the title of International Ambassador of Country Music. He still spends a great amount of time touring in such places and England and Ireland.

Here is how George remembered his first visit to Nashville and the Opry:

"I was one of those guys who grew up as a fan of the Opry. Although I was born in Winston-Salem, and was a 'suburban hillbilly', my granddaddy Hamilton was a real mountain man out of Beaver Creek, Ashe County, North Carolina, who came to Winston-Salem to work on the railroad. My earliest memories of country music were sitting on my granddaddy's knee and listening to the Grand Ole Opry on Saturday night. It was a magical, wonderful fairyland in the sky to me, like the air castle of the South, you know. We'll, when I was about twelve or thirteen years old my parents let me catch the Greyhound bus and go to Nashville; I had saved my money from my paper route. I stayed at the YMCA, across from the old National Life building, and I got me a room on the corner where I could look down and see Red Foley and Ernest Tubb and all my heroes going into the National Life building to rehearse 'The Prince Albert Show' on Saturday morning. When I saw them go in, I ran across the street and went up to the fifth floor, where I knew the rehearsal would be held; I was a real backstage spook. And when I got up there, there was Chet Atkins leaning against the wall. I was so thrilled. And I walked up and said, 'Mr. Atkins, my name is George Hamilton. I'm from North Carolina and I just think you're great.' He just sort of yawned in my face and I thought, 'Man, this is the rudest guy I ever met.' I didn't realize how very shy he was, how unassuming. Anyway, I went away with my feelings hurt because I was so disillusioned. A little later in the morning I was watching the rehearsal and I heard somebody say, 'Hey, kid.' And I turned around and it was Chet. And I said, 'Yes, sir?' And he said, 'I'm gonna get a haircut. You wanna go with me?' So we went down to the Hermitage Hotel barbershop and I went in and watched him get a haircut. He didn't say three words to me, but it was just such a nice gesture. He realized that I was a hopeless fan and although he wasn't a backslapper and glad-hander and a loud-personality kind of guy, in his own quiet way he took me under his wing. After the haircut, we were walking back to the National Life building and he said, 'George, would you like to come backstage at the Opry tonight?' and I said, 'Are you kidding? I'd love to.' He said, 'We'll, meet me back in the alley there' And Chet took me backstage and introduced me to Hank Snow-I still got Hank's guitar pick that he gave me that night-and to Ernest Tubb. All those people were so kind to me; I didn't have anything to offer them, but they were so good to me. And Chet stands out in my mind because my first impression was that he was a cold fish, and he turned out to be the warmest of them all."

I will tell you from having met George Hamilton that he is one of the nicest people you will ever meet. He is very unassuming and is someone that you can have a fine conversation with. And his voice sounds as great today as it ever has. He just released a new recording of Hank Williams' gospel songs.

On February 6, 2010, George was honored at the Opry for 50 years of membership. I was there that night and it was a great evening. Here is the Opry's line up from that night:

7:00: Bass Pro Shops
Jimmy Dickens (host); Jeannie Seely; Chris Young
7:30: Cracker Barrel
Mike Snider (host); Jean Shepard; George Hamilton IV
8:00: Humana
Jim Ed Brown (host); Jimmy C Newman; Sandi Patty; Opry Square Dancers
8:30: Dollar General
Bill Anderson (host); Jesse McReynolds & the Virginia Boys; Oak Ridge Boys

Congratulations to George Hamilton IV

Grand Ole Opry 2/3 & 2/4

2012-02-02T09:05:00.002-05:00

The Grand Ole Opry has posted the line ups for the shows this weekend. There will be 1 show on Friday night and 1 show on Saturday night. The Friday Night Opry will take place at the Ryman Auditorium, which is the last show for the winter run. As mentioned before, the 60 year old Ryman floor is being replaced starting on Saturday morning. The Grand Ole Opry on Saturday night returns to the Grand Ole Opry House.

2 very nice shows this weekend. Both nights will feature Opry member and Hall of Fame member Charley Pride, while Opry members the Oak Ridge Boys and Steve Wariner will be joining him on Friday night. Non-Opry members Keith Urban and Edens Edge will also be featured. Saturday's Grand Ole Opry will feature guest appearances by Rhonda Vincent, Little Big Town and Gary Morris.

Friday February 3:
7:00: Jim Ed Brown (host); Del McCoury Band; Edens Edge
7:30: Mike Snider (host); The Whites; Charley Pride
INTERMISSION
8:15: Bill Anderson (host); Bobby Osborne & The Rocky Top X-Press; Oak Ridge Boys
8:45: Steve Wariner (host); Keith Urban

Saturday February 4:
7:00: Mike Snider (host); Jimmy C Newman; Rhonda Vincent
7:30: Charley Pride (host); The Whites; Little Big Town
INTERMISSION
8:15: Jim Ed Brown (host); Jesse McReynolds; Holly Williams; Opry Square Dancers
8:45: Bill Anderson (host); Gary Morris; Diamond Rio

Yep, Keith Urban is Steve Wariner's only guest on that last segment on Friday night. Of course, that probably comes at the expense of an Opry member. I will say that Jean Shepard, Jan Howard and Jeannie Seely are off on the Opry cruise and you notice no Jimmy Dickens this weekend.

To recap, Friday night's show features 11 acts, of whom 9 are Opry members, while there are 12 artists on Saturday night, of whom 8 are Opry members.

The Ernest Tubb Midnight Jamboree is going with a live show on Saturday night and it will be hosted by bluegrass legend Jesse McReynolds.

Looks like a pretty good weekend of shows. Enjoy!!

February Opry Highlights

2012-02-01T17:27:00.002-05:00

As I do each month, here are the important and historical events that have taken place in Grand Ole Opry history during the month of February:

February 1, 1928: Harry Stone becomes the Opry's staff announcer. Harry would eventually become the general manager of WSM and in that position, he and the Opry's founder, George D. Hay would clash over the direction of the Opry. George D. Hay wanted to keep the show rural and as he would say, "close to the ground." Harry Stone wanted to make the show more professional and bring on paid, full time entertainers to be on the show. It is no secret who won that argument.

February 5, 1938: Roy Acuff makes his second Grand Ole Opry appearance, along with his band, the Crazy Tennessseans. His first appearance had taken place several months prior and was not considered very good. Roy sang, "The Great Speckled Bird" and the listeners responded with an avalanche of mail to WSM. 2 weeks later, on February 19, 1938, he was added to the cast. With his addition to the Opry, it began to shift from an emphasis on instrumental music to vocal performers. On a final note, Harry Stone, the general manager of WSM, didn't like the name of his band, "Crazy Tennesseans." He contended that it was a slur on Tennessee. He recommended to Roy that since he was from the Smoky Mountain area, that he adopt that name. So beginning on February 26, 1938, it was Roy Acuff and the Smoky Mountain Boys, and it would remain that until Roy's death.

February 23, 1952: Del Wood makes her debut on the Grand Ole Opry. The previous year, this ragtime piano player had a million selling instrumental record with "Down Yonder". When Del accepted the invitation to play on the Opry, she turned down a two-week engagement to play with Bob Crosby. She would remain an Opry member until her death on October 3, 1989.

February 26, 1955: The Louvin Brothers, Charlie and Ira, became members of the Grand Ole Opry. In 2001, the Louvin Brothers were elected to the Country Music Hall of Fame, and some of the greatest songs in country music history came from this duo. Ira passed away in an automobile accident on June 20, 1965, which was after the Louvin Brothers had broken up. Charlie continued as an Opry member until his death in January 2011. (in some publications, the date Charlie Louvin's Opry membership is given as February 10.

February 23, 1957: Porter Wagoner joins the cast of the Grand Ole Opry. He would one of the Opry's most colorful and popular members until his death on October 28, 2007. Porter had made his first Opry appearance in 1956, and her would later talk about that night. "The first night I appeared on the Opry, I came off the stage and went back to the little dressing room area, and I met Roy Acuff in the hallway there. And he came up to me and he said, 'Porter, I'm awful glad that you're becoming a part of the Grand Ole Opry. We need more of your kind of people here.' It is ironic that after Roy died in 1992, Porter would replace him as the face of the Opry. The first night he was on the Opry, he was introduced by Carl Smith, who would later become one of Porter's good friends.

February 27, 1959: The late Billy Grammer joins the Opry. He would remain an Opry member until his death in 2011. Billy was a gentle man and his great hit, "Gotta Travel On" is one of the great ones in country music history.

February 4, 1960: Billy Walker joined the cast of the Grand Ole Opry. He would remain an Opry member until his death in an auto accident on May 21, 2006.

February 6, 1960: George Hamilton IV becomes a member of the Grand Ole Opry. This will be his 52nd year as an Opry member. I can tell you from personal experience, that he is one of the nicest Grand Ole Opry members.

February 23, 1963: Opry member Patsy Cline makes her final Grand Ole Opry appearance. Less than 2 weeks later, she would die in a plane crash, along with Opry members Hawkshaw Hawkins and Cowboy Copas. Randy Hughes also passed away in the crash.

February 8, 1975: After an absence of 18 years, Jimmy Dickens rejoined the cast of the Opry. Hank Snow introduced him that night by saying, "Jimmy is one of the greatest showmen of all time. It's like replacing the most important spoke in a wheel to have him back on the Opry. We need more Jimmy Dickenses." That night, Jimmy sang, "Family Reunion" and later said, "I thought it was appropriate. It's hard to put in words and say how you feel about being back in the family. It's been so long."

February 6, 1976: Ronnie Milsap joins the cast of the Opry. This will be his 36th year as an Opry member. Sorry to say, but Ronnie has not taken full advantage of his Opry membership, and his appearances have been few and far in-between. But whenever he plays the Opry, he receives a great reception.

February 7, 1981: John Conlee joins the cast of the Grand Ole Opry. This will be his 31st year as an Opry member. I think as most every Opry fan knows, John was a licensed funeral director in his home state of Kentucky. He has one of the most distinctive voices in country music and his signature song, "Rose Colored Glasses" is one of the classics. After first appearing on the Opry, John was quoted as saying, "I made sure to stand on the circle from the stage of the old Ryman. That circle has been so important to me because so many big stars had stood on that wooden flooring." Early on as an Opry member, John made few appearances, but over the years as his touring has slowed down, John has become one of the Opry's more dependable members.

February 21, 1981: Boxcar Willie joins the Opry. Boxcar had made his first Opry appearance on June 19, 1980 at the age of 49. He was "discovered" while performing in England by Wesley Rose, who encouraged him to head to Nashville as he knew that Roy Acuff would want to meet him. He got to Nashville, met with Roy, who immediately put him on the Opry, and the rest is history.

February 20, 1988: The Opry honored Roy Acuff for 50 years of Opry membership. As part of that night's show, Porter Wagoner and Dolly Parton performed together for the first time in 14 years.

February 29, 1992: Travis Tritt joins the cast of the Grand Ole Opry. This will be his 20th year as an Opry member. Although it may seem like it, there is no truth to the rumor that this was Travi's last Opry appearance. On an additional note, this was also the night that future Opry member Trisha Yearwood made her first Opry appearance.

February 21, 1998: During the show that night, the Opry honored Grandpa Jones, who died earlier in the week after previously suffering a stroke. Grandpa's close friend and neighbor, Bill Carlisle, along with Vince Gill and members of Grandpa's family, including his widow Ramona, led the cast in the singing of the great Grandpa Jones song, "Falling Leaves."

February 17, 2001: Brad Paisley joins the cast of the Opry. This will be his 11th year as an Opry member. An interesting historical note from that night is that Brad wore the bright yellow jacket that Buck Owens wore on the cover of his 1966 Live at Carnegie Hall album.

February 16, 2002: Marty Stuart, Travis Tritt and Hank Williams, Jr., performed on the Opry in tribute to Waylon Jennings, who had passed away earlier in the week. Porter Wagoner would call it "the most exciting night I can ever remember on the Opry." The 3 entertainers spent an hour on stage singing a number of Waylon hits.

Could Keith Urban Be The Next New Opry Member? New Ryman Stage

2012-01-31T11:25:00.002-05:00

Sometimes when it comes to predicting who the next new Opry member might be, it is like connecting the dots. You have to look for clues and guess how Steve Buchanan and Pete Fisher are thinking. Not to pat myself on the back, but I did correctly predict Blake Shelton, the Oak Ridge Boys and Rascal Flatts becoming Opry members. (Just for purposes of total honesty, I did miss on Rhonda Vincent, which many of us still don't know why is not an Opry member).

Now, in looking at some upcoming Opry events, I am taking a guess, and understand that it is just a guess, that Keith Urban might become an Opry member, and the invitation might come as early as on the Friday Night Opry.

Keith Urban has been a very popular country music superstar for a number of years and he has played the Opry in the past, to a great reception. He has stated that he loves the Opry and Opry management seems to like him. In the past, they have featured Keith on the Opry website and have really promoted his appearances. Keith is a strong supporter of the Country Music Hall of Fame, as his benefit concert for the Hall is one of the most popular and successful fundraisers.

Now, to connect some dots. This week, Keith is scheduled for the Friday Night Opry. The first dot is that this will be Keith's first "official" appearance since his vocal surgery. I know he was scheduled for a couple of Opry shows that he had to cancel due to the surgery, but it is interesting that his first show back is at the Opry.

The next dot pertains to the Ryman Auditorium and it's famous stage. Gaylord announced this week that they will be replacing the stage at the Ryman with a new stage. The current wooden stage, the most famous in country music, has been there since 1951. The new stage will be more durable and be able to hold more weight, which will allow the Ryman to be used for more purposes. In the 1990s, when the Ryman Auditorium was renovated, the famous stage was not replaced but was sanded and refinished. According to Steve Buchanan, because of the age and condition of the stage, that can not be done this time. The new floor will be made of Brazilian teak, which is the same floor that is currently at the Grand Ole Opry House. The new stage will be slightly darker than the current one. Gaylord is not announcing what is going to be done with the old stage, other than it will be under 24 hour guard so that pieces of it do not disappear and that portions of the old floor will still be used on the edges of the new floor. (the complete story is in the Tennessean).

Now, to connect this dot. I saw one announcement that Keith will be the final performer on the old floor at the Ryman. If that is the case, that would hold some signficance. In the past, the Opry has used special events as a backdrop for inviting a new member. The final performance on the old Ryman stage would sure qualify.

The final dot is that Keith is scheduled to perform at the Opry in March and with an invitation in February, the March show would be the perfect opportunity to do the induction.

Granted, that is a lot of speculation on my part and a lot of "connecting the dots". But, I am throwing this out there and it will be interesting to see what happens.

My final thought on the old Ryman stage. First, I have to admit even though I have stood on the stage many times, I never really had thought that the floor had never been updated. I know that the wood is different where the circle was cut out, but I just never thought. Secondly, if the rumors are right that Keith will be the last performer to play on that stage, that is just plain wrong. It should be Jimmy Dickens, who is the only Opry member with a link back to when the stage was installed in 1951. Maybe he will be. Let's hope.

Grand Ole Opry Schedule 1/27 & 1/28

2012-01-25T11:12:00.003-05:00

Update #1: George Hamilton IV is off the schedule for Friday night.

The Grand Ole Opry has posted the schedule for the shows this weekend. This will be the final full weekend at the Ryman Auditorium as next Saturday the Opry returns to the Grand Ole Opry House.

Friday Night's Opry will feature newcomer Casey James, along with Opry members Del McCoury Band, Craig Morgan and Diamond Rio. Saturday night's Grand Ole Opry will have Opry member Ricky Skaggs performing along with guest artists Love And Theft, along with John Anderson.

Friday January 27
7:00: John Conlee (host); Jimmy C Newman; Del McCoury Band
7:30: Jimmy Dickens (host); Jesse McReynolds; Craig Morgan
INTERMISSION
8:15: Bill Anderson (host); Bobby Osborne & The Rocky Top X-Press; Casey James
8:45: Mike Snider (host); Ray Pillow; Diamond Rio

Saturday January 28
7:00: Jimmy Dickens (host); John Conlee; Love And Theft
7:30: Riders In The Sky (host); Jim Ed Brown; Connie Smith; Del McCoury Band
INTERMISSION
8:15: Ricky Skaggs (host); The Whites; John Anderson; Opry Square Dancers
8:45: Bill Anderson (host); Mike Snider; Diamond Rio

That comes down to 13 artist for each night, 12 of which are Opry members on Friday night and 11 Opry members on Saturday night. I personally am glad to see the majority of those performing each night being Opry members.

The Ernest Tubb Midnight Jamboree contines this week with their archived shows. This week's show will be hosted by Carl and Pearl Butler, which should be great. Very rarely do we hear this great duo and former Opry members. Like I mentioned, it should be a good one. Next week's show will feature an archive hosted by Roy Acuff.

Enjoy!!

Grand Ole Opry 1/20 & 1/21

2012-01-18T14:35:00.002-05:00

The Grand Ole Opry has posted the line ups for the 2 shows this weekend, 1 on Friday night and 1 on Saturday night. The big event his weekend will be on Saturday night, when the Opry honors Emmylou Harris on the 20th anniversary of her Opry membership. (Her actual Opry induction date is January 25, 1992). The Opry is going to devote a whole hour to Emmylou and she will be celebrating with a bunch of her friends, including Vince Gill, Rodney Crowell and Buddy Miller.

According to Pete Fisher, Opry vice president and general manager, "Emmylou is treasured not just by all of us at the Grand Ole Opry, but also by fans around the world. She's shared so many great musical moments with us over the past 20 years, singing with and introducing us to some of her favorite musical collaborators. We're excited to celebrate her Opry anniversary at the Ryman, a stage on which she's displayed such incredible artistry through the years."

Taking the information from the Opry's press release, "During her career, Harris has successfully erased boundaries between country, folk and rock n' roll. During the 60s she fell in love with folk music and began performing while in college. In the late 60s Harris met Gram Parsons, formerly of The Byrds, and he became her mentor and singing partner, drawing her into the 70s country rock movement. She toured with and recorded with Parsons until his death in 1973. Since then, Harris has continued to develop her musical style by combining folk music with an electric base and has a sound that is uniquely her own. She has enjoyed seven No. 1 and 27 Top 10 hits. Among her most memorable releases: 'If I Could Only Win Your Love,' 'Together Again,' 'Sweet Dreams,' 'Making Believe,' 'To Daddy,' and 'Heartbreak Hill.' In 1999 Billboard Magazine recognized her distinguished career achievements with its highest honor-the Century Award. Harris was inducted into the Country Music Hall of Fame in 2008 and has won 12 Grammy awards."

As far as my comments, I will admit that I am an Emmylou Harris fan. I have seen her many times at the Opry and she has always done a fine job. When she joined the Opry, I was pleased and being located in Nashville and an active part of the music community, I really thought Emmylou would take her Opry membership seriously and would have appeared on the show more than she has. In that respect, she has been a disappointment. In 2006, she appeared at the Opry 9 times, and that is her high water mark. In 2010, she made 8 appearances, but only 2 last year. Since 2000, she has made just 44 Opry appearances, or an average of just under 4 per year.

When I see her at the Opry, she seems to really enjoy it. She gets a great crowd reaction, will usually host a segment on which the Opry will allow her to bring pretty much anyone she wants to perform with, and will usually dance a bit with the square dancers. I do know that she enjoys the Ryman Auditorium more than the Opry House, and most of her appearances with the Opry have come when the show is at the Ryman.

My other issue is not so much with Emmylou but with the Opry. In the past year, the Opry has devoted large segments of their shows to honor Vince Gill on his 20th anniversary as an Opry member, to honor Randy Travis on 25 years on Opry membership and to honor George Jones on his birthday. I know that they tried very hard to get Alan Jackson in to honor him for 20 years as an Orpy member last year, but they couldn't come up with a date. (I guess Alan was too busy for the Opry!!). My issue is how they have treated the real milestones of Opry membership. When George Hamilton IV, Jimmy C Newman, Billy Grammer, Charlie Louvin and Jean Shepard all celebrated 50 years of Opry membership, they were "allowed" to sing 2 songs, get a watch from Pete Fisher, and then sent on their way. They were not even given the honor of hosting a segment on their big night. Granted the Opry did better with Bill Anderson's 50th anniverary last year, and I am sure there will be a big, big show for Loretta Lynn's 50th anniversary later this year.

Opry membership is important to many of the artists and all should be honored for reaching certain levels of membership. While George, Jimmy C, Billy, Charlie and Jean were not the big stars they once were, they are still important to the history of the Opry and of country music. The Louvin Brothers might be the greatest duo in country music history. Honor them the way they should be honored!!

My thinking is that you can mark the occasion of an artist being an Opry member at the 10 year mark, then at 20 years and every 5 years after that. And special mention should be given to those artists who actually show up and support the show. To me, the biggest laugh was honoring Randy Travis on 25 years of Opry membership and he probably hasn't even done 25 Opry shows in his life

Anyways, sorry for being on the soapbox.

As far as the rest of this week's line up, both nights look very good. In addition to Emmylou and Vince on Saturday night, Craig Morgan will be on. The Friday Night Opry will feature Opry members Diamond Rio, Terri Clark and Ricky Skaggs.

Friday January 20
7:00: Mike Snider (host); Jimmy C Newman; Connie Smith; Diamond Rio
7:30: Jimmy Dickens (host); Bobby Osborne & Rocky Top X-Press
INTERMISSION
8:15: Jeannie Seely (host); Terri Clark; Darryl Worley
8:45: John Conlee (host); Eric Paslay; Ricky Skaggs

Saturday January 21
7:00: Jimmy Dickens (host); Jeannie Seely
7:30: Jim Ed Brown (host); Jean Shepard; Jesse McReynolds; Craig Morgan
INTERMISSION
8:15: Emmylou Harris (host); Shawn Colvin; Rodney Crowell; Vince Gill; Buddy Miller; Kimmie Rhodes; The Whites; Opry Square Dancers

With 1 more slot to be filled on Friday night, there are currently 12 artists scheduled, of whom 10 are Opry members. On Saturday night, there are currently 13 artists scheduled, with 1 slot to fill. 9 of those are Opry members.

This week's Ernest Tubb Midnight Jamboree will feature an archived show hosted by Mac Wiseman. That should be a good one.

For the ranting that I did, both shows this weekend look pretty good and my congratulations to Emmylou Harris on 20 years of Opry membership.

Information on Posting on the Blog

2012-01-14T09:12:00.003-05:00

As I am sure some of you have noticed, and based on the emails I am receiving I know some of you have, the format has changed with the blog and it has resulted in some of you having difficulty leaving comments. First, I am sorry about what has happened. I admit, I am not a computer genius, but apparently what has happened is that Internet Explorer sent down some type of update or change in their program and as a result, if you are using Internet Explorer as your web browser, you are now unable to leave comments and your screen actually freezes up when you try to leave a comment. Again, I am sorry for this and if I could fix it I would. (In fact, if anyone has any ideas, send them or email to me (bfay54@gmail.com), and I will try.

I do know that if you use firefox or google chrome, the blog works fine. For me to comment, I did switch from internet explorer to firefox. Not suggesting anyone do that, but it is working for me. Perhaps the internet explorer issue will self correct itself and everything will be fine.

Again, I am sorry about this. I know one option I have is to switch to a different blog service but that would be a last resort for me. Anyways, for those who can comment, please continue to do so. I look so forward to reading them. If not, you can email me and we can trade comments that way also. The blog will continue so please keep checking and thanks again for your patience.

Byron

Remembering Charlie Collins

2012-01-13T12:06:00.003-05:00

I found out earlier this morning that Charlie Collins has passed away at the age of 78. Charlie was born in 1933 near Caryville, Tennessee. After serving in the Army, he joined the Pinnacle Mountain Boys and after entering the Pet Milk talent contest, they made it all the way to the Grand Ole Opry. In 1966, Charlie moved to Nashville and joined up with Roy Acuff, becoming one of the Smoky Mountain Boys. He remained a member until Roy's death in 1992, after which Charlie played guitar with Brother Oswald. Charlie also was part of the Opry's Squaredance Band with Earl White, continuing in that role through last week's Opry show.

I had the pleasure of meeting Charlie one time and that was in Opryland back in the 1990s. He was friendly and I enjoyed meeting him. He even signed a birthday card for my wife. People tell me he was a joy to have around the Opry and he will be missed.

I know Charlie was not an official member of the Opry, but he has been a part of the show for the last 45 years. I hope that during this weekend's shows Pete Fisher will give a special mention to Charlie and that the shows will be dedicated to him. For sure, I would expect something to be said when the squaredancers come out for their performance.

Prayers and thoughts go to Charlie's family through this difficult time.

Comment Issues

2012-01-12T16:27:00.001-05:00

I have received emails that some of you are unable to bring up and place comments on the blog. I am trying to figure it out. Sorry about the issue. I will keep everyone posted. But, I am still posting and checking. Thanks.

Wednesday Night Opry In 2012

2012-01-11T19:29:00.001-05:00

I was doing some checking this evening and found that the Opry is going to schedule a Wednesday Night Opry show for a couple of weeks this summer. The dates will be from July 18-August 8. I know that they were going to do this in 2010, but then the flood happened and the Wednesday night shows never took place. Last year they did not try it. It will be interesting to see how this additional mid-week show will do.

Grand Ole Opry Schedule 1/13 & 1/14

2012-01-11T15:27:00.002-05:00

The Grand Ole Opry has posted the schedule for the 2 shows this weekend. 1 show on Friday night and 1 show on Saturday night, both down at the Ryman Auditorium. The shows don't look too bad for this weekend.

Friday night will feature Opry member Vince Gill. Ricky Skaggs and Del McCoury, who will also be on the Saturday night show, join him. Saturday's show will feature a return Opry appearance by non-members The Black Lillies, Katie Armiger and Rodney Atkins, who has had his share of problems lately.

After several weeks away from the Opry, Bill Anderson returns this weekend for both shows, while Jimmy Dickens will be making a personal appearance this weekend and will not be at the Opry.

Friday January 13
7:00: Riders In The Sky (host); Connie Smith; Del McCoury Band
7:30: Jeannie Seely (host); Jesse McReynolds; Restless Heart
INTERMISSION
8:15: Bill Anderson (host); Jean Shepard; Brett Eldredge
8:45: Vince Gill (host); The Whites; Ricky Skaggs

Saturday January 14
7:00: Mike Snider (host); Jimmy C Newman; George Hamilton IV; The Black Lillies
7:30: Riders In The Sky (host); Katie Armiger; Del McCoury Band
INTERMISSION
8:15: Ricky Skaggs (host); Jan Howard; The Whites; Opry Square Dancers
8:45: Bill Anderson (host); Bobby Osborne & The Rocky Top X-Press; Rodney Atkins

No Ernest Tubb Midnight Jamboree this weekend. The archived show Saturday night will be hosted by Jimmy Martin.

Charlie Collins

2012-01-09T08:45:00.002-05:00

I received word this morning from a couple of people that Charlie Collins, who spent many years with Roy Acuff as one of his Smoky Mountain Boys, suffered a massive stroke on Sunday and is in the hospital in critical condition. Thoughts and prayers are with Charlie and his family. Since Roy's passing, Charlie has played guitar for the square dancers, joined by Earl White on fiddle. As I receive more information, I will pass it along.

Former Grand Ole Opry member Norma Jean

2012-01-08T14:55:00.003-05:00

It was on January 9, 1965 that former Grand Ole Opry member, and duet partner of Porter Wagoner, Norma Jean, joined the Grand Ole Opry.

Norma Jean Beasler was born near Welliston, Oklahoma on January 30, 1938 (is it possible that "Pretty Miss Norma Jean" is going to be 74 this year?). Norma Jean was known for her cheerful, sisterlike smile and uncompromising, woman-oriented songs. She also had a certain, likeable quality about her.

At an early age, she moved with her family to Oklahoma City, where at the age of 12 she traded her bicycle for a guitar. Her aunt taught her how to play, and while still in school she had three weekly radio spots on KLPR. Her chief influence was Kitty Wells. After working with western-swing bands, she joined the cast of the ABC show Ozark Jubilee in 1958. It was on that show that she met Porter Wagoner.

In 1960 she moved to Nashville, soon joining the Porter Wagoner Show on syndicated television, where she was known as Pretty Miss Norma Jean. After an unsuccessful debut on Columbia Records in 1959, she moved to RCA in 1963. Her first hit, "Let's Go All the Way" (#11, 1964), became her best known song. Of her twenty-two chart records, her highest was "The Game of Triangles" (#5, 1966), recorded with Bobby Bare and Liz Anderson. On most of her records, Porter Wagoner functioned as de facto producer. Though he and Norma Jean occasionally sang live duets, they never recorded as a duo. She was a member of the Grand Ole Opry from 1965 until leaving in 1969.

She left Wagoner's show in 1967 to marry Harold Taylor, yet stayed with RCA until 1973. (Of course, she was replaced on Porter's show by Dolly Parton). A confessed recovered alcoholic and devout Christian, she later married Nashville musician George Riddle. The last that I heard about Norma Jean was that she was performing in Branson as part of Cowboy Church and had a show in a theater there. I know that she is no longer married to George Riddle and I believe that she had a new album out a couple of years ago. I know several of her older ones are still available at various sites.

I am not going to go into the subject of her relationship with Porter Wagoner, which I think is pretty well known by just about everyone, including the subject of her daughter. If you wish to read the whole story, much of it from interviews with Norma Jean, I recommend that you read the Porter Wagoner biography by Steve Eng. It is an excellent book that covers the subject very well.

As I mentioned, Norma Jean joined the Grand Ole Opry on January 9, 1965. Here is the running order of the show that night. (remember back in those days there was just one Saturday night show). She left the Opry in 1969, after she left Porter's show and left Nashville to return to Oklahoma.

7:30 Luzianne
Jimmy C Newman (host): (?)
The Carlisles: The Great Snowman
Bobby Lord: (?)
Loretta Lynn: Before I'm Over You
Jimmy C Newman; You're Still On My Mind
Del Wood: Piano Roll Blues
Ernie Ashworth: Talk Back Trembling Lips
Bobby Lord: You've Gotta Take The Bucket To The Well
Ed Hyde: Ida Red
Jimmy C Newman: (?)

8:00: Martha White
Porter Wagoner (host); Howdy Neighbor, Howdy
Charlie Louvin: I Don't Love You Anymore
Dottie West: In Its Own Little Way
Willie Nelson: Hello Walls
Osborne Brothers: This Heart Of Mine
Porter Wagoner: One Way Ticket To The Blues
NORMA JEAN: Lonesome Number One
Crook Brothers: Liberty
Charlie Louvin: Once A Day
Buck Trent: (?)

8:30: Stephens
Roy Acuff (host): (?)
Wilburn Brothers: Never Alone
Bill Anderson: Three AM
Archie Campbell: Comedy
Roy Acuff: Freight Train Blues
Wilma Lee & Stoney Cooper: This Train
Margie Bowes: Big City
Wilburn Brothers: I'm Gonna Tie One On Tonight
Bill Anderson: In Case You Ever Change Your Mind

9:00: Pet Milk
Leroy Van Dyke (host): Your Money
Skeeter Davis: The End Of The World
Sonny James: The Minute Your Gone
Curly Fox: Listen To The Mockingbird
Leroy Van Dyke: Lonely Street
Glaser Brothers: The Ballad Of Kitty Wells
Fruit Jar Drinkers: Katy Hill
Sonny James: You're The Only World I know
Leroy Van Dyke: Ann Of The Thousand Days

9:30: Kelloggs
Hank Snow (host); The Wishing Well
Bill Monroe: There's An Old Home
Roy Drusky: Strangers
Willis Brothers: Give Me 40 Acres
Hank Snow: Lonesome 7-7203
Marion Worth: The French Song
The Browns: The Three Bells
Hank Snow: (?)

10:00: Schick
Bobby Lord (host): When The Snow Falls
Loretta Lynn: Happy Birthday
Osborne Brothers: Give This Message To Your Heart
Del Wood: Night Train To Memphis
Bobby Lord: Y'all Come

10:15: Mary Carter
Jimmy C Newman (host): Summer Skies & Golden Sands
Wilma Lee & Stoney Cooper: I Couldn't Care Less
Bill Anderson: You Can Have Her, I Don't Want Her
Bill Carlisle: Little Liza Jane
Jimmy C Newman: Cry, Cry Darling

10:30: Harvey's
Porter Wagoner (host): Will You Be Loving Another Man
NORMAN JEAN: GO CAT GO
Sonny James: Young Love/You're The Only World I Know
Porter Wagoner: I'll Go Down Swinging

10:45: Newport
Roy Acuff (host): All The Things That Might Have Been
Margie Bowes: Overnight
Wilburn Brothers: I Don't Care
Crook Brothers: (?)
June Stearns: Release Me

11:00: Coca-Cola
Hank Snow (host): I'm Moving On
Bill Monroe: Goodbye Old Pal
Leroy Van Dyke: The Auctioneer
Glaser Brothers: All Night Cafe
Hank Snow: My Life With You
Fruit Jar Drinkers: Alabama Gal
Dottie West: Here Comes My Baby
Sam & Kirk McGee: Nine Pound Hammer
Hank Snow: My Blue Eyed Jane

11:30: Lava
Roy Drusky (host); Second Hand Rose
Charlie Louvin: Just Between The Two Of Us
Marion Worth: He Thinks I Still Care
Willis Brothers: Blazin' Smoke Stacks
Roy Drusky: Strangers
The Browns: Everybody's Darling, Plus Mine/Then I'll Stop Loving You
Willie Nelson: Family Bible
Curly Fox: Alabama Jubilee
Charlie Louvin: Less & Less
Roy Drusky: Anymore

There were some really great Opry members on that night. Willie Nelson, Bobby Lord, Leroy Van Dyke and Sonny James among many others.

Here's to Norma Jean, who I hope is doing well and still making music. She had a great voice!!

2011 Grand Ole Opry Recap

2012-01-06T12:14:00.002-05:00

With 2012 upon us, it is now time to do a recap of 2011 at the Grand Ole Opry, including show counts and member appearances. Looking at 2011, they year started with 67 Opry members. The current number entering 2012 is 65, as 4 members passed away in 2011 and 2 were added. Charlie Louvin, Mel McDaniel, Billy Grammer and Wilma Lee Cooper were those who passed, while the Oak Ridge Boys and Rascal Flatts were added.

Of the 65 Opry members, 3 are listed as retired. Those are Jeanne Pruett, Barbara Mandrell and Ricky Van Shelton. 1 Opry member as been unable to appear due to health issues and that is Hal Ketchum. That leaves 61 active Opry members. Of those 61 active members, 4 made no Opry appearances in 2011. Those 5 were Garth Brooks, Tom T Hall, Reba McEntire, Travis Tritt and Trisha Yearwood. With the exception of Tom T Hall, who has not appeared on the Opry in over 15 years, Travis Tritt is the Opry member who has gone the longest without appearing on the show. Travis made his last Opry appearance in 2007.

In 2011, there were a total of 181 Opry shows. That compares with 188 in 2010, 200 in 2009 and 201 in 2008. The breakdown last year was 53 Friday Night Opry shows, 72 Saturday night shows, 43 Tuesday Night Opry shows, 12 Opry Country Classics on Thursday night and 1 Saturday matinee show. The reduction in shows from last year was primarily from a reduction in the number of Opry Country Classics shows

Looking at the list of Opry members and the number of appearances they made in 2011, the leader was Jimmy Dickens, with 143. Considering that he is the Opry's oldest member, that is amazing. As I list the appearances for each Opry member, please remember in today's Opry world, an Opry member gets credit for appearing on the show no matter what night they appear. (Back in the old days, only Friday and Saturday night shows counted). Also, remember, particuarly in the case of the new members who have joined since Pete Fisher has been the Opry's general manager, he has asked each of the new members to commit to 10 shows per year.

Here is the top 10 in 2011 Opry appearances:
1) Jimmy Dickens-143
2) Bill Anderson-84
3) Jim Ed Brown-77
4) Jimmy C Newman-75
5) The Whites-74
6) Riders In The Sky-73
7) Jeannie Seely/Mike Snider-69
8) Connie Smith-63
9) Jean Shepard-61
10) John Conlee-58

As you can see, many of the Opry's legends and senior members are still carrying the bulk of the work load despite the efforts to make the Opry younger and more relevant.

Continuing on with the list, here are numbers 11-20:
11) Bobby Osborne-54
12) Jesse McReynolds-46
13) Jack Greene-44
14) Jan Howard-32
15) Del McCoury-26
16) George Hamilton IV-25
17) Diamond Rio-20
18) Vince Gill-18
19) Ricky Skaggs-17
20) Larry Gatlin/Pam Tillis-16

Now for the rest of those who made at least the 10 appearances asked for by management:
21) Charlie Daniels-12
22) Joe Diffie/Charley Pride/Steve Wariner-11
23) Terri Clark/Craig Morgan/Oak Ridge Boys-10

Of the Opry's 61 active members, only 29 made at least 10 appearances in 2011, or 47.5% of its members. Here is the rest of the list:
Ray Pillow/Marty Stuart-9
Mel Tillis/Josh Turner/Carrie Underwood-8
Rascal Flatts-7
Trace Adkins/Montgomery Gentry-6
Dierks Bentley/Stonewall Jackson/Martina McBride/Ralph Stanley-5
Alison Krauss/Ronnie Milsap/Lorrie Morgan/Stu Phillips/Blake Shelton-4
Clint Black/Emmylou Harris/Brad Paisley-3
Roy Clark/Patty Loveless-2
Alan Jackson/George Jones/Loretta Lynn/Dolly Parton/Randy Travis-1
Garth Brooks/Tom T Hall/Reba McEntire/Travis Tritt/Trisha Yearwood-0

Of the 61 active Opry members, 25 were segment hosts this past year. Here is that list:
1) Jimmy Dickens-106
2) Bill Anderson-65
3) Mike Snider-54
4) Riders In The Sky-44
5) Jeannie Seely-40
6) Jim Ed Brown-39
7) John Conlee-36
8) Vince Gill-17
9) Jean Shepard-16
10) Ricky Skaggs-9
11) Charley Pride/Marty Stuart/Pam Tillis/Larry Gatlin-8
12) Steve Wariner-7
13) The Whites-6
14) Mel Tillis-5
15) Ray Pillow-4
16) Emmylou Harris/Trace Adkins/George Hamilton IV/Diamond Rio-3
17) Ronnie Milsap-2
18) Lorrie Morgan/Roy Clark-1

In 2011, a total of 215 non-Opry members made guest appearances on at least one of the Opry shows, with many of these making their first appearance ever. Of the non-members, here were the top 8 in 2011:

1) Mandy Barnett-26
2) Jimmy Wayne-17
3) Dailey & VincentJames Wesley-14
4) Elizabeth Cook/The GrascalsMark Wills-12
5) Holly Williams-11
6) Sarah Darling/Restless Heart/Joey+Rory/Edens Edge-10
7) Rebecca Lynn Howard/Exile/Rodney Atkins/Darryl Worley/Gene Watson/Jim Lauderdale-8
8) Point of Grace/Brett Eldridge/T.G. Sheppard-7
8) Rhonda Vincent/Suzy Bogguss/Josh Thompson-6

That is the recap of 2011. I think it is interesting to go back and look at the numbers. Many of the Opry's members have done a great job fulfilling their obligations to the show. I think a number of the legends would have made more Opry appearances if asked. But, there are still a great number of Opry members who need to step up their appearances. I know we have covered this before, but there is no excuse for some of these artists to be showing up once or twice per year and calling themselves Opry members, especially when they still have active careers going.

Anyways, I hope you enjoyed this look back.

Grand Ole Opry Schedule 1/6 & 1/7

2012-01-04T08:54:00.002-05:00

Before posting and commenting on this week's Grand Ole Opry schedule, I just wanted to follow up on the Carol Lee Cooper item that I had last week. Yesterday I received my electronic copy of the Bill Anderson Fan Club Newsletter. In it, he has a section where he answers letters and questions from fans and one of this months questions had to do with Carol Lee Cooper and asking why she doesn't sing with her group anymore. The response from Bill was that "Carol Lee has had some health issues and has taken a leave of absence from singing and performing. We all hope, as she does, that she will be able to return shortly. We miss her just as you do." So that is the latest and I will say that Bill seems to be the first Opry member to comment on her situation publicly.

As far as the Opry this weekend, the show continues its winter run at the Ryman Auditorium with one show on Friday Night and one show on Saturday night. Looking at the line ups for the shows, there is really nothing special to report. No blockbuster names this weekend, but a good mix of talent. The very talented guitar player Doyle Dykes is scheduled for both shows this weekend. Joining Doyle on Friday night will be Opry members Ralph Stanley and Diamond Rio and non-Opry member, but frequent Opry guest, Danny Gokey. Saturday night's Grand Ole Opry will feature non-members Eden Edge along with newcomer Andy Gibson. He is another in the string of newcomers that Pete Fisher seems to be inviting to perform on the Opry. He is from the west coast and has been featured on GAC.

