Grand Ole Opry 10/14 & 10/15

For those who are interested, Tom T Hall is having an estate sale in a few weeks as he is in the process of settling his estate and selling his long time home, Fox Hollow. Tom T is selling furniture, musical instruments and other memorabilia. If interested, there is information on various websites. And for those who might ask, Tom T is now considered retired and does no more personal appearances, and has not for several years. 

Now for the Opry:

Coming off the 91st Birthday Bash, the Grand Ole Opry has posted the line-ups for the three shows this weekend, as the Opry continues with two shows on Saturday night. There are some interesting names listed, one of which is Grand Ole Opry member Roy Clark, who is scheduled for both shows on Saturday. For Roy, these will be his 4th and 5th appearances of 2016, which is the most he has appeared on the Opry since 2010.

Other Opry members joining Roy on Saturday night include Trace Adkins, Bill Anderson, Ricky Skaggs and, for the first show, Jesse McReynolds. Also scheduled are Jeannie Seely, Mike Snider and John Conlee, each of whom are also scheduled for Friday night. Joining Jeannie, Mike and John on Friday will be Connie Smith, The Whites and Bobby Osborne. 

As far as guest artists, Friday night has Emily West, Flatt Lonesome, Mark Collie, Runaway Jane and Exile on the slate. Exile will return for both shows on Saturday night, joined by Ernie Haase & Signature Sound. For Runaway Jane, this will be the Opry debut for this female trio. 

Friday October 14
7:00: Jeannie Seely (host); Emily West; Mike Snider
7:30: The Whites (host); T Graham Brown; Flatt Lonesome
Intermission
8:15: John Conlee (host); Bobby Osborne & The Rocky Top X-Press; Mark Collie
8:45: Connie Smith (host); Runaway Jane; Exile

Saturday October 15
1st show
7:00: Jeannie Seely (host); Ben & Sara; Mike Snider
7:30: John Conlee (host); Roy Clark; Exile
8:00: Ricky Skaggs (host); Ernie Haase & Signature Sound; Opry Square Dancers
8:30: Bill Anderson (host); Jesse McReynolds; Trace Adkins

2nd show
9:30: Jeannie Seely (host); Ben & Sara; Mike Snider
10:00: John Conlee (host); Roy Clark; Exile
10:30: Ricky Skaggs (host); Ernie Haase & Signature Sound; Opry Square Dancers
11:00:Trace Adkins

That comes out to 11 acts on Friday night, 6 of whom are Opry members. On Saturday night, 10 acts on the first show, with 8 Opry members, and 9 for the 2nd show, 7 of which are part of the cast. 

And now here is the posted Grand Ole Opry line-up from five years ago, the weekend of October 14 & 15, 2011:

Friday October 14
7:00: Jim Ed Brown (host); The Whites; Daryle Singletary
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

Now from ten years ago, the weekend of October 13 & 15, 2006:

Friday October 13
8:00: Mike Snider (host); Connie Smith; Jan Howard; Rebecca Lynn Howard
8:30: Jimmy Dickens (host); Jean Shepard; The Whites; Katrina Elam
9:00: John Conlee (host); Marty Raybon; Andy Griggs
9:30: Lorrie Morgan (host); Larry Sparks; Brad Paisley

Saturday October 14
1st show
6:30: Jimmy Dickens (host); The Whites
7:00: Vince Gill (host); Rodney Crowell; Jenny Gill; Guy Clark; Patty Loveless
8:00: John Conlee (host); Bobby Osborne & The Rocky Top X-Press; Opry Square Dancers
8:30: Steve Wariner (host); Jim Ed Brown; Jack Greene

2nd show
9:30: Jimmy Dickens (host); The Whites
10:00: Vince Gill (host); Rodney Crowell; Jenny Gill; Guy Clark; Patty Loveless; Opry Square Dancers
11:00: Steve Wariner (host); John Conlee
11:30: Jim Ed Brown (host); Jack Greene

And from 25 years ago, Saturday October 12, 1991: 

