Grand Ole Opry 1/12 & 1/13

The Grand Ole Opry has posted the line-ups for the two shows this weekend, the Friday Night Opry and Saturday's Grand Ole Opry. Before getting to the shows, which are pretty good this weekend, a couple of notes to pass along pertaining to a couple of Opry members:

Loretta Lynn is recovering after falling and suffering a broken hip. According to a posting from Crystal Gayle, Loretta is doing fine and going through her recovery phase. After the stroke last year, and now the broken hip, it really makes you wonder if we will see Loretta performing again. Just a personal opinion: I think her touring days are over and we might see an occasional appearance at her ranch, as she did last fall, or in Nashville, such as when she presented Alan Jackson for induction into the Hall of Fame. I really can't see her doing much else, but then again, it is Loretta we are talking about.

Some have asked about Jesse McReynolds. There really is no news on Jessie. His last Facebook post was in December, commenting on the death of Curly Seckler, then an earlier post thanking everyone for the cards and letters that have been sent to him. If I hear anything else, I will pass it on.

As to the Opry shows this weekend, there are two pretty nice ones with very good line-ups. Grand Ole Opry members scheduled for both nights include Hall of Fame members Bill Anderson and Vince Gill, along with Jeannie Seely, Mike Snider, Ricky Skaggs, and one of the Opry's newest members, Dailey & Vincent. Joining that very solid group on Friday night will be Riders In The Sky, The Whites, bluegrass Hall of Famer Bobby Osborne and another recently added member, Crystal Gayle. That adds up to 10 Opry members, a very respectable number. Joining the group on Saturday night will be another Hall of Famer, Connie Smith.

Guesting this week on Friday night will be Parmalee and Runaway June. Yes, that is correct. Only two non-members on Friday. Saturday night's guests scheduled include Shelly Fairchild, Exile, Drew and Ellie Holcomb, and Jim Lauderdale.

Friday January 12
7:00: Jeannie Seely (host); Parmalee; Mike Snider
7:30: Riders In The Sky (host); Runaway June; Dailey & Vincent
Intermission
8:15: Bill Anderson (host); Bobby Osborne & The Rocky Top X-Press; Crystal Gayle
8:45: Vince Gill (host); The Whites; Ricky Skaggs

Saturday January 13
7:00: Jeannie Seely (host); Shelly Fairchild; Mike Snider
7:30: Dailey & Vincent (host); Connie Smith; Jim Lauderdale
Intermission
8:15: Bill Anderson (host); Exile; Opry Square Dancers
8:45: Vince Gill (host); Drew and Ellie Holcomb; Ricky Skaggs

Finally, for those who are in town on Saturday night, hosting the Ernest Tubb Midnight Jamboree will be the Tennessee Mafia Jug Band. These guys do as good of a job as anyone bringing the down-home mountain music and the classic string sounds whenever they perform. They have quite a following and all are amazing musicians.

Here is the posted Grand Ole Opry line-up from the second week of January 10 years ago, the weekend of January 11 & 12, 2008:

Friday January 11
8:00: Jeannie Seely (host); Mel McDaniel; Old Crow Medicine Show
8:30: Jimmy C Newman (host); The Whites; Rebecca Lynn Howard
9:00: Bill Anderson (host); Connie Smith; Del McCoury Band
9:30: Riders In The Sky (host); Jan Howard; Jesse McReynolds & The Virginia Boys; Joe Diffie

Saturday January 12
1st show
6:30: Jeannie Seely (host); The Whites; Mel McDaniel; Bobby Osborne & The Rocky Top X-Press
7:00: Joe Nicholas; Bucky Covington; Rhonda Vincent; Craig Morgan
8:00: Jim Ed Brown (host); Jack Greene; Old Crow Medicine Show; Opry Square Dancers
8:30: Bill Anderson (host); Connie Smith; Del McCoury Band

2nd show
9:30: Jeannie Seely (host); Del McCoury Band; Bucky Covington
10:00: Jimmy C Newman (host); The Whites; Rhonda Vincent
10:30: Jim Ed Brown (host); Connie Smith; Joe Nichols; Opry Square Dancers
11:00: Bill Anderson (host); Old Crow Medicine Show; Craig Morgan