Friday January 6
7:00: John Conlee (host); Connie Smith; Danny Gokey
7:30: Jimmy Dickens (host); Jimmy C Newman; Doyle Dykes
INTERMISSION
8:15: Mike Snider (host); Jim Ed Brown; Ralph Stanley
8:45: Riders In The Sky (host); Jesse McReynolds; Diamond Rio

Saturday January 7
7:00: Jimmy Dickens (host); Jeannie Seely; Andy Gibson
7:30: Mike Snider (host); George Hamilton IV; Connie Smith; Bo Bice
INTERMISSION
8:15: John Conlee (host); Jean Shepard; Edens Edge; Opry Square Dancers
8:45: Riders In The Sky (host); Bobby Osborne & Rocky Top X-Press; Doyle Dykes

That comes out to 12 artists on Friday night, with 10 Opry members and 13 artists on Saturday night with 9 Opry members. Also interesting is that the segment hosts are the same 4 that hosted segments last week.

No live Ernest Tubb Midnight Jamboree this weekend as now through the middle of February they will be running archived shows. This week's show is hosted by Ernest Tubb. I don't know from what year and who the guest artists are, but it will be interesting and fun to listen back and her old Ernest again.

January Opry Highlights

2012-01-02T16:32:00.002-05:00

Here are the important and historical events that have taken place in Grand Ole Opry history during the month of January.

January 16, 1943: Ernest Tubb makes his Grand Ole Opry debut. When he comes to the Opry, he plays a guitar that belonged to his idol Jimmie Rodgers, and was given to him by Carrie Rodgers, Jimmie's widow. Ernest would remain one of the Opry's most loyal and important members until his death in September 1984.

January 7, 1950: Hank Snow makes his first appearance on the Opry. As he wrote in his book, this was one of the few times on the Opry that Hank wore a hat. Ernest Tubb, who convinced Opry management to give Hank a chance, allowed Hank to use his band because Hank could not afford to pay any musicians. That night, Ernest introduced Hank by saying, "From up Canada way, here's the newest member of the Grand Ole Opry, the Singing Ranger, Hank Snow!" Hank later said he didn't know if he was considered an Opry member or not and had not asked. Hank sang "Brand On My Heart" and as he said, received little audience reaction. He told his wife Min after the show, "Min, I am never, never going back to the Opry. The Grand Ole Opry is not for me." Min responded, "Now, you can't expect everything to happen in just one night. People will become more familiar with you as time goes on. You're lucky you've been given this chance." Hank of course stayed with the Opry and was about to get fired but right before it was to happen "I'm Movin' On" was released and became a monster hit. As they say, the rest is history.

January 7, 1950: On the same night that Hank Snow made his first appearance on the Opry, so did Tennessee Ernie Ford, who was featured on the Prince Albert portion that was hosted by Red Foley. Ernie forgot what he sang that night, as his son had been born when he was flying from California to Nashville the day before. Minnie Pearl would later say that he sang, "Anticipation Blues." While he never became an Opry member, Ernie Ford had an open invitation to appear on the Opry whenever he was in the neighborhood and he would take the Opry up on it's offer many times during his career.

January 1, 1953: Hank Williams is found dead on the back seat of his car as he was being driven to a show in Canton, Ohio. By the way, the auditorium where he was set to perform is still standing and in use today, and is located about 3 miles from my house. On an additonal note, Jimmy Dickens was also booked for that show in Canton but because the weather was so bad, he didn't make the trip.

January 19, 1953: Marty Robbins makes his first Opry appearance.

January 1, 1960: Billy Walker joins the Grand Ole Opry. He would remain an Opry member until passing away, along with his wife, in a car accident while returning to Nashville from on concert in Alabama, in 2006.

January 9, 1960: Patsy Cline joins the Grand Ole Opry. In a pretty famous and often told story, Patsy, who had been appearing as a guest artist for a few years, approached Opry manager Ott Devine and asked if she might one day become an Opry member. Devine's responsed by saying to her, "Patsy, if that's all you want, you are on the Opry."

January 7, 1967: Charley Pride becomes the first black solo singer to perform on the Opry. He was introduced by Ernest Tubb and sang, "The Snakes Crawl At Night" and "I Can't Help It If I'm Still In Love With You." Shortly afterwards, he would be asked to join the Opry, but he declined. He would eventually join the cast in 1993.

January 4, 1969: Dolly Parton joins the Grand Ole Opry cast. This will be her 43rd year as an Opry member. While she was at the Opry often while she was singing with Porter Wagoner, her appearances dropped dramatically after she separated herself from Porter. She has made several Opry appearances over the past couple of years. Carl and Pearl Butler, who knew Dolly and were friends with her, first brought her to Nashville at the age of 12. She remembers her first night to perform on the Opry. "They used to have this Friday Night Frolics and I went up there one night with the intention of being on it. I kept telling everybody I'll sing just one song. Most of the Opry artists had two spots on the show and I walked up to Jimmy C Newman, who was going to sing his second song next and I told him I wanted to be on. I didn't know why he did it, but Jimmy gave me his spot and I sang a George Jones song."

January 1, 1971: Tom T. Hall accepts an invitation and joins the cast of the Grand Ole Opry. This will be his 41st year as an Opry member. After he joined in 1971, he quit the show when it moved from the Ryman Auditorium to the new Grand Ole Opry House, but rejoined the show at the urging of Ernest Tubb in March 1980.

January 2, 1974: Grand Ole Opry member Tex Ritter passed away in Nashville from a heart attack. He had joined the Opry in 1965 on the tail end of his great career, and he would become one of the Opry's most popular members.

January 27, 1979: Sissy Spacek, you would play the part of Loretta Lynn in the movie Coal Miner's Daughter, joined Loretta Lynn in a performance on the Opry stage.

January 11, 1986: Mel McDaniel, who passed away in 2011, joins the Grand Ole Opry. In his later years, he was famous for singing his great song, "Stand Up" at just about every Opry appearance he made. After the 9/11 attacks, he changed the words of the final verse to a patriotic theme and always received a standing ovation.

January 10, 1991: Clint Black joins the cast of the Opry. This will be his 21st year as an Opry member. Sorry to say, but he is one of those members who very rarely makes an Opry appearance. His 2 appearances this past year were his first since 2007.

January 25, 1992: Emmylou Harris joins the cast of the Grand Ole Opry. This will be her 20th year as an Opry member.

January 22, 1994: Hal Ketchum joins the Grand Ole Opry. This will be his 18th year as an Opry member and hopefully he will be well enough to return to the Opry stage.

January 7, 1997: Gaylord Entertainment, in a move that sounded good at the time, acquired Word Records and Music, a contemporary Christian music company. A few years later, when Gaylord was selling off many of their properties, Word Music was one of the first to go.

January 3, 1998: Grandpa Jones makes his final Opry appearance. After hosting his segment on the 2nd show that evening, Grandpa suffered the first in a series of strokes. He was taken directly from the Opry House to a Nashville hospital. His condition continued to decline and he passed away on February 19, 1999.

January 24, 1998: Justin Tubb, son of Ernest Tubb and a member of the Grand Ole Opry passed away.

January 15, 1999: The Grand Ole Opry returns to the Ryman Auditorium for the first time since moving to the new Grand Ole Opry House in 1974. There were 3 shows that weekend, which included 1 show Friday night and 2 shows on Saturday night. During the 1st show on Saturday night, Trisha Yearwood is asked by Ricky Skaggs if she would like to become an Opry member. Of course she said yes, and joined the show officially on March 13, 1999. On a personal note, I was at all 3 shows that weekend and they were fantastic.

January 15, 2000: Bluegrass legend Ralph Stanley joins the Grand Ole Opry. He had actually been asked to join the previous evening and immediately accepted the invitation. This will be his 12th year as an Opry member.

January 4, 2003: Hank Williams Jr and Hank Williams III perform together at the Grand Ole Opry in a show commemorating the 50th anniversary of the death of Hank Williams. Also appearing in the tribute were Jimmy Dickens, who actually knew Hank, along with Vince Gill and The Whites.

January 1, 2007: Grand Ole Opry member Del Reeves passed away from an extended illness. He was 73 years old and had been an Opry member for 41 years.

January 19, 2008: Charlie Daniels becomes an Opry member. This will be just his 4th year as a member. He had been asked in December by Martina McBride during his annual Christmas concert at the Ryman Auditorium.

As I had mentioned, the Grand Ole Opry returned to the Ryman Auditorium for the first time in 25 years, on January 15 & 16, 1999. It was during the 1st show on that Saturday night that Trisha Yearwood was asked to become an Opry member. Since 1999, the Opry has returned to its former home each winter. To remember that weekend in 1999, here is the line up from all 3 shows that weekend.

Friday January 15, 1999:
7:30 Cracker Barrel
Porter Wagoner (host); Billy Walker; Jeanne Pruett; Del McCoury Band; Bill Carlisle
8:00 Williamson Dickies/Opryland Hotel
John Conlee (host); George Hamilton IV; Skeeter Davis; Daryle Singletary
8:30 Johnny Walker Tours/Fiddlers Inn/Sunterra Resorts
Jimmy Dickens (host); Charlie Walker; Stonewall Jackson; Holly Dunn
9:00 Local Lincoln Mercury Dealers
Ricky Skaggs (host); The Whites; Jack Greene; Vince Gill
9:30 Standard Candy
Bill Anderson (host); Del Reeves; Jimmy C Newman; Jim & Jesse; Hank Locklin
10:00 Ryman Auditorium
Johnny Russell (host); Sherrie Austin; Jim Ed Brown; The 4 Guys; Mike Snider

Saturday January 16, 1999:
1st show
6:30 GHS Strings
Jimmy C Newman (host); Wilma Lee Cooper
6:45 Williamson Dickies
Billy Walker (host); Skeeter Davis
7:00 Shoney's
Jimmy Dickens (host); Holly Dunn; The 4 Guys; Joe Diffie
7:30 Standard Candy
Ricky Skaggs (host); Steve Wariner; Trisha Yearwood
8:00 Martha White
Porter Wagoner (host); Jeanne Pruett; Mike Snider; Jim Ed Brown; Opry Squardance Band/Melvin Sloan Dancers
8:30 Physicians Mutual Insurance
Bill Anderson (host); Jan Howard; Hank Locklin; The Whites; Bill Carlisle

2nd show
9:30 Wildhorse Saloon
Porter Wagoner (host); Oswald & Charlie; Charlie Louvin; Trisha Yearwood
10:00 Local Lincoln Mercury Dealers
Jack Greene (host); Jim & Jesse
10:15 Opry History Picture Book
Jimmy Dickens (host); Martina McBride
10:30 Epiphone Guitars
Ricky Skaggs (host); Joe Diffie
10:45 Jogging In a Jug
Stever Wariner (host); Charlie Walker; Opry Squardance Band/Melvin Sloan Dancers
11:00 Coke
Bill Anderson (host); Holly Dunn; George Hamilton IV; Vince Gill
11:30 Detro Sales
Johnny Russell (host); Stu Phillips; Del Reeves; Mike Snider; Stonewall Jackson

All 3 shows that weekend were great!!!

There you have it for this month. Enjoy!!!

The Missing & Mysterious Tom T Hall

2012-01-01T11:09:00.003-05:00

Happy New Year!!!

There are some Opry members such as Jimmy Dickens, Jeannie Seely, Mike Snider, Jimmy C Newman and a few others who are at the Opry almost every weekend. There are those such as Barbara Mandrell, Ricky Van Shelton and Jeanne Pruett who are retired and no longer perform at the Opry. And then there is Opry member Tom T Hall who hasn't performed at the Opry in years. In fact, according to my records, he has not been at the Opry since at least the mid-90s. Yet, unlike Holly Dunn, who moved away from Nashville and lost her Opry membership, Tom T continues as an Opry member. It is not as if he is not doing anything. Tom T continues to make records (and some good ones I might add), he continues to write songs, he has written books and he continues to perform live, including performing on the Music City Roots program that is on WSM radio. Yet, for reasons that has never been explained, Tom T refuses to do the Opry.

It wasn't always that way. Tom T is listed as first joining the Opry on January 1, 1971, which has him celebrating 41 years as an Opry member today. Yet, his first appearance on the Opry as a member was actually Saturday January 9, 1971. He stayed at the Opry for a couple of years and then he left. He came back to the Opry in March 1980, yet during that month, he did not perform at the Opry at all. But during the 1980s after he returned, Tom T did the Opry quite often. After making just 5 appearances in 1980 and 1981, he was up to 15 in 1984 and 1985, and then he appeared 31 times in 1986 and 28 in 1987, before dropping to 17 in 1988, back up to 25 in 1989, 18 in 1990, 12 in 1991 and finally 11 in 1992. After that, he has become a missing person at the Opry.

I really don't understand what happened. He was popular at the Opry and I think the music he plays and even records today, would be a perfect fit at the show. And with him making no appearances for at least the last 15 years, I have to ask, why is he still an Opry member? That I do not understand.

Looking more indepth at Tom T's history at the Opry, he made his first guest appearance in 1969. He had impressed Bud Wendell, who was the Opry manager at the time. Here is how Tom T remembered it. "I think it was Ernest Tubb who went to Bud Wendell and said, 'You know, there's a young guy out there singing odd kinda songs. He's really good. His name is Tom T Hall and you oughta get him as a guest on the Opry.' So, the first night on the Opry, Roy Acuff introduced me as 'Tom P. Hay'! I guess he was thinking of George D. But I didn't mind. I went out, took a bow, and sang 'A Week in a County Jail.' I was amazed at the informality of it all. Wendell called me back to his office and said, 'We'll Tom, do you want to be a member of the Opry?' And I said, Yes, sir. That would be a great honor. And he said, 'Well, you'll have some insurance in case you get killed out there on the road, you know.' I never really understood what I had to do to collect."

As I mentioned, he was an Opry member only for a couple of years. In fact, he quit the Opry when it moved from the Ryman Auditorium to the new Opry House in 1974. The papers in Nashville printed a page one story saying that Tom T quit the Opry because Opry management had denied him permission to use his own band, which included horns. As Tom T explained, "It's true that when the Opry left the old Ryman I didn't go with it. But I'm a romantic, you know. I didn't care about the new Opry House at first-it just didn't seem right with me. Just out of a romantic notion. So the newspapers called my agent, Bob Neal, to find out what it was all about. They got Sonny Neal, Bob's son, on the phone. And he says, 'Well, I'll tell you, by God, they won't let Tom use his horns on the Opry.' That got me in all kinds of trouble. There was a lot of press about it. Of course, I didn't have a damned orchestra. I had a hillbilly band, like everybody else. But I made a record, 'The Year That Clayton Delaney Died,' with a trumpet on it; I used a Jimmie Rodgers arrangement on that song. So, Sonny took my 'cause' in hand."

And, Tom T did come back to the Opry a few years later. Again, from Tom T. "But I finally got back on the Opry a few years later-I think it was 1980-the same way I got there in the beginning. I was at the Opry House doing something else; doing my TV show. And I met Ernest Tubb in the parking lot and he said, 'You get back on the Opry. You belong over there.' And I said, 'Yes, sir.' You know, what could you say to Ernest Tubb? I went back on the Opry again."

As mentioned above, Tom T Hall's first night appearing on the Opry as a member was on Saturday January 9, 1971. He appeared in the 7:30 Standard Candy segment hosted by Roy Acuff and the 10:30 Trailblazer segment hosted by Lester Flatt. Here is the running order for those 2 segments.

7:30: Standard Candy
Roy Acuff (host): Wabash Cannonball
Jean Shepard: Another Lonely Night
Charlie Walker: Don't Squeeze My Sharman
TOM T HALL: BALLAD OF 40 DOLLARS
Roy Acuff: Pins & Needles
Jean Shepard: Second Fiddle
Charlie Walker: Waiting For A Train
Roy Acuff: I Saw the Light

10:30: Trailblazer
Lester Flatt (host): I've Been Walking
Grandpa Jones: I'm Sorry I Caused You To Cry
Willis Brothers: I Still Do
TOM T HALL: 100 CHILDREN
Charlie Walker: Pick Me Up On Your Way Down
Uncle Josh: Just Joshin'

There you go. Congratulations to Tom T Hall for 41 years as on Opry member. It would just mean more if he was actually a part of the Opry.

Grand Ole Opry Schedule 12/30 & 12/31--Updated

2011-12-28T09:02:00.004-05:00

Update: Jack Greene has cancelled out for the Friday Night Opry. No replacement for him.

getting into the line ups for the final 2 Grand Ole Opry shows in 2011, I wanted to write a few words on the situation regarding Carol Lee Cooper and some of the rumors and questions that are out there regarding her situation and the Opry.

As most of you are aware of, Carol Lee has not been on the Opry since March. While I do not want to get into the reasons for her not being on, what I can tell you, and it has been confirmed by several others, is that it was for a legitimate health related issue. Over the past several months, whenever I or someone else asked about the status of Carol Lee, it was the same answer and nobody would say anything else or go on the record of saying anything.

Several weeks back, I received an email from one of my readers saying that he saw on another internet site that Carol Lee Cooper had been fired from the Opry. That was news to me so I started doing some research. I found the message board that this was posted on, and I found it to be suspect as the way it was written it did not make sense. I then emailed or called at least a half dozen of my sources and friends that I have in the music community who usually know what is going on at the Opry. The answer from each of them was that they had not heard a thing regarding Carol Lee, and 2 of these people I asked are journalists who I think would know, or would report it if they knew. But, I will say that at least 1 of them did check with their Opry sources and they were told there was nothing new to report regarding Carol Lee. Another person that I asked is backstage almost every weekend and they had not heard anything.

The internet message board said that Carol Lee was fired from the Opry in mid-September, right around the time that her mother Wilma Lee Cooper passed away. The reason I discount this report is for a couple of reasons. First, even on the Opry several weeks ago, a few of the entertainers, including Jim Ed Brown, were still referring to the back up singers as the Carol Lee Singers. Second, in the latest edition of the Opry Picture History Book, which was published in October, Carol Lee is still pictured with the Carol Lee Singers. And this edition had already taken out her mother and Billy Grammer and had already added Rascal Flatts, so it was up to date. Third, after the firing of the 4 Guys and the Opry Staff Band members several years back and the big publicity it created, I can't believe Pete Fisher would go that route again. I know that Pete is a tough businessman, but even I can't believe that he would fire someone at the same time that their mother passed away. And I do know that Carol Lee was backstage at the Opry the Saturday night of the tribute to her mother. Finally, a check of Carol Lee's website has nothing unusual on it.

Now even with all that, could something be up regarding Carol Lee Cooper and the Opry? I think so. Just the fact that nobody, and I mean nobody, will go on the record or say anything publicly, is a red flag to me. Also, while there are some who still refer to the back up singers as the Carol Lee Singers, I have also heard others call them the Opry Singers. And finally, this issue that has kept Carol Lee off the Opry has seem to have been going on for a long time now, over 9 months.

It would not surprise me at all if we have seen the last of Carol Lee Cooper on the Opry. I hope I am wrong. I keep asking and if I receive anything new, I will certainly report it. But at the least, it is a mysterious situation.

Now regarding the Opry this weekend, since it is the show closest to January 1st, which was the date that Hank Williams died, his daughter Jett Williams will be on the Opry, as she is every year around this time. I know that the Opry has had an open invitation to Hank Williams, Jr to appear, but that has happened only once in recent memory. And of course Hank Williams III, who has appeared on the Opry previously around January 1st, will not be getting an invitation anytime soon to appear at the Opry, for obvious reasons.

Also appearing on the Opry this weekend will be 4 non-Opry members who have appeared on the Opry more times this past year than a majority of the actual Opry members and those 4 are Mandy Barnett, Jimmy Wayne, Restless Heart and Dailey & Vincent. It would finish out the year in a fine way if one of those would receive an invitation to join the Opry

Here are the line ups for this weekend:

Friday December 30
7:00: John Conlee (host); Jeannie Seely; Craig Morgan
7:30: Jimmy Dickens (host); Bobby Osborne & The Rocky Top X-Press; Mandy Barnett
INTERMISSION
8:15: Riders In The Sky (host); Russell Moore & IIIrd Tyme Out; Jimmy Wayne
8:45: Mike Snider (host); Jean Shepard; Restless Heart

Saturday December 31
7:00: Jimmy Dickens (host); Jimmy C Newman; Jett Williams
7:30: Mike Snider (host); Jan Howard; George Hamilton IV; Mandy Barnett
INTERMISSION
8:15: Riders In The Sky (host); Jesse McReynolds; Jimmy Wayne; Opry Square Dancers
8:45: John Conlee (host); Jim Ed Brown; Dailey & Vincent

This week's Ernest Tubb Midnight Jamboree will be hosted by Jett Williams. After this week, the Midnight Jamboree goes with taped archive shows until March as the attendance and out of town folks coming to Nashville really drops during the winter months.

If I don't post again before the end of the year, Happy New Year to everyone.

Larry Gatlin & The Gatlin Brothers

2011-12-24T15:16:00.002-05:00

It was on Christmas day in 1976, that Larry, Steve and Rudy, the Gatlin Brothers, became members of the Grand Ole Opry. Here is a short biography of brothers:

Raised in a musical family, the Gatlin Brothers were joined by their sister LaDonna, who sang on several Gatlin albums through 1976. The boys and their sister grew up on the gospel harmonies of the Blackwood Brothers and the Statesmen Quartet. The brothers first performed in public at the 1954 Gavalcade of Talent at Hardin-Simmons University when Larry was six, Steve was four, and Rudy was two. They later sang on Abilene radio and had an Abilene TV series.

Larry won a football scholarship to the University of Houston, where he majored in English and studied law. He later worked various jobs and sang with the gospel group the Imperials. While touring with the Imperials in 1972, he met Dottie West in Las Vegas. After he later sent her a tape containing eight original songs, West sent him an airplane ticket to Nashville. A few months later he moved to Nashville permanently. In 1973 Larry and Rita Coolidge provided backing vocals for Kris Kristofferson's #1 record "Why Me." In the same year Larry charted for the first time with his Monument Records single "Sweet Becky Walker."

Before joining Larry, Steve and Rudy were members of Young Country, as were LaDonna and her husband Tim Johnson, which was a group that provided background vocals for Tammy Wynette. Larry's career with his brothers featured smooth country stylings and went through several name incarnations (Larry Gatlin; Larry Gatlin with Family and Friends; Larry Gatlin & the Gatlin Brothers, etc.) They won a Grammy in 1976 for "Broken Lady" and reached #1 in 1977 with "I Just Wish You Were Someone I Love." After switching from Monument to Columbia, they again hit #1 with "All the Gold in California." (1979) and "Houston (Means I'm One Day Closer to You)" (1983). In 1989 the Gatlins moved from Columbia to Jimmy Bowen's new Universal Records, then to Captial Records when Bowen took over the helm of that label.

Besides writing his own hits, Larry's songs have been cut by such artists as Elvis Presley, Hank Snow, Dottie West, Barbra Streisand, Charlie Rich, Johnny Mathis, the Carpenters, Judy Collins, Tom Jones, Anne Murray, and Johnny Cash.

Drug addiction led Larry to a California treatment center, where he made a recovery in 1984. He has since lectured on the dangers of alcohol and drug abuse. The Gatlin Brothers have performed at the invitations of Presidents Jimmy Carter, Ronald Reagan, and George Bush.

Larry Gatlin especially, has had a very solid career as the front man of the group and as a songwriter. It would not surprise me to some day see him in the Country Music Hall of Fame. I do have a couple of impressions of the Gatlin Brothers. My first one is when I watch the Time/Life infomercials featuring country music's greatest hits, they will many times show Tammy Wynette singing, usually in a clip from Nashville Now. And in the background, you will see Rudy doing the vocals. My second is that I remember in the early 1970s when Larry was touring with Johnny Cash as his opening act. During that time period, Johnny was helping out a lot of young writers and Larry contibuted a couple of songs to the Johnny Cash album "Gospel Road."

Since joining the Grand Ole Opry on December 25, 1976, Larry has appeared many times on the Opry stage as a solo act. I know for a period of time, the group had basically broken up. They have gotten back together in recent years and have performed in Branson in additon to taking their show on the road.

To honor Larry Gatlin on his 35 years as an Opry member, here is the line up from Saturday December 25, 1976, when Larry Gatlin & The Gatlin Brothers joined the Opry.

1st show
6:00: Vietti
Bill Monroe (host): Love Come Home
Ray Pillow: Love is Slowly Coming Over Me
Marion Worth: Just a Little Lovin'
David "Lonzo" Hooten: If We Make it Through December
Bill Monroe: Bluegrass Breakdown
Ernie Ashworth: Shamrock Hotel
Bill Monroe: Mule Skinner Blues/Ashland Breakdown

6:30: Mrs. Grissoms
Wilma Lee & Stoney Cooper (host): Forgive and Forget Us
Charlie Louvin: Let's Put Our World Back Together Again/A Toast to Mama/Love Has to Die All By Itself/I Ain't Gonna Work Tomorrow/I Want A Happy Life
Del Wood: There's A Big Wheel
Wilma Lee & Stoney Cooper: Philadelphia Lawyer

6:45: Rudy's
Ernest Tubb (host): Women Make a Fool out of Me
Skeeter Davis: Desperado
Billy Grammer: My Life's Been A Pleasure
Ernest Tubb: Another Story

7:00: Shoney's
Roy Acuff (host): Wabash Cannonball
Charlie Walker: Pick Me Up On Your Way Down
Minnie Pearl: Comedy/Thinking Tonight of My Blue Eyes
Jimmy C. Newman: Blue Lonely Winter
Stu Phillips: Have a Nice Day

7:30: Standard Candy
Porter Wagoner (host): Wake Up Jacob
Dottie West: Country Sunshine
Justin Tubb: You Nearly Lose Your Mind
Crook Brothers/Stoney Mountain Cloggers: Black Mountain Rag
LARRY GATLIN & THE GATLIN BROTHERS: BROKEN LADY/STATUES WITHOUT HEARTS
Porter Wagoner: Happy Birthday Jesus

8:00: Martha White
Lester Flatt (host): Shuckin' the Corn
Jack Greene: You Don't Need a Cowboy
Jeannie Seely: Mama Never Told Me About Cowboys
Vic Willis: Christmas Carols by the Old Corral
Lester Flatt: Corn, Corn, Corn
Bob Luman: A Satisfied Mind
Jack Greene: There Goes My Everything
Lester Flatt & Charlie Nixon: Dobro Instrumental

8:30: Stephens
Hank Snow (host): I'm Moving On
Jeanne Pruett: Satin Sheets
Stonewall Jackson: Don't Be Angry
The Carlisles: I've Waited Too Long
Jim & Jesse: Then I'll Stop Going For You
Fruit Jar Drinkers/Stoney Mountain Cloggers: Bill Cheatham
Hank Snow: Christmas Roses

2nd show
9:30: Kelloggs
Ernest Tubb (host): I'll Get Along Somehow
Charlie Louvin: Sweet Texas
Skeeter Davis: The End of the World
Wayne Hammond: Welcome to My World
David "Lonzo" Hooten: Daddy Looked a Lot Like Santa
Billy Grammer: I Dreamed of an Old Love Affair
Ernest Tubb: Blue Christmas

10:00 Fender
Bill Monroe (host): A Beautiful Life
Ray Pillow: Gone at Last
Ernie Ashworth: My Love Will Never Change
Del Wood: My Country

10:15: Union 76
Roy Acuff (host): Old Time Sunshine Song
Marion Worth: Just a Little Lovin
Charlie Walker: Who'll Buy the Wine
Onie Wheeler: Old Roy

10:30: Trailblazer
Lester Flatt (host): Why Do You Wander
Jack Greene: Birmingham
Jeannie Seely: American Trilogy
Jimmy C Newman: The Potato Song
Lester Flatt & Marty Stuart: Rawhide

10:45: Beech-Nut
Porter Wagoner (host): Highway Headed South
Justin Tubb: Sweetwater Texas
LARRY GATLIN: STATUES WITHOUT HEARTS/ALLELUJAH
Crook Brothers/Stoney Mountain Cloggers: 8th of January
Porter Wagoner: Happy Birthday Jesus

11:00: Coca-Cola
Hank Snow (host): Lester, The Long Eared Christmas Donkey
Bob Luman: Blue Christmas
Vic Willis: Cool Water
Fruit Jar Drinkers/Stoney Mountain Cloggers: Katy Hill
Kirk McGee: Always Be Kind to Daddy
Hank Snow: Silent Night

11:30: Baltz Bros.
Marty Robbins (host): Don't Worry
Jeanne Pruett: Satin Sheets
Bill Carlisle: Have a Drink on Me
Marty Robbins: El Paso City/Love Me/Among My Souveniers/Way Out There/El Paso

Talk about a great line up for a Christmas night show!!!!

2011 Christmas Greetings and Wishes

2011-12-22T12:42:00.002-05:00

I just wanted to take a moment and wish everyone a very Merry Christmas and I hope that it is a blessed day for all of you. I also hope that Santa brings each of you everything you asked for. As far as the Grand Ole Opry, as I have done for the last 2 years, I have some greetings to send to them also, along with my own Christmas "wish list" for the Opry:

To Pete Fisher and Steve Buchanan, I hope for a new Opry television contract, and for RFD-TV, I hope you are the ones to get it. I also hope that you will consider more on-line streaming of the Opry's shows. And, please, don't mess with the show any more. Most of us thought it was fine the way it was.

For Jimmy Dickens, Jean Shepard, Carol Lee Cooper, Stu Phillips and Hal Ketchum, I wish each of you better health this coming year. And in the case of Carol Lee and Hal, a return to the Opry stage. For Loretta Lynn, congratulations on your upcoming 50th anniversary as an Opry member, but it would mean more if you would actually appear more often. Please try to remember how important the Opry was to your career.

For Jim Ed Brown, Charlie Daniels, George Hamilton IV and Connie Smith, a call from the Country Music Hall of Fame welcoming you as a new member. For Gene Watson, Rhonda Vincent and Mandy Barnett, a call from Pete Fisher asking you to be the Opry's newest members.

For the families of Charlie Louvin, Wilma Lee Cooper, Billy Grammer and Mel McDaniel, peace this holiday season. We are all so sorry that these great Opry members have passed away. They are all missed.

To veteran Opry members such as Stonewall Jackson, Ray Pillow, Jack Greene, Jan Howard, Jeannie Seely and Jimmy C Newman, my Christmas wish is for more Opry appearances. Please Pete, call them more often. They enjoy playing the Opry as much as we enjoy listening to them. To Bill Anderson, congratulations on your 50th anniversary as an Opry member. I hope you last 50 more years on the Opry. To Mike Snider and Riders In The Sky, thanks for keeping humor on the Opry stage. To Vince Gill, Marty Stuart and Ricky Skaggs, thanks for supporting the Opry over the years and the hope is that you will continue to do so. For Blake Shelton, Rascal Flatts and the Oak Ridge Boys, the Opry's newest members, please don't forget where the Opry House is out. We need you to support the show.

To Garth Brooks, Trisha Yearwood, Tom T. Hall, Alan Jackson, Reba McEntire, Travis Tritt, a GPS system for your car locked into 2804 Opryland Drive. To Lorrie Morgan and George Jones, please come back to the Opry and please remember how important the Opry once was to your careers. We do miss you. To Clint Black and Randy Travis, thanks for coming back to the Opry. Please return more often. And to Dolly Parton, I know you are busy, but we would all love to see you more than once a year.

To Bobby Osborne, Jesse McReynolds, Ralph Stanley and Del McCoury, thanks for carrying on the bluegrass tradition. And to Alison Krauss, it was nice to see you this year. Your sweet voice was missed and we need to hear it more often. To Jeanne Pruett, Barbara Mandrell and Ricky Van Shelton, continue to enjoy your retirements. All of you have earned it. And if any of you get the itch to come back, the Opry will welcome you.

To Trace Adkins, Craig Morgan, Josh Turner, Montgomery Gentry, Carrie Underwood and Dierks Bentley, please keep remembering where the Opry House is. And to Brad Paisley, thanks for being there after the flood, but you kind-of went away this year. Please don't forget how good the Opry was to you before you became a star.

To Mandy Barnett, Elizabeth Cook, Rebecca Lynn Howard, Restless Heart, James Wesley and Holly Williams, thanks for answering the phone when Pete calls at the last minute. My wish is that each of you has a million selling record this coming year.

To Connie Smith, Emmylou Harris and Patty Loveless, my wish is that three of the sweetest voices on the Opry continue to keep these voices. And Patty, the Opry is still there for you. It needs you more than a couple of times each year. And to Emmylou, congratulations on 20 years at the Opry. Keep coming back. I think you enjoy it. I know the Opry enjoys you.

To John Conlee, Terri Clark, Martina McBride, Joe Diffie, Steve Wariner, Diamond Rio, Charley Pride, The Whites and Mel Tillis, my wish is that each of you gives the Opry another year of great performances. And to Pam Tillis, it was great to see you back more often this past year. To Larry Gatlin, thanks for hosting the Opry Country Classics show and for bringing your down home style to the show.

To all the non-Opry members who came out to the Opry this past year, thanks. There are too many to mention, but my wish is that we see more of you this year. You help to keep the show fresh and help to fill out the line-up when the missing Opry stars to not appear.

To Mike Terry, Bill Cody and Eddie Stubbs, thanks for the great introductions that you give us each week on the show. And Eddie, congratulations on the Hall of Fame induction. It is well deserved. To the Carol Lee Singers and the Opry Staff band, thanks. The show would be missing something without the talents each of your groups bring. And to the Opry Square Dancers, my thanks also. I know I could not dance like that.

To Gaylord Entertainment, may you continue to give the Opry the resources and respect that the show needs and deserves. And please, get the Opry Museum back open again. People do miss it.

And to all the Opry fans, please continue to support the show. Some weeks it is not easy, but if we are not in the audience or listening on the radio, there would be no Opry. To the new readers of the blog, welcome and thanks for checking us out. And for those who have been with me since the beginning, my continued thanks. And thanks for the comments. We are all friends here and I enjoy the chat and the emails you send. And to those I have met while attending the Opry, thanks for making my trips to Nashville even more enjoyable.

Finally, Merry Christmas to all and a Happy New Year. May peace be with each of you.

Byron
aka: Fayfare

Grand Ole Opry 12/24/1983

2011-12-21T21:20:00.002-05:00

Here is another Christmas Eve line-up from the Grand Ole Opry. This one is from December 24, 1983.

1st show
6:30: Bonanza
Charlie Walker (host): My Window Faces the South
Ernie Ashworth: Talk Back Trembling Lips
Charlie Walker: Rudolph the Red Nosed Reindeer/Jingle Bells

6:45: Rudy's
Jimmy Dickens (host): May the Bird of Paradise Fly Up Your Nose
Jeanne Pruett: Temporarily Yours
Jimmy Dickens: There's No Place Like Home on Christmas

7:00: Shoneys
Porter Wagoner (host): On A Highway Headed South
Riders In The Sky: I'm Trying to Forget It's Christmas
Jeannie Seely: I'm All Through Crying Over You
Billy Grammer: The Old Spinning Wheel/Detroit City
Del Wood: Jingle Bells
Porter Wagoner: I Thought I Heard You Calling My Name

7:30: Standard Candy
Bill Monroe (host): Christmas Time's A' Comin
Jean Shepard: The Tips of My Fingers
Roy Drusky: Silent Night
Wilma Lee Cooper: Rachel's Guitar
Lonzo & Oscar: Jangle Bells/Frosty the Snowman
Crook Brothers/Melvin Sloan Dancers: Black Mountain Rag
Bill Monore: Life's Railway to Heaven

8:00: Martha White
Roy Acuff (host): Wabash Cannonball
Jesse McReynolds: I'm So Lonesome I Could Cry
Minnie Pearl: I Wish You A Merry Christmas
Bill Carlisle: Same Ol' Tale the Crow Told Me
Connie Smith: How Great Thou Art/Sing, Sing, Sing

8:30 Acme
Hank Snow (host): Gonna Find Me A Bluebird
Billy Walker: He Sang the Songs About El Paso
Jan Howard: White Christmas
Stu Phillips: C-H-R-I-S-T-M-A-S
Hank Snow: Christmas Roses

2nd show
9:30: Kelloggs
Porter Wagoner (host): On A Highway Headed South
4 Guys: My Fannie Mae
Jimmy Dickens: Take An Old Cold Tater
Charlie Louvin: My Baby's Gone
Ray Pillow: You're Playing Hard to Forget
Porter Wagoner: I Thought I Heard You Calling My Name/Ol' Slewfoot

10:00: Little Debbie
Stonewall Jackson (host): Me & You & A Dog Named Boo
Jeanne Pruett: Satin Sheets
Del Wood: Waitin' For the Robert E. Lee
Stonewall Jackson: Don't Be Angry

10:15: Sunbeam
Bill Monroe (host): Ol' Ebenezer Scrooge
Jeannie Seely: When Will I See You Again
Bill Monroe: Christmas Time's A' Comin

10:30: Martha White
Roy Acuff (host): Night Train to Memphis
Vic Willis Trio: Colorado
Teddy Wilburn: Because He Lives
Roy Acuff: From Cradle to Cross to Crown/I Saw the Light

10:45: Beech-Nut
Roy Drusky (host): Mississippi
Connie Smith: Go Tell It On The Mountain
Crook Brothers/Melvin Sloan Dancers: New Five Cents
Roy Drusky: White Christmas

11:00: Coca-Cola
Hank Snow (host): Send Me The Pillow That You Dream On
Jesse McReynolds: What About You
Jean Shepard: Kentucky
Wilma Lee Cooper: Anywhere Just Inside Your Arms
Lonzo & Oscar: Gone, Gone, Gone
Hank Snow: A Letter to Santa Claus

11:30: Hardee's
Billy Walker (host): Cross the Brazos at Waco
Bill Carlisle: No Help Wanted
Bill Carlisle, Jr: Blue Christmas
Jan Howard: Rocky Top/Gold Watch & Chain
Billy Walker: He Sang the Songs About El Paso

Grand Ole Opry 12/24/1988

2011-12-21T14:56:00.002-05:00

As I mentioned, I am going a line-up or two from previous Grand Ole Opry shows that were held on Christmas Eve. This show is from Saturday December 24, 1988. As usual from that era, there were 2 shows that night. Here is the running order and song list from that night:

6:30: Mrs. Grissoms
4 Guys (host): How Married Are You, Mary Ann
Jan Howard: I Don't Know A Thing About Love
4 Guys: When You Got A Good Woman, It Shows

6:45: Rudys
Bill Monroe (host): Blue Moon of Kentucky
Jeannie Seely: The Divorce Song
Charlie Walker: Does Ft. Worth Ever Cross Your Mind
Bill Monroe: Christmas Time's A-Comin

7:00: Shoney's
Porter Wagoner (host): Y'All Come
Jean Shepard: So Used to Loving You
Roy Drusky: Santa Claus Is Coming To Town
Stonewall Jackson: Old Chunk of Coal
Bill Carlisle: Leave That Liar Alone
Porter Wagoner: Happy Birthday Jesus/Sugarfoot Rag

7:30: Standard Candy
Jimmy Dickens (host): Family Reunion
Skeeter Davis: Santa Claus Is Coming To Town
Ernie Ashworth: Talk Back Trembling Lips
Osborne Brothers: Rocky Top
Lorrie Morgan: Hard Candy Christmas
Jimmy Dickens: There's No Place Like Home on Christmas

8:00: Martha White
Roy Acuff (host): Wabash Cannonball
Connie Smith: Sing, Sing, Sing/The Key's In The Mailbox
Opry Squaredance Band/Stoney Mountain Cloggers: Bill Cheatham
Minnie Pearl: Comedy
Roy Acuff: I Saw The Light

8:30: Music Valley Merchants
Hank Snow (host): We'll Never Say Goodbye; Just Say So Long
Jim & Jesse: The Big Dreamer
Charlie Louvin: Small Men Cast Long Shadows
Ray Pillow: The Kind of Love I Can't Forget
Vic Willis Trio: Sioux City, Sue
Hank Snow: Christmas Roses

9:30: Dollar General
Porter Wagoner (host): Ol' Slewfoot
4 Guys: What'll You Do About Me
Jan Howard: I'll Be Home for Christmas
Roy Drusky: Silent Night
Stonewall Jackson: Don't Be Angry
Porter Wagoner: Forty Miles from Poplar Bluff/Tennessee Saturday Night

10:00: Little Debbie
Jimmy Dickens (host): Me and My Big Loud Mouth
Jeannie Seely: It Should Be Easier Now
Jimmy Dickens: I Leaned Over Backwards for You

10:15: Sunbeam
Roy Acuff (host): Night Train to Memphis
Jean Shepard: Someone's Gotta Cry/Second Fiddle
Roy Acuff: I'll Fly Away

10:30 Pet Milk
Bill Monroe (host): Santa Claus
Skeeter Davis: Santa Claus is Coming to Town
Bill Monroe: What A Wonderful Life

10:45: BC Powder
Charlie Walker (host): Cherokee Maiden
Osborne Brothers: Kentucky
Opry Square Dance Band/Stoney Mountain Cloggers: Liberty
Charlie Walker: White Christmas

11:00: Coca-Cola
Hank Snow (host): Paper Roses
Jim & Jesse: When I Dream About the Southland
Connie Smith: Satisfied
Justin Tubb: Texas Dance Hall Girl
Charlie Louvin: New Dreams & Sunshine
Hank Snow: Silent Night

11:30: Creamette
George Hamilton IV (host): C-H-R-I-S-T-M-A-S
Ray Pillow: I Wonder Where You Are Tonight
Vic Willis Trio: Be Glad/Let It Be Me
Bill Carlisle: White Lightning
George Hamilton IV: Silent Night

I am surprised that more artists did not sing Christmas songs. It just didn't seem right to have Bill Carlisle singing 'White Lightning" and Ray Pillow singing 'I Wonder Where You Are Tonight' right before midnight on Christmas Eve. I also notice a couple of the artists sang the same song, such as Hank Snow and George Hamilton IV both doing 'Silent Night.' I am sure both did their own unique versions.

