The news broke overnight that former Grand Ole Opry member Holly Dunn has passed away at the age of 59. She passed away from ovarian cancer.
Holly joined the Grand Ole Opry on October 14, 1989, during the Opry's 64th birthday bash. She left Nashville in 2003, moving to New Mexico, as she retired from the music business to fulfill her dreams of being an artist. Several years after she moved, the Opry dropped her membership.
Personally, Holly was one of my favorites. I always enjoyed seeing her on the Opry and in my opinion, she did a nice job hosting segments and in hosting the backstage show. Her huge hit, "Daddy's Hands" launched a career that saw a number of her singles hitting the charts.
Our prayers and thoughts go to Holly's family and friends.
Her music lives on, and she was a wonderful singer. I admit this is kind of personal to me--my mother died of ovarian cancer, and I know how insidious it is. Our thoughts are with her family and friends.
ReplyDeleteI never will understand why she was dropped and artists such as Jeanne Pruett, Sonny Osborne, Barbara Mandrell and Tom T. Hall are still advertised as members. Retirement is retirement regardless of how big your career was.
ReplyDeleteDavid B;
ReplyDeleteNothing about 'Opry membership has made ANY sense for the last decade or two.
RIP Holly Dunn. She had some wonderful songs during her too-short recording career. I don't always agree with some of the bashing of Opry management, but their treatment of Holly was completely indefensible, in my opinion. When she was on top, in the late 80s and early 90s, she was on the Opry all the time. She had the talent to host segments, and as Mr. Fay mentioned, to host the TNN backstage show. She was only in her 30s then, and gave the Opry more support than just about any young performer did in decades before or since.
ReplyDeleteThen, life's twists and turns happen, and Holly retired. And the Opry tossed her aside like yesterday's trash. As mentioned, other retired artists are still advertised by the Opry as "members", including Tom T Hall, who hasn't performed on the Opry in 24 years, if I remember correctly. Or Jeanne Pruett, who is pretty much a non-talent, who added nothing to the Opry except for decades, she walked on stage every single week, sang the exact same one song, and didn't have the talent to do anything else. And she gets to still be a "member" now in retirement.
Sorry, but that is just wrong. I hope Holly is given some recognition this weekend. Most of all, prayers to her family and friends, and "thank you" to Holly, for your music you gave us.
Roy in PA
For about 5 years in the early 90's my company had me in Temple, TX. She was a customer of ours and had her small studio out in the hill country. Always kind and gracious even when I couldn't contain my 'fan girl' when I first recognized her. Prayers for her family in their loss.
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