Grand Ole Opry 11/8 & 11/9

The line-ups have been posted for the Grand Ole Opry shows this weekend. Four shows total, with two each on Friday and Saturday night.

Mark Wills, Mike Snider, Riders In The Sky and John Conlee are the four Grand Ole Opry members who are scheduled for all four shows this weekend. Joining that quartet on the Friday Night Opry will be Ricky Skaggs, The Whites and Connie Smith. Saturday night, Jeannie Seely and Jesse McReynolds are on the schedule.

Sam Williams, the grandson of Hank Williams, is making a return appearance on the Opry on Friday night. Also scheduled is Hall of Fame member Charlie McCoy, comedian Dusty Slay, and making her Opry debut, Jenee Fleenor.

Darryl Worley, who used to be a regular guest on the Opry and not so much lately, is scheduled for Saturday night, along with Chuck Wicks, Molly Tuttle, and making her Opry debut, Ana Cristina Cash.

Friday November 8
1st show
7:00: Ricky Skaggs (host); The Whites
7:30: John Conlee (host); Mike Snider; Jenee Fleenor
8:00: Mark Wills (host); Connie Smith; Dusty Slay
8:30: Riders In The Sky (host); Sam Williams; Charlie McCoy

2nd show
9:30: Ricky Skaggs (host); The Whites
10:00: John Conlee (host); Mike Snider; Jenee Fleenor
10:30: Mark Wills (host); Connie Smith; Dusty Slay
11:00: Riders In The Sky (host); Sam Williams; Charlie McCoy

Saturday November 9
1st show
7:00: Riders In The Sky (host); Chuck Wicks; Jesse McReynolds
7:30: Jeannie Seely (host); Mike Snider; Ana Cristina Cash
8:00: John Conlee (host); Molly Tuttle Opry Square Dancers
8:30: Mark Wills (host); Darryl Worley

2nd show
9:30: Riders In The Sky (host); Chuck Wicks; Jesse McReynolds
10:00: Jeannie Seely (host); Mike Snider; Ana Cristina Cash
10:30: John Conlee (host); Molly Tuttle; Opry Square Dancers
11:00: Mark Wills (host); Darryl Worley

As you can see, both shows are carbon copies of each other each night. And Riders In The Sky will be pretty busy this weekend as in addition to the four Opry appearances, they are also scheduled to host the Ernest Tubb Midnight Jamboree. So, if the taping starts at 10:00 and with the group scheduled to host the 9:30 portion on the 2nd show, I am going to guess that unless there is a change in the Opry schedule, the taping could start a few minutes late.

As mentioned, Jenee Fleenor and Ana Cristina Cash are both making their Opry debuts this weekend.

Jenee Fleenor is an award winning multi-instrumentalist, singer and songwriter known primarily for her fiddle playing.

 She is currently breaking glass ceilings in Nashville as the first female ever nominated for CMA Musician of the Year. Jenee was the CMA Touring Musician of the Year in 2015, a 2019 Music Row Album All Star Winner, and a 2019 ACM nominee for Specialty Instrument Player of the Year (the only female ever nominated in the category). She’s a member of Blake Shelton’s band and she also performs regularly in the house band of NBC’s hit show The Voice. The past few years she’s toured with Steven Tyler of Aerosmith and has previously toured with country artists Martina McBride, Terri Clark and Don Williams.

Jenee is an in-demand session fiddler who has played on recent #1 hits: Blake Shelton’s “I’ll Name The Dogs,” Jon Pardi’s: “Dirt On My Boots,” “Head Over Boots” & “Heartache On the Dancefloor,” and Cody Johnson’s #1 record “Ain’t Nothin To It.” She’s recorded on hit records by Rascal Flatts, Trace Adkins, Steven Tyler, Ronnie Dunn, Ashley Monroe, Joe Nichols, Reba, Terri Clark, Don Williams and Trisha Yearwood. Jon Pardi’s newest single “Heartache Medication” kicks off with Jenee’s signature fiddle; something country radio hasn’t heard since Alan Jackson.

As a songwriter Jenee has had songs recorded by Blake Shelton, Reba, Dolly Parton, Gretchen Wilson, Kathy Mattea and Del McCoury to name a few. “I Am Strong” (recorded by The Grascals & Dolly Parton) was nominated for song of the year at the IBMAs, and she also had a hit song (“Big Blue Raindrops”) recorded by the bluegrass artist Del McCoury that was on his Grammy winning record The Streets of Baltimore.