Grand Ole Opry Schedule 12/23 & 12/24

2011-12-21T13:42:00.002-05:00

The Grand Ole Opry has posted the line-up for the 2 shows this weekend. They are still at the Ryman Auditorium with 1 show on Friday and 1 show on Saturday. With Saturday being Christmas Eve, I was concerned with what kind of line up they would have, and over all it is ok.

Saturday night will feature non-members Laura Cantrell, Eddy Raven, David Ball and Suzy Bogguss. The Friday night Opry will have Julie Roberts, Dale Ann Bradley and Jimmy Wayne performing. I also notice that Stu Phillips is listed for Friday night. As I mentioned the last time he was scheduled, he has cancelled out on his last few scheduled appearances so let's see if he can make it this weekend. I know he has had some voice issues.

Friday December 23
7:00: John Conlee (host); Jeannie Seely; Julie Roberts
7:30: Jimmy Dickens (host); Stu Phillips; Dale Ann Bradley
INTERMISSION
8:15: Riders In The Sky (host); Jesse McReynolds; Elizabeth Cook
8:45: Jim Ed Brown (host); Jim Lauderdale; Jimmy Wayne

Saturday December 24
7:00: Mike Snider (host); Jim Lauderdale; Laura Cantrell
7:30: Jeannie Seely (host); Johnny Counterfit; Eddy Raven
INTERMISSION
8:15: George Hamilton IV (host); Bobby Osborne & Rocky Top X-Press; David Ball; Opry Square Dancers
8:45: Jim Ed Brown (host); Riders In The Sky; Suzy Bogguss

There are 12 artists scheduled for both Friday and Saturday night, of whom 7 are Opry members that will be on the Friday night show, and 6 Opry members on Saturday night.

The host of the Ernest Tubb Midnight Jamboree will be Dianne Sherrill and she will be joined by Laura Cantrell. And yes, the show will be live at midnight on Christmas Eve.

I have gone through my files and have located some past Opry line ups from when the Grand Ole Opry took place on Christmas Eve and I will be posting some of those over the next couple of days.

Merry Christmas!!!!

Happy Birthday Jimmy Dickens

2011-12-18T19:32:00.002-05:00

I think it is no secret to any fan of the Opry that on Monday December 19, Jimmy Dickens will be celebrating his 91st birthday. He has been called the Opry's greatest treasure and the fact that he is still at the Opry almost every weekend is amazing. So far in 2011, he has made 140 Opry appearances, more than any other member. And I would say that considering some of the health issues Jimmy has had in recent years, 2011 has been pretty good to him. He looks much better than he has in the past year or so and his voice has been holding up pretty well.

I thought what I would do is to reprint the biography of Jimmy that appeared in the Grand Ole Opry book that was published in 1952. He had been a member of the Opry for 4 years at that point of his career, making him one of the Opry's younger members. Here is what they wrote:

"Little Jimmy Dickens is definitely the smallest star on the Grand Ole Opry, and he probably has the loudest voice of any man his size in the entertainment field. He is only four feet and eleven inches tall, but every inch of him helps to make up a dynamo of energy and a captivating personality.

Jimmy was born in Raleigh County, West Virginia, near Bolt, and was brought up on a farm. When he was seventeen years old, he entered radio in Beckley, West Virginia where his big voice and friendly smile made him a local success. From there he went to stations in Indianapolis and Fort Wayne, Indiana, and Cincinnati, Ohio.

Jimmy joined the Grand Ole Opry in 1948, and within a short time he had become a nationwide favorite for his performances both on the air and in personal appearances. The songs that Jimmy sings most are those reminiscent of rural customs and the country way of life, some serious, some humorous. Best example of this is the song that first made him famous: 'Old Cold Tater.' It harks back to childhood days when he had to wait to eat at the second table on Sunday when the preacher came for dinner at his house, and his mother said: 'Jim, take a tater and wait.' Similar songs that he has made famous and recorded for Columbia are 'Sleepin' At The Foot Of The Bed,' 'The Galvanized Washing Tub' (a familiar bathing vessel), 'Get Them Cold Feet Over On The Other Side', etc. Others of a slightly different nature but equally successful are 'Bessie The Heifer', 'I'm Little But I'm Loud', and 'It May Be Silly, But Ain't It Fun.' Like all other folk artists he also sings religious songs. One of his latest is 'They Locked God Outside The Iron Curtain.'

During his performances, Jimmy is a diminutive cowboy. He wears a smaller version of the traditional Western carb, usually two-toned. He wears cowboy boots, and his favorite pair have sterling silver toes. As his loud voice goes into action, he pats his foot vigorously, jumps and bounces in time with the music. He never loses his infectious smile, and his eyes twinkle with good humor. Between his turns at the microphone, he is usually engaged in some spontaneous comic routine with other members of the cast. Jimmy is married, but he has no children. He and his wife live in a modest home in Nashville's suburbs. He keeps a horse and is found of riding and hunting."

As the article in the Grand Ole Opry stated, Jimmy first joined the Opry in 1948. Here is what Jimmy said about him joining the Opry:

"I was working in Saginaw, Michigan, on a small station there with a five-piece band and Mr. Acuff came to our city. I had, made his acquaintance before that in Cincinnati in 1945. And then in 1948, why, he asked me if I would come down to the Grand Ole Opry, and at that particular time Red Foley had the network show for the Prince Albert people on NBC. I came as a guest. I had ten years of radio experience doing shows across the country and I thought I was ready for that-you know, I was over the stage fright and all that. But when I walked on that stage of the Ryman I've never been no more scared and shook up in all my life. My knees were knockin' and I couldn't understand it, because I thought I was ready for that, but I wasn't. But I did very well, luckily, I mean as far as response was concerned, and then a month later they asked me to come down again, and when I came that time Mr. Acuff asked me if I would be interested in staying."

It's interesting to note that when Little Jimmy Dickens first came to the Grand Ole Opry, he had no background at all as a recording artist. But being on the Opry brought him to the attention of Columbia Records, and his first release, 'Take a Cold Tater and Wait' was a smash hit.

In 1957, after 9 years as an Opry member, Jimmy left. He had accepted an offer to head up a major road show for the Philip Morris tobacco company. But at that time, the Opry's sponsorship by the R.J. Reynolds Tobacco Company prohibited any Grand Ole Opry member from traveling with a tour sponsored by a competitor. So, Jimmy left Nashville and the Opry. He would say that there were no hard feelings, but some didn't believe that. On February 8, 1975, after being gone for 18 years, Jimmy would rejoin the Opry.

I know that Jimmy is known for his humor and his comedy songs. Early in his Opry career, he would often do humor with June Carter. And his comedy songs are classic. But in my opinion, Jimmy was one of the finest ballad singers in the history of country music. Even though his voice is not what it once was, I still enjoy the fact that Jimmy closes out almost every one of his Opry segments with one of his ballads.

So, a very Happy Birthday to a Hall of Famer and a great Grand Ole Opry member, Jimmy Dickens. May this next year bring good health, good humor and the wish that he will continue to entertain us from the Opry stage each and every week.

Grand Ole Opry Line Up 12/16 & 12/17

2011-12-15T13:21:00.002-05:00

The Grand Ole Opry has posted the schedule for the 2 shows this weekend at the Ryman Auditorium. The Friday Night Opry continues as 1 show while the Saturday night Grand Ole Opry has now started their winter schedule of just 1 show. I really hate to see that as I have enjoyed listening to the 2 Saturday night shows over the past several weeks.

The Friday Night Opry will be highlighted by Opry members Ricky Skaggs, Joe Diffie and Steve Wariner. Steve in actually scheduled for both shows this weekend. The Saturday night show will feature an appearance by Opry member Emmylou Harris. Also appearing will be non-Opry member Keb' Mo', who in an earlier Opry appearance was pretty well received. And appearing on Emmylou's segment will be a couple of newcomers, Ella Mae Bowen and The Civil Wars.

The final big news regarding Emmylou Harris is that in January the Opry will be celebrating her 20th year as an Opry member with a special show that will include Vince Gill and Rodney Crowell. While I am glad that the Opry is planning a show for Emmylou, I will have some more definite opinions when we get closer to that show.

Friday December 16
7:00: Mike Snider (host); Jeannie Seely; Jim Ed Brown; Joe Diffie
7:30: Jimmy Dickens (host); John Conlee; Steve Wariner
INTERMISSION
8:15: Riders In The Sky (host); Jack Greene; Jesse McReynolds; Will Hoge
8:45: Ricky Skaggs (host); Connie Smith; The Whites

Saturday December 17
7:00: Jimmy Dickens (host); Jean Shepard; The Grascals
7:30: Mike Snider (host); George Hamilton IV; Jimmy C Newman; John Conlee
INTERMISSION
8:15: Steve Wariner (host); Bobby Osborne & The Rocky Top X-Press; Keb' Mo'; Opry Square Dancers
8:45: Emmylou Harris (host); Ella Mae Bowen; The Civil Wars

That comes out to 14 artists on the Friday Night Opry, of whom 13 are Opry members. While that may seem like a pretty low number, that is the most Opry members on one show in a long time. Saturday night's show has 13 artists of whom 9 are Opry members.

The Ernest Tubb Midnight Jamboree will be hosted by George Hamilton IV, who will be bringing his special Christmas show to the Jamboree, as he does every year.

Just Some Thoughts After Listening To The Opry

2011-12-12T19:48:00.003-05:00

With the coming of winter and the early darkness along with the colder temperatures, I get more time to sit and actually listen to the Opry shows each weekend. During the summer it is pretty busy with outdoor activities so while I tend to hear most of the Opry shows, it is with my attention divided among other things. But come winter, I usually go up to my desk and while I am catching up on my paperwork or other small projects, I will listen.

Over the past several weeks the shows have been pretty good. But I thought something was missing and I think I hit on it. A while back, Jean Shepard was on and sang, "Wabash Cannonball" and I thought, wow, that is the first time I have heard that great Roy Acuff song sang on the Opry in a long, long time. For years and years, we got used to hearing that song each week, but since Roy passed away, I bet it hasn't been heard from the Opry stage more than a handful of times.

And it is the same with some of the other great songs in the history of country music. I know Jack Greene will occasionally sing "Walking the Floor Over You", but not often. And when was the last time you heard anyone sing such classic songs as "I'm Moving On", "Carroll County Accident", "8 More Miles to Louisville" "Thanks a Lot", or "El Paso"? How about the last time you heard any Hank Snow, Roy Acuff, Ernest Tubb, Grandpa Jones, Faron Young, Porter Wagoner, Marty Robbins or Carl Smith song at the Opry? The weekend after Billy Grammer died, Vince Gill started the show with that great song, "Gotta Travel On", and it sounded great. And I thought of Billy as Vince sang it. You name an artist from the 1950s into the 1970s, and you can name their classic hit.

While today's artists and younger Opry members have their own hit songs, they just don't seem to have the staying power of those great old hits. And, while I don't expect the Opry's newer members to go back and sing these old songs each and every week, once in a while it would be nice to hear a classic number. This past weekend, Del McCoury did "Christmas Time's-A-Comin" and it sounded great. And once in a while I will hear Jeannie Seely do a Dottie West or Patsy Cline song. Mandy Barnett almost always reaches back into country music history to pick out a song. Lorrie Morgan will do "Candy Kisses", and the bluegrass groups will go back and sing a Bill Monroe or Flatt & Scruggs song every now and then.

As I post the classic line ups, I will sometimes think back and try to remember if I listened to that particular show or not and what I remember from it. And when I list those shows and I see the names of the artists that have passed on, I think back to such wonderful memories. I know we all think of the "big stars", but I also think back to Cousin Jody, Lonzo & Oscar, Bill Carlisle, The 4 Guys, Brother Oswald, all of whom were not the biggest names, but great entertainers.

Like I said, I don't expect today's Opry stars to sing those older songs. But sometimes I think that it wouldn't be so bad to hear some of those classic songs again from the Opry stage.

Grand Ole Opry Line Up 12/9 & 12/10

2011-12-08T19:49:00.002-05:00

The Grand Ole Opry continues it's winter run at the Ryman Auditorium with 1 show on Friday night and 2 shows on Saturday night. The Friday Night Opry will feature guest artists Darius Rucker and Joey+Rory, who have each appeared on the Opry several times. Also on the Friday night show is very frequent Opry guest Mandy Barnett.

The Grand Ole Opry on Saturday night includes a guest appearance by Rhonda Vincent. I know that for several years there was a lot of thought that Rhonda might become a new member of the Opry, but that talk has cooled down. I still think it should happen and maybe someday it will. I think she would be a nice addition to the Opry cast. Also guesting on Saturday night will be Sarah Darling and Eamonn McCrystal.

Friday December 9
7:00: Jimmy Dickens (host); Del McCoury Band; Mandy Barnett
7:30: Jeannie Seely (host); Jesse McReynolds; Jack Greene; Diamond Rio
INTERMISSION
8:15: Bill Anderson (host); The Whites; Joey+Rory
8:45: John Conlee (host); Jan Howard; Bobby Osborne & The Rocky Top X-Press; Darius Rucker

Saturday December 10
1st show
7:00: Jimmy Dickens (host); Jimmy C Newman; Sarah Darling
7:30: Jim Ed Brown (host); Eamonn McCrystal; Connie Smith
8:00: Riders In The Sky (host); Jean Shepard; Rhonda Vincent; Opry Square Dancers
8:30: Bill Anderson (host); Del McCoury Band; Exile

2nd show
9:30: Jimmy Dickens (host); Jimmy C Newman; Sarah Darling
10:00: Jim Ed Brown (host); Eamonn McCrystal; Connie Smith
10:30: Riders In The Sky (host); Jean Shepard; Rhonda Vincent; Opry Square Dancers
11:00: Bill Anderson (host); Del McCoury Band; Exile

Interesting that both Saturday shows have the same exact line up. Anyways, the Friday Night Opry has 14 artists booked, which is the most that they have had in a while. Of the 14, 11 are Opry members. Both Saturday shows have 12 artists, of whom 8 are Opry members.

Leona Williams will be the host of the Midnight Jamboree at the Ernest Tubb Record Shop. I have seen her before hosting and she does a great job and has a fine following. That should be a good show.

The Tuesday Night Opry on December 13 will have the following line up:

7:00: John Conlee; Diamond Rio
7:30: Jimmy Dickens; Matthew West
INTERMISSION
8:15: Bill Anderson; Phil Vassar
8:45: The Whites; Ricky Skaggs

I am sure that The Whites and Ricky Skaggs will do some Christmas numbers together that they have been doing on their Christmas tour. RFD-TV will also be showing the Skaggs Family Christmas special this weekend at various times.

Enjoy!!

Remembering Marty Robbins

2011-12-07T13:41:00.003-05:00

I just wanted to take a moment and remember one of the greatest and most popular Grand Ole Opry members of all time, Marty Robbins, who passed away on December 8, 1982 at the age of 57.

I am not going to give a full biography of Marty as I think everyone pretty well knows his story, but I will say that Martin David Robinson was born on September 26, 1925 in Arizona. He first came to the Grand Ole Opry in 1953 to make a guest appearance, after being brought to the attention of Columbia Records by Jimmy Dickens, who saw him on a television station in Phoenix, where Marty was appearing and hosting a live country music program. He joined the Opry in 1953. He would remain an Opry member until his death.

Like I said, I am not going to do a full biography of Marty, but I do want to share some of Marty's history at the Opry. Early in Marty's Opry career he appeared several times on each Opry show and in various time slots. However, as Marty began to get involved in auto racing, he began appearing only on the 11:30 segment, which quickly grew into a legendary time slot at the Opry.

Opry announcer Hal Durham explained how the Marty Robbins 11:30 Opry show got started: "When I first started announcing, Marty would occasionally work the first show. And then he would go to the racetrack in Nashville and race. And he would come back and do that last show. He wanted to do the last show because it enabled him to race and still work the Opry. I think he was more at ease working that last show. He didn't have the constrictions of time; somebody else waiting in the wings to go on. So when more and more people began expecting him on the last show, he gave up working the first show altogether. And, as the eleven-thirty segment became more and more 'his show,' so to speak, he began to take liberties with the time. Instead of running over five minutes, he'd run over fifteen minutes. Some of the other people grumbled a little bit about it, particuarly if there were down at the Tubb Record Shop show waiting to go on. But we saw that the people at the Ryman enjoyed it very much and we never had any intention of squelching it. The eleven-thirty show with Marty was something very special at the Grand Ole Opry."

Hal Durham also said that Marty realized that as a clear-channel radio station, WSM was at its strongest signal later at night, meaning more people across the country could hear him on the Opry than at an earlier hour. From Hal,"What happened was that none of the artists wanted to do the 11:30 show, cause it was late at night. But from a clear-channel standpoint, the signal was the strongest. The later at night it was, the stronger the signal and the greater the reach. Marty realized that, so he wanted to do the 11:30 show whenever he did the Opry."

Regarding the liberties that Marty was taking with the time, Hal was also quoted as saying, "When he started closing the show, we were still doing live commercials with jingles provided by our artists. The sponsor for that last segement was Lava Soap, and the Willis Brothers did their jingle, so when Marty ran late they'd have to wait around to sing that last commercial. Finally, we put the commericals on tape."

Hal also remembered that Marty would talk to Ernest Tubb on the air. "'Just a couple more songs, Ernest, then we'll turn it over to you.' One night, we taped a thing with Tubb so taht when Marty said that, we'd punch in a tape of Tubb saying 'Okay, Marty, you've had your time. Now it's my turn.' Eventually, we'd punch in a closing of Marty singing 'El Paso' and went to sign-off. At the Opry House, they'd still be watching a Marty Robbins concert, but the radio station would switch to Tubb."

In 1969, Marty suffered a massive heart attack while he was touring in Ohio. He was transfered to St. Thomas Hospital in Nashville and given three to six months to live. He became one of the first people in the nation to under go a new operation, which was a triple arterial bypass, which we now know as Open Heart Surgery. The operation was performed on January 27, 1970. On Saturday March 28, he returned to the Opry to host the final half hour of that night's show.

Reporter Jerry Thompson was there: "The sound from the jam-packed crowd was deafening. They couldn't hear the words to the song the familiar figure behind the Opry mike was crooning, but there was no mistake, Marty Robbins was back where he belonged. Midway through the show Robbins sat at the piano and told the audience, 'I had so many things I was going to say tonight. I want to thank all my friends for their concern and I want to thank God for letting me be here. Now, I can't think of anything so say, so I guess I'll have to sing for you.' And sing he did until 12:27 a.m. when the curtain closed amidst repeated shouts of 'More, more, more.' Throughout his performance, a woman in the third row remained in a condition best described as just short of hysteria. She would clap her hands to her cheeks, rise out of her seat and, in a shrill, trembling voice, shout phrases such as, 'Lordy, Lordy!' 'Oh, mercy, Marty!' Or, 'Lordy, I can't hardly stand it!'"

Marty Robbins had once more extended the Opry a half-hour past its assigned off time. Performers waiting at the Ernest Tubb Record Shop to begin the Midnight Jamboree must have smiled; the Grand Ole Opry was once more back to what might have been described as normalcy.

Marty Robbins remained one of the key stars of the Opry as it moved through the 1970s and into the 80s. But his health would remain in question. In January 1981, he suffered another heart attack, which forced him to end his racing career. By March, he was back performing again.

In December 1982, Marty suffered a third heart attack, which required doctors to perform another bypass operation. However the damage was too severe and after an eight and a half hour operation he passed away. His funeral was like nothing ever seen before in Nashville. Thousands of fans decsended at the church, along with almost ever major country music star and Opry member. Many described the scene as being like a circus. Nothing like it has been scene since.

Marty is missed to this day and people who saw him perform one of his 11:30 Opry shows still talk about it today.

The final Opry show that Marty did was on Saturday August 28, 1982. As usual, Marty hosted the 11:30 segment that night. In honor of Marty Robbins, here is the running order of his final Grand Ole Opry show, the 2nd show on August 28:

9:30 Kelloggs
Porter Wagoner (host): Company's Comin'
4 Guys: Marie, The Dawn Is Breaking
Jean Shepard: I Thought of You/It's Wasn't God Who Made Honky-Tonk Angels/You Win Again/A Dear John Letter
Wilburn Brothers: Arkansas
Skeeter Davis: Satisfied
Mac Magaha: Rocky Top
Porter Wagoner: I've Enjoyed as Much of this as I Can Stand

10:00 Little Debbie
Jimmy C Newman (host): Jambalaya
Lonzo & Oscar: I'm My Own Grandpa
Cajun Country: Cajun Stripper

10:15 Sunbeam
Grandpa Jones (host): Little Pink
Vic Willis Trio: Last Cheater's Waltz
Ray Pillow: One Too Many Memories
Grandpa Jones: Fallen Leaves

10:30 Martha White
Roy Acuff (host): Back in the Country
Wilma Lee Cooper: When My Time Comes To Go
Del Wood: Keep on the Firing Line
Roy Acuff: Lord, Don't Give up on Me

10:45 Beechnut
Roy Drusky (host): Fraulein
Connie Smith: Till I Kissed Ya
Crook Brothers: Lafayette
Roy Drusky: Slowly

11:00 Coca-Cola
Hank Snow (host): Send Me The Pillow You Dream On
Jan Howard: When I Dream
Jim & Jesse: The Major Little Garden
Fruit Jar Drinkers: Sugar Tree Stomp
Justin Tubb: Pull the Covers Over Me
Kirk McGee: St. James Infirmary
Hank Snow: My Happiness

11:30 Bama
Marty Robbins (host): Ribbon of Darkness
Jeannie Seely: You Don't Need Me But You Will/I'm All Through Crying Over You
Charlie Louvin: I Don't Love You Anymore/Think I'll Go Somewhere and Cry Myself to Sleep/See the Big Man Cry
Bill Carlisle: Have A Drink on Me
Marty Robbins: Don't Worry/Good-Hearted Woman/This is the Moment/Some Memories Just Won't Die/Return to Me/Beyond the Reef/That's All Right/To Get To You/Tonight Carmen/Don't Let M Touch You/Cool Water/18 Yellow Roses/Love Me/El Paso

Yes, Marty did all those songs that final night and his final song was El Paso. He performed until 12:50 a.m.

Marty is sure missed at the Opry and even with some of the more recent members that have come along, I don't think there has been anyone as popular with the fans than Marty Robbins. He was a legend and one of a kind.

Opry Drops 12 Top Stars--December 6, 1964

2011-12-05T20:40:00.003-05:00

On Sunday morning, December 6, 1964, Nashvillians awoke to find spread across the top of their newspapers an eight-column banner headline in bold type usually associated with war or public disaster: "OPRY DROPS 12 TOP STARS."

The story read, "Twelve top country and western music stars will not appear on the Grand Ole Opry in 1965, and have been prohibited from using the Opry name in their outside billings, it was learned yesterday. Another entertainer, long-time favorite Minnie Pearl, has been given a leave of absence from the show for the coming year, but will continue to use the Opry billing in her present contracts, a WSM spokesman said."

Those who were dismissed from the Opry included George Morgan, Don Gibson, Billy Grammer, Johnny Wright, Kitty Wells, the Jordanaires (background singers for Elvis Presley's records and concert dates), Faron Young, Ferlin Husky, Chet Atkins, Justin Tubb, Stonewall Jackson, and Ray Price. Opry officials, after using the policy only minimally before, had insisted on strict adherence to a rule that said Opry performers had to appear on twenty-six shows in a year to be retained on the roster.

WSM public relations director Bill Williams tried to put the best face on it, insisting, "Nobody is mad at anybody. It's just that periodically we have to take stock. It's just a routine thing." Irving Waugh, somewhat removed from the Opry in his capacity as general manager of WSM television, nevertheless thought the announcement was ill advised. He viewed the action as an "antagonism" of the country music community by WSM president Jack DeWitt.

Looking back on it, the "Purge of '64" might have been a monumental public relations goof. Within a day of the release of the original story, Opry manager Ott Devine had to remove Chet Atkins name from the list of the original twelve. His name should not have been included, Devine said, because "Chet has not been officially connected with the Opry for many years." That admission suggested to some that the entire incident reflected adversely on the quality of Opry management.

Money is what really generated the hassle. Faron Young remembered: "When they insisted on the twenty-six week thing, I put a pen to it and figured it out. I was gonna lose $180,000 a year to work the Opry twenty-six weeks out of the year." Percentages paid by artists to the WSM Artists' Service Bureau (make that read "booking agency") also were in contention. Johnny Wright, Kitty Wells's husband, explained: 'They booked some of our dates, and then some of the dates were booked by our personal managers and booking agents. They were charging us fifteen percent on the dates they booked, and then if they didn't book a date you still had to pay them five percent of the dates that you booked yourself. Some of the artists stopped paying the five percent, a lot of them. But Kitty and I paid it right up to the very last, and I told Ott Devine, 'Ott, I don't think it's fair for us to pay that and some of them not paying it. Unless you get everybody to pay it, then I'm not gonna pay it.' They didn't fire anyone. We just quit because we didn't wanna pay the five percent."

Quit or fired? It didn't make any difference; the public perception was that their favorites had been summarily dismissed. If anything good came out of the incident, it was a realization in the city-in some quarters, for the first time-that the Grand Ole Opry was really important to Nashville. On December 8, the Nashville Tennessean ran an editorial under the heading, "Opry Has Duty of Protection." It said, "The Opry has been, and continues to be, the nucleus of Nashville's $40 million music industry. There is hardly a successful music enterprise in the city that does not owe its origin and its longevity to the Opry. Thus, it seems the Opry has a responsibility to compel observance of reasonable restrictions for its own protection and for the protection of the rest of the music industry in Nashville. Most of the thousands of people who line up at the Opry House every Friday and Saturday night have traveled long distances to see in person the stars that they have come to love by radio. It must be a disappointment for these fans to arrive at the Opry on this one big night for them and find that their favorite stars have found a more profitable audience in some other state. Opry manager Ott Devine says the 11 released stars will be missed. And they will be. But there is a feeling that such a loss would be more keenly felt if the stars had not already been missed too often at the Opry."

Eventually, a number of the Opry members fired would return to Opry membership, with those being Billy Grammer, Don Gibson, Justin Tubb, Stonewall Jackson and George Morgan. And those who did not rejoin would continue play the Opry as guest artists.

Of course, the Opry's battle with its members regarding Opry appearances continues to this day. Those who joined the Opry while Hal Durham and Bob Whitaker did so without any appearance requirements and that continues to haunt the Opry today. Just look at some of those who became members then and they include Clint Black, Travis Tritt, Reba McEntire and Alan Jackson, among many others. You are hard pressed to find them at the Opry. I will give credit to Pete Fisher in that since he has taken over as the Opry's general manager, he has asked each new artist that has joined while he has been in charge to commit to 10 shows per year. Most of those have kept to that.

Could the Opry get away with firing 12 artists today? I don't think so. The publicity fall out would be too great. Look at what happened when Pete Fisher fired the 4 Guys. And, while they were great Opry members, honestly, they were not superstars. But it sure gives us something to think about and I think we would all like the Opry's members to support the show and to appear on a regular basis. After all, that is what membership is all about.

December Opry Highlights

2011-12-01T19:15:00.002-05:00

It's December, so it is time for the December highlights in Grand Ole Opry history. Here are the important and historical events that have taken place during this month.

December 19, 1920-The Opry's oldest member, Jimmy Dickens was born in Bolt, West Virginia. Jimmy joined the Opry in 1948.

December 26, 1925-The WSM Barn-Dance was formally listed on the WSM program schedule that was printed in the Nashville, Tennessean. From the Tennessean, "Because of this recent revival in the popularity of the old familiar tunes, WSM has arranged to have an hour or two every Saturday night, starting Saturday, December 26. Uncle Dave Macon, the oldest banjo picker in Dixie, and who comes from Readyville, Tennessee, and Uncle Jimmy Thompson of Martha, Tennessee, will answer any requests for old-time melodies."

December 8, 1928-It was on this night that the WSM Barn-Dance became the Grand Ole Opry. The Barn-Dance came on the air at 8 p.m. From 7-8, WSM broadcast a classical music show, via the NBC radio network called, "Music Appreciation Hour," which was under the direction of Dr. Walter Damrosch. At the conclusion of the Music Hour, George D. Hay announced, "For the past hour we have been listening to music taken largely from Grand Opera, from now on we will present The Grand Ole Opry." The name stuck. (As a disclaimer I will say that a few some felt that the date was December 10, 1927, but further research has discredited that date).

December 7, 1940-Minnie Pearl joined the Grand Ole Opry.

January 16, 1943-Ernest Tubb becomes a member of the Grand Ole Opry. Ernest would bring a whole new sound to the Opry stage, and would set the stage for many other performers. He would remain a member of the Opry until his death of September 6, 1984. His last Opry appearance was in August 1982.

December 30, 1944-Bob Wills makes an appearance on the Grand Ole Opry. He was brought in to appear on the Prince Albert portion of the Opry that was broadcast on NBC radio. Minnie Pearl remembers that night, not only because a lady fell out of the balcony and onto the stage, but because of other reason. As Minnie said, "That was the first time we ever put electrified fiddles on the Opry. Roy Acuff said it would ruin the Opry forever! I wish I had a nickel for every time I heard something like that." But, those electric fiddles were not the first electrified instruments to be on the Opry as Pee Wee King and his Golden West Cowboys and Ernest Tubb had been using electric instruments before then. Another story from that Bob Wills appearance was that he was the first to bring drums to the Opry, and that Opry management said that they had to be kept behind a curtain. The story is interesting but there is no documentation that it ever happened. Regarding drums, they were already a part of the Opry. Harold "Sticks" McDonald, who was part of Pee Wee King's group had brought drums to the Opry earlier in the 1940s. They used the drums for a couple of weeks and were not allowed to announce on the air that they were using them. After those couple of weeks, Judge Hay told Pee Wee to leave the drums at home. In a final comment on the drums, Bud Wendell was quoted in 1985 as saying, "That story about hiding drums behind a curtain is just one of those old tales around here. As long as we remained at the Ryman, though, we never used anything other than just a standup snare drum. But that had as much to do with space restrictions as with the purity of country music. You just couldn't fit a whole set of drums on the stage at the Ryman; it just wasn't that big."

December 8, 1945-Earl Scruggs makes his debut with Bill Monroe's Blue Grass Boys. He was the final member to join what is considered the greatest of the Blue Grass Boy's line-up, and the one that is credited with creating the famous bluegrass sound. That line-up included Bill Monore on mandolin, Earl Scruggs on banjo, Lester Flatt on guitar, Chubby Wise on fiddle and Howard Watts on bass. As great as this band was, it would not stay together for very long, with Earl leaving in the Spring of 1948. Among those who were watching on Earl's first night on the Opry was Uncle Dave Macon, who billed himself as "The World's Greatest Banjo Player." Some of the Opry members watching were making comments about Earl within earshot of Dave. Dave stood in the wings watching the newcomer for a few moments, then he turned and stalked away. "He ain't one damned bit funny" he grumbled.

December 28, 1950-Left Frizzell makes his first appearance on the Opry. During his segment, he sang two of his classic songs, "If You've Got the Money, I've Got the Time" and "I Love You a Thousand Ways." Later in 1952, Lefty would return to the Opry, but he only stayed a few months. As Lefty said, "I just didn't like the Opry. It wasn't the dream I thought it would be."

December 24, 1960-The last Prince Albert Grand Ole Opry show is broadcast on the NBC radio network.

December 6, 1964-The Grand Ole Opry fired 12 of its members for not making the required number of appearances on the Opry. From the Tennessean, "Twelve top country and western music stars will not appear on the Grand Ole Opry in 1965, and have been prohibited from using the Opry name in their outside billings, it was learned yesterday. Another entertainer, long-time favorite Minnie Pearl, has been given a leave of absence from the show for the coming year, but will continue to use the Opry billing in her present contracts, a WSM spokesman said." Those who were dismissed from the Opry were George Morgan, Don Gibson, Billy Grammer, Johnny Wright, Kitty Wells, the Jordanaires, Faron Young, Ferlin Husky, Chet Atkins, Justin Tubb, Stonewall Jackson and Ray Price. At the time, Opry members had to appear on 26 shows each year. It was later found out that Chet Atkins was not actually an Opry member. Kitty Wells and Johnny Wright would later say that they quit and were not fired. Faron Young would say it was a money issue. Many of the ones fired would later rejoin the Opry. Those included George Morgan, Don Gibson, Billy Grammer, Justin Tubb and Stonewall Jackson. Most of those who did not rejoin would make guest appearances later in their careers. On Tuesday December 8, the Nashville Tennnessean, in an editorial, put it this way, "The Opry has been, and continues to be, the nucleus of Nashville's $40 million music industry. There is hardly a successful music enterprise in the city that does not owe its orgin and its longevity to the Opry. Thus, it seems the Opry has a responsibility to compel observance of reasonable restrictions for its own protection and for the protection of the rest of the music industry in Nashville. Most of the thousands of people who line up at the Opry House every Friday and Saturday night have traveled long distances to see in person the stars they have come to love by radio. It must be a disappointment for these fans to arrive at the Opry on this one big night for them and find that their favorite stars have found a more profitable audience in some other state." The Tennessean said it better than I could and could you imagine what would happen today if the Opry fired those who did not meet their attendance requirements, which is 10 per year.

December 23, 1967-Jack Greene becomes a member of the Grand Ole Opry. This will be Jack's 44th year as an Opry member. Jack Greene was another of the performers who owe their success to Ernest Tubb. What is interesting is that in the recent edition of the Opry's Picture History Book, they changed the date of Jack Greene's Opry membership date to January 1, 1971, which happens to be the date Tom T Hall joined the Opry. Obviously, a misprint.

December 15, 1973-Skeeter Davis was suspended by the Grand Ole Opry. As Skeeter said, "Hank Williams got kicked off the Opry for drinkin' too much old wine. Me? I got kicked off for singing about the new wine." What happened was that Skeeter was on her way to the Ryman for an Opry performance when she witnessed the arrest of what were known as "Jesus freaks", which was another name for the young people who were protesting not only in Nashville, but around the country. The arrests enraged Skeeter and on the Opry that night, she expressed her rage and by talking about it, singing about it and weeping about it. When she came off the stage after her performance, she was dismissed from the Opry. Later, a newspaper account of it said, "Her support of the 'Jesus loves you' street people made headlines, made enemies, made for a quick review of the unwritten rules against editorial comments on the Opry. She was stunned when told she was no longer a member." 18 months later, she was invited back to return to the Opry.

December 28, 1973-Tex Ritter made his final Grand Ole Opry appearance. He would die less than a week later, on January 2, 1974, of a heart attack. He joined the Opry late in his career but he was a very popular and loyal member of the show.

December 25, 1976-Larry Gatlin and the Gatlin Brothers join the Opry. This will be Larry's 35th year as a member of the Opry.

December 8, 1982-Grand Ole Opry member Marty Robbins died in a Nashville hosptial. He had been inducted into the Country Music Hall of Fame on October 8, 1982. On the night of his Hall of Fame induction he said, "I never had any idea this would happen because I feel there are other people who deserve it before I should get in. But I think possibly it night not happen again, so I'm gonna take it tonight!" Marty's 11:30 Opry shows were legendary in the history of the Opry and have never been repeated. The clock meant nothing to Marty as he would sometimes perform for more than an hour in that final Opry segment. Marty was just 57 when he died.

December 20, 1986-Randy Travis joined the cast of the Grand Ole Opry. Randy is celebrating his 25th year as an Opry member. Ricky Skaggs introduced Randy to the Opry audience and spoke of the George Jones hit, "Who's Gonna Fill Their Shoes?" Ricky said, "This is the man who's gonna fill their shoes-Randy Travis!" Randy is a fine country music singer who will be elected at some point to the Country Music Hall of Fame-maybe even this year. But, he has not been much of an Opry member, making few appearances on the Opry's stage.

December 17, 1993-Herman Harper, the famous and very popular bass singer for the Carol Lee Singers, passed away.

December 20, 1999-Country Music Hall of Fame member and Opry legend Hank Snow passed away at his home in Madison, Tennessee. Hank would have celebrated 50 years as an Opry member of January 7, 2000. He had last appeared on the Opry in September 1996. Hank was from Canada and was also a member of the Canadian Music Hall of Fame.

December 16-2000-Brad Paisley was surprised on stage at the Opry by Jimmy Dickens and Jeannie Seely, who were dressed as Santa and Mrs. Claus, with an invitation to become the newest member of the Opry. In February 2001, Brad was formally inducted.

December 14, 2002-Toby Keith makes his first appearance on the Opry. Also appearing that night were Keith Urban and Trace Adkins. They Opry had no trouble selling tickets that night.

Hope you enjoy that look back at some Opry history.

Grand Ole Opry Line Up 12/2 & 12/3--Updated

2011-11-30T20:12:00.003-05:00

Small change for the Friday Night Opry. Jeannie Seely has cancelled out and has been replaced by Jean Shepard, who will host the opening segment.

The Grand Ole Opry has posted the line ups for the shows this weekend. There is one show on Friday night and two shows on Saturday night, all from the Ryman Auditorium in downtown Nashville.

The Friday Night Opry looks the better of the nights this weekend, although Saturday is not bad either. Friday night will feature Opry members Montgomery Gentry, Alison Krauss and Dierks Bentley. In additon, Gillian Welch & David Rawlings, who in my opinion are fantastic artists, are scheduled.

Saturday night's Grand Ole Opry features Opry members Terri Clark and Mel Tillis, along with newcomers (and what's an Opry show without at least one) Brent Anderson and a very talented young lady, Mindy Smith. And I am happy to say that Jimmy Dickens is scheduled for all three weekend shows after missing last Saturday night.

Friday December 2

7:00: Jean Shepard (host); Jimmy C Newman; Collin Raye
7:30: Jimmy Dickens (host); Bobby Osborne & The Rocky Top X-Press; Montgomery Gentry
INTERMISSION
8:15: Bill Anderson (host); Mandy Barnett; Alison Krauss & Dan Tyminski
8:45: Riders In The Sky (host); Gillian Welch & David Rawlings; Dierks Bentley

Saturday December 3

1st show
7:00: Jimmy Dickens (host); The Whites; Terri Clark
7:30: Mike Snider (host); Jean Shepard; Brent Anderson
8:00: Mel Tillis (host); Jim Ed Brown; Suzy Bogguss; Opry Square Dancers
8:30: Bill Anderson (host); Mindy Smith; Connie Smith

2nd show
9:30: Jimmy Dickens (host); The Whites; Terri Clark
10:00: Mel Tillis (host); Jack Greene; Brent Anderson
10:30: Jim Ed Brown (host); Jesse McReynolds; Suzy Bogguss; Opry Square Dancers
11:00: Bill Anderson (host); Mindy Smith; Connie Smith

That comes to 14 artists on Friday night, of which 9 are Opry members, and 12 for each show on Saturday night, with 9 Opry members on each show.

And if you don't get enough Mel Tillis on the Opry Saturday night, he will be the host of the Ernest Tubb Midnight Jamboree at the record shop after the Opry. The crowd should be very good for the free show.

Charlie Douglas

2011-11-28T19:46:00.002-05:00

I just found out today that former WSM and Grand Ole Opry announcer Charlie Douglas passed away on Thanksgiving day. Charlie began his career in 1953 at KLIC in Monroe, Louisiana. In 1956 he became the first program director at KOCY in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma. He then worked in Ashville, North Carolina and New Orleans before arriving in Nashville and working at WSM, where he stayed for many years. He retired in 1995 to devote time to running CDX, with his partner Paul Lovelace. Charlie was elected to the Country Music DJ Hall of Fame in 1994.

November 28, 1925-Start of the Grand Ole Opry?

2011-11-27T11:07:00.003-05:00

WSM and the Grand Ole Opry officially recognize Saturday November 28, 1925 as the birth of the Grand Ole Opry. It was on that night at 8:00 that George D. Hay introduced Uncle Jimmy Thompson, with his niece Mrs. Eva Thompson Jones playing the piano, and the "WSM Barn Dance" was underway. Of course the Grand Ole Opry name would come later.

Here is George D. Hay's version of how the Opry got started, which he wrote in 1945:

"Because the Grand Ole Opry is a very simple program it started in a very simple way. Your reporter, who was the first program director of WSM, had considerable experience in the field of folk music when the station opened in October 1925. Realizing the wealth of folk music material and performers in the Tennessee Hills he welcomed the appearance of Uncle Jimmy Thompson and his blue ribbon fiddle who went on the air at eight o'clock, Saturday night, November 28, 1925. Uncle Jimmy told us that he had a thousand tunes. Past eighty years of age, he was given a comfortable chair in front of an old carbon microphone. While his niece, Mrs. Eva Thompson Jones, played his piano accompaniment your reporter presented Uncle Jimmy and announced that he would be glad to answer requests for old time tunes. Immediately telegrams started to our into WSM. One hour later at nine o'clock we asked Uncle Jimmy if he hadn't done enough fiddling to which he replied, 'Why shucks, a man don't get warmed up in an hour. I just won an eight-day fiddling contest down in Dallas, Texas, and here's my blue ribbon to prove it.' Uncle Jimmy Thompson, Mrs Jones and The Solemn Old Judge carried on for several weeks for an hour each Saturday night."

