With all the bad news about the Grand Ole Opry House lately, I thought it was time to look back at happier times at the Grand Ole Opry. So, I have decided to post another of my classic Grand Ole Opry line-ups from the past. Today I go back to October 20, 1962
7:30: Faron Young(host); Billy Grammer; Justin Tubb; Del Wood
8:00: Flatt & Scruggs(host); Hank Locklin; Cowboy Copas; June Carter; Carter Family
8:30: Hawkshaw Hawkins(host); Wilburn Brothers; Don Gibson; Archie Campbell; Jean Shepard
9:00: Jim Reeves(host); Leroy Van Dyke; Glaser Brothers; Texas Ruby; Curley Fox
9:30: George Morgan(host); Roy Drusky; Cousin Jody
10:00: Faron Young(host); Cowboy Copas; Justin Tubb
10:15: Flatt & Scruggs(host); Billy Grammer; Carter Family
10:30: Wiburn Brothers(host); Don Gibson; Del Wood
10:45: Hank Locklin(host); Archie Campbell
11:00: Jim Reeves(host); Glaser Brothers; Hawkshaw Hawkins; Jean Shepard; Leroy Van Dyke
11:30: George Morgan(host); Curley Fox; Roy Drusky; Cousin Jody; Texas Ruby
If you notice at the line-up, quite a few of the Opry's heavy hitters were missing that night including Roy Acuff, Hank Snow, Ernest Tubb, Bill Monroe, Grandpa Jones, Marty Robbins and Minnie Pearl among others. Also, this was the period where the Opry was still doing just one show on Saturday night that ran from 7:30-Midnight. The general rule was that each performer would be on one time before 10:00 and then once after 10. There were a couple of exceptions, such as June Carter, who was only on once that night. This was also the period of time when things were a bit rough at the Opry, as attendance was down from it's peak that occured before Elvis and rock n' roll hit. Before that time, people would line up outside the Ryman Auditorium after the Opry started, and as people would leave after 10:00, having seen each performer once, those outside would be admitted. That is where some of the famous Opry pictures come from, where you see the big lines outside the Ryman after dark. People would wait for hours for a chance to get in and see the big country stars. But, when you bought your ticket for that night's show, it allowed you to see the entire show.
Sorry I don't have the list of sponsors that night or the entire list of songs that each artist performed.
Hope you enjoyed that look back at Opry history.
Thank you for posting that piece of history and for helping keep our music alive. As biographer of Faron Young and Marty Robbins, I always look for such tidbits. I don't have that day's events listed for either of them. Now I know where Faron was and where Marty wasn't.
ReplyDeleteDiane:
ReplyDeleteThanks so much for the comment and for reading the blog. I have a copy of your book on Faron Young and it is an excellent book. I can't wait for the Marty Robbins book, as I am sure it will be just as good.
There are so many great country stars from that era that I wish more would be written about them. I commend you for taking the lead in this.
I would like to echo our trusty blogger and thank you, Diane. I'm eager for the book on Marty and I loved the book on Faron. Come to think of it, though, accounting for Faron's whereabouts must have been a lot tougher than Marty's!
ReplyDeleteGreat lineup as always. One comment about June. I noticed on some of the programs, each Carter might be listed as getting a solo at some point, depending on how many were in. So it's entirely possible June was out front on the later show.
Hey;
ReplyDeleteIt's really kind of strange, but my sister and I and a friend of my dad's went to the Opry about that time and until that time I was not a big country fan, but since that time, Country is the only real American Music there is.
I doubt if life could be as ironic as to that being the night we were there, but I remember most of the folks mentioned were there the night we were. I had one of those program booklets that you get and after the Opry we all went down to Ernie Tubb's Record Shop, where I got many of those folks' autograph. The one autograph I didn't get was that of Jim Reeves, because he went to some place called Toots' where I understand he got paid. I still think he was the King of Country. Unfortunately he was killed 8 or 10 months later.
That was when Country was really Country!