Mid-Week Opry Shows 6/12 & 6/13; Grand Ole Opry 6/15 & 6/16

Update:

Here are the posted line-ups for the weekend shows:

Friday June 15
7:00: Mike Snider (host); Sarah Darling; Darin & Brooke Aldridge
7:30: Connie Smith (host); Hilary Williams; Darryl Worley
Intermission
8:15: Riders In The Sky (host); Bobby Osborne & The Rocky Top X-Press; Francesca Battistelli; The Wandering Hearts; Charlie Worsham

Saturday June 16
7:00: Mike Snider (host); Shelly Fairchild; Jim Lauderdale
7:30: Connie Smith (host); Love and Theft; Dan Tyminski
Intermission
8:15: Riders In The Sky (host); Matthew West; Opry Square Dancers; Nancy and Beth (featuring Megan Mullally and Stephanie Hunt; Bobby Bare

Really hate to see just 3 segments on each show with only 4 Opry members each night. Just not a good look. And just a note that Jesse McReynolds, who was originally listed as scheduled to appear, is not listed on the final line-up.

Original Post:

This week the Grand Ole Opry begins their series of Wednesday Night Opry shows. This is in addition to the Tuesday Night Opry, with the Wednesday shows replacing Opry Country Classics, which will return in the fall.

Tuesday June 12
7:00: The Whites; Jackie Lee
7:30: Lee Roy Parnell; The SteelDrivers
Intermission
8:15: Maddie & Tae; Thompson Square; Crystal Gayle

Wednesday June 13
7:00: Jeannie Seely; Exile
7:30: William Michael Morgan; Ricky Skaggs
Intermission
8:15: Carly Pearce; Riders In The Sky
8:45: Paul Thorn; LOCASH

Two very nice shows with a nice collection of artists. Nice to see that there were a few who were still in town after the CMA Music Festival.
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I will be taking the next week off for a much deserved (in my opinion) vacation in Gatlinburg, Tennessee. Being in the mountains, I am not sure how much internet access I will have, so while the line-ups are not posted as of yet, here are the artists that are on the tentative schedule:

For the Friday Night Opry, June 15, Opry members scheduled to appear include Connie Smith, Mike Snider, Bobby Osborne & The Rocky Top X-Press, and Riders In The Sky. Guest artists include Darryl Worley, Charlie Worsham, Francesca Battistelli, and Hilary Williams, daughter of Hank Williams, Jr. and sister of Holly Williams. Hilary is touring in support of her new album, "My Lucky Scars." She has been doing interviews talking about the album and the life altering accident that she was involved in a decade ago, and the long recovery that led to this most recent album.

Saturday night's Grand Ole Opry has Opry members Riders In The Sky, Connie Smith, Mike Snider, Jesse McReynolds, who has missed the past several weeks, and the Opry's newest member Bobby Bare on the schedule. Guest artists listed include Matthew West, Jim Lauderdale, Love and Theft, and Nancy and Beth (Megan Mullally and Stephanie Hunt).
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And now, here is the posted Grand Ole Opry line-up from 10 years ago, the weekend of June 13 & 14, 2008:

Friday June 13
8:00: Jeannie Seely (host); Jimmy C Newman; The Whites; Carolina Rain
8:30: Jimmy Dickens (host); Little General Cloggers; Mountain Heart
9:00: Jean Shepard (host); Bobby Osborne & The Rocky Top X-Press; Rebecca Lynn Howard
9:30: Riders In The Sky (host); Connie Smith; Kathy Mattea

Saturday June 14
1st show
6:30: Jimmy Dickens (host); Jimmy C Newman; 3 Fox Drive
7:00: Jean Shepard (host); Stu Phillips; Gail Davies
7:30: George Hamilton IV (host); Ray Pillow; Carolina Chocolate Drops
8:00: Jeannie Seely (host); Jan Howard; Ashley Monroe; Opry Square Dancers
8:30: Marty Stuart (host); Jack Greene; Jermaine Jackson

2nd show
9:30: Jimmy Dickens (host); Jean Shepard; Gail Davies
10:00: George Hamilton IV (host); Jack Greene; Carolina Chocolate Drops
10:30: Jeannie Seely (host); Ray Pillow; Ashley Monroe; Opry Square Dancers
11:00: Marty Stuart (host); 3 Fox Drive; Jermaine Jackson

And from 25 years ago, Saturday June 19, 1993:

1st show
6:30: Jim Ed Brown (host); Wilma Lee Cooper
6:45: George Hamilton IV (host); Bill Carlisle
7:00: Jack Greene (host); The Four Guys; Skeeter Davis; Rob Crosby; Stonewall Jackson
7:30: Grandpa Jones (host); Sammy Kershaw; Jan Howard; Charlie Walker
8:00: Porter Wagoner (host); Jeannie Seely; Brother Oswald; Roy Drusky; Opry Square Dance Band; Stoney Mountain Cloggers
8:30: Hank Snow (host); Riders In The Sky; Jeanne Pruett; The Whites; Mike Snider

2nd show
9:30: Porter Wagoner (host); Skeeter Davis; Charlie Walker; Rob Crosby
10:00: Grandpa Jones (host); Jan Howard
10:15: Jack Greene (host); Stonewall Jackson
10:30: The Four Guys (host); Charlie Nagatani;
10:45: George Hamilton IV (host); Mike Snider; Opry Square Dance Band; Stoney Mountain Cloggers
11:00: Hank Snow (host); Roy Drusky; Jeannie Seely; The Whites; Bill Carlisle
11:30: Jim Ed Brown (host); Jeanne Pruett; Riders In The Sky; Johnny Russell

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Looking back into the history of the Grand Ole Opry, it was Saturday June 14, 1997 that Opry member Barbara Mandrell made her final performance appearance at the Grand Ole Opry. Barbara had joined the Opry's cast on July 29, 1972 (according to the Opry's records, however the actual date was earlier in the month). Barbara, who was the first person to win the Country Music Association's Entertainer of the Year award two years in a row, signed with Columbia Records in 1969. After several Top 40 hits, she moved to ABC/Dot Records in 1978, where her career really took off with a number of No. 1 singles and albums. In 2009, Barbara was elected to the Country Music Hall of Fame.