George D. Hay finished up by writing, "To the best of our recollection the first old time band we presented on the Saturday night show, which at that time we called the WSM Barn Dance, was headed by a very genial country physician from Sumner County, Tennessee, named Dr. Humprey Bate."

Like everything else with the Opry, nobody is sure exactly when the WSM Barn Dance/Grand Ole Opry exactly started. There is a difference of opinion regarding the November 28, 1925 date and one of the individuals who felt that the date was not correct was Dr. Bate's daughter, Mrs. Alcyone Bate Beasley, who at the time challenged George D. Hay's version of events. According to Mrs. Beasley, it was not George D. Hay that originated the first barn dance program on WSM, but that it was her father and he should have received the credit for starting what has become the Grand Ole Opry.

According to Mrs. Beasley, who at the time was a thirteen year old piano player in her father's group, they did the first Saturday night barn dance on WSM at the end of October 1925, within a month of WSM radio going on the air. Many years later, she was quoted by a reporter on her version of the events: "I remember that night after it was all over, we drove back home in the old Ford car and Daddy, who always called me 'Booger,' said, 'Booger, we might've started something down there tonight, you just don't know."

She then went on to say, "We played there for about four or five weeks before Mr. Hay came. We would drive into Nashville and perform on WDAD in the afternoon, then we would walk up the hill and play on WSM later in the evening. I remember we would give Jack Keefe, who was the WSM announcer then, a list of the numbers we were going to play during the hour we would be on the air. And within just two weeks or so, bands from everywhere began to come up to be put on the air. One of the first of them was Mr. Ed Poplin's band from Lewisburg, Tennessee. I never felt badly about it toward Mr. Hay, because he wasn't well, but the fact remains that nothing was ever said about Uncle Jimmy Thompson being the first one on the show until long after my Daddy died in 1936. How that came to be the story has been the puzzle of my life."

In the 1960s, Norm Cohen, a researcher with the John Edwards Memorial Foundation, a research center at UCLA devoted to the study of American folk music, did some research and examined records of the Nashville Tennessean, specifically looking for country music broadcasts on Nashville radio stations for a three-month period, from October 18, 1925 thru January 17, 1926. His research showed that Mrs. Beasley's story might be the right one.

In the Sunday October 18, 1925 edition of the Nashville Tennessean was an item under the heading "WSM Announces Week's Program": Saturday....10-11 (p.m.) Studio program featuring Dr. Humprey Bate and his string quartet of old-time musicians, from Castalian Springs." That would have meant they appeared on Saturday October 24, exactly when Mrs. Beasley said that had appeared. Cohen's research also showed that Dr. Bate and his group also made regular appearances on WDAD, and were also featured on WSM again on Saturday November 14.

Uncle Jimmy Thompson wasn't mentioned in the newspaper's radio listings until December 20, when it was reported, "Station WSM--Saturday (Dec. 26), 8:00 p.m.--Uncle Jimmy Thompson, the South's champion barn dance fiddler, and Eva Thompson Jones, controlto, will present programs of old-fashioned tunes."

A week later, in the Sunday December 27 edition of the Nashville Tennessean, under the heading "WSM To Feature Old-Time Tunes," the following was printed:

"Old tunes like old lovers are the best, at least judging from the applause which the new Saturday night feature at Station WSM receives from its listeners in all parts of the country: jazz has not completely turned the tables on such tunes as 'Pop Goes the Weasel' and 'Turkey In the Straw.' America may not be swinging its partners at a neighbor's barn dance but it seems to have the habit of clamping on its ear phones and patting its feet as gaily as it ever did when the old-time fiddlers got to swing. Because of this revival in the popularity of the old familiar tunes, WSM has arranged to have an hour or two every Saturday night, starting Saturday, December 26. Uncle Dave Macon, the oldest banjo picker in Dixie, and who comes from Readyville, Tennessee and Uncle Jimmy Thompson of Martha, Tennessee, will answer any requests for old-time melodies. Uncle Jimmy Thompson made his first appearance a month ago and telegrams were received from all parts of the United States, encouraging him in his task of furnishing barn dance music for million homes."

In those days, it was standard policy for many newspapers to print articles that had been sent in my publicists to promote their companies or programs, and many historians feel that the Tennessean article had actually been written by George D. Hay. Based on the article and the comments by George D. Hay and Mrs. Alcyone Bate Beasley, the following conclusions can be drawn:

First, it would appear that from a scheduling standpoint, WSM did not offically put the barn dance program on their schedule until December 26, 1925, so a case can be made that December 26 was the "official" start date of the WSM Barn Dance/Grand Ole Opry. 2nd, with the comment in the article that Uncle Jimmy Thompson made his first appearance on WSM a month before, a month before that article would have been November 28, which is the date that George D. Hay wrote in his 1945 memoirs as the start of the show. And finally, it also means that Dr. Humphrey Bate and his group were the first "country" musicians to play on WSM, appearing in October 1925, but not as part of any formal radio program.

While this can be debated, WSM and the Grand Ole Opry many years ago decided that November 28, 1925 was the official birth of what has become of the Grand Ole Opry. And so it is. At the time of the Opry's birth, it was one of many barn dance programs on the radio, some of which have included the WWVA Wheeling Jamboree, the WLS Barn Dance, Renfro Valley, along with shows in Cincinnati, Los Angeles, Richmond and just about every city in the country, big and small. But for various reasons, there is only one of the original barn dance programs left and that is the Grand Ole Opry. Time will only tell if the Opry continues to survive. Times have been tough and the world of country music has changed. I have talked to people who have told me that they will be surprised if the Opry makes it to it's 100th anniversary. I hope they are wrong. For all the reasons that we are concerned about the modern day Opry, we still listen and attend. The Opry is a one of a kind piece of American history. Enjoy it!!

(For those who want to know more about the early days of the Opry, a book that I highly recommend is Charles Wolfe's excellent book, "A Good-Natured Riot--The Birth of The Grand Ole Opry." It is probably the best book he has ever written and it covers in great detail the early days of the Opry, from its start, up until about 1940. I still use it as a reference tool today.)

Grand Ole Opry Line Up 11/25 & 11/26

2011-11-24T20:39:00.002-05:00

Before beginning my look at the shows scheduled for this week, I hope that everyone had a very thankful and grateful Thanksgiving and that each one of you were able to enjoy the day with family and friends. I am thankful for all of you who read the blog, or post comments. I am always surprised that people actually read what I write and I thank each and every one of you. We don't always agree on everything except for the fact that each of us are fans of the Grand Ole Opry and care about the show. Thanks again!!!

As far as the Opry this weekend, Saturday night has 2 shows scheduled and that is because this was another of the nights that Keith Urban was scheduled to perform and the Opry set up 2 shows due to the expected ticket demand. The tickets sold quickly, but like the other date that Keith was forced to cancel, there were again unhappy fans who had tickets for the shows this weekend. Newcomer Hunter Hayes is scheduled for Saturday night and some fans on the Opry's facebook page were trying to pass him off as being as good as a younger Keith Urban. Don't know about that, but they tried.

Also appearing on Saturday night will be Charlie Daniels, who is set for both shows. And Stu Phillips is scheduled for the 2nd show on Saturday. He has had to cancel his last couple of Opry appearances as he appears to be having some vocal issues. I always thought Stu was a fine ballad singer and I hope he is well enough to appear.

Friday November 25

7:00: Mike Snider (host); Jim Ed Brown; James Wesley
7:30: Jimmy Dickens (host); Bobby Osborne & Rocky Top X-Press; Sherrie Austin
INTERMISSION
8:15: Riders In The Sky (host); Jan Howard; Jack Greene; Mandy Barnett
8:45: John Conlee (host); Jean Shepard; Del McCoury Band

Saturday November 26

1st show
7:00: Jimmy Dickens (host); Jimmy C Newman; Hunter Hayes
7:30: Mike Snider (host); Jean Shepard; Elizabeth Cook
8:00: Jeannie Seely (host); Ray Pillow; Del McCoury Band; Opry Square Dancers
8:30: Riders In The Sky (host); Connie Smith; Charlie Daniels Band

2nd show
9:30: Jimmy Dickens (host); Jimmy C Newman; Hunter Hayes
10:00: Jim Ed Brown (host); George Hamilton IV; Elizabeth Cook
10:30: Jeannie Seely (host); Stu Phillips; Del McCoury Band; Opry Square Dancers
11:00: Riders In The Sky (host); Connie Smith; Charlie Daniels

The breakdown this week is 13 artist on Friday night, which is the most in a while, of whom 10 are Opry members. Each show on Saturday has 12 artists, with 10 Opry members.

The host of the Ernest Tubb Midnight Jamboree will be Jim Glaser of the famous Glaser Brothers. The Glaser Brothers are former members of the Opry and it would have been nice if the Opry had invited Jim to be part of the show this weekend. Appearing with him will be the Chuck Wagon Gang. The Midnight Jamboree sounds like it might be a good show to listen to this weekend.

Remembering Roy Acuff

2011-11-22T19:06:00.002-05:00

It was on November 23, 1992 that Country Music Hall of Fame member and Grand Ole Opry member Roy Acuff passed away in Nashville, one month after making his final appearance on the Opry. It can be said that Roy was the Opry and in many ways, he was the guiding force behind the Opry. His role cannot be understated and when we look at where the Opry has gone since he passed away, we all realize how much Roy is missed. It is safe to assume that many of the changes we have seen at the Opry since he has passed away would not have happened if he were still alive.

Roy was called "The King of Country Music" for a reason. You want to know how popular he was during his heyday? Toward the end of World War II, Japanese soldiers in the Pacific would try to psych out the American Marines by yelling, "To hell with Franklin Roosevelt! To hell with Babe Ruth! To hell with Roy Acuff! In San Diego, soldiers and sailors would hold "Roy Acuff contests," in which the object was to see who could do the best imitation of the singer. His records were so popular that the government had to issue them on V-discs so overseas troops could hear his hits. It was not unusual for 15,000 fans to show up at one of his concerts, and it was not unusual to see his name ranked with Frank Sinatra and Benny Goodman in popularity polls among servicemen.

Contemporary fans who were used to seeing Roy Acuff as the stately, white-haired elder statesman of the Grand Ole Opry many have wondered what all the fuss was about and whether his popularity was the result of Opry hype. It wasn't. Acuff was country music's first great stylist after the death of Jimmie Rodgers and was a major influence on younger singers like Hank Williams, Lefty Frizzell and George Jones. Though he had only several modest hits from 1950 o, his longtime presence on the Grand Ole Opry gave him a platform from which he continued to influence country music: as a publisher, a media pioneer, a spokesman and, in later years, a defender of older traditions and performers. His nickname, "The King of Country Music," may sound a bit old-fashioned, but in many ways, it was very accurate.

Roy was born on September 15, 1903 in Maynardsville, Tennessee, and yes, he was from the Smoky Mountains. He was born in a small house and his father was a lawyer and a preacher at the local Baptist church. His father taught him to play the fiddle, but Roy was more interested in baseball. He was also known as a fighter and got himself into trouble more than a few times. He was offered a baseball tryout but in 1929, on a trip to Florida, he suffered severe sunstroke. While recovering, he practiced and improved his skills on the fiddle and went to work with a local medicine show man, Doc Hauer. Working with Doc, he learned show business, including comedy and doing imitations, including that of a train whistle. He also learned to do tricks, including balancing things on his nose.

He proceded to get a job at Knoxville's WROL radio with a local band called The Tennessee Crackerjacks, later to be called "The Crazy Tennesseans." They were basically a local group until their big break in 1936. Roy and band member Red Jones met up with a young Bible student named Charley Swain, who had been featuring a gospel song called "The Great Speckled Bird." Roy offered Charley 50 cents to write down the words of the song as as Charley moved away from the area, Roy started singing the song over WROL. In October of that year, they got a recording deal with the American Recording Company. In 1938, Roy and his band auditioned for the Grand Ole Opry and "The Great Speckled Bird" was one of the numbers that they did. Thousands of letters poured into WSM and the Opry and Roy became the Opry's newest star.

The name of his band was changed to The Smoky Mountain Boys, which was a more dignified name. Roy did not care for the sound of that group and in 1939, after some discussion among the members of the group, three of the members left. Among the replacements was Pete Kirby, known as "Brother Oswald." It was his dobro work that help to create the Roy Acuff sound. Late in 1939 he became the host of the NBC network portion of the Opry and even went to Hollywood and made a number of movies

The hits that followed became country classics. They included "The Precious Jewel," "Wreck on the Highway," "Fire Ball Mail," "Wait for the Light to Shine," "Two Different Worlds," "Night Train to Memphis," and of course the all time classic, "Wabash Cannonball." What was interesting about "Wabash Cannonball" was that Roy did not do the original vocals on the record, but instead Dynamite Hatcher did. Roy would not record the song with his vocals until 1947.

In 1942, Roy joined up with Fred Rose to open Acuff-Rose, the first modern publishing company to be based in Nashville. It was an instant success and they would sign everyone from Don Gibson to The Louvin Brothers to Hank Williams. When many country entertainers suffered through hard times in the 1950s, Acuff-Rose helped to keep Roy afloat. In 1962 he was elected to the Country Music Hall of Fame.

While he experimented with different sounds, by the 1970s he had returned to his traditional mountain sounds. With his participation with the Nitty Gritty Dirt Band and many other country music old-timers in the great project, "Will the Circle be Unbroken," a brand new audience opened up for Roy.

Even though his health failed in his final years, he was still performing at the Opry almost every Friday and Saturday night right up until the time of his death. In those final years, Roy would usually host the 7:30 or 8:00 segments on the early Saturday show, right around the time when the Opry would start to come in after dark up here in Ohio. And in those days before line ups were announced ahead of time, 7:30 meant that it was time to turn the old AM transistor radio to 650 WSM to see if the Opry would come through the static and to listen to Roy Acuff sing the "Wabash Cannonball." Man, do I miss those days.

Like I said, the Opry has not been the same since Roy died. He was the anchor, it's symbol and it's compass. He helped to keep the show down to earth and he always remembered his roots.
He sang country music the way it was meant to be song. The Opry could use a Roy Acuff today.

Jean Shepard

2011-11-19T20:54:00.003-05:00

Monday November 21st is a big day in the life of Opry legend and Country Music Hall of Fame member Jean Shepard. It was on November 21, 1955 that Jean became a member of the Grand Ole Opry. During tonights show, it was mentioned that she is celebrating her 56th year as an Opry member and she mentioned that she is the current Opry member with the longest consecutive years as an Opry member. November 21st is also Jean's birthday and it is also Jean's wedding anniversary.

Jean was born Ollie Imogene Shepard on November 21, 1933 in Paul's Valley, Oklahoma. She grew up in Oklahoma listening to both the Grand Ole Opry and Bob Wills's radio broadcasts out of Tulsa. Just before the end of World War II her family moved to the Southern California city of Visalia. While in high school, Jean and some of her friends formed the Melody Ranch Girls, with whom who both sang and played upright bass. In 1952, as a result of Hank Thompson's recommendation after hearing her perform, Ken Nelson of Capital Records signed her to his label.

Jean's debut single, on which she was co-billed with steel guitar legend Speedy West, fared poorly. But her second single, recorded May 19, 1953, was a #1 smash hit. That record was "A Dear John Letter," to which Ferlin Husky contributed the recitation part. The duet crossed over to the pop Top Five and established both singers' careers. From that point forward, she recorded one vibrant honky-tonk single after another, many featuring Bill Wood's band out of Bakersfield, California, which included guitarist Buck Owens.

In January 1955 Jean was part of the cast that inaugurated the Ozark Jubilee telecast. But in November that year, coming off successive Top Five hits with "A Satisfied Mind" and Beautiful Lies," she joined the Grand Ole Opry. The following months she recorded "Songs of a Love Affair", which is said to have been the first concept album ever recorded by a female country singer. During the late 1950s, Jean became romantically involved with fellow Opry star Hawkshaw Hawkins. On November 26, 1960, the two were married onstage in Wichita, Kansas. Tragically, Hawkins died in the same 1963 plan crash that killed singers Patsy Cline and Cowboy Copas. Devastated, Jean gave up singing for several months. But by the close of the year she had returned to the Opry, and in early 1964 she scored a major comeback hit with "Second Fiddle (to an Old Guitar)." In 1968, she married bluegrass musician Benny Birchfield, who was Roy Orbison's road manager at the time of Orbison's death.

Through the remainder of the 1960s, Jean enjoyed moderate success, both solo and in duets with Ray Pillow. Many of her records continued to feature her spunky intolerance of male behavior. In 1973 she switched labels from Capital to United Artists. She scored an immediate Top Five hit with Bill Anderson's "Slippin Away," but it proved to be her last major success. Like many singers of her generation, she found radio airplay harder to come by. She left United Records in 1977 and that basically ended her recording career.

In 2005, Jean Shepard became the first female singer to reach the 50-year milestone as a Grand Ole Opry member. She also was the first post-World War II female to have a million selling record with "A Dear John Letter."

When Jean found out she was joining the Opry in 1955, she would say later that it was somewhat of a surprise. She remembers being at Nashville's old Andrew Jackson Hotel during the annual Disc Jockey convention with then-Opry manager Jim Denny. As Jean said, "Jim was making some announcements to the DJs and the media, and he said, 'By the way, we would like to welcome the newest member of the Grand Ole Opry, Jean Shepard. Happy birthday, Jean.' And what a thrill."

In 2011, Jean Shepard was elected to the Country Music Hall of Fame, in what many felt was an honor that should have happened years before. Many people forget that it was Jean in the 1950s that set the stage for Loretta Lynn, Tammy Wynette and the female singers that would follow. She was probably the only female tonky-tonk singer in country music during that period. And, she always stayed true to her roots. She was outspoken, brash and an independent woman singing songs that women should not have been singing at the time. She is one of the underrated women in the history of country music and I find it sad that many of today's younger fans who see her as the elderly lady on the Opry do not realize what she has accomplished during her career.

Happy Birthday and Happy Anniversary to Jean Shepard and congratulations on 56 years of Opry membership.

Grand Ole Opry Line Up 11/18 & 11/19

2011-11-17T19:20:00.002-05:00

The Grand Ole Opry has posted the schedules for the shows this weekend. The Opry continues its winter run at the Ryman Auditorium and there is one show on Friday night and two shows on Saturday night.

In looking at the shows for this weekend, I have to tell you that I think they have 3 pretty good shows scheduled. The highlight will be the first Opry appearance ever by The Marshall Tucker Band, who is celebrating their 40th anniversary this year. I know that they have created a lot of buzz and the ticket sales for both Saturday shows has been pretty strong. You can make the argument that The Marshall Tucker Band is not country, and never has been, but I will say that while I agree with that statement, they are much more country than some of the acts that have been playing the Opry lately. Also on Saturday night, Opry member Joe Diffie is scheduled, along with Diamond Rio and the Del McCoury Band, both of whom are scheduled for all three shows this weekend.

The Friday Night Opry will feature a return appearance by the great Wanda Jackson. Her new album has been doing well and when she appeared on the Opry earlier this year she received a good reaction. Also appearing on Friday night will be Brandi Carlile. She is another of the younger female singers and I checked out some of her songs on her website. Although I wouldn't call her country, she has an interesting voice and sounded very talented.

Friday November 18

7:00: Mike Snider (host); Connie Smith; Del McCoury Band
7:30: Jimmy Dickens (host); Jimmy C Newman; Diamond Rio
INTERMISSION
8:15: Bill Anderson (host); Steve Wariner; Wanda Jackson
8:45: John Conlee (host); The Whites; Brandi Carlile

Saturday November 19

1st show
7:00: Jimmy Dickens (host); Jeannie Seely; Del McCoury Band
7:30: Mike Snider (host); Connie Smith; Joe Diffie
8:00: Diamond Rio (host); Jim Ed Brown; Jean Shepard; Opry Square Dancers
8:30: Bill Anderson (host); Riders In The Sky; The Marshall Tucker Band

2nd show
9:30: Jimmy Dickens (host); The Whites; Del McCoury Band
10:00: Jeannie Seely (host); Jack Greene; Joe Diffie
10:30: Diamond Rio (host); Jim Ed Brown; Bobby Osborne & Rocky Top X-Press; Opry Square Dancers
11:00: Bill Anderson (host); Riders In The Sky; The Marshall Tucker Band

That comes out to 12 artists for each of the 3 shows, with 10 Opry members on Friday night and 11 on each of the shows on Saturday night, with The Marshall Tucker Band being the only non-Opry members.

Like I said, I think all 3 shows have good solid line ups and I know that if I didn't have commitments this weekend, I would be in the car heading down South for the shows.

Finally, the Ernest Tubb Midnight Jamboree will feature a special show this weekend. Rockie Lynne will be the host and his special guest will be Jan Howard. The show is dedicated to Tom Davis, who was declared by President Lyndon Johnson as the first American to be killed in the Vietnam War. Bill Rains was commissioned by the Ernest Tubb Record Shops and the Davis Family to create a bronze statue that will be revealed on Saturday night. This statue will be on permanent display at the record shop. David McCormick, the record shop owner, was a neighbor and friend of the Davis Family, while Jan Howard had a son killed in the Vietnam War. Vietnam veterans will have priority seating and a limited number of tickets are available for this show, which is free. In my memory, this might be the first Midnight Jamboree that a ticket is required. This should be a very emotional night and I congratulate the Ernest Tubb folks for doing this.

All in all, it looks like a great weekend in Nashville.

Grand Ole Opry Line Up 11/11 &11/12---Updated

2011-11-10T14:23:00.003-05:00

As I thought, the Opry has updated the line ups for this weekend. Whoever they might have thought was going to appear didn't come through, so they basically just moved some things around so that there is now a host for each segment. The did add Dale Ann Bradley for Friday night. The corrected line up is listed below.

The Grand Ole Opry has posted the line up for the shows this weekend. There are a couple of things that stand out. First, there are 2 shows on Saturday night. Saturday was the night that Keith Urban was scheduled and the 2nd show was added because of ticket demand. I wonder how many people will actually come now that Keith is off the schedule or if they will turn in their tickets for another show. Usually, when a big name cancels out, the Opry will try to book someone of similar "star" value. But, in looking at those scheduled for Saturday night, it would appear that they were unable to get anybody. The second thing that stands out is that it appears that Charley Pride is going to host the final hour for all 3 shows this weekend. There is no host for the final segment on any of the shows and I checked again with the Opry right before posting this and nobody has been added. My thought is that they have received a preliminary commitment from somebody and they don't want to add them to the schedule until they are absolutely sure.

When you look at the Friday Night Opry, they have Mike Snider, George Hamilton IV and Riders In The Sky all scheduled and who are capable of hosting. Also on Friday night's show, Guy Penrod will be guesting, along with Holly Williams and the group, Love and Theft.

On Saturday night's Grand Ole Opry, Jim Ed Brown and The Whites are both scheduled for the first show and are capable of hosting, and The Whites are also scheduled for the 2nd show. Clair Lynch will be on both shows on Saturday night, along with Holly Williams, Bradley Gaskin and Love and Theft.

Friday November 11

7:00: Bill Anderson (host); Mike Snider; Love And Theft
7:30: Jimmy Dickens (host); Jimmy C Newman; Holly Williams
INTERMISSION
8:15: Charley Pride (host); George Hamilton IV; Dale Ann Bradley
8:45: Riders In The Sky (host); Jesse McReynolds; Guy Penrod

Saturday November 12

1st show
7:00: Jimmy Dickens (host); Jim Ed Brown; Clair Lynch Band
7:30: Mike Snider (host); The Whites; Bradley Gaskin
8:00: Charley Pride (host); Jan Howard; Holly Williams; Opry Square Dancers
8:30: Jim Ed Brown (host); Love And Theft; Connie Smith

2nd show
9:30: Jimmy Dickens (host); Jimmy C Newman; Holly Williams
10:00: The Whites (host); Jack Greene; Bradley Gaskin
10:30: Charley Pride (host); Bobby Osborne & The Rocky Top X-Press; Love And Theft; Opry Square Dancers
11:00: Jim Ed Brown (host); Connie Smith; Clair Lynch Band

There are 11 artists scheduled for each of the 3 shows this weekend, of whom 8 are Opry members on Friday night, while 7 are Opry members on each of the Saturday night shows.

The hosts of the Ernest Tubb Midnight Jamboree on Saturday night/Sunday morning will be Ricky Lynn Gregg and Jeannie C. Riley. That should be a good show.

Finally, here is the line up for the Tuesday Night Opry on November 15:

7:00: John Conlee; James Otto
7:30: Jimmy Dickens; Dailey & Vincent
INTERMISSION
8:15: Jean Shepard; Randy Houser
8:45: Heidi Newfield; Josh Turner

Remembering David "Stringbean" Akeman

2011-11-09T18:46:00.003-05:00

It was 38 years ago on November 10, 1973 that one of the most horrific events in Grand Ole Opry took place as David Akeman, known to all of us as Stringbean, and his wife Estelle were murdered at the home outside of Nashville, after arriving home from the Ryman Auditorium and the Opry.

Too many country fans remember Stringbean only for the way he and his wife died. But those who saw him perform in person or on Hee Haw realized that he was one of the most original comedians in country music as well as a fine clawhammer banjo player and traditional singer. His distinctive striped shirt, low-belted pants, and funny duckwalk were as familiar as Minnie Pearl's straw hat. His droll wit and deadpan irony were reflected in signature one-liners such as "Lord, I fell so unneccessary."

Stringbean was born on June 17, 1916 in Annville, Kentucky. He would grow up in eastern Kentucky and worked in Civilian Conservation Corps camps during the depression before landing his first musical job, as well as his nickname, from country performer Asa Martin. After playing banjo for several bands around the Lexington area, he came to Nashville around 1942 and became Bill Monroe's first banjo player. Later in the 1940s he teamed with fellow Opry member Lew Childre for a duet act and became a protege of Uncle Dave Macon. The older banjo player taught Stringbean much of his repertoire of old-time banjo songs and even gave him one of his own banjos. By the time Macon died in 1952, Stringbean was working as a solo act on the Grand Ole Opry and adapting current songs such as "Hillbilly Fever" to his clawhammer style.

Feeling his appeal lay primarily in personal appearances, Stringbean postponed making his own records until 1960, when be began doing a series of albums for Starday Records. The first of these was "Old Time Banjo Pickin' and Singin', released in 1960. His best known album was "A Salute to Uncle Dave Macon", which was released in 1963, and has been later reissued. Stringbean would record later for the Nugget and Cullman labels. Joining the cast of Hee Haw in 1969 rejuvenated his career, though his comedy was featured more than his music. He often teamed with fellow banjoist-comedian Grandpa Jones, with whom he had become a close friend and neighbor.

In 1973, the brutal murder of Stringbean and his wife, Estelle Stanfill Akeman, at their remote three-room cabin shocked Nashville's music community. The two gunmen, John and Doug Brown, were waiting for Stringbean at home after a Saturday-night Opry performance in hopes of robbing him of cash rumored to be hidden in his cabin; they came away with a few guns and a chainsaw. Though the killers were caught and convicted, many felt an important link with country music's tradition had been senselessly broken. In 1996, police discovered remnants of hundreds of dollars stashed in the walls of the Akeman's cabin.

Stringbean and Estelle's bodies were discovered the following morning by Grandpa Jones, who arrived at their home to pick up Stringbean for a fishing trip. Grandpa was so shaken by the murders that he moved from Nashville for a period of time, performing in a dinner theater he owned in rural Arkansas. Roy Acuff publicly called for the death penalty to be reinstated in Tennessee. After Stringbean's murder, Roy had concerns about living alone after the passing of his wife and this was one of the considerations to him moving to the house at Opryland, where he lived his final years. And, Skeeter Davis was very vocal in her comments regarding Stringbean's murder.

Stringbean was one of the last in a long line of Opry comedians, who would dress in the over exaggerated hillbilly style. Those comedians included Rod Brasfield, Lew Childre, Whitey Ford (known as the Duke of Paducah), Minnie Pearl, Grandpa Jones, and in his earlier years, Archie Campbell. It is interesting that all but Archie and Stringbean have been elected to the Country Music Hall of Fame, and both should be.

What a lot of people forget, especially after seeing Stringbean on Hee Haw, is what a great musican and banjo player he was. He really played the banjo well and could have played with any bluegrass group in the country if he had so desired.

As I stated above, I really believe that if not for his early death, Stringbean would have been elected to the Hall of Fame. With him being a part of Hee Haw, he was at the peak of his popularity and much like Hee Haw's exposure helped to get Grandpa Jones elected, I believe the same would have happened with Stringbean.

Stringbean appeared on both Opry shows the night of November 10. On the 1st show, he appeared on the 7:00 segment, while on the 2nd show he was on at 10:15. In honor of Stringbean, here is the Opry line up and song list from Saturday November 10, 1973, Stringbean's final night at the Opry.

1st show:
6:30: Mrs. Grissoms
Willis Brothers (host): Little Red Wagon
Johnny Carver: Tie A Yellow Ribbon Round The Old Oak Tree
Willis Brothers: God Walks These Hills With Me

6:45: Rudy's
Wilma Lee & Stoney Cooper (host): Forget, Forgive Us #1
Bill Carlisle: Too Old To Cut The Mustard
Josie Brown: Precious Memories Follow Me
Wilma Lee & Stoney Cooper: When My Time Comes To Go

7:00: Rudy's
Tex Ritter (host): Have I Told You Lately That I Love You
STRINGBEAN: HILLBILLY FEVER
K. Wheeler: The First Time For Us
Tex Ritter: Green Grow The Lilacs
STRINGBEAN: Y'ALL COME
K. Wheeler: Listen, Spot
Tex Ritter: Fall Away

7:30: Standard Candy
Bobby Bare (host): Ride Me Down Easy
Jimmy Martin: Just Plain Yellow
Melba Montgomery: Crawdad Song
Crook Brothers: Chicken Reel
Bobby Bare: The Streets Of Baltimore
Jimmy Martin: Tennessee
Melba Montgomery: Wrap Your Love Around Me
Bobby Bare: Detroit City

8:00: Martha White
Roy Acuff (host): Night Train To Memphis
Grandpa Jones: Mountain Dew
Jimmy Driftwood: Run, Johnny, Run/Tennessee Stud
Roy Acuff: Wabash Cannonball
Grandpa Jones: Orange Blossom Special
Brother Oswald: Roll On, Buddy

8:30: Stephens
Billy Grammer (host): Gotta Travel On
Marion Worth: Paper Roses
Billy Grammer, Jr: Orange Blossom Special
Fruit Jar Drinkers: Soldiers Joy
Billy Grammer: I'm Letting You Go
Marion Worth: Me & Bobby McGee
Billy Grammer: Just A Closer Walk With Thee

2nd show:
9:30: Kelloggs
Willis Brothers (host): Give Me 40 Acres
Johnny Carver: Tie A Yellow Ribbon Round The Old Oak Tree
Jimmy Martin: Honey, You Don't Know My Mind
Josie Brown: Precious Memories Follow Me
Skeeter Willis: Maiden's Prayer
Johnny Carver: Tonight Someone's Falling In Love
Jimmy Martin: Who'll Sing For Me When I'm Gone

10:00: Fender
Wilma Lee & Stoney Cooper (host): Little Darling Pal Of Mine
Bill Carlisle: Have A Drink On Me/No Help Wanted
Wilma Lee & Stoney Cooper: Coming Down From God

10:15: Union 76
Tex Ritter (host): There's A New Moon Over My Shoulder
STRINGBEAN: GONNA MAKE MYSELF A NAME/HOT CORN, COLD CORN (LAST SONG)
Tex Ritter: Willie, The Wondering Gypsy & Me

10:30: Trailblazer
Roy Acuff (host): Ball Knob, Arkansas
Grandpa Jones: Bright Morning Stars Are Rising
Jimmy Driftwood: The Mixed Up Family

10:45: Beech-Nut
Bobby Bare (host): Four Strong Winds
K. Wheeler: The First Time For Us
Crook Brothers: Black Mountain Rag
Bobby Bare: Detroit City

11:00: Coca-Cola
Billy Grammer (host): Bonaparte's Retreat
Melba Montgomery: Don't Keep Me Lonely Too Long
Billy Grammer, Jr: Orange Blossom Special
Fruit Jar Drinkers: Nubbing Ridge
Billy Grammer: Somewhere My Love
Melba Montgomery: Let's All Go Down To The River
Sam McGee: Worry, Worry Blues
Billy Grammer: What A Friend

11:30: Elm Hill
Marty Robbins (host): I Walk Alone
Marion Worth: Paper Roses/Sleeping At The Foot Of The Bed
Ronnie Robbins: Too Much Love Between Us/Mama Tried
Marty Robbins: Love Me/Big Boss Man/Crawling On My Knees/Don't Worry/El Paso

The following Saturday night, November 17, 1963, Bud Wendell started the Opry by reading a tribute to Stringbean. And, while Roy Acuff was there and was actually hosting his segments, he did not sing on that night's Opry. Howdy Forrester and Brother Oswald played instrumental numbers.

Thanks for taking the time with me to remember a great entertainer, David "Stringbean" Akeman.

Happy Birthday & Congratulations to Stonewall Jackson

2011-11-05T15:18:00.002-04:00

Happy Birthday greetings go today to Grand Ole Opry star Stonewall Jackson, who on Sunday November 6 will be celebrating his 79th birthday. And along with the birthday wishes, congratulations also go to Stonewall, who tonight will be celebrating his 55th year as a member of the Grand Ole Opry.

From the Country Music Encyclopedia, I offer to you this biography of Stonewall:

"Stonewall Jackson is known as a longtime star of the Grand Ole Opry and as a staunchly hard country singer. Jackson's father, Waymond, claiming to be a descendant, had planned to name his third son after Confederate general Thomas "Stonewall". The elder Jackson, a railroad engineer, became injured in a work-related accident and died shortly before the birth of young Stonewall. Nearly destitute, his mother took her family and hitchhiked to Georgia to work on a brother-in-law's farm. After she remarried, Stonewall suffered years of physical abuse at the hands of his stepfather. At fifteen Jackson ran away to enlist in the army, lying about his age. The truth surfaced and he was discharged. At seventeen he enlisted in the navy for four years. In 1954 he returned to Georgia to work as a sharecropper, saving some $350 of his pay to finance a move to Nashville.

His career got off to a storybook start. Two days after his twenty-fourth birthday, Jackson drove his gray 1955 Chevrolet pickup into Nashville and walked uninvited that day into the offices of Acuff-Rose Publications. His singing and songwriting impressed Wesley Rose enough that Rose helped Jackson gain an audition the following day for the Opry's George D. Hay and W. D. Kilpatrick, who gave him a contract without the benefit of a label or hit record. On his third day in Nashville, November 9, 1956, he appeared on the Opry's Friday Night Frolics program and became a member of the cast.

Ernest Tubb, who met Jackson onstage at that first Friday night broadcast, took the young singer under his wing, buying his first stage clothes, giving him the opening berth on his road show, and steering him to Columbia Records. His first hit came in 1958-59 with 'Life to Go' written by George Jones, with whom he was then touring. His next hit, 'Waterloo' was a #1 country hit for five weeks in the summer of 1959 and crossed over into the Billboard pop charts (#4), generating bookings on such pop TV programs as Dick Clark's American Bandstand. Hot on the heels of his successes 'Life to Go' and 'Waterloo', Stonewall Jackson was named Most Promising Country Male Star by Cash Box. Other Top Ten hits in the sixties include 'A Wound Time Can't Erase' (#3, 1962), 'B.J. the DJ (#1, 1964), 'Don't Be Angry' (#4), and 'I Washed My Hands in Muddy Water (#8, 1965). He's also known for his pro-Vietnam War hit 'The Minute Men (Are Turning in Their Graves)'. He left Columbia in 1973 for MGM Records, where he logged his final chart hit, 'Herman Schwartz,' that year. Jackson and his Minute-Men band (including son Turp on drums) occasionally tour and still keep their weekend Opry appearances. His autobiography, 'From the Bottom Up' was published by L. C. Parsons in 1991."

In 1977 Stonewall was presented the Ernest Tubb Memorial Award for his contributions to country music. By the end of his charted recording career, Stonewall had placed 44 singles on the Billboard country charts.

When Stonewall joined the Opry, he was part of the youth movement that was started by Opry manager Dee Kilpatrick. Others who joined the Opry during the same time period were Porter Wagoner and the Everly Brothers.

Stonewall was one of the Opry artists who were fired from the Opry on December 6, 1964 for failing to meet the Opry's appearance requirements. Stonewall was gone from the Opry for almost four and a half years, rejoining the show on May 10, 1969.

Stonewall made news in 2006 when he sued the Grand Ole Opry for $10 million in compensatory damages and $10 million in punitive damages, claiming age discrimination. As a member of the Opry for over fifty years, he believed that management was reducing his appearances in favor of younger artists. In his court filing, Jackson claimed that Opry general manager Pete Fisher stated that he did not "want any gray hairs on that stage or in the audience, and before I'm done there won't be any." Fisher was also alleged to have told Jackson that he was "too old and too country." The lawsuit was settled on October 3, 2008 for an undisclosed amount and Stonewall returned to performing on the Opry.

On the night that Stonewall Jackson returned to the Opry, on May 10, 1969, he was on the 7:00 segment hosted by Roy Acuff. Others on that segment included Jean Shepard and Leroy Van Dyke. Stonewall sang "Don't be Angry" and "Angry Words" during that half hour. On the 2nd show that night, he appeared in the 10:15 segment, again hosted by Roy Acuff and sang "Angry Words".

If there was ever a country singer, it was Stonewall Jackson. He had a distinctive voice and you knew a Stonewall song the minute it came on. Many of his songs had a honky-tonk beat to them. Pete Fisher was right was he said Stonewall was "too country."

I could never understand, with the number of hit records that Stonewall had, why he never received more recognition in Nashville, or on the award shows. And with his career accomplishments, in the opinion of this writer, Stonewall should have been in the Country Music Hall of Fame long ago. Yet, he has never received even serious consideration. Some of it could be that he was not a trailblazer in music and outside of his first few hits, he never had any crossover appeal. I think the other more recent reason is because of the lawsuit against the Opry. Gaylord is a big supporter of the Hall of Fame and I think people remember. Politics is in play many times with Hall of Fame voting and with the lawsuit, I think any chance Stonewall had pretty much went out the window.

But in my opinion, Stonewall was one of the great classic country music singers of all time and I am glad he is back on the Opry, although with reduced appearances, and I congratulate him on 55 years of Opry membership and send along my best wishes on his 79th birthday.

Grand Ole Opry Line Up 11/4 & 11/5

2011-11-03T15:54:00.002-04:00

Before I get into this week's schedule, how do you think some of those "younger fans" feel right now, who bought tickets for the Opry coming up in November, specifically to see Keith Urban and nobody else, and then he cancels out on the Opry for those two dates? Probably not so great, but that is what happens when the Opry tries to cater to a group that has no real interest in the Opry and specifically target an individual performer instead of promoting the entire show. Nothing against Keith Urban as I am sure it was a good reason why he had to cancel, but as "real" Opry fans know, you get used to performers who are advertised and not show up and we just accept it as part of the show. At least this time there was some advanced notice. But I am sure it created a lot of unhappy ticket buyers and considering how expensive it is to see the Opry, these same fans might think twice before buying a ticket again. And of course, that hurts the Opry's reputation and bottom line.

Anyways, the Opry is back at the Ryman Auditorium for the winter run and with the move, there is one show on Friday night and one show on Saturday night. Saturday nights show will feature the return of Stonewall Jackson to the Opry and this weekend will mark his 55th year as an Opry member. Congratulations to Stonewall and I am glad he is able to be at the Opry this weekend. Jean Shepard also returns to the Opry on Saturday, along with newcomers Sarah Darling and James Wesley.

The Friday Night Opry will feature a couple of newcomers with JT Hodges and Craig Campbell appearing at the Opry. I am pretty sure that this is JT's first appearance on the show.

Friday November 4:

7:00: Jeannie Seely (host); The Whites; Diamond Rio
7:30: Jimmy Dickens (host); Jesse McReynolds; JT Hodges
INTERMISSION
8:15: Jim Ed Brown (host); Jack Greene; Craig Campbell
8:45: Mike Snider (host); Rebecca Lynn Howard; Johnny Lee

Saturday November 5:

7:00: Jim Ed Brown (host); Connie Smith; James Wesley
7:30: Jimmy Dickens (host); Jimmy C Newman; Sarah Darling
INTERMISSION
8:15: Jean Shepard (host); Stonewall Jackson; Mark Wills; Opry Square Dancers
8:45: Mike Snider (host); Bobby Osborne & Rocky Top X-Press; Exile

I find it interesting that Jesse McReynolds is no longer listed as Jesse McReynolds & The Virginia Boys, even though his group is with him most nights he appears on the Opry.

For those counting at home, there will be 12 artists on each show, with 8 Opry members each night.

Connie Smith will be hosting the Ernest Tubb Midnight Jamboree on Saturday night. She is promoting her new CD and I hope the fans turn out.

