By now, everyone should know who was announced earlier today as the newest inductees into the Country Music Hall of Fame: Jerry Bradley, Ray Stevens, and Brooks & Dunn.
Jerry Bradley really surprised me as I had pretty much forgotten his contributions to the music business. When Bill Cody was reading off Jerry's biography, it was very impressive. He has worked with Dolly Parton, Charley Pride, Ronnie Milsap, along with Willie and Waylon. He was also the man behind the famous Outlaws album. While it probably helped that his last name is Bradley, he certainly deserves election to the Hall, and with his election the trend continues that in this category, along with the musician category, it helps being a Nashville insider.
I am somewhat surprised over some of the comments I have read online regarding Ray Stevens and his election in the Veterans class. Personally, I have no issue with Ray and his accomplishments are enormous. He could have been elected as a songwriter, producer, instrumentalist, comedian or as a recording artist. Ray covered all the bases. Again, as with Jerry, when Bill was reading off the accomplishments of Ray, it reminded me of the things Ray had done that I had forgotten about. I am sorry to see some of the comments being made. This is probably the toughest category as there is just a huge backlog of candidates, and the list will continue to grow, especially if the voters follow the election of Brooks & Dunn in the Modern category with more acts from the 90s.
And that leaves us with Brooks & Dunn. Much as the voters did with Garth Brooks and Alan Jackson, they skipped over the late 70s and 80s and went with an act from the 90s. Really, Brooks & Dunn were a no-brainer and it was just a matter of not if, but when. The voters probably thought, as they did with Garth and Alan, let's just do it now. Those three were the big ones from that era and my guess is that next year the voters will go back into the 80s and pick a candidate from that era. I would certainly hope.
Congratulations to Jerry, Ray and Brooks & Dunn. All three very deserving.
As to the mid-week Opry shows, starting this week, not only is there the Tuesday Night Opry and Opry Country Classics, but the Opry begins its run of Wednesday night shows.
Tuesday March 19
7:00: Bill Anderson; Waylon Payne
7:30: The Swon Brothers; Frank Solivan and Dirty Kitchen
Intermission
8:15: Holly Williams; Trace Adkins; Charlie Daniels Band
Wednesday March 20
7:00: Jeannie Seely; Cale Dodds
7:30: Mickey Guyton; Michael Cleveland & Flamekeeper
Intermission
8:15: Kalie Shorr; Don Schlitz
8:45: Collin Raye; Crystal Gayle
Opry Country Classics March 21
Host: Larry Gatlin
Spotlight Artist: Connie Smith
Also Appearing: The Gatlin Brothers, T. Graham Brown, Teea Goans, Jerrod Niemann
Needless to say, with five shows a week, that is a lot of slots to fill. If nothing else, maybe it will clear the way to increase the number of Opry members appearing on the shows. I just hope it doesn't take away from the weekend shows.
Did anyone else notice that the Sarah who opened the hall of Fame ceremonies, during the moment of silence, she said “Ray Clark” and “Max Wiseman” and never mentioned Fred Foster at all.
ReplyDeleteMight be a reflection of the CMA and the leaders knowing little of the genres veterans.
David, I didn't catch that. Good ear.
DeleteDavid B:
DeleteWow!
Anonymous in Kingman
I caught that too. After she mentioned those that passed then she started talking about Fred Foster as though she had mentioned him. She mentioned Maxine Brown just before Mac and I think she got mixed up.
ReplyDeleteByron or someone else probably knows what her background is. You see organizations bring in folks who are great in their field, such as history or preservation but the specialty of the organization they take control of is something they have no previous background or interest in. That could be the case here.
Jim
Knightsville, IN
Jim, you've touched a good nerve, so here goes.
ReplyDeleteI'm a history professor. I teach certain subjects in U.S. history. Occasionally, I've been asked if I could explain the history of Bosnia or some other place, and my adviser once was asked what side of Mt. Sinai Moses came down with the Ten Commandments (his answer: the outside). But even in the areas I specialize in, I know that there's a lot I don't know, so I PREPARE. Now, the speaker at the induction may well have been nervous about getting up there and talking--it sounds like it isn't her regular job. And that's all the more reason for her to be prepared.
I'm with Byron on not wanting the weekend shows diluted. If it DOES mean that Garth and Tricia and Clint and Alan and Keith and Blake and Darius and especially LJD's buddy Brad might show up now and then, well, at least they will show up. Though they won't.
Hank Jr robbed again!
ReplyDeleteAs I was driving home tonight I tuned into the Tuesday night Opry just in time to hear the Swon Brothers talk about their love of harmony and how you have to think of the Eagles for inspiration when you think of harmony!
ReplyDeleteNow most of us would cite, Charlie and Ira, The Glassers, The Browns and Sonny and Bobby. I don't expect these youngsters to do that. But, how about Alabama, The Oak, maybe Diamond Rio or Sawyer Brown or heaven forbid, the Statlers. Please, at least reference a Country group.
This is where we are. Michael can probably really enlighten us here but I think this situation exists across a broad section of America today. Somehow somewhere we have lost the ability to pass on our heritage and continue the thread of a certain part of our history. Whether it be our family heritage, the heritage of a certain genre of music or any other part of our heritage.
There has been much discussion here in recent days about the HOF. Barry posted wonderful information about people that are being passed by. I'm wondering how we can expect many of them to ever be considered by peers that will be tomorrows HOF voters who cite the Eagles or other Rock and/or Southern Rock acts as their major influence. Unless a panel of historians like Doug Greene, Ron Harmon, Peter Cooper and the like are involved in decisions based on merit and accomplishment and not name recognition, many or our beloved folks we think deserve to be in the HOF are doomed to less than a footnote.
