Grand Ole Opry 3/23 & 3/24

The line-ups are posted and it is another weekend at the Grand Ole Opry with one show each night. It is interesting to note that originally the Opry had two shows scheduled for Saturday night but over the weekend the late show was cancelled, due to poor ticket sales. My guess is that they thought they had one of the bigger named artists committed but that changed. It happens.

As to the Grand Ole Opry members appearing this weekend, both nights will feature Mike Snider, Jeannie Seely, and Connie Smith. Friday night we have Dailey & Vincent on the schedule, along with Bobby Osborne, Ricky Skaggs and The Whites. Saturday night, joining Mike, Jeannie and Connie will be Bill Anderson and Jesse McReynolds. That comes out to 7 Opry members on Friday and 5 on Saturday.

Guesting both nights will be comedian Dick Hardwick, joined on Friday night by "Nashville" star Charles Esten, Tegan Marie, Striking Matches and Shelly Fairchild. Saturday night, besides Dick, will feature Jimmy Wayne, Delta Rae, Maggie Rose, Jason Crabb, and John Berry, who will also be hosting the Ernest Tubb Midnight Jamboree. While nothing spectacular, both nights feature pretty solid line-ups.

Friday March 23
7:00: Jeannie Seely (host); Charles Esten; Mike Snider
7:30: Dailey & Vincent (host); Tegan Marie; Striking Matches
Intermission
8:15: Connie Smith (host); Bobby Osborne & The Rocky Top X-Press; Dick Hardwick
8:45: Ricky Skaggs (host); The Whites; Shelly Fairchild

Saturday March 24
7:00: Mike Snider (host); Jimmy Wayne; Delta Rae
7:30: Jeannie Seely (host); Maggie Rose; John Berry
Intermission
8:15: Bill Anderson (host); Dick Hardwick; Opry Square Dancers
8:45: Connie Smith (host); Jesse McReynolds; Jason Crabb

From 10 years ago, the 4th weekend in March 2008:

Friday March 21
8:00: John Conlee (host); Connie Smith; Sarah Johns
8:30: Jean Shepard (host); Jan Howard; Jimmy C Newman; James Otto
9:00: Riders In The Sky (host); Charlie Walker; George Hamilton IV; Josh Gracin
9:30: Jeannie Seely (host); Jack Greene; Cherryholmes

Saturday March 22
1st show
6:30: Jimmy Dickens (host); Jimmy C Newman; Jeannie Seely
7:00: John Conlee (host); George Hamilton IV; Jesse McReynolds & The Virginia Boys; Chonda Pierce
7:30: Lorrie Morgan (host); Jack Greene; Jim Ed Brown
8:00: Steve Wariner (host); Jean Shepard; Riders In The Sky; Opry Square Dancers
8:30: Marty Stuart (host); Connie Smith; Loretta Lynn

2nd show
9:30: Jimmy Dickens (host); John Conlee; Loretta Lynn
10:00: Lorrie Morgan (host); Charlie Louvin; Bobby Osborne & The Rocky Top X-Press; Chonda Pierce
10:30: Steve Wariner (host); Jean Shepard; Jim Ed Brown; Opry Square Dancers
11:00: Marty Stuart (host); Riders In The Sky; Connie Smith

25 years ago, Saturday March 27, 1993:

1st show
6:30: Jim Ed Brown (host); The 4 Guys
6:45: Jack Greene (host); Skeeter Davis
7:00: Bill Monroe (host); Billy Walker; Jan Howard; Charlie Louvin; Hank Locklin
7:30: Vince Gill (host); Emmylou Harris; Garth Brooks
8:00: Porter Wagoner (host); Jeannie Seely; Charlie Walker; Mike Snider; Opry Square Dance Band; Stoney Mountain Cloggers
8:30: Hank Snow (host); Jeanne Pruett; Justin Tubb; Bill Carlisle; Del Reeves