Here is the line up for the Tuesday Night Opry, November 8:

7:00: Jimmy C Newman; Sunny Sweeney
7:30: Jimmy Dickens; Danny Gokey
INTERMISSION
8:15: The Whites; Diamond Rio
8:45: Jim Ed Brown; Darius Rucker

November Opry Highlights

2011-11-01T20:03:00.004-04:00

As I do each month, here are the important and historical events that have taken place in the history of the Grand Ole Opry during the month of November.

November 2, 1925: George D. Hay began working at WSM radio in Nashville as the Radio Director. Later that month, he would start the WSM Barn Dance and he would manage the Opry during it's early years.

November 28, 1925: WSM's Barn Dance, which later became known as the WSM Grand Ole Opry, was broadcast for the first time. The show took place from the fifth-floor studio in the National Life and Accident Insurance Company's headquarters in downtown Nashville. The first broadcast featured Uncle Jimmy Thompson, a 77-year-old fiddler who claimed that he knew over one thousand songs. "Tennessee Waggoner" was the first song played.

November 2, 1948: Roy Acuff, who was the Republican candidate for Governor of Tennessee, was defeated. While Roy would not seek political office again, he would continue to campaign for Republican office seekers including Ronald Reagan and George Bush. During his campaign appearances in the fall of 1948, Roy would sing and feature his Smoky Mountain Boys. But the story went that when the music stopped and his political speech would begin, the crowds would start to thin out.

November 13, 1949: The Grand Ole Opry sponsored its first overseas trip as a group of Opry performers traveled to England, Germany and the Azores as part of a USO sponsored tour. The Opry stars on this trip were Roy Acuff, Rod Brasfield, Jimmy Dickens, Red Foley, Minnie Pearl and Hank Williams.

November 21, 1955: Jean Shepard becomes a member of the Grand Ole Opry. Jean will also be celebrating her birthday and wedding anniversary on this date. This will be Jean's 56th year as an Opry member and she is the current Opry member that has been at the Opry for the longest number of years consecutively.

November 3, 1956: Stonewall Jackson became a member of the Grand Ole Opry. This year will be his 55th as an Opry member and he is on the schedule for this Saturday night. I think everyone has heard the Stonewall Jackson story before, but for those who have not, Stonewall just showed up outside the Opry one day and so impressed folks with his singing that he was asked to become a member even though he had never recorded a hit record. In the course of his career, Stonewall would have many hit records and become a big star in country music. Sadly, several years ago, Stonewall filed a lawsuit against Gaylord Entertainment and the management of the Opry claiming age discrimination. Although still offered slots to perform on the Opry, including on his 50th anniversary as an Opry member, Stonewall elected to stay away until the lawsuit was settled, which it eventually was in an out of court settlement. Since then, Stonewall has returned to actively performing on the Opry and while his appearances greatly increased immediately after the lawsuit, they have become more sporadic over the past several years. On November 6th, Stonewall will be celebrating his 79th birthday.

November 3, 1961: The Country Music Association announced the beginning of its Country Music Hall of Fame. The first performers honored were Jimmie Rodgers, Fred Rose and Hank Williams. The following year, 1962, Roy Acuff became the first leaving member to be elected to the Hall.

November 29, 1961: A group of Opry performers played a sold-out show at Carneige Hall in New York City. Among the Opry members who were part of the show were Jim Reeves, Marty Robbins, Bill Monroe, Patsy Cline and Grandpa Jones. No wonder the show sold out with a line up like that.

November 28, 1963: Willie Nelson joined the Grand Ole Opry. He did not last long as an Opry member and often complained about the low pay at the Opry. And of course, on his first night there, he was introduced with the wrong name. Those were the days that Willie had the short hair and was clean shaven. In 1972, Willie left Nashville for Austin, Texas, where he established himself as country music's outlaw singer. Willie would continue to play the Opry over the years.

November 12, 1971: Construction officially began on the new Grand Ole Opry House at Opryland. While there were those worried if the crowds would continue to come to the Opry once it moved out of downtown, that would not be an issue. When the new Opry House opened in March 1974, it would be the first building built specifically for the Opry.

November 10, 1973: David Akeman, otherwise known professionally as "Stringbean" made his final Grand Ole Opry appearance. That night when he and his wife Estelle returned home after the Opry, they were ambushed and killed by two men who were waiting to rob him. The killers sat in his house and listened to the Opry on the radio so they could judge when he would return home. The rumor at the time was that Stringbean had money, and lots of it, hidden in his small cabin. Nothing was found, but over twenty years later when the house was being worked on, $20,000 of rotted money was found within the walls of the house. The bodies of Stringbean and Estelle were found on Sunday morning by Grandpa Jones, Stringbean's neighbor and closest friend. Grandpa was so shaken by the killings that he left Nashville for a number of years and moved to Arkansas and had a country dinner theater. Roy Acuff and other members of the Opry called for the death penalty for the killers. Although the killers were quickly captured, they were not sentenced to death, but to lengthy prison terms. One of the killers was recently denied parole. A&E did a program on these murders several years back and they still show it from time to time. Not only was Stringbean famous for his work at the Opry, but he was one of the stars of Hee Haw. Opry announcer Grant Turner remembered Stringbean's final night at the Opry: "I'll never forget that night. I saw Grandpa Jones and Ramona talking with Stringbean and his wife. There were having so much fun; they were planning to go fishing. I was going to stop and say something to them, but they were busy talking. That was just a short time before Stringbean and his wife........" By the way, Stringbean was an early member of Bill Monroe's Blue Grass Boys.

November 21, 1985: Reba McEntire became a member of the Grand Ole Opry. This was her first Opry show as a member, as she actually joined the show on November 14, as part of the Opry's 60th anniversary special on CBS.

November 3, 1990: Minnie Pearl was honored on her 50th anniversary as an Opry member. When Minnie joined the cast in 1940, she was immediately accepted into the Opry's cast. Minnie remembered her Opry audition: "I auditioned in front of maybe eight or nine people. Harry Stone, Jack Stapp, Judge Hay, Ford Rush, all of those people standing in that old control room in Studio B on the fifth floor of the National Life building, and they just looked at me. They never cracked a smile. I didn't get through to them, I don't think." Ford Rush then told her after the audition that they had investigated her "and he wasn't sure those people out there wouldn't think I was a phony." Rush was concerned that she had attended Ward-Belmont College. She was then told that she would have a tryout on the Opry the following Saturday and she was told to report at 10:30 and to be ready to go on the Crazy Water Crystals show at 11:05, when, she was told, normally not very many people are listening. She further remembered that night: "I went to Judge Hay and I said, 'I'm Minnie Pearl'. We'll, I didn't say, 'I'm Minnie Pearl', that was the funny part of it. I said 'I'm Ophelia Colley,' which was my name then. He said, 'Oh, yes, you're the young lady that's going to do the comedy.' And I said, 'We'll, I'm going to try.'" She was told to go back to one of the dressing rooms at at 11 to come back to the stage. This was at the War Memorial Auditorium and she said it was not full as it was late at night and cold outside. At 11, she stood next to Judge Hay and she was shaking and the Judge asked if she was scared and she said she was. Then he gave his famous line to her, "Just love'em honey, and they'll love you back."

November 15, 1992: The Grand Ole Opry is inducted into the Museum of Broadcast Communication's Radio Hall of Fame.

November 23, 1992: Grand Ole Opry star and Country Music Hall of Fame member Roy Acuff passed away in Nashville. His influence on the Opry and in country music in general can never be overstated. Thanks in large part to Acuff-Rose Publishing, Nashville moved to the forefront of country music and his publishing company gave country music songwriters and entertainers a place to publish and claim ownership of their material without going to New York. Roy played the Opry right up to within a month of his death. He was the first living performer to be elected to the Country Music Hall of Fame. It is ironic that one of those younger entertainers who have tried to carry on the Opry tradition as Roy Acuff would have wanted was Marty Stuart, who became an Opry member on the Saturday following his death.

November 28, 1992: Marty Stuart becomes a member of the Grand Ole Opry. This will be his 19th year as an Opry member. Marty, along with fellow artists Ricky Skaggs and Vince Gill, have done much to carry on the Opry's tradition and have supported the show over the years.

November 27, 1993: Joe Diffie becomes a member of the Grand Ole Opry. This will be his 18th year as an Opry member.

November 30, 1995: Martina McBride became a member of the Opry as part of a CBS show that celebrated the Opry's 70th anniversary. Loretta Lynn, who was a big influence on Martina, handled the formal induction. This will be Martina's 16th year as an Opry member and what I will always remember is that earlier that year in October, Martina was invited to guest on the Opry on the night of the Opry's 70th birthday celebration. Martina was the final performer for that half hour, which was televised on TNN. The singing of Happy Birthday and the rolling out of the cake was to take place after Martina's songs, But, Martina song two ballads and she ran long on her slot and as a result the birthday celebration was not shown on televison, resulting in many unhappy viewers and some not-so-happy Opry members. Martina was crestfallen afterwards, believing that she had blown her chance to become an Opry member, and apologized to everyone. But a month later, her dream came true.

November 23, 1996: Trace Adkins makes his first appearance on the Grand Ole Opry. 7 years later, on August 23, 2003, he would become an Opry member.

November 7, 1998: Jimmy Dickens celebrated his 50th anniversary as an Opry member. Although he joined the Grand Ole Opry in 1948, it should be mentioned that Jimmy left the Opry 18 years, rejoining the show in 1975. With that in mind, and although he is often introduced from the Opry stage as a member of the Opry for over 62 years, it would be correct to say that he became an Opry member 63 years ago. (if you need a clarification, just ask Jean Shepard, who is real careful about her Opry history). Among those who came out to honor Jimmy on his special night wer Carl Smith, Waylon Jennings, Bobby Bare and Bill Anderson. At the time, the only other Opry members who had been with the show for 50 years were Herman Crook, Roy Acuff, Minnie Pearl, Bill Monroe and Grandpa Jones. Since then, 50 year members have included Wilma Lee Cooper, Billy Grammer, George Hamilton IV, Stonewall Jackson, George Jones, Charlie Louvin, Jimmy C Newman, Jean Shepard, Porter Wagoner, Teddy Wilburn and most recently, Bill Anderson. I question seeing George Jones on this list, and to be honest, I completely forgot Teddy Wilburn.

November 30, 2002: Tim McGraw makes his first appearance on the Opry. Although he never would become an Opry member, he has made several Opry appearances over the years.

November 14, 2005: The Grand Ole Opry returns to Carneige Hall in New York for the 3rd time to perform an Opry show. This was was featured in a special on GAC-TV and would be released as a DVD. This performance was part of the Opry's 80th anniversary. The performers on the show that night were Trace Adkins, Bill Anderson, Jimmy Dickens, Vince Gill, Alan Jackson, Alison Krauss, Martina McBride, Brad Paisley, Charley Pride, Ricky Skaggs and Trisha Yearwood. (Wouldn't you love to see this line up at the Opry House on a Saturday night?)

November 8, 2008: Actor Kevin Costner and his country band, Modern West, performed on the Opry for the first time. 2 years later, they would return for another appearance.

November 14, 2009: For the first time, the Opry streams part of its show on MySpace. The show featured Carrie Underwood, Martina McBride, Jake Owen and Rodney Atkins. The show had numerous technical flaws and problems, but despite the issues, the Opry would repeat this again.

There you have it. Enjoy!!!

Some Thoughts About The Opry On GAC

2011-10-30T20:43:00.003-04:00

During the month of October, GAC (Great American Country) and the Opry came to an agreement to televise a few of the Opry's shows. The shows were a combination of Tuesday night shows that were taped and shown later, and a couple of Saturday night shows that were shown live. These were the first new Opry shows to be televised since the September 2010 reopening of the Grand Ole Opry House, and prior to that it had been several years since the Opry had been televised.

In the opinion of this writer and Opry fan, the shows that were shown were, in a word, horrible. The shows featured a variety of artists, a few of whom such as Martina McBride, Craig Morgan, Carrie Underwood, Dierks Bentley and Randy Travis, were actually Opry members. The rest were not.

The recent history of the Opry on television started in the mid 1980s when TNN decided to televise a half hour of the Opry on Saturday night. Nothing special was done. The show stayed the same and whoever was scheduled on that half hour were the ones shown on the televised show. In fact, it was nothing more than putting up a camera or two and televising the radio show. The show usually started on time, although there were weeks when the segment proceeding the televised portion ran long and they had to kill some time before the segment started, and almost every week, the final performer was still singing as the credits ran on the screen. In other words, it was not scripted or polished. Those who appeared on the televised segment included just about everyone who was an Opry member. The rotation of hosts and guests was good and in a 6 month period, everyone usually got on once or twice. Sometimes the half hour had a host and 2 guests, and other weeks, there was a host and 4 guests. It just varied and you never knew who was going to be on until the show started. No pre-publicity of the show.

Over time, a half hour interview show was added that featured that night's artists. For special events, such as the Opry's birthday celebration, a whole hour of the Opry would be shown. Same formula and nothing extra special.

Eventually, the Opry moved to CMT and became an hour long show each week. And with it, the Opry management started to lose control of the show and the professionalism started to set in. The rotation of hosts became smaller and included only those who had a good tv presence. (no more Bill Monroes or Hank Snows), and the number of Opry members who were on the televised portion were picked from a smaller group, again featuring those with TV presence. And, there became more of an emphasis on guest artists promoting new material.

When CMT no longer showed an interest in the Opry, the Opry was forced to find a new marriage partner for television and the only network that came knocking was GAC. And with it, all control for the televised portion was lost. At first, Opry members continued to host the televised hour, but that eventually went away and the host became Nan Kelly, a professional announcer. The number of artists on the hour show went from 6 or 7, down to 5, and then to 4, with some weeks 3. The production became polished, and if you were in the Opry House watching the show, it felt like you were attending a tv taping. And, of the Opry's 65 or so members, only around 10 were actually shown on the show. The rest were guest artists, all young and "sexy" looking.

And that brings us to where we are now. A 1 hour show, that features either 3 or 4 artists, all singing numerous songs, with fancy lighting and large scale production values. The shows are all pre-scripted and rehearsed. The shows start and end right on time, down to the last second. And, there are many more commercials. If you are sitting in the Opry House during a televised show, you get lots of the Opry Staff Band, as that is who is playing on stage during all the commerical breaks.

Over time, most of us have gotten used to this and are happy that at least something from the Opry was televised. It really wasn't the Opry as such, but it was the best we were going to get. And that brings me to the shows this October. For whatever reason, the shows just didn't seem right, especially the birthday show. The timing was off, the camera shots were not real good, Nan Kelly seemed off her game, and I don't think some of the guest artists realized that they were on the Opry. I think they thought they were just at another television taping. In other words, the shows were terrible and tough to watch.

If you were sitting in the Opry House, it was even worse. As it is right now, the Opry is 2 hours in length. On a night when the Opry is televised, the 1st hour actually seems like the Opry. The show is good and moves at a good pace. There is about a 5 minute gap between the 1st and 2nd hours, which gives GAC time to make sure they get started right on time, the chance to get the cameras and lighting right and to make sure the artist and band is in place and ready to go. And, it gives the veteran Opry members time to get backstage to their dressing rooms so that they will not be accidently seen on television. Heaven help GAC if they show someone who is under the age of 40 on the televised show.

When you are in the Opry House, it seems like you are watching 2 separate shows. During the televised portion, the lights are turned up, the sound is louder and you are actually told when to clap and stand. And, it just seems so disconnected from the 1st hour that it doesn't seem like the Opry. When the televised portion is over, that is it. The show is over, right on time, and you are headed out the door. It turns the Saturday show into a mess.

I know the Opry needs televison to sell the product and to attract interest. And I know they want to keep it young as they want to attract younger fans to the Opry. And I know GAC has final control on who is on the televised portion and they want artists that they can promote and who will attract ratings.

So here is my idea and I think it would work. Leave the Saturday show alone. Management has messed it up already. Just leave it as the traditional Opry as we know it. Take the Tuesday night Opry, that has the different format, and tape the last hour and make that the televised show. It can still be shown on the network on Saturday. By taping the show on Tuesday night, it can be edited for televison and look better. The Tuesday Night Opry has been attracting some of the bigger named artists, as many are on the road over the weekend. And since the traditional Opry fan does not tend to go to the Tuesday night shows, they are not upsetting their traditional audience.

Of course a better idea would be to somehow come to a deal with RFD-TV as the Opry would be a perfect fit for their Saturday night line up with Marty Stuart and Midwest Country, along with their other shows. RFD has the traditional audience that grew up to and listens to the Opry. And, with RFD having an emphasis on traditional country music, we could see more of the veteran Opry members. I don't know if RFD has shown an interest in televising the Opry or if they did attempt a deal and could not make one or maybe they are happy with what they have and don't want to televise the Opry. But, if I were RFD, I would certainly explore the idea of televising the Opry. I think they would do a great job with the product and I think they would do it right.

That is just my thoughts.

Grand Ole Opry Line Up 10/27 & 10/28

2011-10-27T16:12:00.002-04:00

The Grand Ole Opry has posted the schedule for the shows this weekend. As they finish up October, there will be 1 show on Friday night and 2 shows on Saturday night. After this weekend, it is back to the 1 show Saturdays. Also, this will be the last weekend at the Opry House until February as the Opry moves to the Ryman Auditorium for the next 3 months.

Saturday night will feature the return of Clint Black to the Opry stage. He is scheduled for both shows. Saturday night will also feature the Opry honoring Charlie Daniels, who is celebrating his 75th birthday. (wow, where have the years gone?) Non-Opry members Gretchen Wilson and The Grascals will also be on.

The Friday Night Opry will have Opry member Diamond Rio, along with frequent Opry guests Mark Wills and Mandy Barnett. Mandy will again be signing her new "Sweet Dreams" album, along with "Winter Wonderland." In case you are wondering about the huge promotion of Mandy's new album, it is because it is being distributed by "Opry Music, a division of Grand Ole Opry LLC". The album was produced by Steve Gibson, who is the Opry's music director, and the executive producers are Steve Buchanan, Pete Fisher and Sally Williams. Interesting that they would pick Mandy for this project.

Friday October 27, 2011

7:00: Jeannie Seely (host); Jesse McReynolds; Daryle Singletary
7:30: Jimmy Dickens (host); Jimmy C Newman; Mandy Barnett
INTERMISSION
8:15: Mike Snider (host); Jack Greene; Mark Wills
8:45: John Conlee (host); Bobby Osborne & The Rocky Top-X-Press; Diamond Rio

Saturday October 28, 2011

1st show:
7:00: Jimmy Dickens (host); The Whites; The Grascals
7:30: Mike Snider (host); Lee Greenwood; Clint Black
8:00: John Conlee (host); Connie Smith; Gretchen Wilson; Opry Square Dancers
8:30: Jeannie Seely (host); Charlie Daniels Band

2nd show:
9:30: Jimmy Dickens (host); Jimmy C Newman; The Grascals
10:00: The Whites (host); Lee Greenwood; Clint Black
10:30: John Conlee (host); Connie Smith; Gretchen Wilson; Opry Square Dancers
11:00: Jeannie Seely (host); Charlie Daniels Band

The are 12 acts on the Friday Night Opry, of which 9 are Opry members, while there are 11 acts on each of the Saturday shows, of whom 8 are Opry members.

The Ernest Tubb Midnight Jamboree will be hosted by David Frizzell. That should be a fine show coming on after the Opry.

Tonight's Opry Country Classics will be the last show for this series. This time around, there were 4 classic shows in October. Here is the line up for this show:

Host: Bill Cody
Spotlight Artist: Ricky Skaggs
Also featuring: Lynn Anderson; Mandy Barnett; Jimmy C Newman; T.G. Sheppard; James Wesley.

It's nice to see Lynn Anderson back on. She was on the classics show that I saw last year and she looked and sounded great.

Here is the line up for the Tuesday Night Opry on November 1st, at the Ryman Auditorium:

7:00: Jeannie Seely; Edens Edge
7:30: Jimmy Dickens; Phil Vassar
INTERMISSION
8:15: Riders In The Sky; Rodney Atkins
8:45: Rascal Flatts

On a final note, Vince Gill's new studio album was released this week. Called "Guitar Slinger", in my opinion it is Vince's best album yet. I have listened to the cuts over and over and it is just great. And Vince has been all over television this week promoting it. I know he was on the Imus Show this morning, and has been on pretty much all the other morning show. "Threaten Me With Heaven" has placed on the charts and "If I Die" might be the best Vince song yet. It has a strong message. If you get a chance, check it out.

Classic Grand Ole Opry From The 1950s

2011-10-26T10:58:00.003-04:00

As we get to the end of the Opry's birthday month, I wanted to leave everyone with 2 Grand Ole Opry line ups from many years ago. Back in those days, the Opry didn't always celebrate it's birthday/anniversary in a formal way, but what I found were 2 line ups that took place in October during the week's that for the most part, the majority of the Opry's birthday celebrations have taken place. Sorry, but for both of these shows, I do not have any song lists, just the line ups. I hope that will work for everyone. As a reminder, both of these shows took place at the Ryman Auditorium and this was during the period that the Opry had only 1 show on Saturday nights, starting at 7:30 and lasting until midnight. (not like now when there is 1 Saturday night show that goes from 7 until 9). During this period, each act, for the most part, would appear on the show twice, once before 10 and once after 10. There were a few acts that would appear only once, and once in a while you would have an act that would make 3 appearances on the show.

The first line up is from Saturday October 17, 1953:

7:30
Hank Snow (host)
Lew Childre

7:45
Johnnie & Jack (host)
Cowboy Copas
Kitty Wells

8:00
Ernest Tubb (host)
Bill Monroe
Marty Robbins
June Carter
Carter Family

8:30
Jimmy Dickens (host)
Carl Butler
Jordanaires
Stringbean

9:00
Webb Pierce (host)
George Morgan
Martha Carson
S. & Matty

9:30
Carl Smith (host)
Jimmy Dickens
Anita Carter
Grandpa Jones
Chet Atkins

10:00
George Morgan (host)
Bill Monroe
Johnnie & Jack

10:15
Hank Snow (host)
Kitty Wells
Bill Monroe

10:30
Ernest Tubb (host)
Jimmy Dickens
Marty Robbins
Duke of Paducah
June Carter
Chet Atkins
Carter Family

11:00
Web Pierce (host)
Martha Carson
Rod Brasfield

11:15
Carl Smith (host)
Johnnie & Jack
Stringbean

11:30
Hank Snow (host)
Lew Childre

11:45
Cowboy Copas (host)
Grandpa Jones

The 2nd line up is from Saturday October 22, 1955:

7:30
Carl Smith (host)
Justin Tubb
Eddie Hill

7:45
Jimmy Dickens (host)
Goldie Hill
Red Sovine

8:00
Ernest Tubb (host)
Hawkshaw Hawkins
Jim Reeves
Martha Carson
T Tommy Cutrer
Maybelle Carter

8:30
Ray Price (host)
Jordanaires
Del Wood
Rod Brasfield
Chet Atkins

9:00
Carl Smith (host)
Louvin Brothers
Bill Monroe
Bill Carlisle
Grandpa Jones
Jean Shepard

9:30
Ferlin Husky (host)
Anita Carter
Chet Atkins
Lew Childre

10:00
Hawkshaw Hawkins (host)
Bill Monroe
Martha Carson

10:15
Ray Price (host)
Bill Carlisle
Justin Tubb

10:30
Ernest Tubb (host)
Jimmy Dickens
Eddie Hill

10:45
Ferlin Husky (host)
Goldie Hill

11:00
Carl Smith (host)
Hawkshaw Hawkins
Jim Reeves
Martha Carson
Grandpa Jones
Jean Shepard
Maybelle Carter

11:30
Ray Price (host)
Louvin Brothers
Lew Childre
Red Sovine

Yes, there were squaredancers and the string bands on the show, I just didn't have them in my line up. But, overall, a nice look back and pretty good shows both nights

This will be the last of the Opry birthday line ups as October is about done. I hope you have enjoyed this look back at some of the Opry shows from years past. Look for this week's Opry schedule and comments tomorrow.

Grand Ole Opry-October 18, 1980-Opry's 53th Birthday

2011-10-24T12:29:00.003-04:00

With only a week left in October (boy did this month go by fast) and not much news coming out of the Opry, I wanted to continue with line ups from the Opry's past birthday shows. This one is from October 20, 1978 and it was the Opry's 55th birthday celebration.

1st show:
6:00 Vietti
Jim Ed Brown (host): Pop A Top
Lonzo & Oscar: Georgia Pineywoods
Ernie Ashworth: This Old Boy Ain't Gonna Walk Your Line No More
Wilma Lee Cooper: A Daisy A Day
Jim & Jesse: Freight Train
Jim Ed Brown: Bottle, Bottle

6:30 Mrs. Grissom's
Charlie Walker: Crazy Arms
Connie Smith: He Was There All The Time
Charlie Walker: Don't Squeeze My Charmin

6:45 Rudy's
Stonewall Jackson (host): Me & You & A Dog Named Boo
Jan Howard: You Don't Know Me
Del Wood: Alabama Jubilee
Stonewall Jackson: Muddy Water

7:00 Shoney's
Porter Wagoner (host): Tennessee Saturday Night
Wilburn Brothers: Because He Lives
Billy Walker: Love Is Slippin' Through Our Fingers
Billy Grammer: Kentucky
David Houston: Lord, Don't Give Up On Me
Porter Wagoner: Everything I've Always Wanted

7:30 Standard Candy
Roy Acuff (host): Wabash Cannonball
Roy Drusky: Don't It Make You Want To Go Home
Minnie Pearl: Jealous Hearted Me
Crook Brothers/Tennessee Travelers: Black Mountain Rag
Onie Wheeler: Lucian's Song

8:00 Martha White
Ernest Tubb (host): Thank's A Lot
George Hamilton IV: Corn Bread, Beans & Sweet Potato Pie
Bill Carlisle: Same Ol' Tale That The Crow Told Me
Loretta Lynn: They Don't Make Them Like My Daddy Anymore/When The Tingle Becomes A Chill
Vic Willis Trio: Last Cheater's Waltz

8:30 Acme
Hank Snow (host): I'm Movin' On
Bill Anderson: From Rock N' Roll To The Rock Of Ages
Jeanne Pruett: Satin Sheets
4 Guys: Lovin' Up A Storm
Fruit Jar Drinkers: Saturday Night Hop
Hank Snow & Kelly Foxton: Check

2nd show
9:30 Kellogg's
Ernest Tubb (host): Walkin' The Floor Over You
Loretta Lynn: Coal Miner's Daughter
4 Guys: Swing Down Chariot
David Houston: My Elusive Dreams
Lonzo & Oscar: The Old Home Place
Ernie Ashworth: This Old Boy Ain't Gonna Walk You Line No More
Wilma Lee Cooper: Ain't Gonna Work Tomorrow
Jim & Jesse: Paradise

10:00 Little Debbie
Porter Wagoner (host): Ole Slewfoot
The Browns: The Three Bells
Charlie Walker: Pick Me Up On Your Way Down
Connie Smith: When God Dips His Love In My Heart

10:15 Union 76
Roy Acuff (host): Once More
Roy Acuff, Minnie Pearl, Mayor Fulton: Happy Birthday Grand Ole Opry
Roy Acuff, Minnie Pearl, Mayor Fulton, Opry Cast: God Bless America
Stonewall Jackson: Old Chunk Of Coal

10:30 Trailblazer
Billy Walker (host): Charlie's Shoes
Jan Howard: Rollin' In My Sweet Baby's Arms
Wilburn Brothers: God Bless America Again
Billy Walker: Funny How Time Slips Away

10:45 Beech-Nut
George Hamilton IV (host): Corn Bread, Beans & Sweet Potato Pie
Del Wood: Keep On The Firing Line
Crook Brothers/Bill Jones Promenadors: Mississippi Sawyer
George Hamilton IV: Forever Young

11:00 Coca-Cola
Hank Snow (host): There's A Fool Such As I
Billy Grammer: Blue Water
Fruit Jar Drinkers: Cocklin' Hen
Roy Drusky: I'll Hold You In My Heart
Kirk McGee: Milk 'Em In The Evening Blues
Hank Snow & Kelly Foxton: Check

11:30 Bama
Bill Anderson (host): Wild Weekend
Jeanne Pruett: It's Too Late/Back To Back
Vic Willis Trio: Old Flames Can't Hold A Candle To You
Sheila & Bill Carlisle, Jr: White Lightening
Bill Anderson: I Want That Feeling Again/Po' Folks
Po' Folks Band: The Devil Went Down To Georgia

In a couple of interesting notes from that night Skeeter Davis, Bill Monroe and Grandpa Jones were all on the schedule and cancelled. Skeeter was scheduled to be on the 6:00 segment and the 9:30 segment (which already had 8 acts on, not counting her). Bill Monroe was scheduled to host the 6:45 and 9:30 segments. At 9:30, they moved up Ernest Tubb, who was originally supposed to host the 10:45 segment. Loretta Lynn was also scheduled to perform on the 10:45 show, but was moved up to 9:30 to replace Skeeter, which allowed her to stay on Ernest's segment. George Hamilton was scheduled in the 11:00 segment but was moved up to host the 10:45 segment instead of Ernest. (hope you got all that moving around). Grandpa Jones was scheduled to host the 6:30 and 10:30 segments.

When Bill Anderson hosted the 11:30 segment, that was his first time being on the final segment of the Opry since October 1971. During Billy Grammer's segment on the 1st show, he introduced Ben Jones from the Dukes of Hazzard, while the Wilburn Brothers introduced Donna Douglas from the Beverly Hillbillies during the 2nd show.

I also found it interesting that the 2nd show was so loaded that Loretta Lynn only did one song, And in 1980, she was at the peak of her career. If anyone should have been allowed a couple of songs it was Loretta. And Roy Acuff, on each of his segments, only did 1 song, the opening one. He did not do a final number on either one of the shows.

The Opry that night ended at just after 12:35, so for a birthday show, it did not run over as long as many of those shows.

Grand Ole Opry's 53rd Birthday-October 21, 1978

2011-10-21T20:10:00.006-04:00

As I have been doing all during the month of October, I want to post another birthday line up from the Opry. This one is from the Grand Ole Opry's 53rd birthday show, which took place on Saturday October 21, 1978 at the Grand Ole Opry House. Here is the running order of the shows:

1st show:
6:00 Vietti
Jimmy Dickens (host): Sleeping At The Foot Of The Bed
Wilma Lee Cooper: Come Walk With Me/Cheated Too
Jim & Jesse: My Baby's Gone/Ashes Of Love
Del Wood: Are You From Dixie
Jimmy Dickens: We Could
Jimmy Dicken's Band: Little Liza Jane

6:30 Mrs Grissom's
Wilburn Brothers (host): It's Another World
Justin Tubb: What's Wrong With The Way That We're Doing It Now
Bill Carlisle: Is Zat You, Myrtle
Wilburn Brothers: Mama's Shoebox

6:45 Rudy's
Ernest Tubb (host): Thanks A Lot
Jeannie Seely: There Goes My Everything
Ernest Tubb: Waltz Across Texas
Billy Grammer: Kentucky

7:00 Shoney's
Porter Wagoner (host): Ole Slewfoot
Skeeter Davis: The End Of The World/I'll Fly Away
Charlie Louvin: I Gave My Love A Cherry/What Are Those Things With Big Black Wings
Vic Willis & C.W. Mitchell: Cimarron
Philamena Begley: Blanket On The Ground
Porter Wagoner: I'm Gonna Feed You Now

7:30 Standard Candy
Roy Acuff (host): Wabash Cannonball/Tenn. Central #9/Sunshine Special
Minnie Pearl: Jealous Hearted Me
Stonewall Jackson: My Favorite Sin
Crook Brothers/Stoney Mountain Cloggers: Sally Goodin
Roy Acuff: I Saw The Light

8:00 Martha White
Lester Flatt (host) & The Nashville Grass: My Sara Jane
Grandpa Jones: It's Raining Here This Morning/Fly Around My Pretty Little Miss
Lonzo & Oscar: There's A Hole In The Bottom Of The Sea
Stu Phillips: It's A Heartache
Tater Tate: Black Mountain Blues

8:30 Stephens
Hank Snow (host): Ramblin' Rose
Jeanne Pruett: Satin Sheets
Hank Locklin: Send Me The Pillow That You Dream On/Country Hall Of Fame
Fruit Jar Drinkers: Cracklin Hen
Hank Snow: I'm Movin' On

2nd show:
9:30 Kellogg's
Ernest Tubb (host): Seaman's Blues
Jeannie Seely: Who Needs You
Jimmy Dickens: Family Reunion
Wilburn Brothers: Mama's Shoebox
Wilma Lee Cooper: Where Is America Going
Ernest Tubb: Waltz Across Texas

10:00 Fender
Porter Wagoner: I'm Gonna Feed You Now
Jim & Jesse: Stormy Horizons
Justin Tubb: What's Wrong With The Way That We're Doing It Now
Billy Grammer: I'm Letting You Go
Porter Wagoner: Ole Slewfoot

10:15 Union 76
Roy Acuff (host): Night Train To Memphis
Minnie Pearl: You Are My Sunshine
Roy Acuff/Minnie Pearl/S. Davis/S. Jackson/Wilburns: Happy Birthday Grand Ole Opry
Charlie Louvin: When I Was Your Man
Bill Carlisle: Same Ol' Tale The Crow Told Me
Roy Acuff: Gone Away

10:30 Trailblazer
Lester Flatt (host): Homestead On The Farm
Skeeter Davis: I'll Fly Away
Del Wood: Alabama Jubilee
Vil Willis & C.W. Mitchell: Bob
Charlie Nixon: Columbus Stockade Blues

10:45 Beech-Nut
Grandpa Jones (host): Are You From Dixie
Lonzo & Oscar: A Fan Of Country Music
Crook Brothers/Ralph Sloan Dancers: Billy In The Low Ground
Grandpa Jones: Kitty Klyde

11:00 Coca-Cola
Hank Snow (host): I've Been Everywhere
Stonewall Jackson: Don't Be Angry/My Favorite Sin
Fruit Jar Drinkers: Nubbing Ridge
Kirk McGee: While I'm Away
Hank Snow: I'm Not At All Sorry For You

11:30 Acme
Hank Locklin (host): Flying South
Jeanne Pruett: Break My Mind/Satin Sheets
Stu Phillips: Blue Canadian Rockies/Have I Told You Lately That I Love You/You Win Again/Release Me
Hank Locklin: Send Me The Pillow That You Dream On

Del Reeves and Marion Worth were both scheduled that night but cancelled out. As usual with the birthday shows from that era, the 1st show ran basically on time, but the 2nd show ran long. The show ended at 12:28 pm and that was only due to the fact that the final segment, which had only 3 artists scheduled, took only 20 minutes to complete. Roy Acuff's segment that featured the formal birthday celebration and was supposed to be a 15 minute segment lasted 35 minutes.

Grand Ole Opry Schedule 10/21 & 10/22--Updated

2011-10-19T13:42:00.004-04:00

Update: Joe Diffie was a last minute cancellation for Friday night. Rebecca Lynn Howard replaced him.

I know that I have been posting lineups from Opry shows in years past, and more of that will be coming as the Opry continues through its birthday month, but now is the time to get back to the present as the Grand Ole Opry has posted the lineup for the shows this weekend. As with previous weeks in October, there is 1 show on Friday night and 2 shows on Saturday.

Saturday night's show will feature the annual "Opry Goes Pink" as the show remembers those who have suffered from breast cancer and helps create aweness. Martina McBride will throw the switch and the Opry barn will be pink in color for the night. Martina will be on the first show only on Saturday, while Opry member Ronnie Milsap will be appearing on both shows. In addition, American Idol performer Lauren Alaina will be guesting, along with Jeff & Sheri Easter. The last hour of the show will be televised on GAC.

The Friday Night Opry will feature former Opry member and Country Music Hall of Famer Ray Price, who will also be the spotlight artist on the Thursday night Opry Country Classics show. Also appearing on Friday night will be Opry member Joe Diffie, along with non-members Mountain Heart and Whitney Duncan.

Friday October 21

7:00 Jeannie Seely (host): Jimmy C Newman; Jim Ed Brown; Rebecca Lynn Howard
7:30 Jimmy Dickens (host): Bobby Osborne & The Rocky Top X-Press; Mandy Barnett
INTERMISSION
8:15 Riders In The Sky (host): The Whites; Mountain Heart
8:45 Mike Snider (host): Whitney Duncan; Ray Price

Saturday October 22

1st show:
7:00 Jimmy Dickens (host); Mike Snider; Jeff & Sheri Easter
7:30 Bill Anderson (host); Connie Smith; Ronnie Milsap
8:00 Lauren Alaina; Edens Edge; Kellie Pickler; Martina McBride

2nd show
9:30 Jimmy Dickens (host); The Whites; Kellie Pickler
10:00 Mike Snider (host); Edens Edge; Ronnie Milsap
10:30 Bill Anderson (host); Jeannie Seely; Lauren Alaina; Opry Square Dancers
11:00 Riders In The Sky (host); Jesse McReynolds; Connie Smith; Jeff & Sheri Easter

That comes to 13 artists on Friday night (wow, up from the usual 12), of whom 9 are Opry members. The 1st show on Saturday night is down to 10 artists, of whom only 6 are Opry members. The 2nd Saturday show is back up to 13 artists, with 9 Opry members. And, on the 1st show the square dancers only get the opening slot.

The Ernest Tubb Midnight Jamboree will feature Georgette Jones has the host. That should be a good show. Of course, she should be on the Opry that night, but no go.

Opry Country Classics on Thursday October 20 will have Ray Price as the spotlight artist. Here is that lineup:

Host: Bill Cody
Spotlight Artist: Ray Price
Also Appearing: Jim Ed Brown; Charlie McCoy; Chuck Mead; Jeannie C. Riley; The Whites; Holly Williams

And, finally, the line up for the Tuesday Night Opry, October 25th has been posted. That show will feature Keith Urban.

7:00 John Conlee; Kip Moore
7:30 Jimmy Dickens; Sunny Sweeney
INTERMISSION
8:15 Bill Anderson; Little Big Town
8:45 Keith Urban

Grand Ole Opry's 50th Birthday Celebration-October 18, 1975

2011-10-17T20:06:00.002-04:00

On Saturday night October 18, 1975, the Grand Ole Opry celebrated it's 50th birthday. Some will say that outside of the opening night of the new Opry House in 1974, that this night produced the greatest line up in the history of the Opry. When you look at the line up, it is hard to argue. If not the 2nd best show history, it certainly is in the top 5.

The birthday celebration took place during the 2nd show. What I have is the line up from the 1st show and the running order and song list from the 2nd show, including the actual times that the segments took place.

When I was in Nashville several weeks back, I was asked how do I get these line ups. As I told the person then, some of these come from my own records and some come from others who I know have kept a record of many of the shows over the years. In this case, I want to give credit where credit is due, and the running order of the 2nd show comes courtesy of a friend of mine, Barry. You will see Barry leaving comments once in a while on the blog and I appreciate him sending me this show line up. Thanks Barry!!

Saturday October 18, 1975

1st Show:
6:00 Vietti
Bill Anderson (host)
Stonewall Jackson
Billy Grammer
Stu Phillips
Justin Tubb

6:30 Mrs Grissoms
Jack Greene (host)
Jeannie Seely
The Carlisles
4 Guys

6:45 Rudy's
Del Reeves (host)
Barbara Mandrell
Charlie Louvin
Jimmy C Newman

7:00 Shoney's
Ernest Tubb (host)
Hank Locklin
Skeeter Davis
Jim & Jesse
The Wilburn Brothers

7:30 Standard Candy
Roy Acuff (host)
Jean Shepard
Minnie Pearl
Charlie Walker
Don Gibson
Del Wood
Crook Brothers
Tennessee Travelers

8:00 Martha White
Porter Wagoner (host)
Dolly Parton
David Houston
Dottie West
Wilma Lee & Stoney Cooper

8:30 Stephens
Hank Snow (host)
Jeanne Pruett
Roy Drusky
Ray Pillow
Marion Worth
Willis Brothers
Fruit Jar Drinkers

2nd Show
9:30-10:10 Kellogg's
Ernest Tubb (host): If You Don't Quit Checkin' on Me
Willis Brothers: Give Me 40 Acres
Connie Smith: How Can You Accuse Him Now
Stonewall Jackson: Waterloo
Barbara Mandrell: Johnny B Goode
Stu Phillips: Only You Can Touch the Wind
The Carlisles: Same Old Tale
Jim & Jesse: Paradise

10:10-10:40 Fender
Bill Anderson (host): Country DJ
Jean Shepard: I'm A Believer
George Lindsey: Comedy
Del Reeves: Impressions of Ernest Tubb, Hank Snow, Walter Brennan, Tex Ritter
Skeeter Davis: On the Way Home
Hank Locklin-Country Hall of Fame
Justin Tubb: Lonesome 7-7203

10:40-11:35 Union 76
Roy Acuff (host): Cottonfields
Roy Clark & Family: A Sweet Bunch of Daisies/Pain in my Heart/John Hardy
Minnie Pearl: Comedy/Thinking Tonight of My Blue Eyes
Tammy Wynette: Clap Your Hands
Presentations by Hal Durham, Hal Davis and Mayor Richard Fulton
Birthday Cake
Charlie Louvin: American Trilogy
Billy Grammer: Instrumental
Jimmy C Newman: Alligator Man

11:35-12:05 Trailblazer
Porter Wagoner (host): Indian Creek
Dolly Parton: We Used To
4 Guys: Down by the Lazy River
Jack Greene: Statue of a Fool
Jeannie Seely & Dottie West: Don't Touch Me
Porter Wagoner & Dolly Parton: Say Forever You'll Be Mine
Dolly Parton: The Seeker

12:05-12:25 Beech-Nut
Archie Campbell (host): Make Friends
Dottie West & Jeannie Seely: Here Comes My Baby
The Wilburn Brothers: Country Honey
Susan Raye: He Gives Me Something to Forgive Him For
Alcyone Beasley: Special Award
Crook Brothers/Stoney Mountain Cloggers: Cotton Eyed Joe

12:25-12:50 Coca Cola
Hank Snow (host): I've Been Everywhere
Jeanne Pruett (with Dottie West & Jeannie Seely): Satin Sheets
Charlie Walker: Pick Me Up On Your Way Down
The Fruit Jar Drinkers/Stoney Mountain Cloggers: Bill Cheatam
Del Wood-Keep on the Firing Line
Kirk McGee: Freight Train
Hank Snow: A Fool Such As I

12:50-1:15 Baltz Bros
Roy Drusky (host): Sunrise
David Houston: Sweet Molly
Marion Worth: For the Good Times
Ray Pillow: Roll on Truckers
Roy Drusky: I Really Don't Want to Know/Throwing Rice at Her Now/Four Walls

As you can see, this show was loaded and really ran over. It is amazing that they scheduled 7 acts in a 15 minute segment!! Even with this line up there a few Opry members missing including Marty Robbins, Grandpa Jones and Bill Monroe, among the bigger names.