From the second weekend of January 25 years ago, Saturday January 9, 1993:

1st show
6:30: Jimmy Dickens (host); David Houston
6:45: Grandpa Jones (host); Jim & Jesse; Roy Drusky; Ramona Jones
7:00: Porter Wagoner (host);Jim Ed Brown; Skeeter Davis; Riders In The Sky; Charlie Louvin
7:30: Bill Monroe (host); John Conlee; Lorrie Morgan
8:00: Bill Anderson (host); Bill Carlisle; Del Reeves; Jean Shepard; Opry Square Dance Band; Melvin Sloan Dancers
8:30: George Hamilton IV (host); Connie Smith; The Whites; The 4 Guys

2nd show
9:30: Porter Wagoner (host); Stonewall Jackson; Brother Oswald; Jeannie Seely; Mike Snider
10:00: Grandpa Jones (host); Lorrie Morgan; Ramona Jones
10:15: Bill Monroe (host); Billy Walker
10:30: Ricky Skaggs (host); Riders In The Sky
10:45: Bill Anderson (host); John Conlee; Opry Square Dance Band; Melvin Sloan Dancers
11:00: Jimmy Dickens (host); Jean Shepard; The Whites; Justin Tubb; Charlie Louvin
11:30: Charlie Walker (host); Connie Smith; Bill Carlisle; Johnny Russell

Looking at Grand Ole Opry events that have taken place the 2nd week of January, it was 17 years ago Saturday night, January 13, 2001 that Old Crow Medicine Show made their debut on the Opry.

Some of the award-winning group Old Crow Medicine Show's first performances in Nashville were on the sidewalks outside the Opry House in summer 2000, playing for fans entering and exiting Opry performances. After graduating to the Opry Stage in January 2001, the band quickly became a fan favorite during dozens of Opry performances that followed. Marty Stuart, who introduced the group the night of their Opry debut, later invited the group to join the Opry on August 16, 2013 in Cleveland, Ohio.

When the band officially became part of the Opry family a month later, it wasn't lost on the band or on the Grand Ole Opry itself that both entities were quite poetically coming full circle. Old Crow had officially graduated from the Opry Plaza it had played week after week all those years earlier to center stage. The Opry, meanwhile, was adding to its ranks, nearly nine decades into its life, a band with a sound much like groups such as Roy Acuff and his Smoky Mountain Boys from the show's very early days.

Old  Crow Medicine Show got its start busking on street corners in New York state and through Canada, winning audiences along the way with its boundless energy and spirit. The band members eventually found themselves in Boone, North Carolina where they caught the attention of legendary folk icon Doc Watson, who invited them to play at his Merlefest, helping to launch the band's career. Shortly afterward, the band relocated to Nashville and began its fateful residency on the Opry Plaza. More than a decade later, the band has toured the world, sold hundreds of thousand of albums, and performed at renowned festivals like Bonnaroo, Coachella, and The Hardly Strictly Bluegrass Festival. Speaking on behalf of the group at its induction evening, Ketch Secor related that years ago members of the band asked themselves if they'd ever make it big in TV. Secor recalled having said, "I don't know about TV, but we might make something of ourselves on radio." Fast forwarding to the present, Secor concluded, "We're standing out here on the most beloved broadcast anywhere on earth. I think we made it big on radio!"

In recognition of the Grand Ole Opry debut of Old Crow Medicine Show, here is the running order of the Opry from Saturday January 13, 2001:

1st show
6:30: WSM Online.com
Jim Ed Brown (host): Looking Back to See
Connie Smith: I'll Come Running to You
Jan Howard: Oh, Lonesome Me
The Whites: Texas To A T/Doing It By the Book
Jim Ed Brown & Helen Cornelius: Lyin' In Love With You/I Don't Want to Have to Marry You

7:00: Shoney's
Porter Wagoner (host): Brewster's Farm
Holly Dunn: You Really Had Me Going
Jim & Jesse: I Love Nobody But You
Clay Davidson: Unconditional/Sometimes
BR549: I Told You No 1,000 Times