1st show
6:30: Porter Wagoner (host); 4 Guys
6:45: Bill Monroe (host); Vic Willis Trio
7:00: Jack Greene (host); Skeeter Davis; The Whites
7:30: Jimmy Dickens (host); Roy Drusky; Jan Howard; Sweethearts of the Rodeo
8:00: Roy Acuff (host); Bill Carlisle; Opry Square Dance Band; Stoney Mountain Cloggers; Randy Travis
8:30: Hank Snow (host); Jim Ed Brown; Charlie Louvin; Connie Smith; Mike Snider

2nd show
9:30: Porter Wagoner (host); 4 Guys; Skeeter Davis; The Whites
10:00: Bill Monroe (host); Jack Greene
10:15: Roy Acuff (host); Jan Howard
10:30: Jimmy Dickens (host); Sweethearts of the Rodeo
10:45: Charlie Walker (host); Vic Willis Trio; Opry Square Dance Band; Stoney Mountain Cloggers
11:00: Hank Snow (host); Connie Smith; Justin Tubb; Randy Travis
11:30: Jim Ed Brown (host); Charlie Louvin; Bill Carlisle; Mike Snider

Looking back, it was 27 years ago, Saturday October 14, 1989, that Holly Dunn became a member of the Grand Ole Opry. 

Holly Dunn was born on August 22, 1957. Prior to coming to Nashville, she performed in a band called Freedom Folk Singers, which toured across the south. She attended Abilene Christian University and performed in a group there called The Hilltoppers. After graduating from college, Holly moved to Nashville, working as a demo singer and then as a songwriter for CBS Records and MTM Records. In 1985, MTM signed her to a recording contract. After several singles that only reached the bottom of the charts, in 1986 Holly had her first hit with "Daddy's Hands" which went to #7 on the country charts. Her following album, "Cornerstone" produced three Top 10 hits "Love Someone Like Me," "Only When I Love," and "Strangers Again." in 1989, after moving to Warner Bros. Records, she had her first number 1 hit "Are You Ever Gonna Love Me." Her only other #1 single was "You Really Had Me Going," released in 1990. 

After Warner Bros. Records released her greatest hits album in 1993, she left the label, signing with River North Records, however the two albums she released failed to produce any hits. In the late 1990's, she left Nashville, moved to Detroit and became the morning show co-host on WWWW radio. This was not her first experience behind a microphone as she had worked as a DJ during her college years. After returning to Nashville, she was a co-host on "Opry Backstage" on The Nashville Network in 2001-02.

In 2003, Holly announced her retirement from her musical career to devote full time to art, releasing a final album "Full Circle" in 2003. She relocated to Santa Fe, New Mexico. Shortly after leaving Nashville, the Opry terminated her membership. Holly currently is undergoing treatment for ovarian cancer. 

Here is the running order from Saturday October 14, 1989, the night that Holly Dunn became an Opry member. It was also the Opry's 64th birthday celebration. 

1st show
6:30: Mrs. Grissoms
Jimmy Dickens (host): May the Bird of Paradise Fly Up Your Nose
Skeeter Davis: The End of the World
Jimmy Dickens: When Your House is Not a Home

6:45: Rudy's
Stonewall Jackson (host): Me & You & A Dog Named Boo
Jeanne Pruett: Satin Sheets
Stonewall Jackson: Don't Be Angry

7:00: Shoney's
Bill Monroe (host): Gonna Have a Feast Tonight
Charlie Louvin: The Precious Jewel
Jan Howard: The One You Slip Around With
Charlie Walker: Pick Me Up on Your Way Down
Jean Shepard: I'm Just an Old Bridge That Keeps Burning
Bill Monroe: On the Old Kentucky Shore
Blake Williams: Bluegrass Breakdown

7:30: Standard Candy
Jack Greene (host): Statue of a Fool
The Whites: Pins & Needles/He Hasn't Lost His Touch
Holly Dunn: Daddy's Hands/There Goes My Heart Again
Jack Greene/Minnie Pearl and Opry Cast: Happy Birthday Grand Ole Opry
Jack Greene & Holly Dunn: Satisfied/I Saw the Light

8:00: Martha White
Roy Acuff (host): Wabash Cannonball
Connie Smith: The Keys in the Mailbox
Minnie Pearl: Comedy
Pee Wee King: Tennessee Waltz
Porter Wagoner: Ol' Slewfoot
Opry Square Dance Band/Stoney Mountain Cloggers: Arkansas Traveler
Roy Acuff: I Saw the Light