In addition, here is the artists that were on the Ernest Tubb Midnight Jamboree that night:

1:15-2:15 Ernest Tubb Midnight Jamboree Part 1
Ernest Tubb
Moe Bandy
Willie Nelson
Jimmie Skinner
Lois Johnson

2:15-3:15 Ernest Tubb Midnight Jamboree Part 2
Justin Tubb
Brian Collins
Barbara Fairchild
Atlanta James
The Tumbleweeds

Hope you enjoy!!!

Grand Ole Opry--October 16, 1971

2011-10-16T19:32:00.002-04:00

I hope that I am not overdoing it with these line ups that I have been posting. Please let me know if you think I am, but as the Opry is celebrating it's birthday all month, I thought it would be nice to go back and look at some of the great shows from years past. This show, October 16, 1971, took place 40 years ago tonight and what a great line up this show had. As with a couple of the other past line ups I have posted, the annual country music disc jockey's convention was in town and being 1971, this show took place at the Ryman Auditorium.

1st Show:
6:00 Vietti
Tex Ritter (host): Just Beyond the Moon
Dolly Parton: Coat of Many Colors
Jim Ed Brown: Morning
Stonewall Jackson: Me & You & A Dog Named Boo
Roy Drusky: Long, Long Texas Road
Willis Brothers: Women's Liveration
Tex Ritter: Fall Away

6:30 Mrs Grissoms
Bill Anderson (host) & Jan Howard: Dissatisfied
Jan Howard: Hurt All Over
Ray Pillow: Haven't You Heard
Ernie Ashworth: A Bottle of the Blues
Bill Anderson: Quits

6:45 Rudy's
Bill Monroe (host): I Hear A Sweet Voice Calling
Stu Phillips: I'd Rather Be Sorry
Bill Carlisle: Too Old to Cut the Mustard
Bill Monroe: Katy Hill

7:00 Luzianne
Roy Acuff (host): Wabash Cannonball
Wilma Lee & Stoney Cooper: Coming Down From God
Tom T Hall: The Year that Clayton Delaney Died
Del Wood: Gloryland March
Howdy Forrester: Sally Goodin
George Morgan: Gentle Rains of Home
Roy Acuff: I'll Fly Away

7:30 Standard Candy
Ernest Tubb (host): Answer the Phone
Loretta Lynn: Put You Hand in the Hand
Charlie Louvin & Melba Montgomery: Something to Brag About
Crook Brothers: Black Mountain Rag
Jack Greene: There Goes My Everything
Jeannie Seely: All Right, I'll Sign the Papers
Charlie Walker: Pick Me Up On Your Way Down
Ernest Tubb: Shenandoah Waltz

8:00 Martha White
Lester Flatt (host): Will You be Loving Another Man
Grandpa Jones: Are You From Dixie
Dottie West: Country Girl
Billy Walker: You Gave Me a Mountain
Del Reeves: Philadelphia Fillies
Justin Tubb: Big Fool of the Year
Lester Flatt: Foggy Mountain Breakdown

8:30 Stephens
Hank Snow (host): Sea Shores of Old Mexico
Wilburn Brothers: That She's Leaving Feeling
Connie Smith: How Great Thou Art
Fruit Jar Drinkers: Devils Dream
Bob Luman: Today I Started Loving You Again/Honky-Tonk Man
4 Guys: Shenandoah
Hank Snow: Send Me the Pillow You Dream On

2nd Show:
9:30 Kelloggs
Tex Ritter (host): Fall Away
Dolly Parton: Coat of Many Colors
Jim Ed Brown: She's Leaving
Roy Drusky: I Love the Way that You've Been Loving Me
Stonewall Jackson: Don't Be Angry
Jimmy C Newman: Louisiana Dirty Rice
Del Wood: Are You From Dixie

10:00 Fender
Bill Anderson (host): Quits
Bill Anderson & Jan Howard: Dissatisfied
Grandpa Jones: Mountain Dew
Ray Pillow: The Waitress

10:15 Union 76
Roy Acuff (host): Wabash Cannonball
Stu Phillips: I'd Rather Be Sorry
George Morgan: Gentle Rains of Home
Roy Acuff: The Great Speckled Bird

10:30 Trailblazer
Lester Flatt (host): The Bluebirds Singing For Me
Tom T Hall: The Year Clayton Delaney Died
Dottie West: Here Comes My Baby
Justin Tubb: Lonesome 7-7203
Bill Carlisle: No Help Wanted
Lester Flatt: Orange Blossom Special

10:45 Beech-Nut
Ernest Tubb (host): Letters Have No Arms
Loretta Lynn: Lead Me On
Billy Walker: How Great Thou Art
Crook Brothers: Eighth of January

11:00 Coca-Cola
Hank Snow (host): Snowbird
Earl Scruggs Review: T for Texas
Jack Greene: There's A Whole Lot About A Woman A Man Don't Know
Jeannie Seely: Don't Touch Me
Fruit Jar Drinkers: Hickory Leaf
Del Reeves: Whole Lotta Shakin' Going On/Hound Dog
Freddie Hart: Easy Lovin'/My Hang Up is You
Sam McGee: San Antonio Rose

11:30 Elm Hill
Marty Robbins (host): Devil Woman
Wilburn Brothers: That She's Leaving Feeling
Connie Smith: Just One Time
4 Guys: Let the Sun Keep Shining
Bob Luman: Getting Back to Norma
Marty Robbins: I Walk Alone
Marty Robbins: Begging to You
Marty Robbins: Don't Worry
Marty Robbins: Big Boss Man
Marty Robbins: They'll Never Take Her Love From Me
Marty Robbins: Singing the Blues
Marty Robbins: El Paso

The only Opry members who were not on the schedule this particular night were Bobby Bare, Margie Bowes, Archie Campbell, Skeeter Davis, Billy Grammer, Hank Locklin, Lonzo & Oscar, Bobby Lord, Osborne Brothers, Jean Shepard, Stringbean, Marion Worth and George Hamilton IV. In addition, Porter Wagoner, Tompall and the Glasers, Jim & Jesse and Cousin Jody were scheduled but cancelled out.

During the Hank Snow segment on the 1st show, he introduced Nudie, who was in from California. And during the Ernest Tubb segment on the 2nd show, he brought out Dennis Weaver.

The first show actually stayed pretty much on time, which is amazing considering the number of artists on some of the segments. I think it was mostly a quick introduction and then the song and on to the next artist. Some of the segments had more artists on then what the Opry now has on for an entire show!!

The 2nd show started at 9:35, just a few minutes late, but as usually happened many times, it fell way behind schedule. The first segment with Tex Ritter was ok, but then the following 15 minute segments all lasted at least 20 minutes. The Hank Snow segment, which had 8 acts scheduled, lasted for 45 minutes, while the last segment with Marty Robbins didn't start until 12:20 (supposed to start at 11:30) and ended at 1:00 am. Marty's last group of songs lasted 20 minutes.

Hope you enjoy that look back. It reminds us of what the Opry once was.

Remembering Doyle Wilburn

2011-10-15T13:01:00.004-04:00

It was on Saturday October 16, 1982 that Doyle Wilburn passed away. This great Opry star performed with his brother Teddy as the Wilburn Brothers. Doyle's given name was Virgil Doyle Wilburn and he was born on July 7, 1930 in Hardy, Arkansas. Doyle, along with his siblings Teddy, Lester, Leslie and Geraldine, first performed publicly on Christmas Eve in 1937. This performance took place on a street corner in Thayer, Missouri. They were brought to the attention of Roy Acuff, who brought them to Nashville in 1940 to perform on the Grand Ole Opry. However, child labor laws prevented them from joining the cast.

The story on how Roy Acuff brought them to the Opry is an interesting one. Roy was always looking for new acts to bring to the Opry and through his touring and recording, he was known as one of the hardest workers at the show. The Wilburn's were dirt poor during the depression. Their father could not work due to his poor health. He and his wife decided to make the family into a musical group and he ordered instruments from the Sears catalog, built a stage in the backyard, and had the kids practice. That let do their first street appearance in 1937. The local merchants got behind the children and raised money to send them to a talent contest in Jonesboro. They won first prize. They performed everywhere and Pop Wilburn borrowed money against his home to buy a $100 car to travel in. In 1939, their home burned down and the family had to live in a chicken house and then a tent. Then a year later, came the big break and Roy Acuff.

The Wilburn Children were playing at a radio station in Dothan, Alabama, when Pop heard that a Birmingham radio station was having a talent contest that would feature Roy Acuff, Bill Monroe and some other Opry acts. On the way to the contest, a tire blew out on the car and the family arrived too late. As Teddy remembered, "My dad situated us at the side door of the auditorium and when Roy came out Pop had us performing the song, 'Farther Along'. Roy stood there watching us and with tears in his eyes." Roy had the children come up on stage with him that night and had them sing the song and it brought the house down. When Acuff got back to Nashville, he told David Stone, WSM program manager, about the Wilburns. Stone sent them a telegram to come to Nashville for an audition. They rushed to Nashville, did the audition and got hired at the Opry. Mail came in by the sacksful and the fans loved the children. But, the child labor laws were very restrictive at the time and after trying to work around them, it got to much for the Opry and after six months, they had to leave. The Wilburn Children left Nashville, but continued on with their career.

After signing a recording contract with Four Star, the four brothers went to Shreveport, Louisiana, where from 1948 until 1951, they were featured on KWKH radio and the Louisiana Hayride. In 1951, Doyle, along with his brother Teddy, were drafted and both served in the Korean War. One interesting side note to their time in Shreveport is that the brothers invited an unknown Webb Pierce to be a guest on their radio program, which led to Webb's career-launching Louisiana Hayride stint, and eventually Doyle and Teddy played guitar and bass on his first Decca recording session.

After being discharged from the military, Doyle and Teddy, by then a duo, toured with Pierce, who was by then a member of the Opry and one of its bigger stars. On November 10, 1956 Doyle and Teddy became members of the Grand Ole Opry. The had also signed a recording contract with Decca Records.

During the late 1950s and 1960s, the Wilburn Brothers recorded such hits as "I'm So In Love With You," "Trouble's Back In Town," "Roll, Muddy River," "Let Me Be The First To Know", and "Somebody's Back In Town." They also displayed strong songwriting talents. The brothers, who were known for their vocal harmonies, also back up other artists's recordings.

The Wilburn Brothers were also successful businessmen. They owned and operated the Sure-Fire music publishing firm and the Wil-Helm Talent Agency. That talent agency was also co-founded with Don Helms. While Sure-Fire published early songs by Loretta Lynn, whose Decca contract was negotiated by the Wilburns, Wil-Helm booked top country acts such as Jean Shepard, Sonny James and the Osborne Brothers. In 1963 the Wilburn Brothers also began a highly successful syndicated TV show, which featured Loretta Lynn, who had been part of their road show in the 1960s. The program, which can still be seen today on RFD-TV, was one of the first syndicated programs to be in color. After Loretta left the show in the early 1970s, the duo signed 15-year-old Patty Ramey, who appeared on their TV shows and toured with them on her summer vacation. Patty Ramey would go on to have a very successful career as Patty Loveless. Their television show lasted until 1974.

Doyle was married for a brief time to fellow Opry member Margie Bowes. In 1982, he passed away from cancer at the age of 52. His brother Teddy would continue on as a solo artist and Opry member, and would remain with the show until his death in 2003. Doyle is buried in the Nashville National Military Cemetery, next to his brother Teddy.

Despite their great success as a duo, the Wilburn Brothers never had a #1 record. Even without having that number one record, there are many people, including myself, who feel that the Wilburn Brothers should have long ago been elected to the Country Music Hall of Fame. I know that several times, including last year, they have been finalists. One reason on why they have not been elected might have to do with their dispute with Loretta Lynn that ended up in the courts. The Wilburn Brothers held the publishing rights to Loretta's songs, including any that she would write well after she left the Wilburn's show. As a result, Loretta quit writing songs, which many feel led to her career dropping off in the 1980s, as most of her success came from songs that she wrote. The dispute was so bitter and the Wilburns were so unwilling to settle, that the whole issue ended up in court, resulting in bad publicity for the Wilburns. The result of this is that many feel Loretta has used her influence with the hall of fame votes to help keep the Wilburns out. I would hope that this is not the case and that over time the bad feelings would heal and the Wilburns will eventually get in.

In honor of Doyle Wilburn, I am going to present 2 Opry line ups. The 1st is from Saturday October 2, 1982, which was the last appearance of Doyle on the Grand Ole Opry. The 2nd line up that I am going to post is from October 16, 1982. Doyle had died earlier that day, at 9:30am that morning. In honor and memory of his brother, Teddy performed on the Opry that night, which was also was also the week of the annual disc jockey convention in Nashville. It would be the following week that the Opry would have it's annual birthday bash.

So to remember Doyle, here is the Opry line up from Saturday October 2, 1982, Doyle's last Opry appearance.

1st show:
6:30 Mrs. Grissoms
4 Guys (host): I Don't Want Your Love Forever
Justin Tubb: Lonesome 7-7203
4 Guys: Catfish John

6:45 Rudy's
Jack Greene (host): I've Still Got Room For One More Heartache
Lonzo & Oscar: Take Me Home Country Roads
Jack Greene: There Goes My Everything/Statue of a Fool

7:00 Shoney's
Porter Wagoner (host): Howdy Neighbor, Howdy
Skeeter Davis: The End of the World
Ernie Ashworth: There's No Place I'd Rather Be Tonight
Charlie Louvin: Mama's Angels
Jeannie Seely: You Don't Need Me, But You Will
R.E. Hardaway: N.Y. City Song
Porter Wagoner: I've Enjoyed As Much Of This As I Can Stand/Ole Slewfoot

7:30 Standard Candy
Grandpa Jones (host): Eight More Miles to Louisville
Charlie Walker: T for Texas
Jean Shepard: Alabama Jubilee
Ray Pillow: She's Doing It to Me Again
Billy Grammer: Homestead on the Farm
Crook Brothers/Tennessee Travelers: Cotton-Eyed Joe
Joe Carroll: Aunt Dinah's Quilting Party

8:00 Martha White:
Roy Acuff (host): Wabash Cannonball
Jan Howard: You Don't Know Me
David Houston: Almost Persuaded
Stonewall Jackson: Life to Go
WILBURN BROTHERS: The Light House
Roy Acuff: Jesus Will Outshine Them All

8:30 Acme
Hank Snow (host): Right or Wrong
Vic Willis Trio: Old Flames Can't Hold A Candle To You
Bill Carlisle: Have A Drink On Me
Roy Drusky: What About You
Fruit Jar Drinkers: Saturday Night Hop
Hank Snow: I'm Glad I Got To See You Again

2nd show:
9:30: Kellogg's
Porter Wagoner (host): Howdy Neighbor, Howdy
4 Guys: Turn Your Radio On
Jeannie Seely: I'm All Through Crying Over You
Ernie Ashworth: Talk Back Trembling Lips
Lonzo & Oscar: I Can Hear Kentucky Calling Me
R.E. Hardaway: N.Y. City Song
Porter Wagoner: I've Enjoyed As Much Of This As I Can Stand

10:00 Little Debbie
Grandpa Jones (host): Banjo Sam
Skeeter Davis: I'll Fly Away
Charlie Louvin: Northwind
Grandpa Jones: It's Raining Here This Morning

10:15 Sunbeam
Charlie Walker (host): San Antonio Rose
Jean Shepard: Too Many Rivers
Ray Pillow: One Too Many Memories
Charlie Walker: Waltz Across Texas

10:30 Martha White
Roy Acuff (host): Low & Lonely
WILBURN BROTHERS: Arkansas
Roy Acuff: Farther Along

10:45 Beech-Nut
Roy Drusky (host): Chattanooga Shoe Shine Boy
Billy Grammer: I'm Letting You Go
Crook Brothers: Billy In The Low Ground
Roy Drusky: Blues In My Heart

11:00 Coca-Cola
Hank Snow (host): Down The Trail Of Aching Hearts
Jan Howard: Where No One Stands Alone
Justin Tubb: Pull The Covers Over Me
Fruit Jar Drinkers: Bill Cheatham
David Houston: I'm Gonna Hire A Wino
Kirk McGee: Blue Night
Hank Snow: Old Doc Brown

11:30 Hardee's
Stonewall Jackson (host): Don't Be Angry
Vic Willis Trio: Last Cheater's Waltz/Let It Be Me
Bill Carlisle: Same Ol' Tale That The Crow Told Me
Sheila & Bill Carlisle Jr: In The Pines
Stonewall Jackson: Ol' Chunk Of Coal/Waterloo

Now here is the line up from Saturday October 16, 1982, the day that Doyle died and Teddy performed solo for the 1st time.

1st show:
6:00: Vietti
Del Reeves (host) 2 Dollars in the Jukebox/A Dime at a Time/Looking at the World Through A Windshield
Jeannie Seely: Roarin' & Runnin
Lonzo & Oscar: Take Me Home Country Roads
Jimmy Dickens: John Henry
TEDDY WILBURN: Crazy Arms
Del Wood: The World is Waiting for the Sunrise
Del Reeves: Let's Think About Livin

6:30 Mrs Grissoms
4 Guys (host): I Think About Your Lovin' All The Time
Jan Howard: I Hope this Day is Good
4 Guys: Catfish John

6:45 Rudy's
Billy Walker (host): Detour
Justin Tubb: What's Wrong With the Way that We're Doing it Now
Billy Walker: You Gave Me A Mountain

7:00 Shoney's
Porter Wagoner (host): The Man in the Little White Suit
Charlie Louvin: I Just Steal Away Somewhere & Pray
Jean Shepard: I Love You Because
Hank Locklin: Danny Boy
Billy Grammer: Somebody Loves You
Jimmy C Newman: Diggy Liggy Lo
Mack Magaha's Group: Old Flames

7:30 Standard Candy
Grandpa Jones (host): My Happy Little Home in Arkansas
Stonewall Jackson: Don't Be Angry
Connie Smith: Till I Kissed You
Sonny Osborne: Rocky Top
Charlie Walker: Pick Me Up On Your Way Down
Crook Brothers/Tennessee Travelers: Eighth of January
Grandpa Jones: Neighbors

8:00 Martha White
Roy Acuff (host): Wabash Cannonball
Roy Drusky: The Last Farewell
Minnie Pearl: Careless Love/Comedy
Charley Pride: Kiss an Angel Good Morning/Lovesick Blues/Kaw-Liga
Roy Acuff: Back in the Country/I Saw the Light

8:30 Acme
Hank Snow (host): Forever +1 Day; Forever +2
Jack Greene: Half That Much
Vic Willis Trio: Let It Be Me
Bill Carlisle: Rough Stuff
Riders In The Sky: How the Yodel Was Born
Fruit Jar Drinkers: Sugar Tree Stomp
Hank Snow: Why Do You Punish Me

2nd Show
9:30 Kelloggs
Porter Wagoner (host): The Man in the Little White Suit
4 Guys" Stealing the Feeling
Del Reeves: Good Hearted Woman
Jeannie Seely: I'm All Through Crying Over You
Roy Drusky: Wings of a Dove
Lonzo & Oscar: Gone, Gone, Gone
Hank Locklin: Danny Boy
Porter Wagoner: Carroll County Accident/Cold Hard Facts of Life/Green, Green Grass of Home

10:00 Little Debbie
Stonewall Jackson (host): Ol' Chunk of Coal
Jimmy Dickens: May the Bird of Paradise Fly Up Your Nose
Jan Howard: When I Dream
Del Wood: Keep on the Firing Line
Stonewall Jackson: Muddy Water

10:15 Sunbeam
Grandpa Jones (host): Are You From Dixie
Billy Walker: Behind Closed Doors
TEDDY WILBURN: Arkansas
Osborne Brothers: Old Flames

10:30 Martha White
Roy Acuff (host): Stay A Little Longer
Roy Acuff/Minnie Pearl: I'll Fly Away
Connie Smith: Sing, Sing Sing

10:45 Beech-Nut
Jimmy C Newman (host): The Cajun Band
Charlie Louvin: When I Stop Dreaming
Jean Shepard: I Don't See How I Can Make It With You Gone
Crook Brothers: Chicken Reel

11:00 Coca-Cola
Hank Snow (host): I'm Moving On
Billy Grammer: Believe Me/When You and I were Young, Maggie
Charlie Walker: Pick Me Up On Your Way Down
Fruit Jar Drinkers: Saturday Night Hop
Justin Tubb: Pull the Covers Over Me
Kirk McGee: Blue Night
Hank Snow: Paper Roses

11:30 Hardee's
Jack Greene (host): It's Hard to do the Disco with a Girl In San Francisco
Vic Willis Trio: Always On My Mind
Bill Carlisle: Elvira
Riders In The Sky: Here Comes the Santa Fe
Larry Gatlin: Broken Lady/It Sure Feels Like Love/All The Gold in California/I Don't Wanna Cry
Jack Greene: This Ol' Heart Is Gonna Rise Again

As you can guess by the number of acts on the 2nd show, the show did not end until 12:59, one hour over.

I hope you enjoy this look back at Doyle Wilburn. He and his brothers were one of the greatest harmony duos in the history of country music.

Grand Ole Opry's 63rd Birthday Celebration-October 15, 1988

2011-10-14T20:07:00.002-04:00

In continuing with the theme of October being the Opry's birthday month (even though the show started in November), here is another of the Grand Ole Opry line up's, this one from the Opry's 63rd birthday bash that took place on Saturday October 15, 1988.

1st Show:
6:30 Mrs Grissoms
Charlie Walker (host): Right or Wrong
Jeannie Seely: Don't Touch Me
Charlie Walker: Who'll Buy the Wine/Take Me Back to Tulsa

6:45 Rudy's
Jimmy Dickens (host): Sleepin' at the Foot of the Bed
4 Guys: The Grandest Lady of Them All
Jimmy Dickens: September Memories

7:00 Shoney's
Tom T Hall (host): Fox on the Run
The Whites: It's Not What You Know, It's Who You Know
Jack Greene: There Goes My Everything
Holly Dunn: That's What Your Love Does to Me/Someday
Tom T Hall: I Know You're Married/Foggy Mountain Breakdown

7:30 Standard Candy
Roy Acuff (host): Wabash Cannonball
Dottie West: Everytime Two Fools Collide
Grandpa Jones: Are You From Dixie
Minnie Pearl: Comedy
Roy Acuff: I Saw the Light

8:00 Martha White
Bill Monroe (host): Rollin' In My Sweet Baby's Arms
Skeeter Davis: The End of the World
Charlie Louvin: You're Here Today and Gone Tomorrow
Stonewall Jackson: Don't Be Angry
Opry Square Dance Band/Stoney Mountain Cloggers: Lafayette
Bill Monroe: Wayfaring Stranger

8:30 Music Valley Merchants
Hank Snow (host): Gonna Find Me a Bluebird
Jean Shepard: At the Time
Del Reeves: I Would Like to See You Again
Roy Drusky: Have I Stayed Away too Long
Hank Lockin: Send Me the Pillow that You Dream On
Hank Snow: The Prisoners Song

2nd Show:
9:30 Dollar General
Grandpa Jones (host): Uncle Eph Got a Coon
Skeeter Davis: Joy, Joy, Joy, Joy Down in My Heart
Tom T Hall: P.S. I Love You/Old Dogs & Children & Watermelon Wine
Bill Carlisle: Knothole
Lorrie Morgan: That's What Friends Are For
Grandpa Jones: Apple Jack

10:00 Little Debbie
Ray Pillow (host): Too Many Memories
Holly Dunn: Someday/Daddy's Hands
Ray Pillow: So Far, Not So Good

10:15 Sunbeam
Roy Acuff (host): Meeting in the Air
Jimmy Dickens: Take An Old Cold Tater
Roy Thackerson: Orange Blossom Special
Everyone: Happy Birthday, Grand Ole Opry
Roy Acuff: I'll Fly Away

10:30 Pet Milk
Del Reeves (host): Two Dollars in the Jukebox/A Dime at a Time/Looking at the World Through a Windshield
Jack Greene: If Its Love Your Playing For
Del Reeves: Bad News

10:45 B. C. Powder
Bill Monroe (host): Bile Them Cabbage Down
Jean Shepard & Gerry Ford: A Dear John Letter
Opry Square Dance Band/Stoney Mountain Cloggers: Ragtime Annie
Bill Monroe: I'm Working on a Building

11:00 Coca-Cola
Hank Snow (host): Between Fire & Water
Dottie West: Here Comes My Baby/Everytime Two Fools Collide
The Whites: Swing Down, Chariot
Hank Snow: Once More, Your Mine Again

11:30 Creamettes
4 Guys (host): Tennessee
Roy Drusky: Blues In My Heart
Charlie Louvin: My Baby's Gone
Hank Locklin: Danny Boy
4 Guys: Shut the Door, Keep out the Devil

Tomorrow, I will have something special regarding Doyle Wilburn and the Opry's birthday from 40 years ago.

Grand Ole Opry Schedule 10/14 & 10/15

2011-10-13T14:08:00.003-04:00

Update: Jim Ed Brown has replaced John Conlee as the host of the opening segment on Friday night.

Before getting to the Grand Ole Opry schedule for this coming weekend, there are a couple of pieces of sad news that I need to pass along.

First, George "Pee-Wee" Rogers, the longtime steel guitar player for Jimmy Dickens passed away on Tuesday. He was a part of the Opry for over 40 years, and played with Jimmy for about the past 30. He was 76 and had cancer. I did not realize that he was ill, but I did notice that he was not playing with Jimmy on the Opry this past weekend. He was there the last time I went in the summer, but he became ill shortly after that. His signature playing was instantly recognized, especially on the introduction to, "Live Turned Her That Way."

And then just a few moments ago, the word came down on the death of another veteran musician, Taz Digregorio, who was the longtime keyboard player and vocalist with the Charlie Daniels Band. He died last night after being involved in a car accident on the way to meat the Charlie Daniels tour bus, as they were preparing to do a few road dates, which have since been cancelled. Taz was an original member of the band and was with Charlie for over 40 years. He was also the co-writer of "The Devil Went Down To Georgia."

Now, as far as this week's Opry shows, with the October schedule in effect, there are 2 shows Saturday night at the Opry House. And, as you would expect, the line ups are pretty good, but not great and as a result, the Opry is selling discount tickets to the shows. The Saturday shows will feature new Opry members the Oak Ridge Boys, along with Elizabeth Cook, The Secret Sisters and Joey+Rory. I saw The Secret Sisters when I was in Nashville earlier this year, and they are an interesting duo. They have great voices and I know they have been featured on various shows. Also on Saturday, Jean Shepard is scheduled for both shows. She was on the original schedule for last weekend, but was taken off. Glad to see her on for this week.

On Friday night, Larry Gatlin will be returning to the Opry stage, along with his brothers. Larry has almost become a real Opry regular, as this will be his 16th appearance this year. I am glad to see that as the Opry needs the Larry Gatlins of the world to appear on a regular basis. Also appearing will be Opry member Josh Turner, along with frequent Opry guests Darryl Worley, Mark Wills and Mandy Barnett, who again will be doing some signings in the Opry shop before the show.

Friday October 14

7:00: Jim Ed Brown (host); The Whites; Darryl Worley
7:30: Jimmy Dickens (host); Bobby Osborne & The Rocky Top X-Press; Josh Turner
INTERMISSION
8:15: Mike Snider (host); Jack Greene; Mandy Barnett
8:45: Larry Gatlin & The Gatlin Brothers (host); The Black Lillies; Mark Wills

Saturday October 15

1st Show
7:00: Jimmy Dickens (host); Jimmy C Newman; Joey+Rory
7:30: Mike Snider (host); Jim Ed Brown; Elizabeth Cook
8:00: Jean Shepard (host); Jesse McReynolds; The Secret Sisters; Opry Square Dancers
8:30: Bill Anderson (host); Jim Lauderdale; Oak Ridge Boys

2nd Show
9:30: Jimmy Dickens (host); Jimmy C Newman; Joey+Rory
10:00: Mike Snider (host); Jim Ed Brown; Elizabeth Cook
10:30: Jean Shepard (host); Jan Howard; The Secret Sisters; Opry Square Dancers
11:00; Bill Anderson (host); Jim Lauderdale; Oak Ridge Boys

2 pretty similar shows for Saturday night. In fact, just 1 difference between both shows. All 3 shows this weekend have 12 artists scheduled, which seems to now be the magic number. Of those 12 on each of the 3 shows, each night has 8 Opry members.

This week's Opry Country Classics show on Thursday October 13 will take place at the Grand Ole Opry House, as the Ryman Auditorium is booked for other activities. The spotlight artist will be Lorrie Morgan. A real treat will be former Opry member from years gone by, Jim Glaser being scheduled on the show. I always thought that he, along with his brothers, were just great. I know Hank Snow really liked them and if memory serves me right, Hank hosted the televised portion of the Opry when he celebrated his 40th year as an Opry member and he insisted that the Glaser Brothers be a part of the show. The Glasers thought so much of Hank that they put aside their differences and got back together for that one night.

Here is the line up for Opry Country Classics:

Host: Bill Cody
Spotlight Artist: Lorrie Morgan
Also Appearing: John Conlee; Dailey & Vincent; Jim Glaser; Daryle Singletary; Rhonda Vincent

Finally, here is the line up for the Tuesday Night Opry on October 18. This will feature the return of Opry members Brad Paisley and Carrie Underwood to the Opry. Also being featured will be country music Hall of Famer's, Alabama.

Here is the line up for the Tuesday Night Opry, October 18:

7:00: Bill Anderson; Josh Thompson
7:30: Jimmy Dickens; Del McCoury Band
INTERMISSION
8:15: Carrie Underwood; Alabama; Brad Paisley

I am not sure if GAC is doing a tv taping of that last hour or not, but it would not surprise me at all.

Grand Ole Opry's 61st Birthday Celebration--October 11, 1986

2011-10-12T15:00:00.002-04:00

As I promised to do, I am going to spend some time in October, which is the Opry's birthday month, of publishing some of the line ups from past birthday shows. For many years, the Opry's birthday was part of the annual disc jockey convention in Nashville and for the Opry's members, it was one of their most important weekends of the year. That was during the time when radio stations tended to be owned by small operators who programmed their own music. Once a year they had a big convention in Nashville and it was tied into the Opry's birthday celebration. In fact, the birthday shows grew out of the convention.

For the radio station people, it was like old home week. They got to see many of the stars that they grew to know from past conventions, or when they appeared in their own towns and the radio stations were part of the sponsorship. For the artists, it was a chance to be seen and to promote themselves. This was especially important for the new young artists, who depended on the radio station disc jockeys to play their songs. Most of the artists did private shows during the week. Another feature was that almost every disc jockey carried around a tape recorder and the artists would be taped doing station identifications and other promos for the stations.

A video was put out a number of years ago that covered the week. It is called, "The Nashville Sound" and it is priced at under $20 at the Ernest Tubb Record Shop. It is a good one to see and it features many Opry performances.

Anyways, the first line up I want to post is from October 11, 1986, 25 years ago. It was the Opry's 61st birthday celebration and it was tied into that year's convention. You will notice from the line up, and it shows up in many of those earlier shows, the Opry's formal celebration with the cake normally took place during the 2nd show. It was after the shows started being televised that the focus of the celebration switched to the 1st show.

Here is the running order and song list for both shows on October 11, 1986:

1st Show:
6:30 Bonanza
Jim Ed Brown (host): Looking Back To See
Jeanne Pruett: Satin Sheets
Osborne Brothers: Once More
Jim Ed Brown: Send Me The Pillow That You Dream On

6:45 Rudy's
Charlie Walker (host): The Mean Woman With The Green Eyes
4 Guys: The Grandest Lady Of Them All
Charlie Walker & Joe Edwards: Ida Red

7:00 Shoney's
Tom T Hall (host): The Year That Clayton Delaney Died
David Houston: No One Will Ever Know/Blue Eyes Crying In The Rain
Hank Locklin: Danny Boy
Ed Bruce: The Streets Of Laredo/You're The Best Break This Old Heart Ever Had
Tom T Hall: Old Dogs & Children & Watermelon Wine

7:30 Standard Candy
Roy Acuff (host): Wabash Cannonball
The Whites: It Should Have Been Easy
Connie Smith: Hold Me Back
Crook Brothers & Melvin Sloan Dancers
Minnie Pearl: Comedy
Roy Acuff: Meeting In The Air

8:00 Martha White
Bill Monroe (host): Molly & Tenbrooks
Jack Greene: There Goes My Everything
Jean Shepard: Second Fiddle
Riders In The Sky: Teardrops In My Heart
Roy Drusky & Riders In The Sky: Cool Water
Bill Monroe: Lord, Protect My Soul

8:30 Music Valley Merchants
Hank Snow (host): Forever +1; Forever +2
Lorrie Morgan: Do I Love You
Billy Walker: Am I Blue
Del Wood: 12th St. Rag
Stu Phillips: The Great El Tigre
Hank Snow: Nevertheless/Nova Scotia

2nd Show:
9:30 Dollar General
Bill Monroe (host): Uncle Pen
4 Guys: Fox On The Run
Jeannie Seely: All I Need To Know
Tom T Hall: P.S. I Love You/I'm Not That Good At Goodbyes
Bill Monroe: The Boat Of Love

10:00 Little Debbie
Stonewall Jackson (host): Don't Be Angry
Jan Howard: You Don't Know Me
Bill Carlisle: Leave That Liar Alone
Stonewall Jackson: Old Chunk Of Coal

10:15 Sunbeam
Roy Acuff (host): Meeting In The Air
Charlie Louvin: I Can't Help It/Mansion On The Hill
Roy Thackerson: Orange Blossom Special/Ragtime Annie
Roy Acuff & Everyone: Happy Birthday Grand Ole Opry

10:30 Pet Milk
Jim Ed Brown (host): Everyday People
Ed Bruce: Nights Are The Lonliest Part Of The Day
Jim Ed Brown: The 3 Bells

10:45 Heil Quaker
Billy Walker (host): Word Games
The Whites: Blue Letters
Crook Brothers & Melvin Sloan Dancers: Bill Cheatham
Billy Walker: You Gave Me A Mountain/Charlie's Shoes

11:00 Coca-Cola
Hank Snow (host): Right Or Wrong
Jean Shepard: Slippin' Away
Justin Tubb: Thankss Troubadour, Thanks
Hank Locklin: Please Help Me I'm Falling
Connie Smih: Hold Me Back
David Houston: Living In A House Full Of Love
Hank Snow: It Kinda Reminds Me Of Me/Nova Scotia

11:30 Quincy's
Jack Greene (host): Midnight Tennessee Woman
Lorrie Morgan: Unchained Melody
Roy Drusky: Mississippi
Riders In The Sky: How The Yodel Was Born
Johnny Russell: No One Will Ever Know

Now, for those counting at home, especially after the mess of this year's birthday show with only 9 artists on the first show and 11 on the 2nd, 1986 had 23 on the line up, while the 2nd show had 24 artists on (not counting the musical numbers.

I hope you enjoy and will have more birthday shows coming.

Observations & Thoughts Regarding the Opry's 86th Birthday Bash

2011-10-10T18:57:00.002-04:00

I am back from Nashville and wanted to offer my observations and thoughts regarding the Grand Ole Opry's 86th birthday celebration. I will start off by saying that I have attended every Grand Ole Opry birthday weekend since the 1980s and I know that several of my readers go back even further than that. During that time period I have only missed one birthday show and that was in 1994 when my youngest son was born. I would have to say that the Saturday night early show might have been the worst birthday show that I have ever attended. More on that later, but let me start off with Thursday night.

Thursday night featured Opry Country Classics at the Ryman Auditorium. The Ryman was about half full and for those who were in attendance, the show was excellent and very well done. Bill Cody from WSM was the host and if you have seen and heard him before, then you know he is energetic and has a great personality. Eddie Stubbs was the announcer and he did his usual good job.

The show started off with Jeannie Seely, who did 2 nice numbers. She was followed on stage by former Statler Brother Jimmy Fortune. Jimmy did 3 of the Statler Brothers hits that he had written including "Elizabeth" and "More Than A Name On The Wall." He was in great voice and did an excellent job. Rebecca Lynn Howard was up next and did the great Connie Smith song, "Once A Day", along with a second number. Then came one of the highlights of the night and that was the great Leroy Van Dyke. He looked and sounded great. I cannot believe that he just had his 82nd birthday. He had on black pants, a black shirt and a bright orange jacket. He did 3 number including his 2 great hits, "Walk On By" and "The Auctioneer". He taked for a few moments about his on-line school for auctioneers and how he first came to the Opry in 1959.

After a 15 minute intermission, Janie Fricke was next and she looked absolutely great. I saw her on the Opry about 15 years ago and her voice is as good as it ever was. She has a new CD out where she re-recorded her hits in a bluegrass style. She did a great job on "Why Me Lord". Rebecca Lynn Howard did another song and then it was time for the spotlight artist and that was Charley Pride. Charley looked and sounded great. He did his hits including "Is Anybody Going To San Antone", along with "Crystal Chandeliers" and "Kiss An Angel Good Morning." All in all, it was a very good show.

The Friday Night Opry was back at the Opry House and the main level seating was filled, along wth the lower balcony. The show was pretty good although I thought the crowd was a little "flat". Mike Snider hosted the 1st segment and actually told more jokes than you usually get out of him. Lately he seems to be concentrating on his music. Jim Ed Brown was next up and did a nice job on a couple of numbers including "Scarlet Ribbons". Jason Michael Carroll was Mike's final guest and was good. He made the mistake of signing a couple of autographs on stage, which I am sure he heard about when he was done, but over all did a good job. He is another of those young talents that is trying to make a career in the business. Mike finished out the segment with another musical number.

Jimmy Dickens hosted the 2nd segment and he looked and sounded very good. In fact, he looked better than I have seen him in a while and while not trying to jump ahead, my wife was watching the televised portion on Saturday night, and she even said he looked pretty good. Jimmy C Newman was the 1st guest and did one cajun number and then Crystal Bowersox of American Idol fame was out. She did a ballad song with just her guitar and then was joined by her husband on the 2nd number. She sounded ok, but I really don't think she is a true country singer. Jimmy then closed out his portion of the show with the usual jokes about his wife and then it was intermission time.

After intermission, Charley Pride hosted the next segment. He was dressed in the same shirt and pants that he wore Thursday night and did the same opening song, "Kiss An Angel Good Morning". That was expected as it was one of his big hits. Jack Greene was next. Jack looked and sounded great, but you can tell he is aging. And, he appears to have lost his eyesite. He was led out to his spot on the stage and stood there. He did "There Goes My Everything" and transitioned into "Statue Of A Fool". He stumbled on the words between the songs and looked to his guitar player who I could see saying the words to him. But other than that little misstep, he nailed it and received a partial standing ovation from the crowd. After he was done, he just stood there for a minute like he was unsure what to do, but then in a very nice jester, Charley came over and guided him off the stage. Next up was Mandy Barnett, who did a meet and greet in the Opry shop before the show. If you have Facebook, you will see a picture of me and her on my page. She did 2 songs from her "Sweet Dreams" CD, which is out on the Opry label. Charley finished up with a final number.

The final segment was hosted by Ricky Skaggs and no, he did not get a haircut. He did a Stanley Brothers song and then brought on Connie Smith. Connie did 2 songs including "Once A Day". She sounded great, but looked a little ragged, like she was getting over a cold. The Whites then did a number and finished with "It's A Big Wheel", with Ricky helping out. Then the cake was brought out, with only Mandy Barnett and The Whites a part of it. Happy Birthday was sung and the Friday Night Opry was over. I would say it was a pretty good show.

