Grand Ole Opry 8/23 & 8/24

Before getting into the Grand Ole Opry line-ups for this week, just a bit of news and comments to pass along.

First, in celebration of Dolly Parton's 50th anniversary as a member of the Grand Ole Opry, a special limited time exhibit has been set up in Studio A at the Opry House to commemorate Dolly's Opry career.

The exhibit, “Dolly: My Opry Memories,”  will run Sept. 3 – Oct. 31. The exhibit will include 24 wardrobe pieces that Dolly has worn on stage at the Grand Ole Opry House and Ryman Auditorium over the past 50 years. The dresses on display in the Opry House’s historic Studio A will include the dress Parton wore on the evening of her Opry induction in 1969, the gown worn to perform a duet with Vince Gill on “I Will Always Love You” in 1995 and the outfit she wore to surprise Reba McEntire during McEntire’s 40th Opry celebration.

The exhibit will also include videos of Parton sharing some of her treasured Opry memories as well as performance clips that span the last five decades. (My first thought was that the video will probably be pretty short considering how few times Dolly has been at the Opry over the past 40 years).

The Grand Ole Opry’s months-long celebration of the icon also involves the transformation of radio station WSM’s Opry Nashville streaming channel to Dolly Radio. Over the course of the exhibit, the stream will feature a wide array of Parton’s hit songs, Opry performances, interviews and more. Dolly Radio will be available at WSMonline.com and the station’s free mobile app.

Admission to "Dolly: My Opry Memories" is $17 or $12 when added to the purchase of an Opry backstage tour.

Dolly Parton will formally celebrate her 50th anniversary as a member of the Grand Ole Opry on Saturday October 12, with two sold out shows. No other artists have been added to the schedule as of yet, but I am sure it will be a star-studded evening.

My personal opinion is that it is nice that the Grand Ole Opry is honoring Dolly, and she is a global icon and someone I do enjoy. However, it would mean more if she had actually supported the Opry and appeared on the show more than a handful of times over the past several decades. (Oh, and to be clear, I do like Dolly and she is certainly worthy of the honor).

Secondly, while I was away last weekend, I noticed a few comments regarding the recordings of WSM and Grand Ole Opry shows that have been posted on the internet. There were a few comments regarding the quality of the recordings and how great they are. I agree. As someone who has tapes of most of the Prince Albert shows, I can tell you that the shows posted have been cleaned up and the sound quality is amazing.

https://archive.org is the site and you can type in the search bar as to what you are looking for. In the case of the Prince Albert shows, with over 100 in the file, the site is: https://archive.org/details/GrandOleOpryOtr

If you want to hear some great Grand Ole Opry shows from the past, I highly recommend this site.
___________________________________________________________________________

Looking at the Grand Ole Opry line-ups for this weekend, Tanya Tucker is scheduled for the Friday Night Opry. Tanya, who is touring in support of her new album, has been mentioned on various sites as being one of the favorites to be elected to the Country Music Hall of Fame in 2020. While it is way too soon to get into that speculation, I would attend to agree that she would be one of the early favorites and would be a strong candidate to be elected.

Guesting with Tanya on the Friday Night Opry will be Moe Bandy. It is always a treat to hear Moe on the Opry. Joining those two will be Jason Crabb, Nicolle Gaylon, Hunter Hayes, and making her Opry debut, Caylee Hammack.

Grand Ole Opry members scheduled on Friday night include Jeannie Seely, Jesse McReynolds, The Whites, Connie Smith and Dailey & Vincent.

Jeannie, The Whites and Connie are also scheduled for Saturday's Grand Ole Opry, where that trio will be joined by members Bobby Osborne, Riders In The Sky, and Crystal Gayle.

Scheduled as guests on Saturday night are King Calaway, Austin Jenckes, Christian comedian Chonda Pierce, and legendary musician Tony Trischka.

Friday August 23
7:00: Jeannie Seely (host); Jason Crabb; Jesse McReynolds
7:30: The Whites (host); Nicolle Galyon; Moe Bandy
Intermission
8:15: Connie Smith (host); Caylee Hammack; Hunter Hayes
8:45: Dailey & Vincent (host); Tanya Tucker

Saturday August 24
7:00: Connie Smith (host); Bobby Osborne & The Rocky Top X-Press
7:30: The Whites (host); Tony Trischka; King Calaway
Intermission
8:15: Jeannie Seely (host); Chonda Pierce; Opry Square Dancers
8:45: Riders In The Sky (host); Austin Jenckes; Crystal Gayle

Capitol Records Nashville’s Caylee Hammack, who is making her Opry debut on Friday night,  constantly felt like a self-described “hippie in a hillbilly town” in her tiny hometown of Ellaville, Georgia.  “I used to pray every night as a kid, ‘God, just please make me different. Don’t make me like everyone else,’” she remembers.

