Grand Ole Opry 9/6 & 9/7

With Crystal Gayle being ill and being forced to cancel her Opry appearances for this weekend, it kind of threw a wrench into the line-ups for this weekend. When all was said and done, it ended with some decent line-ups for this weekend.

The Whites and Connie Smith are the only two Grand Ole Opry members who will be appearing both nights. Joining The Whites and Connie on the Friday Night Opry will be members Bobby Osborne and Bill Anderson. Joining the duo on Saturday night will be Dailey & Vincent, Jesse McReynolds and Ricky Skaggs. Tough to see only four Opry members on Friday and five on Saturday.

A couple of guest artists will be appearing on both nights and Clare Bowen and Williams & Rae are set to appear. The legendary Gene Watson is set for Friday along with veteran artist John Berry. They will be joined by Adam Hambrick, Darin & Brooke Aldridge, and making their Opry debut, Seaforth.

On Saturday night, in addition to Clare and Williams & Rae, Travis Denning is on the scheduled, along with Sylvia and making his Opry debut, CJ Solar.

Friday September 6
7:00: Bill Anderson (host); Adam Hambrick; Bobby Osborne & The Rocky Top X-Press
7:30: The Whites (host); Clare Bowen; Gene Watson
Intermission
8:15: Connie Smith (host); Seaforth; Williams & Rae; Darin & Brooke Aldridge; John Berry

Saturday September 7
7:00: Dailey & Vincent (host); Travis Denning; Sylvia
7:30: The Whites (host); Jesse McReynolds; Clare Bowen
Intermission
8:15: Connie Smith (host); CJ Solar; Opry Square Dancers
8:45: Ricky Skaggs (host); Williams & Rae

A little slim on Saturday night.

As mentioned, Seaforth and CJ Solar will be making their Grand Ole Opry debuts this weekend.

Seaforth — the country-pop duo featuring songwriters Tom Jordan and Mitch Thompson — is proof that there's strength in numbers.

Years before their hook-heavy music brought them halfway across the world, Jordan and Thompson grew up in the same Sydney, Australia suburb. They were childhood friends, crossing paths for the first time at three years old and sharing a number of experiences, from soccer games to high-school classes, during the years that followed. Somewhere along the way, they found themselves drawn to similar music, too, listening to modern songwriters like Keith Urban one minute and old-school acts like the Beatles the next.

That Sydney suburb was called Seaforth. It was an inspiring hometown — warm, sunny, and located right on the harbor — and it gave the boys a place to cut their teeth as artists.

Years later, Jordan and Thompson both found themselves in Nashville, having traveled to Tennessee for a songwriting trip together. There, in the same city that helped transform one of their heroes, Keith Urban, from Australia's best-kept secret into a global phenomenon, they decided to officially team up and form a collaborative project that highlighted their genre-jumping songwriting chops, elastic voices, and layered harmonies. Now an official duo, they aspired to permanently relocate to Nashville…but not before nodding to their shared roots by naming the band Seaforth.

CJ Solar has seen many dreams come true since he started writing, recording and touring, but few dreams compare to the call he received from the Grand Ole Opry inviting him to make his debut appearance on the hallowed stage. The MusicRow “Independent Artist of the Year” will perform in the famous circle for the first time.

“It’s been a dream of mine to stand on the circle, since I attended my first Opry performance with my parents on a trip to Nashville when I was 12 . . . it inspired me to move to Nashville and want to make Country music,” said CJ. “Always said this was the biggest bucket list moment for me in Nashville, and I can’t believe it’s happening!!”

CJ was in seventh grade during that family trip to Music City. The visit included many of the traditional Nashville destinations, but the Opry was highest on everyone’s list. Dierks Bentley, Brad Paisley and Blake Shelton performed on the show that night, and CJ distinctly remembers making a quality decision to follow in their footsteps.

Ironically, CJ interned for and was later signed as a staff writer at Sea Gayle Music, a Nashville music publishing company co-owned by Brad Paisley. CJ co-wrote every song on his Get Away With It and Hard One To Turn Down EPs and his upcoming EP, and he celebrated his first #1 Country single as a songwriter with Morgan Wallen’s “Up Down” featuring Florida Georgia Line.

Last week, fans received news of the release of CJ’s new single, “Coming My Way,” to Country radio on August 27, 2019. The single will be the title track to his upcoming third EP.