Saturday Night's Grand Ole Opry featured the formal Opry induction of Rascal Flatts. Both shows were sold out and the crowd was very into both shows. As I mentioned above, the birthday show did not seem up to the standard of past years. For one thing, only 9 artists were on the schedule so I was expecting maybe something special happening as part of the induction. So were several others that I talked to. But no, nothing extra happened.

Jimmy Dickens hosted the 1st segment and he sounded just as good as he did on Friday night. Jimmy C Newman was out next and then Chuck Mead & His Grassy Knoll Boys. When listening to Chuck's new group, you would have thought you were listening to his old group, BR5-49. Not only that, but he played for free as part of the Opry Plaza Party before the show outside the Opry House. Chuck did do a nice job. The 2nd segment was hosted by Jeannie Seely, and featured The Whites and Charley Pride. They segment ended a little early as they had to get ready for the television portion, which was the final hour. In fact, there was about a 5 minute wait between the 2nd segment and the television portion.

If you watched on GAC or listened on WSM, then you know the televised portion started off with Rascal Flatts. They did their opening number and then Nan Kelley from GAC came out on stage and introduced the show to the television audience. Rascal Flatts then did another number and the show was off and running. It seemed like they turned up the noise level in the Opry House as the music seemed much, much louder then it did in the opening hour of the Opry. Craig Morgan was out and did 3 songs, 2 of which were on the televised portion. While they were running the interviews on GAC, the Opry Staff Band did a total of 3 numbers through out the show. That seemed a bit too many. Ronnie Dunn did 2 songs and while he did a nice job on them, from a personal standpoint, I just did not care for him. Just me as I know others enjoyed Ronnie.

Rascal Flatts was out next and after their song there was a video by George Bush that was nicely done. Pete Fisher came out to do the induction with Jimmy Dickens. Like I said before, I was expecting more and it just never happened. In looking at Jimmy standing on the stage, it almost seemed to me that he didn't want to be there. I am sure that was not the case, but he just looked it. The 3 members of Rascal Flatts gave their thanks, but they ran long and I know it was cut short on television. If you know from past birthday celebrations, then you know that traditionally they would cut to a commercial and then come back for a final segment of the cake being rolled out and Happy Birthday being sung. But, they rolled the cake out during the commercial break to no announcement in the Opry House. Besides the artists on the televised portion, I could see Jim Ed Brown, Vince Gill and I think Charley Pride up on stage. Yep, Vince was there with the cake but there was no introduction of Vince and he kind of stood off in the back. He might have been scheduled to come out and do a final song with Rascal Flatts, but the timing of the show was very bad and the show did not have a good flow to it. It just seemed disjointed. Anways, they came back from the commercial, sang Happy Birthday, let off the balloons and at some point during that time, the televised portion ended. After Happy Birthday, that was it and almost exactly at 9 the show was over. It just kind of ended suddenly.

The 2nd show started at 9:30 and it was much better than the first. I think televising an hour of the Opry just messes up the show. As I have pointed out before, it just seems like you are watching two separate shows, a one hour pre-show and then the televised show. Anyways, when the 2nd show started, I think only about half the crowd had made it into the Opry House. With the Opry not used to having 2 sold out shows on a Saturday night, as they don't have many weeks with 2 shows anymore and certainly not 2 sold out shows, they did not handle the crowd very well and had trouble moving the people in. I know when I walked back in around 9:30, the ticket takers at the door had stopped scanning the tickets and we just letting people walk in as fast as they could.

Jimmy Dickens hosted the 1st segment of the 2nd show and opened with "Mountain Dew". George Hamilton IV did "Abilene" with George the 5th, and Ronnie Dunn was out doing the same 2 songs he did on the 1st show. After the commercial, Jimmy said there was someone in back just hanging around and needed to do some work, so he was giving up his 2nd song and brought out Vince Gill, to a great ovation. He did "Look At Us." Very nice job.

Charley Pride hosted the 2nd segment and had Bobby Osborne and his group on, and among their 2 songs, he did "Rocky Top". Chuck Mead finished out the segment. Jim Ed Brown hosted the 3rd segment and did "Pop-A-Top" and was great. Jan Howard was his first guest and they featured the Opry singers, although Jim Ed called them the Carol Lee Singers. Carol Lee is still not there and has been gone from the Opry since around March. Hopefully, she will be back some day. Craig Morgan did 2 nice songs and it was noted that it was his 3rd anniversary as an Opry member. The Square Dancers did their usual job with Earl White and Charlie Collins. They attempted to get Craig Morgan out to dance, but he took a couple of steps and that was it. Jim Ed finished with "The Three Bells".

Jeannie Seely hosted the final segment and opened with "Ode To Billy Jo". Her only guest were Rascal Flatts and they again talked about their Opry membership and did 3 songs. Then Jeannie came back and ended the show without a final number, as they finished up right on time at 11:30. Overall, I thought the 2nd show on Saturday night was the best of the bunch.

The Ernest Tubb Midnight Jamboree was hosted by the Quebe Sisters. If you like western swing then you would love them. The theater was full and I saw Jim Ed Brown and Jan Howard hanging around the back during the show. Not sure, but Jeannie Seely might have been there also.

The Opry did have a new edition of the Opry's Picture History Book on sale. Now what was odd, and I thought not fair to the people who were there on Friday night, on that night they were still selling the old book, while on Saturday night the new book was being sold. The new book was updated to add the Oak Ridge Boys and Rascal Flatts and Wilma Lee Cooper, Billy Grammer and Charlie Louvin had been removed. The Carol Lee Singers were still pictured with Carol Lee, so that is why I thought maybe she might be back some day.

That covers the weekend in Nashville and at the Opry. Even though the birthday show was not as good as in past years, and that is just my opinion, it is still great to go to the Opry and to see the show. And I plan at being at the birthday show next year. To those who I saw and talked with, thanks for being there and thanks for taking the time to chat. I just wished we could have done it longer as I always enjoy meeting the readers of the blog and sharing Opry stories and gossip. We just have to do it more often then once a year. Thanks again to everyone.

Grand Ole Opry 10/7 & 10/8--86th Birthday Celebration

2011-10-05T13:17:00.002-04:00

This weekend the Grand Ole Opry will be celebrating its 86th birthday. Traditionally, the Saturday night show of the birthday weekend has produced some of the strongest line ups that the Opry will see during it's entire year. And while the Saturday night line up for this weekend has some good quality to it, there are only 9 artists scheduled for the 1st show. Yep, that is not a misprint---only 9 artists. And, for the last hour which will be televised live on GAC, there are only 3 artists scheduled for the whole hour. I know that it is the induction of Rascal Flatts as Opry members, but that is just ridiculous!!! I can remember when the birthday show would have 20-30 artists scheduled for the night and the shows would be fantastic. I am hoping that they will be adding an artist or two as a surprise during that last segment as that is a lot of time to fill with just the 3 that they have.

As far as Saturday night is concerned, besides the formal induction of Rascal Flatts as Opry members, Ronnie Dunn will be making his Opry debut as a solo artist. Also appearing will be Craig Morgan. Charley Pride will be in town for all the shows over the weekend, including the Opry Country Classics show on Thursday night. And American idol Crystal Bowersox, along with Jason Michael Carroll and Ricky Skaggs will be on the Friday Night Opry.

The Opry has taken the approach that the birthday celebration is no longer a weekend affair, but is now a celebration that lasts the entire month and the birthday weekend has turned into birthday week. The Tuesday night show this past week, and the Tuesday night show for the following week is very strong, which is good for the Opry and attendance, but to me, it just seems to take away the importance of the Saturday night show.

Now for the schedule:

Friday October 7:
7:00: Mike Snider (host); Jim Ed Brown; Jason Michael Carroll
7:30: Jimmy Dickens (host); Jimmy C Newman; Crystal Bowersox
INTERMISSION
8:15: Charley Pride (host); Jack Greene; Mandy Barnett
8:45: Ricky Skaggs (host); Connie Smith; The Whites

Saturday October 8
1st show:
7:00: Jimmy Dickens (host); Jimmy C Newman; Chuck Meade & His Grassy Knoll Boys
7:30: Jeannie Seely (host); The Whites; Charley Pride
8:00: Craig Morgan; Ronnie Dunn; Rascal Flatts

2nd show
9:30: Jimmy Dickens (host); George Hamilton IV; Ronnie Dunn
10:00: Charley Pride (host); Bobby Osborne & Rocky Top X-Press; Chuck Meade & His Grassy Knoll Boys
10:30: Jim Ed Brown (host); Jan Howard; Craig Morgan; Opry Square Dancers
11:00: Jeannie Seely (host); Rascal Flatts

For those counting at home, Friday night features 12 artists of whom 9 are Opry members. Saturday night's 1st show features 9 artists, of which 7 are Opry members, while the 2nd show features 11 artists, with 9 are Opry member. And no square dancers are listed for the 1st show. My final thought for the 1st show is that they have something special planned for the induction of Rascal Flatts and maybe there will be a surprise artist or two coming out for that.

In addition to the Opry shows on Saturday, the Opry birthday concert Saturday afternoon will feature Opry member Mel Tillis. Also, the Opry House will be open for tours and other activities will be taking place in the Opry plaza during the day and evening.

This week, Opry Country Classics returns on Thursday night. The line up for that show is as follows:

Thursday October 6
Host: Bill Cody
Spotlight Artist: Charley Pride
Featuring: Jimmy Fortune; Janie Fricke; Rebecca Lynn Howard; Jeannie Seely; Leroy Van Dyke

Personally, I cannot wait to see Leroy. He is one of the great veterans in country music.

Here is the line up for the Tuesday Night Opry, October 11. This will be another television taping for GAC and the show features a very strong line up.

7:00: Sara Evans; Scotty McCreery; Montomery Gentry; Trace Adkins
INTERMISISON
8:15: LeAnn Rimes; Dierks Bentley; Eric Church; Chris Young

I am headed off to Nashville and will be there for all the shows this weekend, beginning with the Opry Country Classics show on Thursday night. When I return next week, I will offer my views and opinions on what I see and hear.

And, finally, as the Opry moves through its birthday month, I will begin next week to offer line ups from birthday celebrations from years back so that some of you can relive old memories from shows you might have seen, or for some of the newer fans, can see what kind of shows the Opry used to have in years past. Many of those years, the birthday celebration was tied into the annual Country Music Disc Jockeys convention, which made that weekend a "must" for Opry members.

Enjoy the weekend!!!

October Opry Highlights

2011-09-30T19:52:00.002-04:00

October has traditionally been one of the more significant months in the history of the Grand Ole Opry, with lots of historical and important events having taken place during the month. As I do each month, here are those events that took place in the history of the Grand Ole Opry in October:

October 5, 1925: WSM went on the air. Edwin Craig was given the honor of starting off the broadcast, and he simply said, "This is WSM. We Shield Millions. The National Life and Accident Insurance Company." National Life president C.A. Craig dedicated the station to public service. Shortly afterward, George D. Hay, who was present that night, would be offered the job of program director at WSM.

October 27, 1934: The Grand Ole Opry moved from Studio C at WSM to the Hillsboro Theater. The theater sat 2,400 people. For the first time, the performers had dressing rooms and since there was now a sizeable audience, they were told to "dress" for their performances. Mostly that meant to wear rural clothes that reflected the image of a country show. This also marked the beginning of Vito Pellettiere as the Opry's stage manager. Many feel that Vito was the most important person at the Opry and he kept the show running on schedule. Many of the Opry's veteran members have often said that the Opry has not been the same since he passed away. He would be at the Opry for over 40 years, working his final Opry on April 2, 1977. Several days later he suffered a stroke and would pass away on April 14.

October 12, 1939: The NBC radio network begins carrying a half-hour Opry segment, hosted by Roy Acuff and sponsored by Prince Albert Tobacco. The show begins on a number of regional affiliates, but would over time expand to the NBC national network.

October 28, 1939: Bill Monroe becomes a member of the Grand Ole Opry. On his first night at the Opry, he performed "Muleskinner Blues." Opry founder George D. Hay is so impressed with the performance that he would tell Bill that if he ever wanted to leave the Opry, he would have to fire himself. Bill would never do that and would remain an Opry member until his death on September 9, 1996.

October 2, 1954: Elvis Presley makes his first and only appearance on the Opry. He sang the great Bill Monroe hit, "Blue Moon of Kentucky." The story went that after Elvis's performance, he was told by Jim Denny, the Opry's manager, that he should go back to driving a truck, but there is some doubt if that incident ever took place. While Opry management did not think much of Elvis to invite him back, Bill Monroe said he was impressed with how Elvis did his song (and even more impressed with the royalty checks he would receive.)

October 30, 1955: Jim Reeves joins the Opry cast. Over time, he would become the biggest star on the Opry, but like many others, realized the limitations of being an Opry member and would move on. For a while, he would be known as the Opry's "new Eddy Arnold."

October 15, 1960: Loretta Lynn made her first appearance on the Opry. The Wilburn Brothers were instrumental in getting her the guest slot on the show. She was on the Ernest Tubb segment and Ernest introduced her. Since she did not have a band, Leslie Wilburn played bass and Lester Wilburn played rhythm guitar for her. She sang, "I'm a Honky Tonk Girl."

October 27, 1962: Sonny James becomes a member of the Opry.

October 23, 1965: Roy Acuff, Jr. made his first appearance on the Opry. He sang, "Baby Just Said Goodbye", while his father stood behind him. His recording and performing career were short as he preferred to work behind the scenes rather than be in the public eye.

October 10, 1966: The Browns gave their final performance as Opry members. Jim Ed Brown would continue as an Opry member, as a solo artist, while Maxine and Bonnie would appear with Jim Ed on occasion. Many feel, and I am included in this group, that the Browns should have been elected into the Country Music Hall of Fame a long time ago. They had a huge impact on country music and sang some of the finest harmonies in the history of the Opry.

October 14, 1966: Del Reeves joins the cast of the Opry. He was introduced that night by Porter Wagoner and in a story that has been told many times, it was a very emotional night for Del with his parents in attendance that night. Del broke down and couldn't make it through his song.

October 8, 1968: Harry Stone, former WSM executive, passed away at the age of 70. The influence that Harry Stone had on the Opry was great. While George D. Hay wanted to keep the show simple and down to earth with local and regional performers who were not professional musicians, Harry moved the show forward by hiring established and professional entertainers. Harry was the general manager of WSM, starting in 1932. Among the first artists that Harry brought to the Opry were Pee Wee King and Roy Acuff. Harry saw what the show could do for WSM and National Life on a national level.

October 19, 1968: In an interview with the Nashville Tennessean, Irving Waugh, WSM president said that the Opry's days at the Ryman Auditorium were numbered. In the article it said, "The initiation of plans for the relocation of the Opry, possibly as the center of a multi-million dollar hotel and amusement complex, was announced at a breakfast at Municipal Auditorium sponsored by WSM." Irving Waugh said, "Our feeling is that the Grand Ole Opry needs a new, modern facility. And we would like a facility that would be very active. It is estimated the center, which would be called Opryland USA, would require between one hundred fifty and two hundred acres of land. The location would not be in the Music Row area." Over time, detailed plans would be announced, including the location out of the center of town.

October 27, 1973: Comedian Jerry Clower becomes a member of the Opry. He was the last Grand Ole Opry member to join the cast before the Opry moved from the Ryman Auditorium to the new Grand Ole Opry House. When he joined the Opry, Jerry followed in the tradition of a long line of Opry comedians including Minnie Pearl, Archie Campbell, Stringbean, Lew Childre, Duke of Paducah and Rod Brasfield. Sorry to say, but comedy seems to be a lost art on the Opry today.

October 18, 1975: The Grand Ole Opry celebrated its 50th anniversary. The 50th anniversary show is considered one of the greatest in the Opry's history with just about every Opry member present for the weekend.

October 16, 1982: Doyle Wilburn passed away in Nashville at the age of 52. The Wilburn Brothers had first come to the Opry as children but were forced to leave because of their age. The later came back, becoming members in 1953. The were one of the greatest duets in the history of country music and they also owned a publishing company. After Doyle passed away, Teddy would continue as an Opry member until his death in 2003. Much like the Browns, a solid case can be made that the Wilburn Brothers deserve to be in the Hall of Fame.

October 24, 1983: Opry member Kirk McGee passed away. Along with his brother Sam, Kirk made his first appearance on the Opry in 1926, and over the years they were a part of the Fruit Jar Drinkers and the Dixieliners. When he passed away, he was one of the last links back to the start of the Opry.

October 3, 1989: Grand Ole Opry member Del Wood passed away in Nashville. Del, whose real name was Adelaide Hazelwood, had joined the Opry in 1953. She was famous for her ragtime piano, and her great record, "Down Yonder." I don't think there was ever an Opry show that she didn't do that number. And, as the Opry Picture History Book said every year, "She was famous for her canning and jams."

October 4, 1989: Holly Dunn becomes a member of the Grand Ole Opry. She would remain with the Opry until retiring from the music business and leaving Nashville.

October 6, 1990: Garth Brooks becomes a member of the Opry. Garth remembered that Johnny Russell was the one who introduced him the first time that he played the Opry and he would always insist on being on Johnny's segment whenever he did the Opry. On the night he was inducted, Johnny was the segment host and Garth sang, "Friends in Low Places," "If Tomorrow Never Comes," and "The Dance." Sorry to say, but Garth would make rather infrequent visits to the Opry once he became a member. On another note, it was on this same night that Alan Jackson made his first appearance on the Opry.

October 4, 1991: Diamond Rio made their first appearance at the Opry. They would later join the Opry on April 18, 1998. Not only have they been good Opry members, but they have been very involved in the Nashville community.

October 19, 1991: Grand Ole Opry announcer and Country Music Hall of Fame member Grant Turner passed away hours after announcing the Friday Night Opry. He was a Grand Ole Opry announcer for 47 years and he set the standard that every Opry announcer has tried to follow. Grant also hosted the Opry's warm-up show on WSM and also had served as the announcer on Ernest Tubb's Midnight Jamboree.

October 24, 1991: Gaylord Entertainment Company, owners of the Grand Ole Opry, listed it's stock on the New York Stock Exchange for the first time and offered its stock to the general public. Many say that this started the downfall of Gaylord and the Opry.

October 23, 1992: Roy Acuff makes his final Opry appearance. It was a Friday night show and Roy did his segment sitting in a directors chair. Exactly one month later, he would pass away at the age of 89.

October 25, 2003: Del McCoury becomes a member of the Opry. This will be his 8th year as a member and Del has always fulfilled his Opry commitments since joining the show. Many times, if he is on the same night as Vince Gill, Del and his band will back up Vince.

October 1, 2005: Dierks Bentley joins the cast of the Opry. This will be his 6th year as an Opry member. He had spent several years working for The Nashville Network and hanging around the Opry. He made his Opry debut in April 2003.

October 15, 2005: The Grand Ole Opry celebrates it's 80th anniversary. Garth Brooks marked the occasion by coming out of retirement and performing for the first time in five years. He was joined on the Opry stage by Porter Wagoner, Bill Anderson and Jimmy Dickens, and sang with each of them.

October 27, 2007: Josh Turner, after being a guest of the Opry many times, became an official member of the cast. He had been asked previously by Roy Clark to become a member.

October 25, 2008: Craig Morgan joined the Opry. John Conlee handled the induction and since joining the show, Craig makes about 10 appearances per year. This will be his 3rd year as a member.

October 22, 2010: Blake Shelton joins the Opry after being invited to became a member of the cast the previous month by Trace Atkins, during the re-opening night of the Opry House after the flood. Sorry to say, but since joining, Blake has made very few appearances at the Opry.

There you have it for this month. Enjoy!!!

Grand Ole Opry 9/30 & 10/1

2011-09-29T14:57:00.003-04:00

The big news at the Opry this week was that Rascal Flatts will be the Opry's newest members. That will happen next Saturday night, along with the Opry's Birthday Celebration, but in looking at this weekend, on Saturday night they go back to having 2 shows, which will continue through October. While the line ups are not terrible this weekend, I don't know if what they have for Saturday is worthy of 2 shows.

Saturday night's Grand Ole Opry will feature Sarah Darling and James Wesley returning to the Opry stage. Also country music veteran T.G. Shepard will be on, along with Laura Bell Bundy, whose Opry appearances always seem to be out on the edge. This week's Opry newcomer, making his first appearance on the Opry will be Jason Jones. He has a digital single out and is working on his first album.

The Friday Night Opry will feature the return of The McClymonts, who made their Opry debut several weeks back. Also, Josh Kelley and Exile will be on the show, along with Opry favorite Rebecca Lynn Howard.

Friday September 30
7:00: Mike Snider (host); Jimmy C Newman
7:30: Jimmy Dickens (host); Jesse McReynolds; The McClymonts
INTERMISSION
8:15: The Whites (host); Rebecca Lynn Howard; Josh Kelley
8:45: Jim Ed Brown (host); T.G. Shepard; Exile

Saturday October 1
First Show
7:00: Jimmy Dickens (host); Jimmy C Newman; Jason Jones
7:30: Jeannie Seely (host); Jack Greene; Sarah Darling
8:00: Jean Shepard (host); Bobby Osborne & Rocky Top X-Press; James Wesley; Opry Square Dancers
8:30: Jim Ed Brown (host); Laura Bell Bundy; T.G. Shepard

Second Show
9:30: Jimmy Dickens (host); The Whites; Jason Jones
10:00: Jeannie Seely; Grand Master Fiddle Champion; Sarah Darling
10:30: Jean Shepard (host); Bobby Osborne & Rocky Top X-Press; James Wesley; Opry Square Dancers
11:00: Jim Ed Brown (host); Laura Bell Bundy; T.G. Shepard

As I do each week, for those counting at home, on Friday night, there are currently 11 acts scheduled, with 1 more to add, of which only 6 are Opry members. My comment is that the Opry has 65+ members, and Pete Fisher could only round up 6?

On Saturday night, each show features 12 acts, of which 7 are Opry members for the 1st show and 6 are Opry members on the 2nd show. My same comment that I made regarding Friday night applies to Saturday night.

The big news at the Opry for this week's shows, is the Tuesday night Opry, where the line up is "loaded". (If there was ever a night for 2 shows, it would be Tuesday). Based on how the line up has been posted, I would say that the 2nd half of the show is being set up for a TV taping, to be shown later on GAC.

7:00: Craig Morgan; Josh Turner
7:30: Jimmy Dickens; Carrie Underwood
INTERMISSION
8:15: Randy Travis; John Anderson; Carrie Underwood
8:45: Josh Turner; Joe Stampley; Connie Smith; Gene Watson

That is 9 artists of whom 6 are Opry members and the other 3 are country music veterans.

In the coming weeks, there are some very strong shows coming to the Opry as they continue to celebrate their birthday the entire month of October.

Rascal Flatts Invited to Join The Opry

2011-09-28T08:45:00.002-04:00

During last night's Tuesday Night Opry, Vince Gill came out on stage during the final segment that featured Rascal Flatts and invited them to become the newest members of the Grand Ole Opry. Of course, the members of Rascal Flatts were emotionally stunned and said "yes". The actual induction will take place during the Opry's 86th birthday celebration on October 8.

As many of my readers know, I have speculated for the last several months that I thought they would be invited to join the show. And if you remember, some time back I had a post on 10 people who I thought should be Opry members, and they were on my list, along with the Oak Ridge Roys.

My initial opinion is that this is a good move by the Opry. Rascal Flatts are one of the top 5 acts in country music right now, if not the top act, and over the past year they have made numerous appearances at the Opry. They seem to enjoy being there and the crowd loves them, especially the younger fans. I really believe they "get it". Now, of course, comes the question that you never really know the answer to until later and that is, "Will they honor their commitments to the show and be there the 10 times per year asked of new members?" All we can do is to wait and see.

Congratulations to Rascal Flatts and I will be there on October 8 to witness their induction. I also know that the Opry will be televised on GAC that night, so for those who cannot attend, they will be able to watch.

Johnnie Wright Passes Away

2011-09-27T10:41:00.003-04:00

Country music has suffered another great lost as Johnnie Wright, 97, the husband of Kitty Wells and one half of the recording duo Johnny & Jack, died today at 97 at his home in Madison, Tennessee.

Born in Mount Juliet, Tennessee, Wright first performed with Jack Anglin in 1936. In 1937, he married Wells, who was 18. The two, along with Wright's sister Louise, performed as Johnny Wright & the Harmony Girls. In 1939, Wright and Anglin formed Johnnie & Jack. They teamed up full-time in the 1940s and, except for the time Anglin spent overseas during World War II, remained together for more than two decades.

In 1952, Johnnie & Jack's "Poison Love" led to tem being on the Grand Ole Opry, where they and Wells were invited to join and stayed for 15 years. They continued having hits in the 1950s, including "Stop the World (And Let Me Off)". Following Anglin's in a car accident in 1963 on his way to the funeral for Patsy Cline, Hawkshaw Hawkins, Cowboy Copas and Randy Hughes, Wright continued performing and releasing records.

In 1964, he and his Tennessee Mountain Boys had a Top 25 hit with "Walkin', Talkin', Cryin', Barely Beatin' Broken Heart". The following year, he had a big hit with "Hello, Vietnam", which went to number one. In 1968, he and Wells recorded an autobiographical duet, "We'll Stick Together" and continued playing live shows together through the early 1980s.

In 1992, the couple and their son Bobby began playing together again. On December 31, 2000, the duo performed their farewell concert at the Nashville Nightlife Theater in Nashville.

Wright and Wells had three children, two daughters Ruby, who died in 2009, and Carol Sue and a son, Bobby. Each had minor success individually as recording artists. Both Bobby and Ruby performed as part of their parents' road tour for many years. (from wire reports).

Johnnie & Jack first joined the Opry in 1947. They spent a year at the Opry and then left to move to Shreveport and be a part of the Lousiana Hayride. In 1952, they returned to the Opry, where the remained members as a duo until Jack passed away in the car accident in 1963. Johnnie Wright, along with Kitty Wells, remained Opry members until both were fired on December 6, 1964, for failing to meet the Opry's attendance requirements. While the Opry announced they were fired, Johnnie would maintain that they quit and the reason had to do with paying the 5% commission to the WSM Artists' Service Bureau.

I saw Kitty Wells and Johnnie Wright perform once. They put on a great family show. Johnnie had been retired and in declining health for a number of years. In retirement, they still lived in the same house in Madison that they had lived for most of their married life. And out front in the driveway, their tour bus was still parked and ready to go, "just in case."

It seems like everytime a legend dies, we lose a part of country music's history and legacy. In the last several months, we have lost, in addition to Johnnie, Wilma Lee Cooper, Billy Grammer and Charlie Louvin. All have been missed.

All of our prayers go to Kitty and the family.

Former Opry Manager-D. Kilpatrick

2011-09-24T20:24:00.002-04:00

I wanted to take a look back into Grand Ole Opry history tonight as it was on April 25, 1956 that Walter David "D" Kilpatrick took over as the "general director" of the Grand Ole Opry. He replaced Jim Denny, who was fired by WSM the previous day.

I know that many of my younger readers might not know who D. Kilpatrick was, so here is a brief biography by John Rumble of the Country Music Hall of Fame:

"Walker David "D" Kilpatrick was a notable music executive from the late 1940s to the late 1960s. After high school, service with the marine corps, and sales experience in the auto parts field, he broke into the record business as a salesman with Capital Records' Charlotte, North Carolina, distributorship, servicing retailers and jukebox operators in parts of North Carolina and South Carolina. This prepared him for three years as Atlanta branch manager, beginning by early 1948. While there, he recruited and produced James and Martha Carson and the Statesmen for the label. In 1950 Kilpatrick became the first salaried country producer to be based in Nashville. In this role he recorded numerous acts at various studios around the nation, including Hank Thompson, Carl Butler, Jimmie Skinner, Tex Ritter, and Bob Atcher.

In 1951 Kilpatrick shifted to Mercury Records' country A&R slot. Although he remained heavily involved in southeastern sales and promotion he concentrated on recording Jerry Byrd, Johnny Horton, Jimmy Dean, Benny Martin, Ernie Lee Carl Story, and Bill Carlisle and the Carlisles. In 1956 Kilpatrick became manager of WSM's Grand Ole Opry and its associated booking operation and brought in new blood such as Rusty and Doug Kershaw, Wilma Lee & Stoney Cooper, Porter Wagoner, and the Everly Brothers. In 1958 Kilpatrick helped found the Country Music Association (CMA). In mid-1959 Kilpatrick left the Opry to form Acuff-Rose Artists Corporation (ARAC)-a booking agency-with Roy Acuff and Wesley Rose. A companion firm to Acuff-Rose Publications and Hickory Records, ARAC promoted not only Opry acts but also pop stars such as Roy Orbison and Mark Dinning. Next, Kilpatrick moved on to serve as southern district regional sales manager for Warner Bros. Records (1962-64), South and Southwest distribution and promotional manager for Philips Records (1964-65), and national sales and promotion chief for Mercury Records (1965-66). A number of smaller musical ventures followed, until Kilpatrick essentially left the music industry to run a custom drapery and fabrics business."

On a final biographical note, he spent his final years living in retirement in the Nashville area. He passed away on May 21, 2008 at his home in Franklin, Tennessee. he was 88 years old and died from lung cancer.

At the time that Kilpatrick was hired at the Opry, there was a lot of turmoil going on behind the scenes. Some reports called the atmosphere in the corporate offices as an "armed camp." There were differences between WSM president Jack DeWitt and several of his executives. And the board of directors of WSM were concerned over the increasing moonlighting of their employees. So, they decided that outside business activities would not be allowed by WSM employees, especially in those instances deemed to be in conflict with their WSM employment. The employees were told to make a choice, WSM or their outside jobs. Several, including engineers Aaron Shelton, George Reynolds and Carl Perkins, who had founded the very successful Castle Recording Studio, elected to stay with WSM. Jim Denny, who was running the Opry and the artist's booking agency, also operated Cedarwood Publishing, while Jack Stapp, WSM program director, was operating Tree Publishing, which was a smaller company than Cedarwood.

"The board of directors," executive Irving Waugh said, "had indicated that Denny and Stapp should be given the option of resigning or giving up their publishing interests. DeWitt didn't do that. He just fired Denny in September of '56 and brought in a new manager for the Grand Ole Opry."

That was how Kilpatrick was hired. His official title was Grand Ole Opry 'general director', and he was also named the manager of the radio station's Artists' Service Bureau. Also with his appointment, Stapp was removed from any control of the Opry.

When he took over, Kilpatrick faced a very strong challenge. He was quoted at the time as saying, "They asked me what I thought was wrong. We'll, back when I was working with Mercury Records I was at the Opry every Saturday night I was in town, and I could look at the audience and see what was wrong. The Opry didn't have the appeal to the younger audience that you have to have if you're going to keep growing. All I could see there were older people and little teeny kids. There weren't any teenagers." And he did add many younger acts, including those I listed previously. In addition to those, he also brought back the Wilburn Brothers, and added Stonewall Jackson and Ferlin Husky. While he was trying to attract younger people to the audience, he was also up against some of the Opry's long traditions, including the issue of drums. He sided with tradition on this one, leaving the drums out of the Opry.

During his time as the Opry's manager, two issues came up that had an effect on the Opry for many years. The first had to do with the string bands. When he took over, there were four of the groups on the Opry, and they were all from the start of the show. Those were the Possum Hunters, the Crook Brothers, the Fruit Jar Drinkers, and the Gully Jumpers. Each band was getting its own spot on the show, time was being used that might more profitably go to newer acts-acts to attract audience and sponsors.

He proposed a consolidation of the older musicians, from four to two bands, on the theory that the groups weren't really the old-time groups anyway, many of the original members having died. Herman Crook was incensed, taking his anger to WSM president DeWitt, arguing for status quo with the old string bands. He lost the argument. The old-timers were consolidated into the Crook Brothers and the Fruit Jar Drinkers. Herman was still angry about it years later. He was quoted as saying, "It shouldn't have changed...We had a lot of stuff on the Opry that didn't really belong. You need fiddles guitars, banjos, and things like that. And play the old-time tunes and songs. That's what it's supposed to be. It made National Life, I'm telling you. It really made them money."

The second incident was the firing of Webb Pierce. Webb was fired on February 19, 1957 for his refusal to pay commissions on bookings and other services to WSM. Kilpatrick was quoted as saying the Pierce was no longer associated with the Opry, WSM, or any of it's affiliates because of his "unwillingness to conform to long-established rules and regulations. Pierce failed to comply with the standard laws which govern the payment of commissions to the WSM Artists Services Bureau. The Artists' Services Bureau operates as the station's booking and publicity agency for personal appearances of Grand Ole Opry talent. For these services, and for use of the name, Grand Ole Opry, the WSM Artists Bureau receives a small commission from all Opry appearances. It was over the latter that Pierce and the Opry came to a parting of the ways." Kilpatrick then added that the Opry and Pierce departed "as friends."

Pierce, who had left the Opry once before but came back, claimed that he resigned from the Opry on February 19 because of the fee payment. He claimed that the Artists Services Bureau was doing nothing to promote or help Opry artists. Pierce went on to say that he didn't think that things were running too smoothly over at the Opry and pointed to the number of artists who had left the Opry in the previous months including Carl Smith, Red Sovine, Goldie Hill, George Morgan, Anita Carter, Lew Childre, the Duke of Paducah, Moon Mulligan, Rose Maddox and Martha Carson. He went on to say that he hoped the Opry and the station would correct the conditions that caused these artists to leave, although he did not specify what those conditions were. Kilpatrick finished off the debate by asking if things were so bad at the Opry, why were new members joining? He specifically named Porter Wagoner and Wilma Lee & Stoney Cooper.

D Kilpatrick only lasted as the Opry's manager for a little less than three years, resigning in 1959. Why did he leave after such a short amount of time? There was some contention at the time that Kilpatrick had crossed swords with several of the established stars. Kilpatrick also thought that he had been undercut in the WSM executive offices by Irving Waugh, who held a position of power at both the WSM radio and televison. For what it is worth, Waugh never denied that he did not care for Kilpatrick.

After hiring someone from outside WSM and the Opry previously, this time the Opry stayed in-house and hired Ott Devine, who had been WSM's program director, as the Opry's new manager. Ott would have a successful run as Opry manager, due in no small part to the fact that he knew the radio station, the Opry, and its performers.

Many times we look back at the Opry's history and forget about some of the problems that the Opry had. In many ways, D. Kilpatrick faced some of the same issues that Pete Fisher has been facing, and in many ways, the two of them are similiar. Both came from outside WSM when they received their jobs. In fact, both came from artist promotion. Both had to deal with issues concerning the age of the Opry's audience and trying to attract new members to the Opry. Both have faced issues with the membership and terminating members--Kilpatrick with the consolidation of the bands and Fisher with the 4 Guys. Both faced criticism over their moves to modernize the Opry. And both had detractors among the Opry's members. The only difference is that Fisher seems to have the support and backing of Gaylord managment, while Kilpatrick lost the backing of National Life management.

Isn't it interesting that even though this was over 50 years ago, the Opry is still battling many of the same issues today?

Remembering Roy Drusky

2011-09-23T09:12:00.002-04:00

As I look back into Grand Ole Opry history, I want to remember one of the Opry's long time members, who had one of the smoothest voices in the business, and that is Roy Drusky, who passed away on September 23, 2004, at the age of 74 from lung cancer. (Boy, how many entertainers have died from lung cancer over the years?).

Country music has always had its crooners, whose smooth voices are devoid of any twang. With his full mellow baritone, Roy Frank Drusky, Jr. is one of the best examples. According to Drusky, music did not enter his mind until he joined the navy and met some fellow sailors who enjoyed performing. His interest piqued, Drusky purchased a guitar and taught himself to play. After his service stint he enrolled at Emory University in his hometown of Atlanta to study veterinary medicine. To make extra money he formed the Southern Ranch Boys, began to perform around the area, and soon had his own fifteen-minute radio show on WEAS in Decatur, Georgia.

Choosing music over animal husbandry, Drusky began a recording career with Starday Records in 1953 and moved to the Columbia label in 1956. Failing to hit the charts on either label, Drusky took a disc jockey position at KEVE in Minneapolis. During that tenure, his songwriting ability began to be noticed. Faron Young recorded the Drusky composition, "Alone with You." and the ballad spent thirteen weeks at #1 on the country charts. Young had two more notable hits with Drusky songs: 'That's the Way It's Gotta Be" (#11, 1959) and "Country Girl" (#1, 1959).

In the fall of 1958, Owen Bradley signed him to Decca Records and Drusky joined the cast of the Grand Ole Opry in June 1959. He co-wrote his first two hits, "Another" (#2, 1960) and"Anymore" (#3, 1960). After three years of hits with Decca, Drusky moved to Mercury Records, where he stepped out of character and recorded the novelty tune "Peel Me a Nanner" (#8, 1963). In 1965 "Yes, Mr. Peters," a cheating-song duet with Priscilla Mitchell (Jerry Reed's wife), became his only #1 hit. Drusky continued to place records on the charts well through 1977, racking up a total of forty-two chart hits over a seventeen-year period.

I will have to say that my favorite Roy Drusky song was, "Second Hand Rose." I always enjoyed it and thought Roy did a very nice job with it. Roy kept up a heavy Opry appearance schedule over much of his career, however over his last decade, his appearances only averaged a couple of times each year, as he settled into "senior status" at the Opry.

Roy's last Opry appearance was during the 2nd show on Saturday June 21, 2003. In memory of Roy Drusky, here is the Opry line up from that night:

1st show:
6:30
Jimmy Dickens (host)
Connie Smith
Jimmy C Newman
Billy Yates

7:00
Jim Ed Brown (host)
BR 549
Mandy Barnett
Steve Azar
Oak Ridge Boys
Helen Cornelius

8:00
Porter Wagoner (host)
Jeannie Seely
The Whites
Miranda Lambert
Opry Square Dance Band
Opry Square Dancers

8:30
Brad Paisley (host)
Jesse McReynolds & The Virginia Boys
Jean Shepard
Hal Ketchum

2nd show:
9:30 Jimmy Dickens (host)
Connie Smith
BR 549

10:00
Porter Wagoner (host)
ROY DRUSKY
Jimmy C Newman
Steve Azar

10:30
Jean Shepard (host)
The Whites
Oak Ridge Boys
Opry Square Dance Band
Opry Square Dancers

11:00
Brad Paisley (host)
Jesse McReynolds & The Virginia Boys
Billy Yates
Mandy Barnett

11:30
Jeannie Seely (host)
Ray Pillow
Miranda Lambert

Roy, thanks for the memories!!

Grand Ole Opry Line Up 9/23 & 9/24

2011-09-22T20:17:00.002-04:00

The Grand Ole Opry has posted the schedule for this weekend's shows. The highlight this weekend will be the return of Opry member Dolly Parton to the Opry stage. Dolly, who is usually good for 1 or 2 appearances each year, will be making her first appearance of 2011 on Saturday night. Joining her will be Country Music Hall of Fame member Charlie McCoy and the Nitty Gritty Dirt Band. For the "youngsters" among the Opry's fans, Holly Willams and Bradley Gaskin will be featured.

The Friday Night Opry will feature frequent Opry visitors Jimmy Wayne, Mark Wills and Point Of Grace. All of these non-members have performed many times at the Opry over the past year. It seems that every weekend the Opry is featuring a newcomer and this week's candidate is Katie Armiger, who will also be on the Friday show. So far in her career, she has released 3 albums, of which only 1 has made the charts. She has also charted 2 singles.

Finally, as of Thursday evening, Jimmy Dickens is scheduled to be back this weekend. He missed last weekend's shows, along with the Tuesday Night Opry.

Friday September 23
7:00: John Conlee (host); The Whites; Jimmy Wayne
7:30: Jimmy Dickens (host); George Hamilton IV; Katie Armiger
INTERMISSION
8:15: Jean Shepard (host); Bobby Osborne & The Rocky Top X-Press; Point Of Grace
8:45: Mike Snider (host); Jim Ed Brown; Mark Wills

Saturday September 24
7:00: Jeannie Seely (host); Connie Smith; Bradley Gaskin
7:30: Jimmy Dickens (host); Jimmy C Newman; Nitty Gritty Dirt Band
INTERMISSION
8:15: Jean Shepard (host); Charlie McCoy; Holly Williams; Opry Square Dancers
8:45: Jim Ed Brown (host); Jesse McReynolds; Dolly Parton

For those keeping track at home, both the Friday and Saturday shows have 12 acts each, with 8 Opry members scheduled each night.

Finally, here is the line up for the Tuesday Night Opry, September 27:

7:00: The Whites; Brett Eldredge
7:30: Jimmy Dickens; Terri Clark
INTERMISSION
8:15: Larry Gatlin; Charlie Daniels Band
8:45: Rascal Flatts

A pretty good show for a Tuesday night.

