Grand Ole Opry star Mel McDaniel has passed away. While no suprise, anytime some one passes away, it still causes you to reflect. Mel has had it tough the past several years. It seemed like his health issues started when he fell off the stage while performing years ago. Then he had the heart attack, in a coma, a long recovery to get himself well enough to get back onto the Opry stage and to made a new album, and then discovers he has lung cancer, from which he passed away from.
I know Mel's big dream was to get back on the Opry stage and to perform again at the Opry. While he did appear on the Opry when the Opry House reopened and was at the Opry for the 85th birthday celebration in October, he never got to fulfill his dream of singing again on the stage.
His biography has been printed on various sites, including the Tennessean, so I won't go into all the details. But, I will say that I had the opportunity to meet Mel back in the 80s and he was a great, great guy to talk to. Very friendly and outgoing.
The Opry has lost more than its share of legends the past several years, and now we have lost another one.
God bless Mel McDaniel and his family.
I just read about Mel McDaniel's passing .Damn shame.
ReplyDeleteByron, you said it beautifully.
ReplyDeleteI did not listen to the start of the Friday Night Opry, so I do not know if there was a dedication and tribute given prior to the show to Mel McDaniel. However, on Saturday night, nothing was said at the beginning of the show.
ReplyDeleteNo matter if anything was said on Friday night or not, a dedication is always given on Saturday night.
I read online that Larry Gatlin performed a tribute to Mel on the Friday night Opry. Mel was such a wonderful man... he always brought energy to the Opry crowd.
ReplyDeleteThanks for the update. I was at a live show on Friday night so I didn't get a chance to listen to the Friday show live. I will catch it after it is up on the archive page on WSM.
ReplyDeleteStill bothers me that it looks like no dedication was done.
Steve Buchanan opened the Friday Night Opry by dedicating the show to Mel's memory and talking about what a wonderful guy he was. So they did do that. But they should have opened Saturday night with that, too.
ReplyDeleteInteresting that it was Steve and not Pete Fisher. Steve did the Charlie Louvin tribute also.
ReplyDeleteThat struck me, too. But I also remember that when Mr. Acuff and Mr. Monroe got to 50 years, Bud Wendell came out, but when Mr. Snow reached 40 years, it was Hal Durham.
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