7:30: Standard Candy
Billy Walker (host): Sing Me A Love Song to Baby
Andy Griggs: You Made Me That Way/Ain't Done Nothing Wrong
Vince Gill: Give Me Just One More Last Chance/If You Ever Have Forever in Mind

8:00: Martha White
Marty Stuart (host): Streamed Lined Lover
Elizabeth Cook: Success
Wilma Lee Cooper: Shake My Mother's Hand for Me/A Beautiful Life
Old Crow Medicine Show: Tear it Down
Opry Square Dance Band: Cherokee Shuffle
Rick Bennett: Journey Home
Marty Stuart: Martha White Theme

8:30: Physicians Mutual
Jimmy Dickens (host): Take An Old Cold Tater
Jean Shepard: Tennessee Waltz
Mike Snider: Instrumental Melody
Jack Greene: Statue of A Fool
Jimmy Dickens: Life Turned Her that Way

2nd show
9:30: WSM Online.com
Porter Wagoner (host): Tell Her Lies and Feed Her Candy
Jim Ed Brown & Helen Cornelius: I Don't Want to Have to Marry You
Jean Shepard: A Phone Call Away
The Whites: Makin' Believe
Vince Gill: Look at Us/If You Ever Have Forever In Mind

10:00: Lincoln Mercury/Opry.com
Jimmy Dickens (host): Sleepin' at the Foot of the Bed
Holly Dunn: Blue Rose of Texas
Wilma Lee Cooper: Big Midnight Special
Clay Davidson: Unconditional/Sometimes
Jimmy Dickens: We Could

10:30: Folex/Joggin' In A Jug
Marty Stuart (host): Mister Engineer
Steve Earle: My Old Friend the Blues
Elizabeth Cook: Success
Charlie Louvin: When I Stop Dreaming
Old Crow Medicine Show: Raise A Ruckus/Roll Along Mule
Opry Square Dance Band: Black Mountain Rag
Marty Stuart & Steve Earle: Hillbilly Fever

11:00: Coca-Cola
Jeannie Seely (host): Healing Hands of Time
Jimmy C Newman: Colinda
BR549: Storybook Endings/Cherokee Boogie
Jeannie Seely: Make the World Go Away

11:30: Opry at Ryman
Mike Snider (host): Going Across the Ocean
Charlie Walker: Who'll Buy the Wine
Ray Pillow: Too Many Memories
Andy Griggs: Where's the Train/Riding with You
Mike Snider: Instrumental Melody

Among other events that have taken place during the 2nd week of January at the Opry, it was on January 11, 1969 that George Jones rejoined the Opry. George had originally became an Opry member in 1956, however he left for a period of time before returning to the Opry cast. Also, it was on January 12, 1957 that Wilma Lee & Stoney Cooper became members of the Grand Ole Opry, while Mel McDaniel became a member of the Opry on January 11, 1986.

45 years ago, on January 13, 1973, Grand Ole Opry legend Ernest Tubb celebrated his 30th anniversary as a member of the Grand Ole Opry. Ernest came to the Opry in 1943 and would remain an Opry legend until his death in 1984.

Thinking of Ernest Tubb, here is the running order from Saturday January 13, 1973:

7:00: Shoney's
Bill Anderson (host): I Get The Fever
Charlie Louvin: Bottom of the Fifth
Jim & Jesse: Please Be My Love
Stoney Cooper: Don't Let Your Sweet Love Die
Bill Anderson: Always Remember
Charlie Louvin & Diane McCall: Did You Ever
Jim & Jesse: Just One of A Kind
Carolee Cooper: Soul Song
Bill Anderson: Don't She Look Good When She Smiles

7:30: Standard Candy
Charlie Walker (host): Soft Lips & Hard Liquor
Bobby Bare: Miller's Cave
Stonewall Jackson: Me & You & A Dog Named Boo
Stu Phillips: There Must Be Another Way to Say Goodbye
Charlie Walker: Pick Me Up on Your Way Down
Bobby Bare: Come Sundown
Stonewall Jackson: Don't Be Angry