2nd show
9:30: Porter Wagoner (host); Brother Oswald; Skeeter Davis; Garth Brooks
10:00: Bill Monroe (host); Jan Howard
10:15: Vince Gill (host); Emmylou Harris
10:30: Jim Ed Brown (host); Ray Pillow
10:45: Jack Greene (host); Jeanne Pruett; Opry Square Dance Band; Stoney Mountain Cloggers
11:00: Hank Snow (host); Jeannie Seely; Hank Locklin; Bill Carlisle; Billy Walker
11:30: Del Reeves (host); The 4 Guys; Charlie Louvin; Charlie Walker; Mike Snider

Last week I posted the line-up from opening night at the new Grand Ole Opry House. It was a star-studded night with a majority of the Opry's members appearing. The 2nd week it was pretty much back to normal with many of the Opry's members back out on the road. Here is the running order from Saturday March 23, 1974, the 2nd week at the new Grand Ole Opry House:

1st show
6:30: Mrs Grissoms
Willis Brothers (host): Truck Stop
Merle Kilgore: Wolverton Mountain
Willis Brothers: Cool Water

6:45: Rudy's
Wilma Lee & Stoney Cooper (host): Poor Ellen Smith
Justin Tubb: Rambling Man
Del Wood: Keep on the Firing Line
Wilma Lee & Stoney Cooper: Coming Down from God

7:00: Rudy's
Roy Acuff (host): When I Lay My Burdens Down
Jean Shepard: At the Time
Jimmy Dickens: Take An Old Cold Tater and Wait
Minnie Pearl: Maple on the Hill
Jean Shepard: Second Fiddle
Jimmy Dickens: We Could

7:30: Standard Candy
Stu Phillips (host): Pride
Dottie West: Country Sunshine
Johnny Carver: Yellow Ribbon
Crook Brothers/Stoney Mountain Cloggers: Soldier's Joy
Stu Phillips: I'd Rather Be Sorry
Dottie West: Last Time I Saw Him
Stu Phillips: There Must Be Another Way to Say Goodbye

8:00: Martha White
Roy Drusky (host): Second Hand Rose
Connie Smith: Dallas
Ernie Ashworth: Honky Tonk Hardwood Floor
Louie Roberts: Don't Worry/Tonight Carmen
Roy Drusky: One Day at A Time
Connie Smith: He Touched Me
Ernie Ashworth: Talk Back Trembling Lips
Roy Drusky: Alone with You

8:30: Stephens
Jim Ed Brown (host): Stay A Little Longer
The 4 Guys: Hello Walls/Big Bad John/Wings of a Dove
Stan Hitchcock: The Same Old Way
Fruit Jar Drinkers: Katy Hill
Jim Ed Brown: Sometimes Sunshine
The 4 Guys: Down By the Lazy River
Stan Hitchcock: You Gave Me A Mountain
Cates Sisters: Uncle Pen

2nd show
9:30: Kellogg's
Wilma Lee & Stoney Cooper (host): Big Midnight Special
Willis Brothers: Bob
Ernie Ashworth: Honky Tonk Hardwood Floor
Merle Kilgore: Ring of Fire
Wilma Lee & Stoney Cooper: I Dreamed About Mama Last Night
Willis Brothers: Truck Stop
Stoney Cooper: Golden Slippers

10:00: Fender
Roy Drusky (host): Strangers
Dottie West: Country Sunshine/Last Time I Saw Him
Roy Drusky: Don't It Make You Want to Go Home

10:15: Union 76
Roy Acuff (host): Wabash Cannonball
Del Wood: There's A Big Wheel
Roy Acuff: The Great Speckled Bird

10:30: Trailblazer
Justin Tubb (host): Bad, Bad Leroy Brown
Jean Shepard: At the Time
Johnny Carver: Country Lullaby
Justin Tubb: Traveling Singing Man

10:45: Beech-Nut
Stu Phillips (host): Crystal Chandeliers
Connie Smith: Dallas
Crook Brothers/Stoney Mountain Cloggers: Cotton-Eyed Joe
Stu Phillips: A Castle; A Cabin