Ana Cristina Cash started her professional music career at age six. At the age of 16 she signed to Sony Music’s Latin division and released her first album Ana Cristina in the Spanish language. Her version of Shubert’s “Ave Maria” was released within a Sony Christmas compilation album titled Nuestra Navidad.

In 2005, at the age of 19, she became the first Hispanic in history to perform the “Star Spangled Banner” at a Presidential Inauguration. The following year in 2006 she was invited to perform at the White House for the President of the United States, the Crowned Prince of Spain, and notable world ambassadors. That same year, she released a duet with Michael Angelo of the song “You Can Change the World.” Its bilingual counterpart “El Mundo Puedes Cambiar” went on to become the theme song for the World Cup Germany 2006. She obtained a Bachelor’s Degree in Journalism from Florida International University in 2010.

On Oct. 29, 2016, Ana Cristina married music producer John Carter Cash. Shortly after, she began to record and write music for her current release, The Tough Love EP. These recordings, with a dark and mysterious flair, show off Ana Cristina’s connection to rockabilly and gritty blues, with a flavor for country and soul. Ana and John Carter also own and operate Cash Cabin Enterprises LLC together. She is forever creative and is looking forward to every new chapter in her musical journey. She and her husband John welcomed their daughter, Grace June Cash, into the world on Sept. 11, 2017.
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And now, here is the posted Grand Ole Opry line-up from ten years ago, the weekend of November 6 & 7, 2009:

Friday November 6
7:00: Jean Shepard (host); The Whites; The SteelDrivers
7:30: Jimmy Dickens (host); Jesse McReynolds & The Virginia Boys; Bomshel
8:00: Bill Anderson (host); Jan Howard; Joey + Rory
8:30: Mike Snider (host); Connie Smith; Gene Watson

Saturday November 7
1st show
7:00: Jimmy Dickens (host); Jimmy C Newman; The Isaacs
7:30: Mike Snider (host); The Whites; Jean Shepard; Sarah Buxton
8:00: Riders In The Sky (host); Ray Pillow; Rebecca Lynn Howard; Opry Square Dancers
8:30: Bill Anderson (host); Connie Smith; Gene Watson

2nd show
9:30: Jimmy Dickens (host); Jimmy C Newman; The Isaacs
10:00: Mike Snider (host); Jean Shepard; Sarah Buxton
10:30: Riders In The Sky (host); Stu Phillips; Rebecca Lynn Howard; Opry Square Dancers
11:00: Bill Anderson (host); Connie Smith; Gene Watson

And from 50 years ago, Saturday November 8, 1969:

1st show
6:30: George Morgan (host); Lonzo and Oscar; Del Wood
6:45: Willis Brothers (host); Wilma Lee Cooper; Pete Drake
7:00: Roy Acuff (host); Earl Scruggs Revue; Jean Shepard; Justin Tubb
7:30: Glaser Brothers (host); Grandpa Jones; Johnny Darrell; Crook Brothers
8:00: Lester Flatt (host); Ray Pillow; Jeannie C Riley; Bill Carlisle
8:30: Roy Drusky (host); Jim and Jesse; Margie Bowes; Fruit Jar Drinkers; Jerry Whitehurst; George Morgan

2nd show
9:30: Willis Brothers (host); Wilma Lee Cooper; Lonzo and Oscar; Jean Shepard
10:00: Roy Acuff (host); Earl Scruggs Revue
10:15: George Morgan (host); Del Wood; Pete Drake
10:30: Lester Flatt (host); Johnny Darrell
10:45: Ray Pillow (host); Bill Carlisle; Crook Brothers
11:00: Glaser Brothers (host); Justin Tubb; Jeannie C Riley; Fruit Jar Drinkers; Sam McGee
11:30: Roy Drusky (host); Jim and Jesse; Weldon Myrick

To finish it up for this week, it was on Saturday November 8, 1997 that Johnny Paycheck became a member of the Grand Ole Opry.

Known first and foremost for his only No. 1 hit, the 1977 “Take This Job and Shove It,” Johnny Paycheck played in bands for George Jones, Porter Wagoner, Faron Young and Ray Price before taking his stage name and signing a recording deal as a solo artist.

In a recording career that lasted from 1965 to 1989, when he went to prison for 22 months for shooting a man in a bar fight, Paycheck charted 60 singles, including the Top 5 “She’s All I Got” and “Someone to Give My Love To” and the Top 10 “Slide Off of Your Satin Sheets” and “I’m the Only Hell My Mama Ever Raised.”