8:30: Music Valley Merchants
Hank Snow (host): The Call of the Wild
Grandpa Jones: Old Blue
Roy Drusky: More & More
Hank Locklin: Send Me the Pillow You Dream On
Jeannie Seely: Don't Touch Me
Hank Snow: These Hands

2nd show
9:30: Dollar General
Porter Wagoner (host): Country Music Has Gone to Town
Ray Pillow: Til the Best Comes Along
Charlie Louvin: The Precious Jewel
Jean Shepard: I'll Sail My Ship Alone
The Whites: Alabama Jubilee
Porter Wagoner: Green, Green Grass of Home/I Thought I Heard You Calling My Name

10:00: Little Debbie
Jimmy Dickens (host): Me & My Big Loud Mouth
Holly Dunn: There Goes My Heart Again
Jimmy Dickens: Shopping for Dresses

10:15: Sunbeam
Roy Acuff (host): Meeting in the Air
Bill Carlisle: Knothole
Roy Acuff & Opry Cast: Happy Birthday Grand Ole Opry

10:30: Pet Milk
Bill Monroe (host): Stay Away From Me; You're Causing Me Trouble
Skeeter Davis: My Last Date with You/Silver Threads & Golden Needles
Bill Monroe: Down This Lonesome Highway

10:45: B.C. Powder
Grandpa Jones (host): Darby's Ram
Charlie Walker: Does Ft. Worth Every Cross Your Mind
Opry Square Dance Band/Stoney Mountain Cloggers: Sugar in the Goard
Grandpa Jones: Gone Home

11:00: Coca-Cola
Hank Snow (host): That Heart Belongs to Me
Jan Howard: Rock Me Back to Little Rock/Evil on Your Mind
Pee Wee King: Slowpoke
Justin Tubb: Walking; Talking; Cryin'; Barely Beating Broken Heart
Hank Snow: I Almost Lost My Mind

11:30: Creamette
Jack Greene (host): Walking on New Grass
Roy Drusky: Take Good Care of Her
Hank Locklin: Please Help Me I'm Falling
Connie Smith: You've Got Me Right Where You Want Me/Sing, Sing, Sing
Jack Greene: Don't You Ever Get Tired of Hurting Me

I always enjoyed Holly on the Opry and was sorry to see her leave. And our thoughts and prayers continue with Holly for a full recovery. 

To finish up for this week, I wanted to recognize that it was 50 years ago Saturday, October 15, 1966 that Del Reeves became a member of the Grand Ole Opry. 

Franklin Delano Reeves was born in Sparta, North Carolina and was the youngest of 11 children. By the age of 12, Del was playing a regular gig on a local Saturday radio show. He attended Appalachian State College in Boone, North Carolina, then served four years in the Air Force. While stationed at Travis Air Force Base he began writing songs, singing on country music television shows, and recording with Capital Records. After leaving the military, he stayed in California where he developed a strong reputation as a singer-songwriter-performer with songs recorded by Carl Smith and Roy Drusky. Friend and fellow songwriter Hank Cochran talked Del into moving to Nashville, which he did in 1962. 

In 1965, United Artists released "Girl on the Billboard" which went to No. 1, sold a million copies and earned Del the nickname of The Doodle-Oo-Doo-Doo Kid. That same year, "The Belles of Southern Bell" was a Top 5 hit, and in 1966 "Women Do Funny Things to Me" went into the Top 10. Opry membership took place the same year and on the night of his induction, which was handled by Porter Wagoner, Del, whose parents were in the audience, burst into tears and could only sing the chorus and the end of his song. 

In addition to having had more than 25 songs on the country charts, Del also hosted his own television show, "Del Reeves Country Carnival," and appeared in a number of movies. By the late 1970's, Del's hit making days were over and he would spend the next several decades touring and appearing on the Grand Ole Opry. Suffering from emphysema, Del made his last Opry appearance in August 2002, and passed away on January 1, 2007 at the age of 74. 

