Grand Ole Opry 5/31 & 6/1

The weekend before the CMA Music Fest, and all is quite in Nashville. Well, not quite as the Grand Ole Opry has two shows scheduled this weekend, but first some sad news to share.

Eunita Kirby, the widow of Beecher Ray Kirby, better known as Brother Oswald, has passed away. Oswald, who passed away in 2002, and Eunita were married for 19 years. Brother Oswald, who officially joined the Grand Ole Opry in 1995, had been a part of the Opry since coming to Nashville with Roy Acuff.

Now, as far as the Grand Ole Opry this weekend, it looks like there will be two pretty nice shows this weekend as there is a nice group of Grand Ole Opry members in town. Opry members scheduled for both nights include John Conlee, Dailey & Vincent and Mark Wills. Joining that trio on Friday Night will be members Mike Snider, Jesse McReynolds and Connie Smith. Saturday night has Jeannie Seely, Bobby Osborne, Bill Anderson, Ricky Skaggs and The Whites scheduled.

Looking at the guest list, Friday night has Doug Seegers making a return appearance, along with Kathy Mattea, who in my opinion should have been an Opry member a long time ago, and who I feel would make a great Opry member, and a group who will be making their Opry debut, Fairground Saints. Also scheduled is another frequent guest, Steven Curtis Chapman.

Appearing on Saturday night will be King Calaway, making a return appearance to the Opry, along with comedian Chonda Pierce and John Paul White, formally one half of The Civil Wars.

Friday May 31
7:00: John Conlee (host); Mike Snider
7:30: Mark Wills (host); Jesse McReynolds; Fairground Saints
Intermission
8:15: Dailey & Vincent (host); Doug Seegers; Steven Curtis Chapman
8:45: Connie Smith (host); Kathy Mattea

Saturday June 1
7:00: Jeannie Seely (host); John Conlee; Dailey & Vincent
7:30: Mark Wills (host); Bobby Osborne & The Rocky Top X-Press; Chonda Pierce
Intermission
8:15: Bill Anderson (host); John Paul White; Opry Square Dancers
8:45: Ricky Skaggs (host); The Whites; King Calaway

Mark Willis is going to be a pretty busy guy this weekend as he will also be hosting the Ernest Tubb Midnight Jamboree
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A distance of approximately 2,042 miles separates the California Coast from Nashville, Tennessee. Hop on the I-10 East from the Pacific Coast Highway, drive straight through, and you'll be a stone's throw from the Grand Ole Opry and strolling down Music Row no more than 32 hours later. Fairground Saints literally and creatively made such a trek. Like a montage out of a movie, the California-bred-trio of Elijah Edwards, Meg McAllister, and Mason Van Valin, met by way of various social networks and Craiglist postings. The trio locked into a once-in-a-lifetime groove, sold everything, packed up, and headed to Nashville. Within two weeks of relocating, they landed a deal with Sony Music Nashville. They had already earned acclaim from NPR, Huffington Post, and more as early recordings "Can't Control The Weather," and "Turn This Car Around" amassed millions of streams. They have toured with Brothers Osborne, Sara Evans, Scotty McCreery and Kip Moore.

Their first release on Sony/Nashville "Somewhere Down The Line" illustrates the band's identity. Introducing a new chapter and more music, the track hinges on a literal knee-slapping groove and pedal steel twang courtesy of Elijah and male-female harmonies shared by Meg and Mason before an upbeat and undeniable chant.

"Before we moved out to Nashville, we were doing some stuff in California, but things weren't going exactly the way we hoped, "said Meg. "We needed to go to Nashville. We didn't know exactly why. We didn't have an apartment lined up. We just sold everything we had, drove across the country, and made it work."

While Fairground Saints will be making their Opry debut on the Friday Night Opry, John Paul White, who is scheduled for Saturday's Grand Ole Opry, has been on the Opry stage before as a member of the outstanding duo, The Civil Wars.

With "The Hurting Kind," John Paul White has crafted a stunning album that draws on the lush, orchestrated music made in Nashville in the early 1960s. Yet these songs retain a modern feel, whether he's writing about overwhelming love, unraveling relationships, or the fading memory of a loved one.