Hammack is indeed refreshingly different.  She’s a country expressionist, a grungy firebrand and a spiritual seeker.  And at only 24, she has already packed a full life into just a few years, using fake IDs to get gigs around South Georgia, turning down a college scholarship for a love that burned out just a few months later, sleeping in her car when she arrived in Nashville and then losing her home in an electrical fire.

“My dad has always said that the most beautiful and strongest things are forged in the fire,” she says. “Iron is nothing until you work it in a fire. Glass cannot be blown without intense heat. You can’t make anything beautiful or strong without a little heat.”

Tested by the fire, Caylee Hammack has been molded into an artist with incredible depth and a powerhouse voice that can effortlessly veer from fiery and demanding to quiet and vulnerable.  Her life experience and relentless curiosity have coalesced into a country cocktail that’s rooted in tradition but expands with shards of modern pop and rock. Her self-penned songs tug on her own life story – bad decisions, secret affairs, broken hearts, a quirky family lineage – as she invariably turns the lemons of her daring life into sonic lemonade.
________________________________________________________________________

And now here is the posted Grand Ole Opry line-up from ten years ago, the weekend of August 21 & 22, 2009:

Friday August 21
7:00: Jeannie Seely (host); Jim Ed Brown; Del McCoury Band
7:30: Jimmy Dickens (host); Jimmy C Newman; Crystal Gayle
8:00: Hal Ketchum (host); Stonewall Jackson; Jesse McReynolds and The Virginia Boys; The Whites
8:30: Mike Snider (host); Jean Shepard; Oak Ridge Boys

Saturday August 22
7:00: Jimmy Dickens (host); Jimmy C Newman; Del McCoury Band
7:30: Mike Snider (host); Jean Shepard; Jack Greene; Joey+Rory
8:00: Hal Ketchum (host); Jan Howard; The Whites; Opry Square Dancers
8:30: Riders In The Sky (host); Bobby Osborne & The Rocky Top X-Press; Exile

Now from 25 years ago, Saturday August 20, 1994:

1st show
6:30: Jean Shepard (host); Bill Carlisle
6:45: Jim Ed Brown (host); Jeanne Pruett
7:00: Grandpa Jones (host); Skeeter Davis; Brother Oswald; Mel McDaniel; Mike Snider
7:30: The Four Guys (host); Mac Davis; The Whites; Asleep At The Wheel
8:00: Porter Wagoner (host); Jan Howard; Stonewall Jackson; Charlie Walker; Opry Square Dance Band; The Melvin Sloan Dancers; Colleen Walters
8:30: Hank Snow (host); Jeannie Seely; Charlie Louvin; Ricky Skaggs

2nd show
9:30: Porter Wagoner (host); Jeanne Pruett; Stonewall Jackson; Mac Davis
10:00: Grandpa Jones (host); Jan Howard
10:15: Jean Shepard (host); Roy Drusky
10:30: Mike Snider (host); Ray Pillow
10:45: The Four Guys (host); Jim Ed Brown; Opry Square Dance Band; The Melvin Sloan Dancers
11:00: Hank Snow (host); Asleep At The Wheel; The Whites; Mel McDaniel
11:30: Ricky Skaggs (host); Jeannie Seely; Charlie Walker; Rhonda Vincent

Finally, from 50 years ago, Saturday August 23, 1969:

1st show
6:30: Jim Ed Brown; The Four Guys
6:45: The Glaser Brothers; Del Wood
7:00: Bill Anderson; Stringbean; Jan Howard; Jack Barlow
7:30: George Hamilton IV; Bill Carlisle; Crook Brothers; The Tennessee Travelers; Audrey Williams
8:00: Billy Grammer; Loretta Lynn; Johnny Carver; Bill Price; Jimmy Payne
8:30: Jack Greene; Jeannie Seely; John Wesley Ryles; Fruit Jar Drinkers

2nd show
9:30: Jim Ed Brown; Johnny Carver; Lorene Mann; Jack Barlow
10:00: The Four Guys; Del Wood: Jeanne Pruett
10:15: George Hamilton IV; Stringbean; George Lindsay; Penny DeHaven
10:30: Glaser Brothers; Loretta Lynn
10:45: Billy Grammer; Bill Carlisle; Crook Brothers; The Tennessee Travelers
11:00: Jack Greene; Jeannie Seely; Bill Price; Fruit Jar Drinkers; Sam McGee
11:30: Roy Drusky; Del Reeves; John Wesley Ryles

It was another thin night for Opry members with many of the bigger names missing.
______________________________________________________________________

Now looking back, it was Saturday August 24, 1991 that Dottie West made her final appearance on the Grand Ole Opry.

Dottie West was one of country music's greatest female stars for 30 years. Her career began in 1959 when she made her first recording for Starday Records. She first made the national charts in 1963 and the following year had a blockbuster country hit with "Here Comes My Baby Back Again" which would earn her the Best Country Female Vocal Grammy Award. Her hits continued through the rest of the 1960's and into the 1970's, a highpoint being her song "Country Sunshine" in 1973 which earned her two more Grammy nominations and was used in an iconic Coca-Cola commercial.