Happy Birthday June Webb

2011-09-21T12:15:00.002-04:00

Today I want to extend birthday wishes to June Webb who will be celebrating her birthday on September 22. June was a popular country music singer in the 1950s, who spent time with Roy Acuff as the female member of his Smoky Mountain Boys. As a part of Roy's group, she spent many Saturday nights at the Opry. In addition, she also had a very nice solo career. Because she left the business in the 1960s, it is hard to find good information about her. I checked my various country music encyclopedias that I have, and there is very little information about June. Since I consider June a friend of mine, I went right to the source and thanks to June and her good friend John, I will pass along this biographical information on June:

June Webb's life's journey began in L'Anse, Michigan but like many folks in the entertainment business she moved around quite a bit. Born into a musical family, the most influential shaping of June's life was at an early age in Miami, Florida when her parents got her brother (Ford), sister (Shirley) and her involved in singing, dancing, and playing various instruments. As the journey continued to wind it's way through life, Shirley and June, backed up by the family band, became the Harmony Sweethearts. That was a busy, yet exciting time that eventually found the sisters performing with many of the country music greats, including the great Hank Williams. In fact, the Webb Sisters were scheduled, along with other acts, to perform with Hank the night he died, January 1, 1953. (The concert was to have taken place in my home town of Canton, Ohio.) Not long after, June's path took her to a solo career with many memorable appearances including the Grand Ole Opry. In the mid 1950s, after a brief stint with RCA, which included a little guitar mentoring from none other than the wonderful Chet Atkins, June signed with Roy Acuff's show as the group's lead female singer. It was during this time that June, embarking on a solo career in addition to singing with Roy's group, received the "Most Promising Female" award. In the early 1960s, after many years of performing as both a solo artist and as the lead female singer on the Roy Acuff show, June made the decision that it was time for a change, and due to family matters and life in general, she decided to leave the day-to-day grind of a high profile country music career. She basically disappeared from a very public life and started to lead a very private one, outside of country music and performing.

After that, though her life to some degree included singing and playing guitar, in general like most everyone else, the passing years along with life's path played out like an old country song. There were good times and bad, immeasurable joy and nearly unbearable sorrow while in between raising a family, putting food on the table, and doing everyday stuff. All the while, however, there was always this faint but ever present tugging at her heart, a yearning, a just below the surface feeling of missing her beloved country music.

But, just like a country song, things happen unexpectedly, and in 2008, June received an email from an interesting character, via a family friend. This gentleman told June a story about his mom and dad gathering the children, a cup of Sealtest Ice Cream and a little wooden spoon in hand, around their black and white TV on Saturday nights to watch June sing country music. That little blast from the past made it all come rushing back, the music, the Opry, the fans. June wrote the gentleman back and over time, he sent June clips of her on various shows, recordings of her 45s on personal CDs he had made, and wonderful photos of her family and her. One thing led to another and as a result June now has a wonderful website to share these memories with her many fans. www.junewebbmusic.com is a great site. I highly recommend that everyone visit the site.

The site includes a great CD for sale, by June, called, "June Webb then....with a hint of now!" I have the CD in my collection and it is excellent and really brings back memories. You can also see June's performances on YouTube. There are several clips of her singing. Just by watching these clips, you can see that June really had a promising career going.

As she has come back into the public eye, she is also being recognized by those in the music community. Just this past month, June was inducted into America's Old Time Country Music Hall of Fame.

Even though she left the music business in the 1960s, her friends in the business did not forget her, especially Roy Acuff. In the last year of Roy's life, he specifically got in touch with June and asked her if she would come up to Nashville and appear with him on the Grand Ole Opry for a final time before he passed away. And of course, June did. The night of that performance was Saturday August 15, 1992. There were 2 shows that night and June was featured on the 2nd show. In honor of June Webb's birthday, here is the Opry line up from both shows on Saturday night, August 15, 1992, when June appeared on the Opry for a final time with her friend, and former boss, Roy Acuff:

1st show:
6:30: GHS Strings
Porter Wagoner (host): Tennessee Saturday Night
Wilma Lee Cooper: There's A Higher Power
Porter Wagoner: Misery Loves Company/Dooley

6:45: Country Music Hall of Fame
Jim Ed Brown (host): Looking Back to See
Jeannie Seely: Houston
Jim Ed Brown: Send Me the Pillow that You Dream On/Morning

7:00: Shoneys
Bill Monroe (host): I'm On My Way Back to the Old Home
Jeanne Pruett: Temporarily Yours
Charlie Louvin: The Family That Prays
Del Reeves: There She Goes
Billy Walker: Smokey Places
Bill Monroe: Tennessee Blues

7:30: Standard Candy
Ricky Skaggs (host); Same Old, Same Old Love
Justin Tubb: Imagine That
The Whites: San Antonio Rose
Alison Krauss: A New Fool/Another Night
Ricky & Sharon Skaggs: Love Can't Ever Get Better Than This

8:00: Martha White
Roy Acuff (host): Wabash Cannonball
Connie Smith: Did We Have to Come This Far to Say Goodbye/Satisfied
Jimmy C Newman: La Cajun Band/Jole Blon
Opry Square Dance Band/Stoney Mountain Cloggers: Sugar in the Gourd
Roy Acuff: That's the Man I'm Looking For

8:30: Opryland
Hank Snow (host): I Don't Hurt Anymore
4 Guys: Big River
Jean Shepard: Why Don't You Haul Off and Love Me
Jack Greene: Statue of a Fool
George Hamilton IV: Break My Mind
Hank Snow: The Rainbows End

2nd show:
9:30: Dollar General
Porter Wagoner (host): On A Highway Headed South
Skeeter Davis: The End of the World
Stonewall Jackson: Why I'm Walkin'
Bill Carlisle: Same Old Tale that the Crow Told Me
Alison Krauss: I Thought I Heard You Calling My Name
Alison Krauss & Cox Family: Standing By the Bedside of a Neighbor
Porter Wagoner: I'm Gonna Act Right

10:00: Little Debbie
Bill Monroe (host): Why Did You Wander
Roy Drusky: Blues In My Heart
David Houston: My Elusive Dreams
Bill Monroe: A Beautiful Life

10:15: Tennessee Pride/Sunbeam
Roy Acuff (host): Night Train to Memphis
4 Guys: My Prayer
JUNE WEBB: I'M SO LONESOME I COULD CRY/MAKING BELIEVE

10:30: Pet Milk
Ricky Skaggs (host): I Wouldn't Change You if I Could
The Whites: Pins & Needles
Ricky Skaggs: Country Boy

10:45: B.C. Powder
Jack Greene (host): Try A Little Kindness
Jan Howard: Rock Me Back to Little Rock/Evil on Your Mind
Opry Square Dance Band: Lost Indian
Jack Greene: There Goes My Everything

11:00: Coca-Cola
Hank Snow (host): I've Been Everywhere
Charlie Walker: Pick Me Up on Your Way Down
Jean Shepard: Above and Beyond
Charlie Louvin & Charlie Whitstein: Knoxville Girl
Ray Pillow: Please Don't Leave Me Anymore
Hank Snow: My Little Old Home Down in New Orleans

11:30: Creamette
Jimmy C Newman (host): Colinda
Jim Ed Brown: The 3 Bells
Connie Smith: Once a Day
Johnny Russell: In a Mansion Stands My Love/He'll Have to Go
Jimmy C Newman: Jambalaya

There you have it. Again, I wish my friend June a very happy birthday and I hope that she has many more. And again, please visit her website, www.junewebbmusic.com. And, leave her a message!!

Remembering Red Foley

2011-09-19T13:29:00.002-04:00

2 former members of the Grand Ole Opry passed away on September 19. One was Skeeter Davis, and I covered her last month in relation to when she joined the Opry. The other former Opry member who passed away on this date was Red Foley, who passed on September 19, 1968 in Fort Wayne, Indiana. To say that Red led a difficult life would be an understatement. He was an outstanding talent, but he had some serious issues, including a drinking problem and with the IRS. Clyde Julian Foley was born in Blue Lick, Kentucky on June 17, 1910. The following is a short biography on him.

Red Foley began his career with occasional performances as a vocalist with The Cumberland Ridge Runners on the WLS National Barn Dance in the 1930s. He hosted WLS National Barn Dance road shows in the late 1930s and early 1940s and started recording for Decca in 1941. His first big record was teh sentimental "Old Shep." He had several other big hits, including the World War II tune, "Smoke on the Water." He left WLS in 1946 to replace Roy Acuff as host of the Grand Ole Opry's Prince Albert Tobacco segment. (Acuff had quit the segment in a contract dispute.) Coming to Nashville with a band that included Chet Atkins, Foley brought the house down at his debut performance. And though some on the Opry had been upset when Prince Albert's ad agency hired an outsider, the cast quickly accepted him.

Foley had a string of hits thoughout the 1940s including "New Jole Blon" (1947), "Tennessee Saturday Night" (1948) and "Tennessee Border" (1949). In 1950, "Chattanoogie Shoe Shine Boy" topped both the pop and country charts; the flip side, "Sugarfoot Ray," featuring Hank Garland on guitar, sold strongly, too. He recorded a number of hit novelty duets with Ernest Tubb for Decca in the late 1940s and early 1950s. He has cut other boogie numbers like "Birmingham Bounce." His 1951 version of (There'll Be) Peace in the Valley (For Me)" quickly became a gospen standard. Adverse publicity began to dog Foley in 1952, when his wife committed suicide, allegedly over his constant philandering. Two years later, his daughter, Shirley, married Pat Boone. That same year, Foley remarried.

In 1954 Foley left the Opry to become the star of Springfield, Missouri's Ozark Jubilee, but by then his hitmaking career was on the wane. Over time, his alcoholism worsened. In the late 1950s, he found himself in trouble with the Internal Revenue Service. Though he continued performing after the Jubilee ended, including his role in the TV series, Mr. Smith Goes to Washington, his career never recovered. Ralph Emery's autobiography, Memories, discusses Foley's increasing alcoholic and emotional dissipation. Inducted into the Country Music Hall of Fame in 1967, he died while on tour at a Fort Wayne, Indiana, motel in 1968. Hank Williams Jr. had been with him on the tour and later recorded "I Was With Red Foley (The Night He Passed Away."

Red took over the "Prince Albert Show" in late April 1946. Minnie Pearl remembered that time:
"Oh, he was the best-lookin thing. He'd wear a white shirt and a white jacket, sort of zipped up in front-kind of an Eisenhower jacket, you know. And a white hat, black boots, black trousers, very tight; he had a good figure. He was a snappy dresser. Red Foley was snappy-that's the only word that describes him."

Foley remembered his Opry debut: "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."

Red stayed at the Opry until 1954, when he left to go to do televison. One of the reasons that he left was because of his personal problems and when he expressed his desire to leave, the Opry management made no attempt to keep him. Not only Ralph Emery, but Bill Anderson has also written about Red and his problems. I obviously never saw Red, but I have heard him, including old Opry performances and I can tell you that nobody, and I mean nobody, could sing a tune with emotion and feeling as Red did when he sang, "Peace in the Valley." Red's period at the Opry was short, but he had a big impact on the show and helped the show achieve even greater popularity than it had prior to him coming to the show.

Wilma Lee Cooper Passes at Age 90

2011-09-16T16:20:00.002-04:00

Grand Ole Opry member Wilma Lee Cooper passed away Tuesday September 13 at her home in Sweetwater, Tennesee from natural causes. She had been a member of the Opry since 1957 and was 90 years old. Her last solo performance on the Opry was at the Ryman Auditorium on February 24, 2001. Wilma Lee joined the Opry cast at the grand re-opening of the Opry House on September 28, 2010 for a group sing-along.

Wilma Lee was preceded in death by her husband Stoney Cooper and is survived by her daughter Carol Lee Cooper, Hendersonville, Tennessee; granddaughter Vanessa Brusseau and her husband Mark of Hermitage, Tennessee, and granddaughter Shannon Rogers and her husband Mark of Hendersonville, Tennessee. Per Wilma Lee's wishes there will not be a memorial service. She will be remembered for her music and her faith.

Wilma Lee spent nearly her entire life singing and entertaining. Born Wilma Leigh Leary, she began working early as a member of West Virginia's regionally-famed Leary Family. Her celebrated delivery of gospel and devotional songs emerged at the same time. First achieving national prominence in the 1940s performing with her late husband, champion fiddler Stoney (Dale T.) Cooper, Wilma Lee sang and played guitar with a bursting-at-the-seams energy. From the outset, the Coopers had success with story songs, from "The Legend of the Dogwood Tree," "Little Rosewood Casket," and "Sunny Side of the Mountain" for Rich-R-Tone and Columbia Records in the 40s to "Wreck on the Highway" and Philadelphia Lawyer" for Hickory Records in the early 1960s. It was likely Wilma Lee and Stoney's rousing, old-style jubilee hits of the 50s and 60s including "There's a Big Wheel", "This Old House," and "Big Midnight Special" that audiences have responded to most of all. Wilma Lee and Stoney were members of the West Virginia Music Hall of Fame.

In memory of Wilma Lee Cooper, here is the Opry line up from Saturday February 24, 2001, which was her final solo appearance on the Grand Ole Opry:

6:30
Porter Wagoner (host)
Connie Smith
Bill Carlisle
The Derailers

7:00
Bill Anderson (host)
Tammy Cochran
Mel McDaniel
Allison Moorer
Keith Urban
Jeannie Seely
Eddy Raven

8:00
Jimmy Dickens (host)
WILMA LEE COOPER
Billy Walker
Opry Squaredance Band
Melvin Sloan Dancers

8:30
John Conlee (host)
Holly Dunn
Jim Ed Brown

9:30
Porter Wagoner (host)
The Whites
The Derailers
Mel McDaniel

10:00
Jimmy Dickens (host)
WILMA LEE COOPER
Del Reeves
Tammy Cochran

10:30
Jeannie Seely (host)
Billy Walker
Keith Urban
Opry Squaredance Band
Melvin Sloan Dancers

11:00
Bill Anderson (host)
Holly Dunn
Jimmy C Newman
Eddy Raven

11:30
John Conlee (host)
Ray Pillow
Charlie Walker
Allison Moorer

God Bless Wilma Lee and her family

Wilma Lee continued performing with her group the Clinch Mountain Clan after Stoney's death in March 1977, and was appearing on the Opry reguarly until a stroke suffered on stage in 2001 forced her to cease performing.

Jeannie Seely-Celebrating 44 Years As An Opry Member

2011-09-16T09:03:00.002-04:00

It was on September 16, 1967 that Grand Ole Opry member Jeannie Seely joined the cast of the Opry. She will be celebrating her 44th year as an Opry member tonight. Jeannie was born on July 6, 1940 in Titusville, Pennsylvania. Here is a short bio of Jeannie:

"A Strong-voiced country singer who emerged in the 1960s, Jeannie Seely is perhaps best known for her 1966 smash 'Don't Touch Me.' A popular fixture on the Grand Ole Opry, she has remained an audience favorite over the years, in large part due to her vibrant onstage personality.

Born Marilyn Jeanne Seely, she was raised in a poor family in western Pennsylvania; her father was a steelworker and farmer. By age eleven she was singing on radio station WMGW in Meadville, Pennsylvanai, and by sixteen on television in Erie. While attending banking school, Seely moved to Los Angeles in 1961. There she combined more financial schooling with songwriting, singing and working as a disc jockey. In 1965 she shifted to Nashville-at the urging of songwriter Hank Cochran-and briefly joined Porter Wagoner's road (and television) show. She signed with Monument Records, for whom she recorded 'Don't Touch Me.' Written by Cochran, the ballad shot up the charts to #2, stayed there for three weeks, and won her a Grammy. In 1967 Seely joined the Opry, breaking its prudish standards by wearing miniskirts. In that same year, 'I'll Love You (More Than You Need)' became her second Top ten hit.

Seely became a popular figure on television shows (the Wilburn Brothers, Ernest Tubb), and in 1969 she formed a road show with Jack Greene. Also in 1969, she married Cochran (they later divorced); entertained U.S. military troops in Japan, Taiwan, and Thailand; and signed with Decca Records. A duet with Greene, 'Wish D Didn't Have to Miss You,' soon went to #2. Her last Top Ten hit, 'Can I Sleep in Your Arms?' (by Cochran), went to #6 in 1973 for MCA records. In 1978 Seely was injured in a perilous car wreck near Nashville.

A versatile artist, Seely has written songs for Norma Jean, Connie Smith, Dottie West, Ray Price, Faron Young and r&b singer Irma Thomas. She appeared in musicals in the 1980s and even compiled a witty book of earty epigrams, 'Pieces of a Puzzled Mind (1989). (written by Steve Eng-The Encyclopedia of Country Music).

In honor of Jeannie Seely's 44th year as an Opry member, here is the line up and running order of the show, from Saturday night September 16, 1967, that night Jeannie joined the Opry:

First Show
6:30 Mrs Grissoms
Ernie Ashworth(host): A Week in a County Jail
Paul Moore: Cold, Cold Heart
Spider Wilson: Wildwood Flower
Ernie Ashworth: My Love for You

6:45 Rudy's
George Hamilton IV(host): Break My Mind
Jerri Lynn(?): Ain't Had No Lovin
Jerry Whitehurst: Hey, Good Lookin
George Hamilton IV: The Urge for Going

7:00 Luzianne
Bill Anderson(host): Get While the Getting's Good
4 Guys: Swing Down, Chariot
Jimmy Gatley: She Want's to Be Like You
Tammy Wynette: You Good Girl's Gonna Go Bad
Bill Anderson: No One's Gonna Hurt You Anymore
Duke of Paducah: Four-Leaf Clover
4 Guys: Walking in the Sunshine
Bill Anderson: I Love You Drops

7:30 Standard Candy
Billy Grammer(host): Mabel, You Have Been a Friend to Me
Willis Brothers: A 6th 2 by 4
Stringbean: Gonna Make Myself a Name
Margie Bowes: Men Around the House
Billy Grammer: The Real Thing
Harold Weakley: Since Never
Billy Grammer: Pennsylvania Polka
Willis Brothers: Chattanogga Shoe Shine Boy
Billy Grammer: Gotta Travel On

8:00 Martha White
Wilburn Brothers(host): It's Another World
Justin Tubb: As Long As There's A Sunday
Dottie West: Like a Fool
Crook Brothers: Sally Goodin
Wilburn Brothers: Your Standing in the Way
Pete Sayers: Little Darling Pal of Mine
Justin Tubb & Dottie West: Love is no Excuse
Dottie West: Paper Mansions

8:30 Stephens
Roy Drusky(host): Rainbows & Roses
Grandpa Jones: Mountain Dew
Hugh X Lewis: You're So Cold I'm Turning Blue
JEANNIE SEELY: DON'T TOUCH ME
Roy Drusky: White Lightning Express
Opry Staff Band: Speeding West
Grandpa Jones: Everything I Had Going for Me is Gone
JEANNIE SEELY: DON'T YOU EVER GET TIRED OF HURTING ME
Roy Drusky: Anymore

Second Show
9:30 Kelloggs
Tex Ritter(host): Boll Weevil
Willis Brothers: Big Daddy's Alabamy Bound
Dottie West: Funny, Familiar Forgotten Feelings
Hank Williams Jr: There's Be No Teardrops Tonight/Wedding Bells/Mansion on the Hill/Half as Much/Lovesick Blues
Tex Ritter: Working Man's Prayer
Fruit Jar Drinkers: Bill Cheatham

10:00 Schick
Billy Grammer(host); Gotta Travel On
Stringbean: Gonna Make Myself a Name
Margie Bowes: Makin Believe
Billy Grammer: Mabel, You Have Been a Friend to Me

10:15 Pure
Roy Drusky(host): Reel Me A Nanner
Grandpa Jones: Dear Old Sunny South by the Sea
George Hamilton IV: Break My Mind
Roy Drusky: New Lips

10:30 Buckley's
Ernie Ashworth(host): My Love for You
Willis Brothers: Give Me 40 Acres
Ernie Ashworth: Sad Face
Willis Brothers: Bob/God Walks These Hills With Me

10:45 Newport
Wilburn Brothers(host): Goody Goody Gumdrop
Justin Tubb: Take A Letter Miss Gray
Crook Brothers: Black Mountain Rag
Wilburn Brothers: Knoxville Girl

11:00 Coca-Cola
Tex Ritter(host): Green Grow the Lilacs
4 Guys: Shenendoah
JEANNIE SEELY: I FALL TO PIECES
Hank Williams, Jr: Long Gone Lonesome Blues/Can't Take it Much Longer/I'm in No Condition to Try to Love Again/I'm Nobody's Child
Tex Ritter: Just Beyond the Moon
Fruit Jar Drinkers: Gray Eagle
JEANNIE SEELY: DARLING, ARE YOU EVER COMING HOME
Tex Ritter: I Dreamed of a Hillbilly Heaven

11:30 Lava
Bob Luman(host): Let't Think About Living
Osborne Brothers: Roll Muddy River
Jerry Green: Turn the World Around the Other Way
Tammy Wynette: I Don't Wanna Play House
Bob Luman: You Can't Take the Boy from the Country
Harold Weakley: Since Never
Osborne Brothers: Making Plans
Bob Luman: Memphis

Some interesting observations regarding the Opry that night. Did you notice how many of the Opry's big names were missing: Roy Acuff, Ernest Tubb, Hank Snow, Bill Monroe, Minnie Pearl, etc. Quite a few names. Also, Tammy Wynette and Hank Williams, Jr were both on. And this was early in their careers. Finally, some interesting booking. Tex Ritter and Hank Williams, Jr were not on the first show, but they had 2 segments on the 2nd show. Also, Bob Luman and the Osborne Brothers, in the last segment, were only on the 2nd show. On this particular night, the 2nd show was definitely stronger than the first.

Again, congratulations to Jeannie Seely!!

Grand Ole Opry Schedule 9/16 & 9/17

2011-09-15T19:31:00.002-04:00

The Grand Ole Opry has posted the line-ups for this weekend's shows. As is the pattern, there is one show on Friday night and one show on Saturday night. In looking at the schedule, a couple of items stand out. First, the line up is stronger than in recent weeks. And secondly, no Jimmy Dickens this weekend. He was on the original schedule that came out on Tuesday, but he was taken off the schedule this afternoon.

Friday night will feature the 44th anniversary as an Opry member for Jeannie Seely. I will have more on that tomorrow. Also on Friday night, Opry members Montgomery Gentry will be making a visit to the show. In addition, non-Opry members Jim Lauderdale, Dailey & Vincent and Gene Watson will be on.

Saturday night's show will have a return appearance by Will Hoge, who made his 1st Opry appearance several weeks back. Also appearing on Saturday night will be The Boxcars. This is a newer bluegrass group, but a good one that features performers that were previously members of other groups. Also, this group was recently nominated for 9 IBMA awards, so they are talented. Finally, another newcomer for Saturday night will be Kristin Chenoweth. Kristin has been around a while, doing mostly broadway and theater work. She also has been in numerous movies and television shows. What brings her to the Opry is that she recently made her first country music video and it is being currently shown on CMT.

Also appearing on Saturday night will be Opry members Ricky Skaggs, Steve Wariner, along with Pam Tillis, who will be appearing both nights.

Friday September 16

7:00: John Conlee(host); Jeannie Seely; Jim Lauderdale
7:30: Jim Ed Brown(host); George Hamilton IV; Dailey & Vincent
INTERMISSION
8:15: Pam Tillis(host); Riders In The Sky; Gene Watson
8:45: Mike Snider(host); The Whites; Montgomery Gentry

Saturday September 17
7:00: Pam Tillis(host); Jimmy C Newman; Jean Shepard
7:30: Jim Ed Brown(host); Jack Greene; Will Hoge
INTERMISSION
8:15: Steve Wariner(host); Kristin Chenoweth; Opry Square Dancers
8:45: Ricky Skaggs(host); Jesse McReynolds; Bobby Osborne & Rocky Top X-Press; The Boxcars

While I have nothing to confirm it, with an all bluegrass segment for the final part of the Saturday show, perhaps there will be some sort of tribute to Bill Monroe. And, as I do each week, for those counting at home, both the Friday and Saturday night shows feature 12 artists each, 9 of whom are Opry members.

The Roys will be the host of the Ernest Tubb Midnight Jamboree this weekend.

Finally, here is the line up for the Tuesday Night Opry, September 20:

7:00: Jean Shepard; Randy Houser
7:30: Jimmy Dickens; Del McCoury Band
INTERMISSION
8:15: Jim Ed Brown; The Quebe Sisters
8:45: Bill Anderson; Thompson Square

Remembering Roy Acuff

2011-09-15T09:09:00.002-04:00

It was on September 15, 1903, that the "King of Country Music" Roy Acuff was born. Roy was born in Maynardville, Tennessee and grew up in the Knoxville area. He came to Nashville and joined the Grand Ole Opry in 1938. He would remain an Opry member until his death on November 23, 1992.

The Roy Acuff story has been told many times, including by myself, so instead of writing the usual biography, I thought I would do something different. I have a book called, "Grand Ole Opry" that was published in 1952. This small, hardcover book is about 70 pages and gives you a history of the Opry and short stories or biographies of the Opry's main performers. Here is what was written in this book about Roy Acuff. Just remember that it was written in 1952:

"As the Caruso of country singers, Roy Acuff has a larger and more loyal following than the great Enrico ever had. In eighteen years, his recordings of country songs have sold more than twenty-five million copies. American soldiers stationed in Europe voted him more popular than Frank Sinatra. And although he was not elected governor of Tennessee when he ran in 1948, more people are said to have listened to his campaign speeches than to those of any other candidate in the state's history.

In Washington's Constitution Hall, a capacity audience paid $6.60 top to hear a country music program staring Acuff. When he packed seventeen thousand shouting fans into Venice Pier in California, officials feared it would collapse.

In the center of the country music world, Nashville, Tennessee, Roy is really a king. He puts on five radio shows weekly on WSM, makes frequent television appearances, has a road company that makes as much as five thousand dollars a working night, operates one of the largest music publishing firms in the business in conjunction with songwriter, Fred Rose, and owns and operates a resort called Dunbar Cave, which includes a large lake, a $75,000 swimming pool, restaurant, dance floors, concessions, and a one-hundred room hotel.

Roy was born and brought up on a farm near Maynardville, Tennessee, in the foothills of the Great Smoky Mountains. His father, a preacher, and his mother played the fiddle and sang for their own enjoyment and relaxation. Roy thus learned to fiddle at an early age. He was a skillful baseball player and planned to play professional baseball, but a serious illness kept him from fulfilling a contract. After he recovered, he joined a medicine show. Later he played in a country band on two radio stations in Knoxville adn then organized his own band. He joined the Grand Ole Opry in 1938.

Roy sings serious songs, many of them religious in nature. He sings with shouting zeal and great emotion and so projects himself into the song that tears sometime roll down his cheeks from the sadness of the story. Many of the songs he wrote himself. Among the most popular of his records are 'The Great Speckled Bird', 'The Night Train to Memphis', and 'The Wabash Cannon Ball.'

Roy dresses in a modest plaid shirt adn slacks for most of his performances, prefering to appear in a garb that might be worn on any Tennessee farm or small-town street rather than adopt the fancy cowboy costume so many folk singers wear. He has a large collection of hand-painted neckties. Other members of his group, the jug band and the La Croix sisters, a vocal trio, dress in traditional mountain costume, with the comedian of the show in exaggerated hillbilly dress.

Roy is married. He and his wife, Mildred, have an eight-year-old son, Roy Neal."

I thought that little write-up on Roy covered it all.

In honor of what would have been Roy Acuff's 108th birthday, here is the Opry line up from Saturday October 17, 1992. The was the annual Opry birthday celebration and it would be Roy's last Saturday night appearance on the Opry (his final appearance was the following Friday, October 23). I, along with several others who read this blog, were at this show and you could sense that this might be the last time to see Roy. When Bill Anderson and Roy did the great song, "I Wonder if God Likes Country Music", there was a total hush in the Opry House and a prolonged standing ovation when they finished. There were also many tears in the Opry House that night. Bill wrote about the night in his book, "I Hope You're Living As High On The Hog As the Pig You Turned Out to Be." If you get a chance, read the story. It will move you as it did those of us who were there that night.

Saturday October 17, 1992:

First Show
6:30 GHS Strings
Bill Monroe (host)
Jim Ed Brown

6:45 Country Music Hall of Fame
Grandpa Jones (host)
Skeeter Davis
Roy Drusky

7:00 Shoney's
George Hamilton IV (host)
Jeanne Pruett
Mike Snider
The Osborne Brothers
Jean Shepard

7:30 Standard Candy
Porter Wagoner (host)
Shelly West
John Conlee

8:00 Martha White
Roy Acuff (host)
Connie Smith
Bill Anderson
Opry Squardance Band
The Melvin Sloan Dancers

8:30 Kraft
Hank Snow (host)
The 4 Guys
Jan Howard
The Carlisles
The Whites

Second Show:
9:30 Dollar General Stores
Porter Wagoner (host)
Wilma Lee Cooper
Stonewall Jackson
The Osborne Brothers
Mike Snider

10:00 Little Debbie Snack Cakes
Bill Monroe (host)
Roy Drusky
Jeannie Seely

10:15 Sunbeam Bread/Tennessee Pride
Roy Acuff (host)
Hank Locklin

10:45 Pet, Inc
Grandpa Jones (host)
Jean Shepard
Charlie Walker

10:45 B.C. Powder
George Hamilton IV (host)
Shelly West
Opry Squaredance Band
The Melvin Sloan Dancers

11:00 Coke
Hank Snow (host)
The 4 Guys
Connie Smith
John Conlee
Justin Tubb

11:30 Creamette
Jim Ed Brown (host)
Jan Howard
The Whites
The Carlisles
Johnny Russell

(I do have it in my notes that Hank Snow cancelled out for the night and the 4 Guys hosted. Not 100% on that one).

Thanks Mr. Acuff for the memories.

The Grand Ole Opry Returns To GAC

2011-09-14T16:04:00.002-04:00

It was announced this morning that the Grand Ole Opry is going to be returning to televison with Great American Country (GAC), back in the picture. Here is their press release:

"Country music's most famous show is returning to television. The Grand Ole Opry will return to GAC: Great American Country for six star-packed 'Opry Live' episodes to begin airing Tuesday Oct. 4. The first show scheduled to air, an 80th birthday salute to country legend George Jones, was filmed last night and will feature performances by Alan Jackson, Jamey Johnson, The Oak Ridge Boys, Lee Ann Womack, and more. Shows airing on Saturdays, Sundays and Tuesdays in subsequent weeks will feature a who's who of new stars, superstars, and legends of country music, including Trace Adkins, Lauren Alaina, Dierks Bentley, Eric Church, Sara Evans, Martina McBride, Ronnie Dunn, Scotty McCreery, Kellie Pickler, LeAnn Rimes, Randy Travis, Josh Turner, Carrie Underwood and more. Airdates will be announced at Opry.com and GACTV.com.
'
GAC has enjoyed a longstanding relationship with the Opry over the past eight years, partnering with them on 'Opry Live' and specials including 'Country at the White House', 'Music City Keep on Playing' and 'Country Comes Home.' Special moments happen on the Opry stage and GAC is pleased to be able to share those moments with our viewers', said Sara Trahern, SVP/GM, GAC. 'We can't wait to showcase some of this fall's great Opry performances by the biggest names in country music with fans across the country on 'Opry Live' on GAC', said Pete Fisher, Opry vice president and general manager.' The return of 'Opry Live' to television is being sponsored by Humana."

A couple of thoughts:

In the list of artists being presented in upcoming shows, while I saw a lot of names listed, some of whom were actually Opry members, I also saw a number of names missing. Folks such as Jimmy Dickens, Bill Anderson, Marty Stuart, Ricky Skaggs, Jim Ed Brown, Jean Shepard, Jeannie Seely, Jack Greene, along with many of the other Opry veterans. You get the picture. I believe that GAC is telling the Opry and Pete Fisher who they want on and who they don't.

And, don't believe that Pete Fisher had much of a choice here. The Opry does need some type of television exposure and GAC is apparently the only network to come calling. There are not many options and I have heard that Pete does not really care to deal with GAC, but again, he doesn't have much of a choice.

I am glad that they are going to tape the shows and edit them instead of showing them live, which seems to be the way they are headed for most of the shows. GAC can take a two hour Tuesday night show and edit it down to 1 hour and not disrupt the live show at the Opry House. Too many times when GAC was televising the Opry, it seemed like it was actually 2 shows you were attending: a 1 hour radio show (almost like a warm-up show), and then a 1 hour television show, which of course, only had 3 or 4 artists on. And, with the Opry actually running over on its time schedule most Friday and Saturday nights, this will still allow the Opry to do this, instead of being so focused on the clock.

We shall see how this will work out. With attendance again down, except for the really big shows, and many of the bigger name artists not doing the Opry without the television exposure, this may help the Opry out. Like you, I will check out the shows that GAC puts on and see if there is any improvement from their last run.

I will end this by saying that to me, the only network that did the televised Opry right was TNN, which did nothing more than show a half hour of the radio show. Nothing fancy, nothing dictated. They just showed what Hal Durham and Bob Whittaker scheduled.

Remembering Bill Monroe

2011-09-11T20:13:00.002-04:00

It is time to take a look back and remember the life of Bill Monroe, the Father of Bluegrass Music. Bill was born on September 13, 1911 in Rosine, Kentucky. He passed away on September 9, 1996, several months after suffering a series of strokes. This Tuesday will be the 100th anniversary of his birth and the Grand Ole Opry, which owes much of it's success to Bill and the followers of bluegrass music, has nothing planned to mark the occasion. Instead, the Opry is doing an 80th birthday salute to George Jones. Nothing against George, but he is seldom at the Opry (in fact, this will be his 1st appearance of the year), while Bill was a mainstay of the Opry's cast. He belonged to the Opry for over 50 years. What I would like to know is where are his followers? I am talking about Opry members such as Ricky Skaggs, Emmylou Harris, Marty Stuart, Del McCoury, Alison Krauss, Bobby Osborne, Patty Loveless and Jesse McReynolds. Many of these individuals owe their success to Bill Monroe and bluegrass. Did any of these folks go to Pete Fisher and ask for a tribute show for Bill Monroe? If they did, were they rebuffed? I sure would like to know.

The following was written by John Rumble of the Country Music Hall of Fame:

"As a singer, songwriter, bandleader, showman, and instrumentalist, no individual is so closely identified with an American musical style as Bill Monroe, the Father of Bluegrass Music. For more than half a century he shaped bluegrass with his forceful mandolin playing; high, lonesome singing; and mastery of his band, the Blue Grass Boys. In doing so he gave older country sounds new life; gave the mandoline a new role as a lead instrument in country, pop, and rock; and set standards for musicians as diverse as the Everly Brothers, Elvis Presley, George Jones, and rock star Jerry Garcia.

William Smith Monroe was the youngest of eight children born to James Buchanah 'Buck' Monroe, a prosperous farmer who also ran timber and mining operations, and Melissa Monroe, who kept house and helped pass along dance steps and British-American folksongs to her children. Other musical influences of Bill's youth include the old-time fiddling of his Uncle Pendleton 'Uncle Pen' Vandiver and the bluesy guitar playing of Arnold Shultz, a black musician with whom Bill and Uncle Pen sometimes worked local dances.

Bill lost both his parents by age sixteen and then followed some of his brothers north to the Chicago area, where they worked in a Sinclair Oil refinery. He also performed as a square dancer on Chicago's WLS National Barn Dance, and sang and played mandolin with brothers Charlie and Birch. Charlie soon left the trio and Bill and Charlie decided to pursue music full time as the Monroe Brothers, first gaining exposure on stations in Iowa and Nebraska. The Monroes really hit their stride after moving in 1935 to the Carolinas, where they based themselves mainly in Charlotte, North Carolina's 50,000-watt WBT. Their popularity soon equaled that of any of the era's many duos and they distinguished themselves by their hard-driving tempos, piercing harmony, and Bill's lightning-fast mandolin solos. In 1936 RCA producer Eli Oberstein recorded them for the first time. Their early releases sold well and the duo soon had a sizeable regional following. However the Monroe Brothers feuded as brothers will, and the act broke up in 1938. Bill would record two more sessions for RCA with his new band, the Blue Grass Boys, named for Kentucky, the Bluegrass State.

After rehearsing his group and working Carolina radio, Monroe headed for Nashville to audition for the Grand Ole Opry, WSM's George D. Hay, Harry Stone, and David Stone, impressed with Monroe's talent and star power, hired him in October 1939 on the strength of his performance of his trademark 'Muleskinner Blues,' formally a hit for Jimmie Rodgers. WSM's 50,000-watt transmitter and guest spots on the Opry's NBC network portion quickly made Monroe's name a household word. By 1943 he was grossing some $200,000 a year from show dates, many of them staged as part of his own Opry tent show, which combined music and comedy in delightling rural and small-town audiences throughout the South. While no one was yet calling Monroe's style 'bluegrass' (this would not come until the mid-1950s), many of its basic elements were already present, including its pulsing drive and the intensity of Monroe's high-pitched vocals. During World War II he added the banjo, first played by Stringbean (David Akeman), and experimented briefly with the accordion and harmonica, which complimented the basic mandolin-guitar-fiddle-bass combination Monroe would always retain. In 1945 he added the revolutionary three-finger banjo picking of Earl Scruggs, who provided bluegrass with its final building block. Monroe's late 1940s recordings for Columbia, made with Scruggs and Lester Flatt, his singer-guitarist at the time, are now widely regarded as definitive.

In 1948 Scruggs teamed with Flatt to form the Foggy Mountain Boys, and by the early 1950s several bands were playing their own variations of the bluegrass style, including the Stanley Brothers, Jim & Jesse McReynolds, and Reno & Smiley. Monroe made his band sound higher, bluer, and more lonesome than ever, with help from singer-guitarist Jimmy Martin and other expert sidemen, some of whom launched bluegrass bands of their own. As ever, Monroe's repertoire included both sacred and secular material as well as both songs and instrumentals, and he composed much of his material himself or with members of his band.

Through the 1950s and beyond, Monroe's acoustic sound provided an alternative to honky-tonk, country-pop, and rockabilly. By 1963 he began to attract the attention of the urban folk music audience, with help from folklorist and promoter Ralph Rinzler, who promoted Monroe as the true Daddy of Bluegrass to listeners who thought bluegrass began and ended with Flatt and Scruggs. The year 1965 saw the first multiday bluegrass festival making Monroe the centerpiece, and in 1967 he launched his own annual festival at Bean Blossom, Indiana. By 1970, when he won election to the Country Music Hall of Fame, he had become the acknowledged patriarch of the bluegrass movement, a cult figure to hordes of fans for whom bluegrass was akin to a religion.

During the last twenty-five years of his life Monroe propagated the gospel of bluegrass to worldwide audiences in all fifty states and Canada as well as tours of Japan, England, Ireland, Holland, Switzerland, and Israel. He recorded more than 500 songs during his career. Monroe also won recognition for his accomplishments. In 1982 the National Endowment for the Arts gave him its prestigious Heritage Award, and in 1988 he won a Grammy for his album Southern Flavor-the first bluegrass Grammy ever bestowed. A 1991 inductee into the International Bluegrass Music Association Hall of Honor, Monroe was also a 1992 recipient of the Lifetime Achievement Award from the National Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences.

A stroke suffered in April 1996 ended Monroe's career as a touring artist and hastened his death on September 9 of that year. Memorial services at Nashville's Ryman Auditorium and later in Monroe's native Rosine, Kentucky, where he is buried, united hundreds of friends and fellow musicians who continue to nurture his legacy as one of country music's great historical personalities."

It is no secret that Bill Monroe was not one of the easiest people to know or to get along with. His feuds were famous and pretty much included anyone who ever was a Blue Grass Boy. The Flatt & Scruggs feud was among the longest. And it was his personality and his inability to get along with many of his fellow bluegrass performers that allowed Flatt & Scruggs, along with a few others, to move to the forefront of the bluegrass revival movement in the 1960s, that left Bill behind and catching up.

As these other bluegrass performers became more successful, things got tougher for Bill. It got so bad in the 1950s and early 1960s that Bill had to disband his band and play with local players when he went out on the road.

Many of the new Opry performers over the years have said that they were afraid to approach Bill at the Opry because of his personality. But, in his later years, he mellowed and changed. I think one of the telling quotes from Bill was after he suffered his stroke in 1996, he told a visitor, "I didn't know until I was sick that people cared for me as much as they do."

His last Opry show was on March 15, 1996, a Friday Night. They next day he was rushed to the hospital, never to perform again. I can't begin to tell you everything about Bill Monroe, but if you want to read an excellent biography, I recommend "Can't You Hear Me Calling", The Life of Bill Monroe, written by Richard D. Smith. It tells the good and the bad, but I believe it is excellent.

In honor of the 100th anniversary of the birth of Bill Monroe and in memory of his death, 15 years ago, here is the line-up from the Friday Night Opry, March 15, 1996, his final appearance.

7:30: Porter Wagoner (host); Jeanne Pruett; Ray Pillow; Jan Howard; Brother Oswald
8:00: Bill Monroe (host); Bill Carlisle; Skeeter Davis; Del Reeves
8:30: Jimmy Dickens (host); Wilma Lee Cooper; Billy Walker; Stu Phillips
9:00: Grandpa Jones (host); Connie Smith; Charlie Walker
9:30: Bill Anderson (host); Charlie Louvin; Jean Shepard; Justin Tubb; 4 Guys
10:00 Ricky Skaggs (host); The Whites
10:30: Jim Ed Brown (host); Jeannie Seely; Jack Greene; Johnny Russell