Grand Ole Opry 6/28 & 6/29

So several weeks ago, June 11 to be exact, an artist was invited to become the newest member of the Grand Ole Opry. Unless I missed something, and in looking at the upcoming Opry schedule through the rest of the summer, I see no official induction date announced or listed. I hope that is not an indication as to the commitment to the Opry this newest member will be.

In other news, it was posted earlier this week that Grand Ole Opry member Jesse McReynolds was hospitalized and being checked out after becoming dizzy. Hopefully it is nothing to serious and the reports that were posted made it seem as if it was a precautionary measure. Jesse, who is the Opry's oldest male member, turns 90 on July 9.

Another Opry member, Connie Smith, was originally listed on the preliminary Opry schedule for this weekend, but is not on the final schedule announced. Connie has been absent from the Opry since early June and I know all of us hope she is well and will be back on the Opry very soon.

Finally, Grand Ole Opry member Tom T. Hall was formally inducted into the Songwriters Hall of Fame on June 13. Tom T., who is now 83, has had his songs recorded by dozens and dozens of artists. Johnny Cash called him his favorite song writer. In addition to this latest honor, Tom T. Hall is also a member of the Country Music Hall of Fame, the International Bluegrass Music Hall of Fame and the Kentucky Music Hall of Fame.
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Now let's look at this weekend's Grand Ole Opry shows. I will start it off with this comment: if you are looking for Grand Ole Opry members, the Opry this weekend will not be the place to be looking as the Friday Night Opry has just three members listed (Mike Snider, Riders In The Sky, Jeannie Seely), while Saturday's Grand Ole Opry has just four on the schedule (Bobby Osborne joining Snider, Riders and Seely). As a result, there are only three segments on each show.

There are some interesting names guesting this weekend including the legendary and former Grand Ole Opry member, Leroy Van Dyke, who is scheduled for Saturday night. Leroy joined the Opry in October 1962 and was terminated from the Opry several years later, via a letter from Ott Devine and mailed to Leroy, dated November 25, 1965, which stated:

Dear Leroy:
Our records show that you have been in for the Opry eighteen Saturday's this year with only five weeks remaining.

In fairness to those who have made sacrifices to meet our requirements, I must, with the greatest personal regret, inform you that we cannot include you in our plans in 1965. We can certainly appreciate your inability to be with us for the minimum number of weeks, and sincerely trust you will be understanding with our situation.

We are losing some very fine people and good friends, and it is with much sorrow that I must write this letter.

All of us at WSM wish you and yours the best of everything and hope by 1966 we can get together again.

Sincerely,

Ott Devine

(The letter was mailed on WSM letterhead, and note the wrong year on the letter, of which I have a copy of)

There have been reports that Leroy felt that he was merely suspended from the Opry and not fired. I must say, in reading the letter, that it appeared that Ott was telling Leroy that he would not be scheduled for 1965 and maybe in 1966 he could be back. Either way, Leroy never really went back except for guest appearances. To think, if he had stayed, this would be his 57th year as an Opry member.

As to the rest of the Opry line-up this weekend, Friday night will feature someone who wants to be an Opry member, Rhonda Vincent. Joining Rhonda will be John King, John Schneider, Linda Davis, Town Mountain, Runaway June, and making another Opry appearance, Steve Earle & The Dukes. Finally, and making his Opry debut, Gary Burr is on the schedule.

Saturday night will feature, in addition to Leroy, Shelly Fairchild, Sam Palladio, 7eventh Time Down, Cassadee Pope, and a return appearance by Sister Sadie.

