Last night during the Tuesday Night Opry, Brad Paisley surprised Darius Rucker with an invitation to become the newest member of the Grand Ole Opry. Of course he accepted and the formal induction will take place on Tuesday October 16, in a show that already will feature Martina McBride and Clint Black. My congratulations go out to Darius along with the hope that he will actually perform at the Opry once he becomes an official member, and the first member named to the Opry under the Ryman Hospitality name.
3 of the last 4 new members to join the Opry have been Blake Shelton, Rascal Flatts, Keith Urban and now, Darius Rucker. (yes, the Oak Ridge Boys are in there also). Seems to be a pattern forming of the Opry once again making a big effort to appeal to the younger country music fans. Also, no females in the bunch?
While we have commented before that Opry membership no longer seems as important as it once was, it is still something that country singers want. Hopefully, Darius will take his membership seriously.
I wonder whether the fact that Darius Rucker is kind of a convert to country music (even if he always loved it, that isn't where he made his name originally) and a little older means that he will have a greater sense of what Opry membership is supposed to mean. But, then again, I made a snarky comment on Lorrie Morgan's Facebook page about her not doing the Opry enough and she (or her person) responded that I am wrong, the Opry means everything to her, and since then, the daughter of one of the most beloved Opry members, who herself became a member without benefit of a hit record, has been on ... once.
ReplyDeleteAnd she was supposed to be on this coming weekend but apparently has cancelled out. I like Lorrie a lot and thought she had a nice string of hits, but I am disappointed in her lack of Opry shows.
DeleteI wonder if some of the "old guard" will make the same sorts of remarks they made when the great Porter Wagoner invited James Brown to appear on his Opry segment?
ReplyDeleteYou know, stuff like "that kind" of person isn't welcome here... "His type" should go back where he came from... Jean Shepard was one who ran her big mouth about Mr. Brown, wonder how she feels about another one of "them" being a part of the Opry?
I remember that Jean made that comment about 35 years ago. I don't know Jean personally, but I am sure she views the world differently now then she did then.
ReplyDeleteI will also add that I think Jean's remarks were more toward the type of music James Brown played, not who James Brown was. You have to remember that Jean is a hard-core country artist.
Whatever Jean might or might not think, I would expect that she will welcome Darius Rucker with open arms as an Opry member, much the same way she has with Charlie Pride and with DeFord Bailey, when he would return to the Opry later in his life.
(from Byron)
Anonymous, James Brown was not performing country music in a country way, and Jean Shepard has made it quite clear there are many acts she does not like, and I would say her "bigotry," as it were, is in favor of country music.
ReplyDeleteMy biggest issue with some of these new "members" is that most are "members" in name only. They put their pictures in the Picture Book, people show up expecting to see them then they get the old reliables that have kept the show running all these years and a bunch of new singers they've never heard of. It seems like once they become "members" they're never heard from again (Terri Clark, Blake Shelton, Josh Turner, Dierks Bentley, heck even Brad Paisley is infrequent at best.) They have absolutely no connection with the Opry cast or the other Opry members. The show up, stay on their bus in the parking lot, coming breezing inside to their spots and then they are gone. You always hear how the Opry is a "family" but the family only extends to the regulars. These new folks, many of whom don't live in Nashville, would rather pretend their rock stars with a rock star attitude rather than a normal person. I remember the story about the night Patsy Cline, Hawkshaw Hawkins and Cowboy Copas were killed. I forget if this was at Patsy's house or if Jean Shepard told this... anyway, someone talked about how they went in the kitchen and there stood Mother Maybelle Carter doing the dishes. Our country legends were REAL people without all the handlers and attitudes. And what I've said is all in addition to the fact that most of what they play is a whole lot closer to 70s Rock than certainly 70s Country. Most couldn't tell you who Roy Acuff, Hank Snow or Porter Wagoner was if their life depended on it. If the Opry is going to survive they have to add new acts that are relevant on "Country" radio so that makes sense to me. It doesn't make sense that they aren't at least rewarding some of the "new" regulars who are faithful to fill out the rosters week after week: for goodness sake, how many hundred appearances is Mandy Barnett going to make before they finally make her a member??
ReplyDeleteComment above from Oldtimeopry
ReplyDeleteI just heard Darius Rucker joined the Opry.It's about time another black singer joined the Opry class after Deford Bailey [1926-1941] and Charlie Pride [1992-present]If Rucker has a great career,he will join Bailey and Pride in the Hall of Fame.
ReplyDeleteNothing against Mr. Rucker but seriously?! He's being made a member BEFORE Rhonda Vincenr and some others who are devoted to the Opry and traditional country music?? Disappointing...
ReplyDeleteDarius promised to appear ten times a year for the next twenty years. He said it right on the air. I hope he's a man of his word!
ReplyDeleteI gave up a long time ago trying to figure out what in the world 'Opry membership means. Ditto the remarks on Mandy Barnett and Rhonda Vincent deserving to be members. But Terri, Dierks, and Brad appear way more often than a lot of folks who are "members."
I remember when Trisha Yearwood became a member and said she would be on the Opry at least once a month. Famous last words. Of course her husband also said they could take his Opry membership away over his "cold dead body." He can fly to Vegas in his new private jet but I guess it doesn't land in Nashville. (oldtimeopry)
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