8:00: Martha White
Roy Acuff (host): Wabash Cannonball
Grandpa Jones: Eight More Miles to Louisville
Billy Grammer: Gotta Travel On
Crook Brothers: Eighth of January
Roy Acuff: I Wonder Where You Are Tonight
Ray Pillow: When A Man Loves A Woman
Grandpa & Ramona Jones: Raining on the Mountain, Now My Love
Billy Grammer: Amazing Grace

8:30: Stephens
Archie Campbell (host): Make Friends
Skeeter Davis: Hillbilly Song
Jimmy C Newman: Good Time Charlie's Got the Blues
George Morgan: Making Heartaches
Archie Campbell: Comedy
Lonzo & Oscar: Ol' Slewfoot

9:00: Rudy's
Ernest Tubb (host): Baby, It's So Hard to be Good
Jack Greene: Satisfaction
Jeannie Seely: A Farm in Pennsyltucky
Fruit Jar Drinkers: Hickory Leaf
Ernest Tubb: Waltz Across Texas
Jack Greene & Jeannie Seely: At Least We Know An Ending When it Comes
Ernest Tubb: Walking the Floor Over You

9:30: Kellogg's
Hank Snow (host): There's A Fool Such As I
Willis Brothers: Lady Godiva
Del Reeves: Before Goodbye
The 4 Guys: Turn Your Radio On
Marion Worth: Okie From Muskogee
Glenn Barber: Yes, Ma'am, I Found Her in A Honky-Tonk
Hank Snow: It Kinda Reminds Me of Me

10:00: Fender
Bill Anderson (host): Po' Folks
Bobby Bare: I Hate Goodbyes
Charlie Walker: Soft Lips & Hard Liquor
Stu Phillips: Sensuous Woman
Bill Anderson: The Lord Knows I'm Drinking

10:15: Union 76
Charlie Louvin (host) w/Diane McCall: A Man Likes Things Like That
Stonewall Jackson: I'm Not Strong Enough to Build Another Dream
Billy Grammer: Beautiful Isle of Somewhere
Jim & Jesse: Freight Train
Stoney and Carolee Cooper: Mansion in the Sky

10:30: Trailblazer
Roy Acuff (host): Little Pal
Grandpa Jones: Klide, Kitty
Skeeter Davis: The End of the World
Jimmy C Newman: Jambalay
Ray Pillow: Excuse Me

10:45: Beech-Nut
Ernest Tubb (host): Let's Say Goodbye Like We Said Hello
Jack Greene: There Goes My Everything
Jeannie Seely: Pass Me By (If You're Only Passing Through)
George Morgan: She's Got to be A Saint
Crook Brothers: Texas Quick Step

11:00: Coca-Cola
Hank Snow (host): I've Been Everywhere
Archie Campbell: Comedy
Willis Brothers: Cool Water
Fruit Jar Drinkers: Blackberry Blossom
Lonzo & Oscar: Take Me Home, Country Roads
Sam McGee: Farewell Blues/Alabama Jubilee/ Just Because
Hank Snow: Mary Ann Regrets

11:30: Elm Hill
Del Reeves (host): Six Days on the Road/Truck Driving Man
Justin Tubb & Norma Gallant: Heaven 7-7203
Glenn Barber: Unexpected Goodbye
Marion Worth: Put Your Hand in the Hand
The 4 Guys: Down by the Lazy River
Del Reeves: Trucker's Paradise

One last name that I did want to mention from that 1973 show was Glenn Barber. Glenn was born in Hollis, Oklahoma in 1935. He was known both for his country music and rockabilly, having recorded for Hickory Records. In the 1970's, he released three albums and had 21 singles that hit the country charts, with his highest charting record being "Unexpected Goodbye," which reached No. 23 in 1972. His last chart success was in 1979 after which his recording career ended. Glenn passed away in Gallatin, Tennessee in March 2008.

There you have it for this week. As always, I appreciate those of you who enjoy looking back at the history of the Grand Ole Opry and I will have more of it for you next week. As always, I hope everyone enjoys the Opry this weekend!!