Grand Ole Opry--May 3, 1969

Here is another of my classic Grand Ole Opry line-ups. This one is from May 3, 1969, or 41 years ago this coming weekend. As I did with the last line-up I posted, I was able to do some research and have listed the songs that the artists sang or played that night. I hope you enjoy it.

7:30: Standard Candy
Hank Locklin(host): "Send Me The Pillow That You Dream On"
Osborne Brothers: "Working Man"
Dottie West: "Here Comes My Baby"
Crook Brothers: "Grey Eagle"
Hank Locklin: "Where The Blue Of The Night Meets The Gold Of The Day"
Grandpa Jones: "T For Texas"
Osborne Brothers: "World Of Forgotten People"
Dottie West: "Reno"
Hank Locklin: "Country Hall Of Fame"

8:00: Martha White
Roy Acuff(host): "Wabash Cannonball"
Charlie Walker: "Honky-Tonk Season"
Lonzo & Oscar: "Hertz Rent-A-Chick"
Leroy Van Dyke: "Oh Lonesome Me"
Leroy Van Dyke: "Auctioner"
Del Wood: "Cajun Stripper"
Charlie Walker: "My Shoes Keep Walking Back To You"
Roy Acuff: "Meeting In The Air"

8:30: Stephens
Hank Snow(host): "I'm Movin On"
Justin Tubb: "The Great River Road Mystery"
Marion Worth: "Don't Look For Me"
Fruit Jar Drinkers: "Fire On The Mountain"
Hank Snow: "Down The Train Of Aching Hearts"
Marion Worth: "Faded Love"
Ray Pillow: "Wonderful Day"

9:00: Luzianne
Bill Monroe(host): "Love, Come Home"
Willis Brothers: "Monongahela Valley"
Norma Jean: "Dusty Roads"
Stonewall Jackson: "Muddy Waters"
Bill Monore: "I Haven't Seen Mary In Years"
Willis Brothers: "Moonlight Drive In A Diesel"
Norma Jean: "Jackson Ain't A Very Big Town"
Stonewall Jackson: "Don't Be Angry"
Bill Monroe: "Watermelon Smilin' On The Vine"

9:30: Kelloggs
Bobby Lord(host): "Take The Bucket To The Well"
Billy Grammer: "Beer Barrel Polka"
Skeeter Davis: "Silver Thread & Golden Needles"
Willis Brothers: "Alcohol & #2 Diesel Don't Mix"
Bobby Lord: "Yesterday's Letters"
Carol Northcutt: "In The Mood"
Skeeter Davis: "Going Down The Road Feeling Bad"
Billy Grammer: "Gotta Travel On"

10:00: Fender
Bill Monore(host): Goodbye, Old Pal"
Norma Jean: "Dusty Roads"
Del Wood: Ragging The Keys"
Bill Monore: "I'll Meet You In The Morning"


10:15: Pure
Hank Locklin(host): "Danny Boy"
Osborne Brothers: "A Working Man"
Grandpa Jones: "Darby's Ram"
Hank Locklin: "Country Hall Of Fame"
Hank Locklin: "Please Help Me I'm Falling"


10:30: Buckley's
Roy Acuff(host); "Sunshine Special"
Dottie West: "Come On Home"
Stonewall Jackson: "Angry Words"
Stonewall Jackson & Roy Acuff: "Life To Go"


10:45: (?)
Archie Campbell(host): "The Dark End Of The Street"
Bobby Harden: "Green Little Apples"
Bobby Harden: "A Trip To Nashville"
Crook Brothers: "Sally Ann"


11:00: Coke
Hank Snow(host): "The Gold Rush Is Over"
Hank Snow: "Wreck Of The Old 97"
Hank Snow: "One More Ride"
Justin Tubb: "Ballad Of 40 Dollars"
Lonzo & Oscar: "Columbus Stockade Blues"
Fruit Jar Drinkers: "Katy Hill"
Hank Snow: "Among My Souvenirs"
Lonzo & Oscar: "Love Took My Heart & Smashed That Sucker Flat"
Sam McGee: "Wheels"
Louie Roberts: Ka-lua(?)


11:30: Lava
Charlie Walker(host): "Pick Me Up On Your Way Down"
Ray Pillow: "Take Your Hands Off My Heart"
Marion Worth: "Almost Persuaded"
Leroy Van Dyke: "If A Woman Answers"
Charlie Walker: "Honky Tonk Season"
Ray Pillow: "Wonderful Day"
Marion Worth: "Don't Look For Me"
Leroy Van Dyke: "Heartaches By The Numbers"
Leroy Van Dyke: "Once A Day"


I hope that I got all of the song titles right. A couple were hard to catch. A couple of other notes:

As you can see, quite a few Opry members were missing that night, including such big stars as Lester Flatt, Tex Ritter, Marty Robbins, George Morgan, Bill Anderson, Porter Wagoner and Ernest Tubb among others.

During this time period, the Opry had 2 shows on Saturday night. The first show was from 6:30-9 and the seconds show was from 9:30-midnight. The live show on WSM did not start until 7:30. The 6:30-7:00 segment did not make it on the air. On this particular night, that segment was hosted by Bobby Lord, and featured Skeeter Davis, Billy Grammer and Archie Campbell. The 7:00-7:30 segment aired on WSM from 9:00-9:30, and that segment is listed above.

Also with this show, I listed the acts in the exact order that they appeared on stage. As you can see, some artists were on a couple of different times during a particular segment, while other artists did several songs together, like you see on the Opry today.

Hope you enjoy this look back.