Maybe there are historians involved in the decision now so please correct me where I am wrong. There others much more informed and educated here than I am.
Jim
Knightsville, IN
Jim, I will say a couple of not entirely Opry-related things here, though I'm going to tie it back to that. And I'm going to start with something I tell my students, that when I was an undergrad, I overheard my adviser telling his TA, "If they worked half as hard at their assignments as they do at avoiding their assignment, they'd all get an A." I find myself saying something similar to my TA's, and they'll say it to theirs in 20 years. It's a generational thing.
DeleteI like to remind students that 200 years ago, many American leaders were complaining about how the country just wasn't as religious as it used to be, and people needed to start going to church again; that was the time of a revival movement. But we ALWAYS hear that. I also tell them that if they still have grandparents around, ask them what it was like when they first got television, and what did their parents, in turn, tell them about first hearing radio. Every time we have a technological advance, something becomes obsolete or at the very least no longer all that important. They're often shocked when I tell them that when I started using a computer, it was this big thing you inserted disks into and didn't have internet, and my first internet was dial-up, and I loved it because when I typed in a site, I had a couple of minutes to read and do other things before I could get to it!
Technology is both a help and a problem. It helps because we can find so much about our history and heritage. But when I was growing up, my grandfather lived with us, and always told stories about his youth, which got my father (his son-in-law) and my mother going on about theirs, and they passed that on to me. I don't have kids to pass it on to, but too many kids now are too busy with their iPhones to listen to their parents tell that stuff. Come to think of it, too many of the parents are similarly occupied.
I think there's a lot of interest in history and heritage, but I think the Opry is an example of where we run into trouble. Mike Snider really is a throwback to Uncle Dave and the string bands, and I honor him for doing that. I enjoy him a lot. But when the Opry started, it was something new on something incredible, radio, and what the listeners knew in the way of music was pretty much what the Solemn Old Judge wanted on there. I can't prove this without going into archives, but I know he fought with Harry Stone about putting more professional entertainers on there, and I would be willing to bet part of Stone's thinking was, our listeners can hear these singers out of New York like Bing Crosby and Rudy Vallee, and they're going to want at least some of our people to be professional like that, too, or they're going to start thinking we're a bunch of hicks who aren't that good at entertaining.
They're always be a desire for what we can call historic or heritage music--I think on the Opry, not just Snider but the bluegrass people fit that. But it's possible that in 50 years, people will be complaining that the music on the Opry then is too modern, and they miss the heritage sounds of Blake Shelton and Keith Urban--or there will still be a mix, with a little room for everybody.
Anyway, I hope all of this navel-gazing helps!
If everybody got in who deserved it, it wouldn't be as special !!!! We all have our favorites, but we know there will be worthy candidates next year !!! Enjoy the game and love real country music ! Dashmann, Flushing, Michigan
ReplyDeleteDashmann, I know what you mean. Byron and I are baseball fans, and we can have the same debate each year about Cooperstown. I don't think there's anybody in the Country Hall who doesn't deserve it SOMEDAY. But I know, for example, when Eddy Arnold and Johnny Cash both got it when they were less than 50, there was a lot of growling. In fact, now I believe you have to be 50 to get in if you're still alive.
DeleteAnd remember they thought Chet Atkins was going to die and he got in at an early age. Thankfully, he lived.
ReplyDeleteThat is one of the problems with the modern category. If your career began when you were young, in your early 20s, you basically become eligible while still in your 40s.
The next year, Chet called Owen Bradley and told him he'd be the inductee. Why, Owen asked. Because, Chet said, you had a heart attack, and they think you'll die, and that's why they put me in. And who was inducted the year after Chet was? Of course.
DeleteByron: Your comment about Chet brings to mind a vision I have of Chet coming out on stage with a cane on an award show decades ago. Did he go through an illness at a relatively early age?
DeleteJim
Knightsville, IN
Really is a moot arm-chair quarterback point, but seems to me most everyone here would agree the solution is pretty simple: expand the election to five performers every year evenly divided between veterans and modern era, perhaps an early-influence category (like the Rock hall does) or a deceased inductee (being dead seems to be a much harder hurdle to clear) and rotate the songwriter and non-performer in addition to the five performers. And I don't think electing six honorees would in any way diminish the exclusivity of the Hall. Would probably feel a lot more satisfying to the fans and those long-deserving artists and the families of those passed on as well. (oldtimeopry)
ReplyDeleteI like your suggestions (oldtimeopry), however, getting the powers-to-be in that thought vein may be difficult (from Anonymous in PA)
ReplyDeleteI have always thought that they should get rid of the rotating categories.
ReplyDeleteEach year elect:
Modern
Veteran
Contributing (non-performer)
Songwriter
Musician
Pre-World War II (pioneer category)
That comes out to 6 each year, double what you have now.
It won't change, but just my thought.
Fyi, Mandy Barnett replaced Mickey Guyton on last night's show.
ReplyDeleteHank Williams Jr is not in the Hall yet. Love Ray, Ricky Skaggs, Garth, Charlie Daniels, Brooks and Dunn, and many of the recent inductees(although I don’t think Randy Travis should’ve gotten in at all) it will not be legitimate until Hank Jr is inducted
ReplyDelete