Friday June 28
7:00: Mike Snider (host); John King; John Schneider
7:30: Riders In The Sky (host); Linda Davis; Town Mountain
Intermission
8:15: Jeannie Seely (host); Rhonda Vincent; Gary Burr; Runaway June; Steve Earle & The Dukes

Saturday June 29
7:00: Mike Snider (host); Shelly Fairchild; Leroy Van Dyke
7:30: Riders In The Sky (host); Bobby Osborne & The Rocky Top X-Press; Sam Palladio
Intermission
8:15: Jeannie Seely (host); 7eventh Time Down; Opry Square Dancers; Sister Sadie; Cassadee Pope

As mentioned, Friday night will be the Grand Ole Opry debut for Gary Burr. While he has appeared on the Opry previously supporting other artists, he has never had the opportunity to appear on the show to sing his own songs as a solo artist.

Gary has been around the music business for a while. While more noted as a songwriter, he also has had a career as a musician and singer. In fact, when Vince Gill left Pure Prairie League in 1982, it was Gary that took his place, remaining a member of the group until 1985.

His songs have been recorded by dozens of country music artists, among them Reba McEntire, Patty Loveless, Juice Newton, Oak Ridge Boys, Collin Raye, Kathy Mattea, Randy Travis, Kelly Clarkson, Faith Hill, and many more. Among those songs have been "Love's Been A Little Bit Hard On Me," (Juice Newton), "I Try to Think About Elvis," (Patty Loveless), "I Wear Your Love," (Kathy Mattea", To Be Loved By You," (Wynonna), and "Watch Me," (Lorrie Morgan). There have been many more. I am sure on Friday night he will entertain with several of those hits.
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7eventh Time Down will be appearing on Saturday's Grand Ole Opry. The group is from Mount Vernon, Kentucky and since releasing their first album, Alive in You, in September 2011, this Christian rock band has released three additional full-length albums and two Christmas EPs. Their current single "The 99" has had over one million streams on Spotify, while previously "God Is on the Move" stayed at the No. 1 spot for five weeks.

Mariah Secrest said, "it only takes about two seconds to like the band members from 7eventh Time Down. These Kentucky boys will welcome you at once with their good-natured banter and laid-back persona. But don't let them fool you. On stage, they mean business." They are "Straight up rock n' rollers, they blend classic rock tactics to make their sound aggressive with enough melodic hooks to lodge their choruses into the mind long after the show is over. They pull from the best of timeless bands such as Led Zeppelin, The Who, The Doors, AC/DC and even Johnny Cash, infusing a raucous yet carefully-crafted musical landscape with lyrics that shoot straight-from-the-hip."

Well, at the very least, they sound interesting!!
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And now, here is the posted Grand Ole Opry line-up from ten years ago, the final weekend in June 2009:

Friday June 26
7:00: Mike Snider (host); Connie Smith; Mark Wills
7:30: Jimmy Dickens (host); Ray Pillow; John Anderson
8:00: Jeannie Seely (host); Jim Ed Brown; Tracy Byrd
8:30: Ricky Skaggs (host); Jimmy C Newman; The Whites

Saturday June 27
1st show
7:00: Jimmy Dickens (host); The Whites; Jamie O'Neal
7:30: Mike Snider (host); Connie Smith; David Nail
8:00: Steve Wariner (host); Jimmy C Newman; Jim Ed Brown; Opry Square Dancers
8:30: Jeannie Seely (host); Billy Yates; Wynonna

2nd show
9:30: Jimmy Dickens (host); The Whites; Jamie O'Neal
10:00: Mike Snider (host); Connie Smith; Steve Wariner
10:30: Jim Ed Brown (host); Jimmy C Newman; David Nail; Opry Square Dancers
11:00: Jeannie Seely (host); Billy Yates; Wynonna

Now from 25 years ago, Saturday June 25, 1994:

1st show
6:30: Stonewall Jackson (host); Tim Hadley and Austin Taylor
6:45: Grandpa Jones (host); Jeanne Pruett
7:00: Jack Greene (host); Wilma Lee Cooper; Hank Locklin; Jean Shepard; Charlie Walker
7:30: Ricky Skaggs (host); Charlie Louvin and Bob Bates; Rhonda Vincent; Mike Snider
8:00: Porter Wagoner (host); Hoyt Axton; Johnny Russell; Roy Drusky; Opry Square Dance Band; The Melvin Sloan Dancers
8:30: Hank Snow (host); Jimmy C Newman; Jeannie Seely; The Whites