In 1978 she recorded a duet album with pop/country superstar Kenny Rogers that brought her even greater fame and many awards, and launched Dottie's solo career to even new heights including three number records and her hits crossing over to chart on the pop/rock charts as well. This new music super-stardom for Dottie led to multiple appearances on all the major variety and talk shows of the era as well as acting gigs on "The Dukes of Hazard", "The Fall Guy" and "The Love Boat".

Dottie's career began to recede by 1985 with the last of her hits and fewer television appearances. She died in 1991 from injuries in a car accident at age 58 but will always be remembered as one of the great queens of country music.

Dottie became a member of the Grand Ole Opry in August 1964 and remained an Opry member until her death. Last year, she was elected to the Country Music Hall of Fame, an honor that should have taken place decades ago.

Here is the running order from 28 years ago, Saturday August 24, 1991, the final appearance by Dottie West on the Grand Ole Opry:

1st show
6:30: Bonanza
Porter Wagoner (host): Company's Coming
Ernie Ashworth: Shamrock Motel
Porter Wagoner: Green, Green Grass of Home/Ol' Slewfoot

6:45: Country Music Hall of Fame
Jim and Jesse (host): Dream of Me
Skeeter Davis: The End of the World
Bill Carlisle: Is Zat You Myrtle
Jim and Jesse: A Flower in the Desert

7:00: Shoney's
Del Reeves (host): Girl on the Billboard
Billy Grammer: Steel Guitar Rag
Jean Shepard: IF You Can Live With It
Dottie West: I Can't Help It
David Houston: I'll Take You Home Again, Kathleen
Del Reeves: Good Time Charlie's

7:30: Standard Candy
Jimmy C Newman (host): La Cajun Band
The McCarters: No Where to Go But Up/If I Could Stop Loving You
Clinton Gregory: If It Weren't for Country Music/Satisfy Me & I'll Satisfy You
Jimmy C Newman: Colinda/The Ring that Shines

8:00: Martha White
Roy Acuff (host): Wabash Cannonball
Stonewall Jackson: Side Steppin' the Blues/Muddy Water
Connie Smith: Did We Have to Come This Far to Say Goodbye/Louisiana Man
Opry Square Dance Band and The Melvin Sloan Dancers: Bill Cheatham
Roy Acuff: I Can't Help It

8:30: Opryland USA
Hank Snow (host): Tangled Mind
George Hamilton IV: Forever Young
Roy Drusky: Too Old to Die Young
Charlie Walker: Pick Me Up on Your Way Down
Johnson Mountain Boys: Maybe You'll Change Your Mind
Hank Snow: I'm Glad I Got to See You Once Again

2nd show
9:30: Dollar General
Porter Wagoner (host): Ol' Slewfoot
Connie Smith: The Key's in the Mailbox
Ernie Ashworth: Talk Back Trembling Lips
Billy Grammer: Steel Guitar Rag/Sentimental Journey/Gotta Travel On
Jeannie Seely: Too Far Gone
Porter Wagoner: I'll Go Down Swinging

10:00: Little Debbie
Del Reeves (host): Six Days on the Road/Truck Driving Man
Skeeter Davis: He Says the Same Things to Me
Del Reeves: Don't You Ever Get Tired of Hurting Me

10:15: Tennessee Pride/Sunbeam
Roy Acuff (host): Just A Friend
Wilma Lee Cooper: Gathering Flowers from The Hillside
Dan Kelly: Sally Goodin

10:30: Pet Milk
Jimmy C Newman (host): Pistol Packin' Mama
Jean Shepard: Days of Wine & Roses
Jimmy C Newman: Down on the Bayou

10:45: B.C. Powder
Charlie Walker (host): Right or Wrong
Clinton Gregory: Satisfy Me & I'll Satisfy You/Nobody's Darling But Mine
Opry Square Dance Band and The Melvin Sloan Dancers: Golden Slippers
Charlie Walker: Pick Me Up on Your Way Down

11:00: Coca-Cola
Hank Snow (host): Geisha Girl
Jim and Jesse: When I Dream About the Southland
Dottie West: Here Comes My Baby
Justin Tubb: Keep Me From Blowing Away
The McCarters: Everytime You Leave
Bill Carlisle: Gone Home
Hank Snow: It Kinda Reminds Me of Me

11:30: Creamette
George Hamilton IV (host): Early Morning Rain
Stonewall Jackson: Side Steppin the Blues
Roy Drusky: I Really Don't Want to Know
Johnson Mountain Boys: Duncan & Brady/Springtime in Glory
George Hamilton IV: Life's Railway to Heaven

Dottie was not originally scheduled to appear this night as she was booked to perform in Ohio. However, at some point, that booking was cancelled at the last minute and Dottie ended up playing the Opry. It was the following Friday night, August 30 that Dottie was involved in the accident as she was being driven to the Opry, that ultimately would prove to be fatal.

There you have it for this week. As always, thanks for reading and commenting on this week's blog and as usual, I hope everyone enjoys the Opry this weekend.