To remember Del Reeves, here is the Grand Ole Opry running order from Saturday October 15, 1966, the night Del Reeves became a member of the Grand Ole Opry: 

7:30: Luzianne
Jimmy Newman (host): Back Pocket Money
Willis Brothers: A 6 ft 2 by 4
Bob Luman: Come on and Sing
Jean Shepard: If Teardrops were Silver
Jimmy Newman: Cry, Cry, Darling
Del Wood: Melinda
Ernest Ashworth: Pushed In a Corner
Willis Brothers: Big Daddy's Alabammy Bound
Jimmy Newman: Bring Your Heart Home

8:00: Martha White
Flatt & Scruggs (host): Wonder If You're Lonesome, Too
Tex Ritter: High Noon
Bill Anderson: I Get the Fever
Stringbean: Hot Corn; Cold Corn
Flatt & Scruggs: Houston
Crook Brothers: 8th of January
Billy Grammer: The Real Thing
Flatt & Scruggs: Mama, You've Been on My Mind
Earl Scruggs: Lonesome Road Blues

8:30: Stephens
Porter Wagoner (host): 'Ol Slewfoot
George Morgan: Almost
George Hamilton IV: Early Morning Rain
Archie Campbell: Most Richly Blessed
Porter Wagoner: Green, Green Grass of Home
Del Reeves: Girl on the Billboard
Jeannie Seely: It's Only Love
Mac McGaha & Buck Trent: Turkey in the Straw

9:00: Pet Milk
Ernest Tubb (host): Driving Nails in My Coffin
Bill Monroe: The Walls of Time
Wilburn Brothers: Hurt Her Once for Me
Marion Worth: More Than You'll Ever Get
Ernest Tubb: Another Story
Fruit Jar Drinkers: Nubbing Ridge
Jack Greene: There Goes My Everything
Ernest Tubb: Slipping Around

9:30: Kellogg's
Bobby Lord (host): Cash on the Barrel Head
Willis Brothers: Diamonds on Your Hands
Ray Pillow: Volkswagen
Dottie West: Here Comes My Baby
Bobby Lord: Losers Like Me
Del Wood: Cajun Stripper
Cousin Jody: On Top of Old Smokey
Bobby Lord: That's All Right

10:00: Schick
Bill Anderson (host): I Love You Drops
George Hamilton IV: Truck Driving Man
Stringbean: 20 cent Cotton and 90 cent Meat
Bob Luman: Memphis

10:15: Pure
Porter Wagoner (host): Dooley
Jimmy Newman: A Fallen Star
Ernest Ashworth: At Ease Heart
Leon Butler: He'll Have to Go
Porter Wagoner: Howdy Neighbor Howdy

10:30: Harvey's
Flatt & Scruggs (host): Petticoat Junction
Jean Shepard: Second Fiddle
George Morgan: You're the Only Good Thing
Flatt & Scruggs: Ballad of Jed Clampett

10:45: Newport
Ernest Tubb (host): Thanks A Lot
Dottie West: Let Me Talk to You
Ray Pillow: I'd Fight the World
Crook Brothers: Greenback Dollar
Ernest Tubb: I'll Step Aside

11:00: Coca-Cola
Bill Monroe (host): Uncle Pen
Tex Ritter: I Dreamed of A Hillbilly Heaven
Wilburn Brothers: It's Another World
Fruit Jar Drinkers: Walking in My Sleep
Bill Monroe: Live & Let Live
Jeannie Seely: Don't Touch Me
Sam McGee: Steel Guitar Rag
Bill Monroe: A Used to Be

11:30: Lava
Marty Robbins (host): Ribbon of Darkness
Marion Worth: Every Since My Baby Went Away
Charlie Louvin: See the Big Man Cry
Billy Grammer: The Real Thing
Marty Robbins: The Shoe Goes on the Other Foot Tonight
Del Reeves: Belles of Southern Bell
Cousin Jody: Mocking Bird
Marty Robbins: Devil Woman/Bouquet of Roses/I Could Never Be Ashamed of You/Take These Chains from My Heart/Lovesick Blues/El Paso

There you have it. I hope all of you enjoyed the memories and look back and I hope everyone enjoys the Opry this week.