11:00: Coca-Cola
Jim Ed Brown (host): Southern Loving
Jimmy Dickens: Out Behind the Barn
Cates Sisters: Uncle Pen
Fruit Jar Drinkers: Cacklin' Hen
Jim Ed Brown: Why Me Lord
Jimmy Dickens: John Hentry
Sam McGee: Farewell Blues/Alabama Jubilee/Just Because
Jim Ed Brown: Pop A Top

11:30: Elm Hill
The 4 Guys (host): Cottonfields/Mariah
Stan Hitchcock: I'm Back in Baby's Arms
Louie Roberts: Just A Little Lovin'/Anytime/Bouquet of Roses/Cattle Call
The 4 Guys: Fall Away
Stan Hitchcock: Just Call Me Lonesome
The 4 Guys: Let Me Be There

A name from that night that you don't hear much anymore is Johnny Carver. Johnny, who is now 77 years old, was born in Jackson, Mississippi. Between 1968 ad 1977 he had fifteen Top 40 hits on the Billboard Country Charts, the highest being the country version of Tony Orlando's "Tie A Yellow Ribbon Round the Ole Oak Tree" which reached No. 1 in 1974. His only other Top 10 singles were "You Really Haven't Changed" which went to No. 6 in 1973 and "Afternoon Delight" which settled in at No. 9 in 1976.

Finally, on March 27th, Jan Howard will be celebrating 47 years as a member of the Grand Ole Opry, joining the cast on that date in 1971.

Some artists sing country songs. Some live them. Jan Howard has done a lot of living and entertained a whole lot of fans between the year in which she was born in West Plains, Missouri, and when she returned to her hometown to be inducted into the Walk of Fame on Court Square and her home state to dedicate Jan Howard Expressway and to be inducted into the Missouri Country Music Hall of Fame.

After spending time in California, Jan moved to Nashville and made her Grand Ole Opry debut in 1959. Her first solo single the next year, "The One You Slip Around With," was a Top 10 hit, and both Billboard and Cashbox magazines named her their Most Promising Country Vocalist of the year. Jan lived up to the promise in subsequent years with more than 20 Top 40 singles. She also made a name for herself in live shows alongside good friends Johnny Cash and Tammy Wynette, among others.

Among Jan's biggest solo hits are "Evil on Your Mind," (named one of country music's 500 greatest singles by the book "Heartaches by the Number"), "Bad Seed" and "Count Your Blessings, Woman." Even while she was on the charts as a solo artist, she was also enjoying success as part of Bill Anderson's syndicated TV show and tour. Together, the two Opry members topped the charts with "For Loving You," a month-long No. 1 in 1967. Meanwhile, Jan also was writing big hits for others in the business including Hall of Famers Bill, Johnny, Tammy, Kitty Wells, Conway Twitty, and Connie Smith. Jan's single "My Son," a song that began as a letter to her son Jimmy in Vietnam, was released just a few weeks before he was killed in action in 1968. Several year's later, Jan's efforts on behalf of the armed forces, mental health, the Veterans Administration, Vietnam veterans, and the Vietnam Veterans Memorial earned her the Tennessee Adjutant General's Distinguished Patriot Medal, its highest civilian honor. And in 2005, the Commander in Chief of the Veterans of Foreign Wars presented her with the Medal of Merit, which is awarded for "exceptional service rendered to country, community, and mankind.

Prior to Jan becoming an Opry member, she had guested so many times as part of Bill Anderson's group, that the Opry thought she was already a member. It was Bud Wendall who corrected the oversight, adding her to the Opry's cast as soon as he discovered his error. Jan is now basically retired from performing although she is still seen around town and occasionally backstage at the Opry.