Barbara appeared on the Opry fairly regularly early in her career, however once the hits and Barbara became a major star, her Opry appearances dramatically dropped, to just several per year. While Roy Acuff was alive, she always insisted on appearing on his segment of the show. Once Barbara made the decision to retire later that year, she stuck to it. While she has been a backstage visitor to the Opry several times over the years, and has even waved to the audience, she has never taken to the stage to perform.

It should be noted that when Barbara retired, she specifically asked the management of the Opry if she could retain her Opry membership. She was the first to make that request, and since that time, several other Opry members, including Jeanne Pruett, Ricky Van Shelton and Tom T. Hall, have also retired from performing and have kept their Opry membership. Without knowing it at the time, she started a new trend.

Here is the running order from 21 years ago, Saturday June 14, 1997, the final night that Barbara Mandrell performed on the Grand Ole Opry:

1st show
6:30: GHS Strings
Jimmy C Newman (host); La Cajun Band
Wilma Lee Cooper: Poor Ellen Smith
Jimmy C Newman: Diggy Liggy Lo

6:45: Jogging In A Jug
Grandpa Jones (host): Banjo Sam
Bill Carlisle: I've Waited too Long
Grandpa Jones: Any Old Time

7:00: Shoney's
Bill Anderson (host): Get a Little Dirt on Your Hands
Jeanne Pruett: A Poor Man's Woman
The Four Guys: Amazing Grace
Jeannie Seely: Speaking of the Devil
The Whites: Hangin' Around
Bill Anderson: I Love You Drops

7:30: Standard Candy
Jimmy Dickens (host): Country Boy
Speer Family: After Awhile/I Want to be Ready to Meet Him
Barbara Mandrell: I Was Country When Country Wasn't Cool/Joshua Fit the Battle of Jericho
Barbara Mandrell & Speer Family: The Dearest Friend I Ever Had
Jimmy Dickens: I Love Lucy Brown

8:00: Martha White
Porter Wagoner (host): Howdy Neighbor, Howdy
Skeeter Davis: The End of the World
Stonewall Jackson: Side-Steppin' the Blues
Del Reeves: Two Dollars in the Jukebox/A Dime at a Time/Looking at the World Through a Windshield
Opry Square Dance Band/Eddie Stubbs/Melvin Sloan Dancers: Wake Up Susan
Porter Wagoner: Green, Green Grass of Home

8:30: Clifty Farm
Mike Snider (host); (?)
Roy Drusky: Alone With You
Jean Shepard: Farewell Party
Charley Pride: Crystal Chandeliers/Kiss An Angel Good Morning
Mike Snider: Born to Shop

2nd show
9:30: Dollar General
Porter Wagoner (host): Y'All Come
Speer Family: I Remember the Day/I'm Building a Bridge/Surely I Will/What A Day that Will Be/I'll Meet You in the Morning
Barbara Mandrell: Sleeping Single in A Double Bed/Night Life
Porter Wagoner: Freight Train Boogie

10:00: Massey Ferguson
Charley Pride (host): Crystal Chandeliers/Kiss an Angel Good Morning/Heartaches by the Number/Kawliga

10:15: White By MTD
Grandpa Jones (host): Apple Jack
Jean Shepard: Together Again
Grandpa Jones: Some Little Bug Is Gonna Find You Someday

10:30: Purnell's
Jimmy Dickens (host): Out Behind the Barn
The Four Guys: How Married Are You Mary Ann
Jimmy Dickens: Another Bridge to Burn

10:45: Quality Certified Homes
Mike Snider (host): Lonesome Road Blues
Opry Square Dance Band/Eddie Stubbs/ Melvin Sloan Dancers: Pretty Polly
Mike Snider: Foggy Mountain Breakdown

11:00: Coca Cola
Bill Anderson (host): Did She Mention My Name
Connie Smith: Once A Day
Stu Phillips: Heart Over Mind
Charlie Walker: Pick Me Up On Your Way Down
Jeanne Pruett: Satin Sheets
Bill Anderson: That's What Made Me Love You

11:30: Opry Book/Ryman
Johnny Russell (host): Good Hearted Woman
Charlie Nagatani: Eddie's Song
Del Reeves: Don't You Ever Get Tired of Hurting Me
Jeannie Seely: When He Leaves You
Johnny Paycheck: I've Loved A Lot More Then I've Hurt/The Old Violin
Johnny Russell: Act Naturally

Finally, I have seen a lot of comments concerning the Opry's Sunday night show at the Bonnaroo Music Festival. For those who do not know, Bonnaroo is a four day festival in middle Tennessee that began as a Jamband festival featuring artists more associated with the Grateful Dead, but in recent years has expanded to include all types of music. Opry members, along with other country music performers, have appeared at the festival before, but this is the first time that an actual Opry show took place, which was broadcast on WSM. Bobby Bare, Riders In The Sky, Old Crow Medicine Show and Del McCoury were the Opry members that appeared, along with Maggie Rose, Joshua Hedley, Nikki Lane, and Lanco. Bill Cody was the announcer and the Opry Square Dancers performed. And yes, the Opry brought the famous backdrop, the announcer and mic stands. It was truly a special night.

I hope everyone has a great week and I will check in as time allows.