John Paul grew up in tiny Loretto, Tennessee, and now lives in Florence, Alabama, not far from Muscle Shoals. He has cultivated his career in Nashville for two decades, first as a songwriter for a major publisher, then as half of The Civil Wars, a groundbreaking duo that won four Grammy Awards before disbanding in 2012. Because The Civil Wars was so hard to categorize, he has earned a fan base among indie rock listeners, folk audiences, Americana outlets, and AAA radio. So, what will happen if people hear The Hurting Kind and call it country? "Well, that doesn't scare me in the least," he says. "As a matter of fact, it kind of thrills me."
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And now, here is the posted Grand Ole Opry line-up from ten years ago, the weekend of May 29 & 30, 2009:

Friday May 29
7:00: Mike Snider (host); Jim Ed Brown; Jean Shepard; Sunny Sweeney
7:30: Jimmy Dickens (host); The Whites; Jimmy C Newman; Rebecca Lynn Howard
8:00: Marty Stuart (host); Connie Smith; The Quebe Sisters Band
8:30: Bill Anderson (host); Charlie Nagatani; Riders In The Sky

Saturday May 30
1st show
7:00: Jimmy Dickens (host); Jim Ed Brown; Jeannie Seely; Mike Snider
7:30: Marty Stuart (host); Jimmy C Newman; Riders In The Sky; Connie Smith
8:00: Bill Anderson (host); Jean Shepard; Joe Diffie; Opry Square Dancers
8:30: Vince Gill (host); Amy Grant; John McEuen; Tim O'Brien; Steve Martin; Brad Paisley

2nd show
9:30: Jimmy Dickens (host); Mel McDaniel; George Hamilton IV; The Whites
10:00: Marty Stuart (host); Jack Greene; Bobby Osborne & The Rocky Top X-Press; Connie Smith
10:30: Bill Anderson (host); Jeannie Seely; Joe Diffie; Opry Square Dancers
11:00: Vince Gill (host); Amy Grant; John McEuen; Tim O'Brien; Steve Martin

Saturday May 30, 1970 was an interesting night at the Grand Ole Opry as Jim Nabors performed that night.

Jim Nabors is known to most of us as Gomer Pyle, starring on the CBS television series. However, he was also an accomplished singer who appeared on numerous variety shows beginning in the 1960s.

Jim was born in Sylacauga, Alabama, but moved to California due to his asthma. He was discovered by Andy Griffith while working in a Santa Monica nightclub and he later joined the cast of The Andy Griffith Show. From there, his character was given his own spin-off show as Gomer Pyle. After Gomer Pyle left the air, he starred in his own variety show, however that show did not last long. After the show was cancelled, Jim continued to appear in concerts and on television, and was a frequent visitor to Nashville, known to attend the CMA Awards show.

Here is the running order from Saturday May 30, 1970:

1st show
6:30: Mrs. Grissoms
Willis Brothers (host): Bible on the Table (and a Flag upon the Wall)
Earl Scruggs Revue: Nashville Skyline Rag
Ernie Ashworth: That Look of Goodbye
Willis Brothers: Buying Popcorn

6:45: Rudy's
Jim Ed Brown (host): Lift Ring, Pull Over
Earl Scruggs Revue: My Home is Across the Blue Ridge Mountains
Stu Phillips: Wild Side of Life/You Win Again
Jim Ed Brown: Baby, I've Tried

7:00: Luzianne
Bill Monroe (host): Rawhide
Webb Pierce: The Man You Want Me to Be
Archie Campbell: Comedy
Leroy Van Dyke: She Called Me Baby
Bill Monroe: There's an Old, Old House
Webb Pierce: There Stands the Glass
Leroy Van Dyke: Walk on By/Auctioneer
Bill Monroe: Panhandle Country