Congratulations to both Seaforth and CJ Solar as they have made their way to the stage of the Grand Ole Opry.
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And now, here is the posted Grand Ole Opry line-up from ten years ago, the weekend of September 4 & 5, 2009:

Friday September 4
7:00: Mike Snider (host); Jeannie Seely; Luke Bryan
7:30: Jimmy Dickens (host); Bobby Osborne & The Rocky Top X-Press; Andy Griggs
8:00: Bill Anderson (host); Jimmy C Newman; Mark Wills
8:30: Ricky Skaggs (host); Stu Phillips; Jack Greene; The Whites

Saturday September 5
1st show
7:00: Jimmy Dickens (host); Jimmy C Newman; Emily West
7:30: Mike Snider (host); Jack Greene; Blaine Larsen
8:00: Jim Ed Brown (host); Jesse McReynolds & The Virginia Boys; Johnny Counterfit; Opry Square Dancers
8:30: Ricky Skaggs (host); The Whites; Connie Smith

2nd show
9:30: Jimmy Dickens (host); Jesse McReynolds & The Virginia Boys; Blaine Larsen
10:00: Mike Snider (host); Stonewall Jackson; Legacy Five
10:30: Ricky Skaggs (host); Charlie Louvin; The Whites; Opry Square Dancers
11:00: Jim Ed Brown (host); Emily West; Connie Smith

From the 1st weekend in September 25 years ago, Saturday September 3, 1994:

1st show
6:30: Bill Monroe (host); Brother Oswald
6:45: Grandpa Jones (host); Bill Carlisle
7:00: Porter Wagoner (host); Jim Ed Brown; Jeanne Pruett; Hank Locklin; Wilma Lee Cooper
7:30: Jimmy Dickens (host); Jeannie Seely; Connie Smith; Speer Family
8:00: Bill Anderson (host); The Four Guys; Jimmy C Newman; Charlie Louvin; Opry Square Dance Band; Melvin Sloan Dancers
8:30: Hank Snow (host); Skeeter Davis; Charlie Walker; Mike Snider; Monty Grover

2nd show
9:30: Porter Wagoner (host); Charlie Louvin; Jeannie Pruett; Jimmy C Newman; Colleen Walters
10:00: Bill Monroe (host); Hank Locklin
10:15: Jimmy Dickens (host); Ray Pillow
10:30: Grandpa Jones (host); Roy Drusky
10:45: Jim Ed Brown (host); Skeeter Davis; Opry Square Dance Band; Melvin Sloan Dancers
11:00: Hank Snow (host); Jeannie Seely; Connie Smith; The Four Guys
11:30: Mike Snider (host); Carolee Singers; Charlie Walker

And from 50 years ago, Saturday September 6, 1969:

1st show
6:30: Willis Brothers (host); Del Wood
6:45: Ray Pillow (host); Bill Carlisle
7:00: Roy Acuff (host); Charlie Louvin; Johnny Darrell; Linda Martel
7:30: Stonewall Jackson (host); Ernie Ashworth; Margie Bowes; Crook Brothers; Stoney Mountain Cloggers; Don Winters
8:00: Billy Grammer (host); Martha Carson; Compton Brothers; Jimmy C Newman
8:30: Ernest Tubb (host); Dottie West; Stu Phillips; Fruit Jar Drinkers; Billy Parker

2nd show
9:30: Ray Pillow (host); Willis Brothers; Dottie West; Del Wood
10:00: Roy Acuff (host); Charlie Louvin; Penny DeHaven
10:15: Stonewall Jackson (host); Johnny Darrell; Compton Brothers
10:30: Billy Grammer (host); Ernie Ashworth; Linda Martel
10:45: Ernest Tubb (host); Margie Bowes; Crook Brothers; Stoney Mountain Cloggers
11:00: Jimmy C Newman (host); Martha Carson; Fruit Jar Drinkers; Walter Propst; Sam and Kirk McGee
11:30: Stu Phillips (host); Melba Montgomery; Don Winters; Joe Edwards

Everytime I see Martha Carson's name on the schedule I smile because when she wanted to come back from her leave of absence, the Opry management said there was no room for her, and she wrote that she never came back. Yet, as the line-ups indicate, she made numerous guest appearances on the Opry. But she was never reinstated as a member.
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Looking at past line-ups, and continuing with 1974, the year that the new Grand Ole Opry House opened, let's go back to the line-up from 45 years ago, Saturday September 7, 1974:

1st show
6:30: Mrs. Grissoms
Stonewall Jackson (host): Me & You & A Dog Named Boo
Jimmy Dickens: Lonesome Road Blues/I'd Rather Sleep in Peace
Stonewall Jackson: Waterloo

6:45: Rudy's
Billy Grammer (host): Gotta Travel On
Leona Williams: Yes, Ma'am (He Found Me in A Honky Tonk)
Billy Grammer, Jr: Orange Blossom Special
Billy Grammer: How Great Thou Art

7:00: Rudy's
Roy Acuff (host): Cottonfields/Night Train to Memphis
The Four Guys: Maria
Jerry Clower: She Coon of Women's Lib
Roy Acuff: Carry Me Back to the Mountains
The Four Guys: Catfish John
Roy Acuff: Cabin in Gloryland

7:30: Standard Candy
Willis Brothers (host): Truck Stop
Connie Smith: I Never Knew What That Song Meant Before
Ray Pillow: She's Doing it to Me Again
Crook Brothers and The Stoney Mountain Cloggers: Mississippi Sawyer
Willis Brothers: Cool Water
Connie Smith: How Great Thou Art
Ray Pillow: Countryfried
Willis Brothers: Give Me 40 Acres

8:00: Martha White
George Jones (host) and Tammy Wynette: We Loved it Away
Tammy Wynette: Woman to Woman
Patsy Sledd: Chip; Chip
Harold Morrison: Ole Slewfoot
George Jones: The Grand Tour
Tammy Wynette: Take Me to Your World
The Jones Boys: Old Joe Clark
Tina Jones: Delta Dawn
George Jones and Tammy Wynette: The Jet Set

8:30: Stephens
Stu Phillips (host): If You Love Me; Let Me Know
Karen Wheeler: Listen, Spot
Ernie Ashworth: Honky Tonk Hardwood Floor
Fruit Jar Drinkers: Hickory Leaf
Stu Phillips: There Must Be Another Way to Say Goodbye
Karen Wheeler: What Can I Do
Ernie Ashworth: Heartbreak Avenue

2nd show
9:30: Kellogg's
Stonewall Jackson (host): Don't Be Angry
Willis Brothers: There Goes the Farm
Connie Smith: Dallas
Stonewall Jackson: Me & You & A Dog Named Boo
Willis Brothers: Cool Water
Connie Smith: Down in the Valley
Stonewall Jackson: Why I'm Walking/Waterloo

10:00: Fender
George Jones (host) with Tammy Wynette: We're Gonna Hold On
Tammy Wynette: I Don't Wanna Play House
George Jones: White Lightening
George Jones and Tammy Wynette: Take Me
Faron Young: Wine Me Up/Hello Walls

10:15: Union 76
Billy Grammer (host): Detroit City
Billy Grammer, Jr.: Orange Blossom Special
Billy Grammer: The Old Rugged Cross

10:30: Trailblazer
Roy Acuff (host): Wabash Cannonball
The Four Guys: Let Me Be There
Roy Acuff: The Great Speckled Bird/I Saw the Light

10:45: Beech-Nut
Jerry Clower (host): A New Bull
Ernie Ashworth: Talk Back Trembling Lips
Crook Brothers and The Stoney Mountain Cloggers: Lost Indian
Jerry Clower: The New Fed

11:00: Coca-Cola
Ray Pillow (host): Countryfried
Jimmy Dickens: John Henry
Leona Williams: Pass Me By
Fruit Jar Drinkers: Sally Goodin
Jimmy Dickens: We Could
Sam McGee: San Antonio Rose
Ray Pillow: Excuse Me/Slippin' Around

11:30: Elm Hill
Stu Phillips (host): Catfish John
Karen Wheeler: What Can I Do
Ronnie Robbins: If You Love Me, Let Me Know/Baby, Let the Music Play
Karen Wheeler: Listen, Spot
Stu Phillips: Why Me Lord

A couple of items from that night: Porter Wagoner and Marion Worth both cancelled, while Faron Young was surprised, unannounced appearance on the 2nd show. Jimmy Dickens, who was on both shows that night, was a guest as he did not rejoin the Opry until the following year.