Here is the running order from Saturday March 27, 1971, the night Jan Howard became an official member of the Grand Ole Opry:

1st show
6:30: Mrs Grissoms
Billy Walker (host): I Taught Her Everything She Knows
Ray Pillow: Grazin' in Greener Pastures
Del Wood: Are You From Dixie
Billy Walker: How Great Thou Art

6:45: Rudy's
Jack Greene (host): There's A Whole Lot About A Woman A Man Don't Know
Jeannie Seely: Please Be My New Love
Jack Greene & Jeannie Seely: Wish I Didn't Have to Miss You
Jack Greene: There Goes My Everything

7:00: Luzianne
Bill Monroe (host): My Little Georgia Rose
Earl Scruggs Revue: Loraderojosp III Breakdown
Wilma Lee & Stoney Cooper: Each Season Changes You
Ernie Ashworth: Jesus Is A Soul Man
James William Monroe: Come With Me Up Happiness Hill
Bill Carlisle: Too Old to Cut the Mustard
Earl Scruggs Revue: Foggy Mountain Top
Wilma Lee Cooper: The Legend of the Dogwood Tree

7:30: Standard Candy
Bill Anderson (host): Wild Weekend
Grandpa Jones: Mountain Dew
Jan Howard: Evil on Your Mind
George Morgan: For the Good Times
Bill Anderson: Always Remember
Crook Brothers: Black Mountain Rag
Grandpa Jones: Fair & Tender Ladies
Bill Anderson & Jan Howard: Someday We'll Be Together

8:00: Martha White
Roy Acuff (host): Wabash Cannonball
Loretta Lynn: I Wanna Be Free
Tex Ritter: The Men in My Little Girls's Life
Willis Brothers: Women's Liberatioin
Lonzo & Oscar: Crawdad Song

8:30: Stephens
Porter Wagoner (host): The Carroll County Accident
Dolly Parton: Coming For to Carry Me Home
Stringbean: Hot Corn; Cold Corn
Tom T Hall: Ballad of 40 Dollars
Porter Wagoner: The Last One to Touch Me
Hank Locklin: She's As Close As I Can Get
Fruit Jar Drinkers: Walking in My Sleep
Porter Wagoner & Dolly Parton: Better Move it On Home

2nd show
9:30: Kellogg's
Bill Anderson (host): You Can Change the World By Changing Your Mind
Willis Brothers: For the Good Times
Jan Howard: Were You There
Wilma Lee & Stoney Cooper: Nobody's Darling But Mine
Ray Pillow: Working Man Blues
Bill Anderson: I Love You Drops

10:00: Fender
Bill Monroe (host): Little Joe
Earl Scruggs Revue: Bugle Call Rag
Bill Carlisle: I'm Moving
Del Wood: Are You From Dixie

10:15: Union 76
Billy Walker (host): When A Man Loves A Woman
Grandpa Jones: Dooley
Ernie Ashworth: Jesus Is A Soul Man
Billy Walker: Make the World Go Away

10:30: Trailblazer
Roy Acuff (host): I Wonder Where You Are Tonight
Jack Greene: There's A Whole Lot About A Woman A Man Don't Know
Jeannie Seely: Don't Touch Me
Roy Acuff: The Great Speckled Bird

10:45: Beech-Nut
Porter Wagoner (host): Big Wind
Dolly Parton: Joshua
Stringbean: Lonesome Road Blues
Crook Brothers: Arkansas Traveler
Porter Wagoner & Dolly Parton: Better Move it On Home

11:00: Coca-Cola
Tex Ritter (host): Have I Told You Lately That I Love You
Loretta Lynn: Coal Miner's Daughter
Han Locklin: Country Hall of Fame
Fruit Jar Drinkers: (?)
Tex Ritter: High Noon
Loretta Lynn: I Wanna Be Free
Sam McGee: San Antonio Rose

11:30: Elm Hill
Marty Robbins (host): Devil Woman
Lonzo & Oscar: There's A Hole in the Bottom of the Sea
Ronnie Robbins: Put You Hand in the Hand/Today I Started Loving You Again
Marty Robbins: I Walk Alone/Don't Worry/A Heart Full of Love/Long Gone Lonesome Blues
Marty Robbins & Ronnie Robbins: It Finally Happened

There you have it for this week. Congratulations again to Jan Howard and I hope, as always, everyone enjoys the Opry this weekend!!!