7:30: Standard Candy
Porter Wagoner (host): Big Wind
Dolly Parton: It's Just the Way I Am
Billy Walker: Charlie's Shoes/Thinking 'Bout You Babe
Crook Brothers: Gray Eagle
Porter Wagoner and Dolly Parton: Run That By Me One More Time
Dolly Parton: How Great Thou Art
Billy Walker: When A Man Loves A Woman
Porter Wagoner: You Gotta Have a License

8:00: Martha White
Lester Flatt (host): Rollin' In My Sweet Baby's Arms
Dottie West: Here Comes My Baby
Billy Grammer: (?)
Cousin Jody: Mockingbird
Lester Flatt: I've Been Walking
Dottie West: Long Black Limousine
Billy Grammer: Gotta Travel On
Lester Flatt: Cumberland Gap

8:30: Stephens
Hank Locklin (host): Flying South
Marion Worth: Okie From Muskogee
Bobby Bare: Miller's Cave
Jim and Jesse: I've Got a Freight Train in My Mind
Hank Locklin: Danny Boy
Fruit Jar Drinkers: Devil's Dream
Marion Worth: Sleeping at the Foot of the Bed
Bobby Bare: Margie's at the Lincoln Park Inn

2nd show
9:30: Kellogg's
Porter Wagoner (host): Dooley
Willis Brothers: Private Lee
Dolly Parton: My Blue Ridge Mountain Boy
Ernie Ashworth: Where Do You Go
Porter Wagoner and Dolly Parton: Just Someone I Used to Know
Willis Brothers: Gypsy, Rose and Me
Dolly Parton: Daddy Come and Get Me
Porter Wagoner: Big Wind

10:00: Fender
Jim Ed Brown (host): Pop A Top
Webb Pierce: More & More/The Man You Want Me to Be
Jim Ed Brown: Baby, I've Tried

10:15: Union 76
Bill Monroe (host): I Haven't Seen Mary in Years
Earl Scruggs Revue: Nine Pound Hammer
Stu Phillips: Crystal Chandeliers
Bill Monroe: Blue Moon of Kentucky

10:30: Trailblazer
Lester Flatt (host) and Paul Warren: Orange Blossom Special
Archie Campbell: Make Friends
Leroy Van Dyke: An Old Love Affair Now Showing
Lester Flatt: A Great Big Woman & A Little Biddy Bottle of Wine

10:45: Beech-Nut
Hank Locklin (host): Send Me the Pillow You Dream On
Minnie Pearl
Jim Nabors: Your Cheatin' Heart/Rock -A-Bye

11:00: Coca Cola
Billy Walker (host): Cross the Brazos at Waco
Dottie West: Country Girl
Billy Grammer: Under the Double Eagle
Fruit Jar Drinkers: Cacklin Hen
Billy Walker: You Gave Me A Mountain
Dottie West: Here Comes My Baby
Sam McGee: Folsom Prison Blues
Billy Grammer: God Will Take Care of You/The Old Rugged Cross

11:30: Lava
Bobby Bare (host): Four Strong Winds
Marion Worth: Okie from Muskogee
Jim and Jesse: Golden Rocket
Cousin Jody: On Top of Old Smokey
Bobby Bare: The Streets of Baltimore
Marion Worth: How Great Thou Art
Jim and Jesse: I Wish You Knew
Bobby Bare: Detroit City

A Couple of interesting notes from that night: Jim Nabors was introduced by his friend Minnie Pearl. He appeared only on the late show. Also, two former Grand Ole Opry members, Webb Pierce and Leroy Van Dyke performed on both shows that night. As to cancellations, Bill Carlisle, Stringbean, Ray Pillow and Loretta Lynn were all scheduled, but cancelled. Finally, a few of the Opry's heavy hitters were missing that night: Roy Acuff, Hank Snow, Ernest Tubb and Marty Robbins. Still, it was a very good night at the Opry.

There you have it for this week as we close out the month of May and head into June and the CMA Music Fest. Looking at the Opry's schedule for next week, it looks like a pretty full week of shows, with several of the Opry's bigger names, including Carrie Underwood and Travis Tritt, scheduled to appear.

As always, thanks for reading and I hope everyone enjoys the Opry this weekend.