Finally, on the first show, the George Jones portion was basically an abbreviated version of his road show.
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To finish it up, and going way back, here is the running order from 72 years ago, Saturday September 6, 1947:

8:00: Purina
Oklahoma Wranglers: Cindy
Hank Penny: To be selected
Bill Monroe: Blue Moon of Kentucky
Marie and Clyde: Gonna Lay Down My Old Guitar
Hank Penny: To be selected
Jamup and Honey: Jokes
Bill Monroe: Little Community Church
Lonzo and Oscar: Take Those Cold Feet Out of My Back
Crook Brothers: Sally Goodin
Oklahoma Wranglers: I Still Do

8:30: Warren Paint & Color Co.
Lew Childre: Riding on the Elevated
Paul Howard: Breakin' It Off Too Far
Milton Estes: To be selected
Clyde Moody: I Worship You
Johnny and Jack: Don't Monkey Around My Widow When I Am Gone
Possum Hunters: Pull Off Your Overcoat
Jimmy Selph: That's Why I Worry
Lew Childre: Liza Up Summon Tree

9:00: Royal Crown
Golden West Cowboys: Keep Those Icy Fingers Off of Me
Fruit Jar Drinkers: Old Joe Clark
Roy Acuff: Leaf of Love
Bradley Kincaid: Red Light Ahead
Oswald: Late Last Night My Willie Came Home
Cowboy Copas: If I Bring Home the Bacon
York Brothers: New Mississippi Blues
Roy Acuff: This World Is Not My Home
Golden West Cowboys: Southland Polka
Chaser: Spanish Twostep

9:30: Prince Albert
Red Foley: Rocking Chair Money
Old Timers: Oh Monah
Jimmy Wakely: Somebody's Rose
Rod Brasfield: Jokes
Red Foley: What Are You Gonna Do
Jimmy Wakely: You Can't Break the Chains of Love
Minnie Pearl: Jokes
Grandpa Jones: Kitty Clyde
Fowler Quartet: I'm on My Way to Cannon's Land
Red Foley: Chained to a Memory
Square Dance: Arkansas Traveler

10:00: Wall Rite
Bill Monroe: Blue Brass Special
Quartet: Shining Path
Marie and Clyde: One Little Too Late
Lester: Honey Suckle Rose
Bill and Lester: Mother's Only Sleeping

10:15: Weather House
Roy Acuff: The Longest Train
Jimmy Riddle: Dark Town Strutters Ball
Jug Band: Detour
Roy Acuff: I Dreamed I Searched Heaven for You
Poem: Roy

10:30: O'Bryan Brothers
Milton Estes: Sky Ball Paint
Clyde Moody: If I Had Me Life to Live Over
Bradley Kincaid: Lightening Express
Johnny and Jack: This World Can't Stand Long
Milton Estes: Foggy Mountain Top

10:45: Oven Magic
Oklahoma Wranglers: Cowboy Has to Sing
Wally Fowler: Let's Ride That Plane
Lew and String Beans: Working on a Building
Crook Brothers: Grieving My Heart Out for You
Oklahoma Wranglers: Grab Your Saddle Horn and Blow

11:00: Eddy Arnold Song Book
Bradley Kincaid: The First Whippoorwill
Lily Belle: Tears on My Pillow
Lonzo and Oscar: Old McDonald Had a Farm
Bradley Kincaid: Tow Little Shoes

11:15: Ernest Tubb Song Book
Clyde Moody: Shenandoah Waltz
Oklahoma Wranglers: Down Home Rag
Grandpa Jones: Get Things Ready for Me
Clyde Moody: If You Need Me I Will Be Around
Oklahoma Wranglers: Take Me Back to Tulsa

11:30: Mountain View Nursery
Golden West Cowboys: Three Strikes and You Are Out
Old Hickory Singers: When It Is Prayer Meeting Time in the Hollow
Gully Jumpers: Chinese Breakdown
York Brothers: If I Knew I'd Never Love You
Golden West Cowboys: Keep Those Icy Fingers Of of My Back

11:45: Artist Service
Paul Howard: Lazy Morning
Robert Lunn: New River Train
Sam and Kirk: Trouble in Mind Today
Fruit Jar Drinkers: I'm Looking Over a Four Leaf Clover
Paul Howard: San Antone Rose

Looking at that show, there are some great song titles listed there, many of which you don't of anymore.

There you have it for this week. As always, thanks for reading and I hope everyone enjoys the Grand Ole Opry this weekend.