2nd show
9:30: Porter Wagoner (host); Jean Shepard; Wilma Lee Cooper; Hoyt Axton
10:00: Grandpa Jones (host); Charlie Louvin
10:15: Ricky Skaggs (host); The Whites; Sharon Skaggs
10:30: Stonewall Jackson (host); Jeanne Pruett
10:45: Mike Snider (host); Tim Watson and Black Creek; Opry Square Dance Band; The Melvin Sloan Dancers
11:00: Hank Snow (host); Rhonda Vincent; Jimmy C Newman; Charlie Walker
11:30; Jack Greene (host); Hank Locklin; Jeannie Seely and Tim Atwood; Johnny Russell

And from 50 years ago, Saturday June 28, 1969:

1st show
6:30/6:45: Roy Drusky; The Four Guys; Del Wood
7:00: Roy Acuff; Stu Phillips; Johnny Darrell; Red Sovine
7:30: Billy Walker; Jim and Jesse; Martha Carson; Crook Brothers
8:00: Ernest Tubb; Loretta Lynn; Billy Parker; Stringbean
8:30: Hank Snow; Hank Locklin; Margie Bowes; Fruit Jar Drinkers

2nd show
9:30: Roy Drusky; The Four Guys; Jim and Jesse
10:00: Stu Phillips; Stringbean; Johnny Darrell
10:15: Roy Acuff; Nat Stuckey
10:30: Billy Walker; Del Wood; Red Sovine
10:45: Ernest Tubb; Loretta Lynn; Crook Brothers; Billy Parker
11:00: Hank Snow; Martha Carson; Fruit Jar Drinkers; Sam McGee
11:30: Hank Locklin; Margie Bowes; Louie Roberts
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Looking back into the history of the Grand Ole Opry, it appears that it was on Saturday June 27, 1981 that The Whites made their Grand Ole Opry debut.

The Whites have been a part of the Grand Ole Opry family for more than 30 years and have been showcasing their own family harmony as a professional stage act even longer. Buck's skills on the piano landed him early gigs with the Opry's Hank Snow, Ernest Tubb and others. He married Pat Goza in 1951, and in 1962 they moved from Texas to Arkansas, where they began performing with another couple as the Down Home Folks. Their children performed as the Down Home Kids.

By the mid-'60s, the family was well known in bluegrass circles, and when the younger Whites decided they wanted to sing professionally, the family moved to Nashville in 1971. During their first years in Nashville, they performed as the Down Home Folks and recorded several bluegrass albums.

In 1973, mother Pat retired from the group, and in 1975, The Whites played a Washington, D.C., show with Emmylou Harris. That association led to Sharon and Cheryl providing background vocals on Harris' 1978 Blue Kentucky Girl album. "She just opened so many doors for us and put us in front of people who had never seen us before," Sharon told interviewer Paul Edward Joyce.

In 1981, Sharon White married Ricky Skaggs, a one-time member of Emmylou's Hot Band who also co-produced The Whites' major-label debut, Old Familiar Feeling. The album yielded four Top 10 hits including "You Put the Blue in Me," and "Hangin' Around." Other albums by The Whites, which blended country, folk, bluegrass, and gospel sounds include Forever you, Ain't No Binds, and Doin' It by the Book.

In 2000, The Whites appeared in the film, O Brother, Where Art Thou?, performing the Carter Family classic, "Keep on the Sunny Side," picking up a Grammy for their efforts. The Whites were inducted into the Texas Country Music Hall of Fame in 2008, the same year their collaboration with Ricky, Salt of the Earth, also won a Grammy award.