In the 1980s Johnny Paycheck's career took serious hits. Problems with drug and alcohol abuse combined with legal trouble slowed his career. In 1985, the country singer was convicted and sentenced to seven years in prison for shooting a man in the head at the North High Lounge in Hillsboro, Ohio. The bullet from Paycheck's .22 caliber pistol grazed the man's head. After fighting the sentence for years, Paycheck was finally forced to serve a 22-month prison sentence in 1989, before being pardoned by then Ohio Governor Richard Celeste.

Paycheck did have another hit in the 1980s with the single "Old Violin," which rose to number 21 on the charts. Ironically, Paycheck eventually ran into trouble with the IRS, having to file for bankruptcy in 1990. After prison, however, his friends say he ultimately put his life in order, having finally quit drugs and alcohol. Paycheck continued to tour and perform through the late '90s.

Though he was a changed man, Johnny Paycheck's health started to decline in the year 2000. At the age of 64, Johnny Paycheck died in Nashville, Tennessee in 2003. George Jones donated his burial plot at Woodlawn Memorial Park Cemetery in Nashville.

And now, here is the running order from 22 years ago, the night that Johnny Paycheck joined the Opry's cast:

1st show
6:30: GHS Strings
Grandpa Jones (host): Going Down the Country
Bill Carlisle: No Help Wanted

6:45: Joggin' In A Jug
Steve Wariner (host): Domino Theory of Love
Johnny Russell: Act Naturally
Steve Wariner: Like a River to the Sea

7:00: Shoney's
Porter Wagoner (host): Company's Comin'
Skeeter Davis: I'll Fly Away
George Hamilton IV: Abilene
Charlie Louvin: Will You Visit Me on Sundays
Osborne Brothers: Rocky Top/Rank Strangers
Porter Wagoner: Misery Loves Company

7:30: Standard Candy
John Conlee (host): The Old School
Bryan White: One Small Miracle
Terri Clark: Poor, Poor Pitiful Me
Johnny Paycheck: Take This Job and Shove It/The Old Violin

8:00: Martha White
Bill Anderson (host): Po'Folks
Jean Shepard: Slippin' Away
Ray Pillow: Someone Had to Teach You
Billy Grammer: I Dreamed of an Old Love Affair
Opry Square Dance Band; Cherokee Shuffle
Bill Anderson: I Love You Drops

8:30: Clifty Farms
Ricky Skaggs (host): Dim Lights, Thick Smoke
Jimmy C Newman: Good Deal, Lucille
Charlie Walker: Smoke, Smoke, Smoke
The Whites: It Should Have Been Easy
Jeannie Seely: When He Leaves You
Ricky Skaggs: Let Me Walk Lord, By Your Side

2nd show
9:30: Dollar General
Porter Wagoner (host): Howdy Neighbor Howdy
Brother Oswald: What A Friend
Stonewall Jackson: Waterloo
Terri Clark: I Got Better Things to Do/Poor, Poor Pitiful Me
Porter Wagoner and Kristi Lynn: If Teardrops were Pennies

10:00: Opry Book
Grandpa Jones (host): Apple Jack
Jan Howard: Take Me As I Am
Grandpa Jones: My Little Old Home Down in New Orleans

10:15: Banquet
Jimmy C Newman (host): La Cajun Band
Jean Shepard: Together Again
Jimmy C Newman: Jambalaya/Cajun Stripper

10:30: Purnell Sausage
Bill Anderson (host): I Got the Fever
Steve Wariner: One Small Miracle
Bill Anderson: This Is A Love Song

10:45
Steve Wariner (host): Domino Theory of Love
Ray Pillow: One Too Many Memories
Opry Square Dance Band: Sugar in the Goard
Steve Wariner: Life's Highway

11:00: Coca-Cola
Ricky Skaggs (host): Pig in a Pen
The Four Guys: This is My Country/Caissons Go Rolling Along/The U.S. Marines/Anchors Away/U.S. Air Force Blues/Wild Blue Yonder/America the Beautiful
Johnny Paycheck: A-11/The Old Violin/Memory of a Memory
Ricky Skaggs: Little Maggie

11:30: Opry Book
Johnny Russell: Someday I'll Sober Up
Riders In The Sky: Riding Down the Canyon
Charlie Walker: There's a Star Spangled Banner Waving Somewhere
The Whites: He Took Your Place/Swing Down Chariot
Jeannie Seely: Those Memories

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