And now, here is the running order from 38 years ago, Saturday June 27, 1981:

1st show
6:30: Mrs. Grissoms
Stonewall Jackson (host): Full Moon; Empty Pockets
Ernie Ashworth: There's No Place I'd Rather Be Tonight
Stonewall Jackson: Waterloo

6:45: Rudy's
Billy Walker (host): Word Games
Jeannie Seely: You Don't Need Me, But You Will
Billy Walker: You Don't Know Me

7:00: Shoney's
Porter Wagoner (host): Ole Slewfoot
Charlie Louvin: Ten Years; 3 Kids; 2 Loves Too Late/Red, Red Wine
Jimmy Dickens: Sleepin' at the Foot of the Bed
Wilma Lee Cooper: I'm Going Home on the Morning Train
Porter Wagoner: Everything I've Always Wanted/Cold Hard Facts of Life/Carroll County Accident/Green, Green Grass of Home/On A Highway Headed South

7:30: Standard Candy
Grandpa Jones (host): Banjo Sam
Jean Shepard: Chime Bells
Bill Carlisle: Elvira
Ray Pillow: Too Many Memories
Crook Brothers and The Tennessee Travelers: Lafayette
George McCormick: Y'All Come
Grandpa Jones: Fallen Leaves

8:00: Martha White
Roy Acuff (host): Wabash Cannonball
Connie Smith: Satisfied/Sing; Sing; Sing
Vic Willis Trio: Colorado
Roy Drusky: If the Whole World Stopped Loving
Brother Oswald: Mountain Dew
Roy Acuff: Cabin in Gloryland

8:30: Acme
Hank Snow (host): Gonna Find Me a Bluebird
The Four Guys: Cottonfields/Mariah
David Houston: Texas Ida Red
Buck White and The White Sisters (Sharon and Cheryl): Send Me the Pillow You Dream On
Fruit Jar Drinkers: Fire on the Mountain
Hank Snow and Kelly Foxton: Things

2nd show
9:30: Kellogg's
Porter Wagoner (host): Tennessee Saturday Night
The Four Guys: I'm Almost Ready
Jeannie Seely: Make the World Go Away
Wilma Lee Cooper: The White Rose
Ernie Ashworth: You Can't Pick a Rose in December
Porter Wagoner: Ole Slewfoot/Cold Hard Facts of Life/Carroll County Accident; Green, Green Grass of Home

10:00: Little Debbie
Charlie Louvin (host): Faded Love
Jean Shepard: Too Many Rivers
Charlie Louvin: She Is

10:15: Sunbeam
Grandpa Jones (host): Kitty Klide
Billy Walker: Funny How Time Slips Away
Jimmy Dickens: Out Behind the Barn
Grandpa Jones: Nashville on My Mind

10:30: Martha White
Roy Acuff (host): Sunshine Special
Stonewall Jackson: Full Moon; Empty Pockets/Life to Go
Roy Acuff: The Great Speckled Bird

10:45: Beech-Nut
Roy Drusky (host): Strangers
Connie Smith: I've Got My Baby on My Mind
Crook Brothers and The Tennessee Travelers: Gray Eagle
Roy Drusky: Remember Me (I'm the One Who Loves You)

11:00: Coca-Cola
Hank Snow (host): The First Hurt is the Worst Hurt of All
Bill Carlisle: I'm Moving
Fruit Jar Drinkers: Nubbing Ridge
Ray Pillow: Even the Bad Times are Good
Kirk McGee: St. James Infirmary
Hank Snow and Kelly Foxton: Check

11:30: Bama
David Houston (host): Texas Ida Red
Vic Willis Trio: American Trilogy
Buck White and The White Sisters: Follow the Leader/Send Me the Pillow You Dream On
David Houston: After All

The Whites officially became Grand Ole Opry members on March 2, 1984. Hard to believe that the family has been Opry members for just over 35 years.

That covers it for this week. Thanks for reading and I hope everyone enjoys the Opry this weekend!!