After what I would call a surprisingly good show last week, the Grand Ole Opry rolls into week #21 of their non-audience Saturday night shows. And it is going to be a good one, you can just feel it.
Grand Ole Opry member Vince Gill, who seems to be on his way to making himself a regular on these shows, is set to appear once again, this time joined by a couple of his very good friends: Opry member Emmylou Harris and Rodney Crowell.
This is the type of show I would expect all three artists to be on stage at the same time, sharing stories and songs. It should be a lot of fun.
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Now, from 25 years ago, Saturday July 29, 1995:
1st show
6:30: Jimmy C Newman (host); Bill Carlisle
6:45: Billy Walker (host); Skeeter Davis
7:00: Jack Greene (host); Wilma Lee Cooper; Hank Locklin; Mike Snider
7:30: Jimmy Dickens (host); Janie Fricke; Ray Price; Don Gibson
8:00: Porter Wagoner (host); Brother Oswald; Charlie Louvin and Bob Bates; Jeanne Pruett; Opry Square Dance Band; The Melvin Sloan Dancers
8:30: Hank Snow (host); Stu Phillips; Jan Howard; The Whites; Del Reeves
2nd show
9:30: Porter Wagoner (host); Hank Locklin; Ray Pillow; Charlie Walker; Janie Fricke
10:00: Jimmy Dickens (host); Jan Howard
10:15: Jimmy C Newman (host); Roy Drusky
10:30: Jack Greene (host); Ray Price
10:45: Jeanne Pruett (host); Whitewater; Opry Square Dance Band; The Melvin Sloan Dancers
11:00: Hank Snow (host); Billy Walker; Charlie Louvin and Bob Bates; The Whites
11:30: Mike Snider (host); Del Reeves; Jeannie Seely
50 years ago, Saturday August 1, 1970:
1st show
6:30: Jim Ed Brown (host); Lonzo and Oscar; Bobby Wright
6:45: Bill Monroe (host); Del Wood; Martha Carson
7:00: Wilburn Brothers (host); Loretta Lynn; Bill Carlisle; Ronnie Shaw
7:30: Roy Acuff (host); Earl Scruggs Revue; Merle Travis; Crook Brothers
8:00: Bobby Lord (host); Bobby Bare; Webb Pierce; Cousin Jody
8:30: Ernest Tubb (host); Stu Phillips: Grandpa Jones; Fruit Jar Drinkers
2nd show
9:30: Bill Monroe (host); Lonzo and Oscar; Bobby Wright; Martha Carson
10:00: Jim Ed Brown (host); Del Wood; Cousin Jody
10:15: Bobby Bare (host); Grandpa Jones; Merle Travis
10:30: Roy Acuff (host); Earl Scruggs Revue; Bill Carlisle
10:45: Ernest Tubb (host); Stu Phillips; Crook Brothers
11:00: Bobby Lord (host); Wilburn Brothers; Webb Pierce; Fruit Jar Drinkers; Sam McGee
11:30: Marty Robbins (host); Osborne Brothers; Ronnie Robbins
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Looking back, it was on Saturday July 31, 1965 that Waylon Jennings made his first appearance on the Grand Ole Opry. While Waylon never became a member of the Opry, he did make a few appearances on the show. In 1965, he was a newcomer in town, coming to Nashville from Arizona.
Here is the running order from 55 years ago, Saturday July 31, 1965:
7:30: Luzianne
Billy Walker (host): I'm So Miserable Without You
Skeeter Davis: Sunglasses
Stan Hitchcock: I'm Back in Baby's Arms
Cousin Jody: Steel Guitar Rag
Billy Walker: If It Pleases You
Pete Drake: I'm Just a Guitar (Everybody Picks on Me)
Skeeter Davis: A Dear John Letter
Cousin Jody: Farewell to Thee
Billy Walker: Charlie's Shoes
8:00: Martha White
Jim and Jesse (host): Cotton Mill Man
Margie Bowes: Lost
Del Wood: Tiger Rag
Claude King: Tiger Woman
Jim and Jesse: Better Time's A 'Comin'
Crook Brothers: Cacklin' Hen
Margie Bowes: (?)
Jim and Jesse: A Violet & A Rose
Alan Shelton: Lady of Spain
8:30: Stephens
Sonny James (host): I'll Keep Holding On
Bill Carlisle: Knothole
Southern Gentlemen: This Little Light of Mine
Archie Campbell: Comedy
Sonny James: Behind the Tear
Brother Oswald: Worry, Worry Blues
Bill Carlisle: Hand Me Down My Walking Cane
Sonny James: You're the Only World I Know
9:00: Pet Milk
Leroy Van Dyke (host): If A Woman Answers (Hang Up the Phone)
Dottie West: No Sign of Living
Jack Barlow: I'd Rather Fight then Switch
Fruit Jar Drinkers: Greenback Dollar
Leroy Van Dyke: Just a State of Mind
Wade Ray: (?)
Waylon Jennings: Stop the World & Let Me Off
Dottie West: Touch Me
Leroy Van Dyke: Black Cloud
9:30: Kellogg's
Hank Locklin (host): Jambalaya
Jean Shepard: A Tear Dropped By
Ernest Ashworth: The D.J. Cried
Jim and Jesse: (?)
Hank Locklin: Send Me the Pillow You Dream On
Buddy Durham: Sally Goodin
Jean Shepard: Don't Take Advantage of Me
Ernest Ashworth: Because I cared
10:00: Schick
Bill Carlisle (host): The Great Snowman
Stan Hitchcock: I Really Don't Want to Know
Cousin Jody: Wabash Cannonball
Bill Carlisle: No Help Wanted
10:15: Mary Carter
Archie Campbell (host): (?)
Del Wood: Alabama Jubilee
Margie Bowes: Lost
Archie Campbell: The 12th Rose
10:30: Harvey's
Billy Walker (host): Cross the Brazos at Waco
Dottie West: Here Comes My Baby
Billy Walker: Come a Little Bit Closer/Cattle Call
10:45: Newport
Ernest Ashworth (host): Love Has Come My Way
Crook Brothers: (?)
Wade Ray: (?)
Ernest Ashworth: Pushed in a Corner
11:00: Coca Cola
Leroy Van Dyke (host): Nine Pound Hammer
Jean Shepard: Second Fiddle
Claude King: Wolverton Mountain
Fruit Jar Drinkers: Old Joe Clark
Leroy Van Dyke: Just a State of Mind
Jimmy Johnson: Home in Indiana
Sam and Kirk McGee: Gotta Travel On
Leroy Van Dyke: Walk on By
Jean Shepard: Sweet Temptation
Leroy Van Dyke: Auctioneer
11:30: Lava
Hank Locklin (host): Anytime
Dottie West: All the World is Lonely Now
Jack Barlow: I'd Rather Fight then Switch
Hank Locklin: Please Help Me I'm Falling
Jimmy Riddle and Howdy Forrester: (?)
Dottie West: No Sign of Living
Jim and Jesse: Mockin' Banjo
Hank Locklin: I'll Hold You in My Heart
Fiddler Wade Ray had two solo spots on the Opry that night.
Wade Ray made his name playing traditional country and Western swing from a very young age but made very few recordings of his own over his lengthy career.
Lyman Wade Ray was born in Evansville, Indiana in 1913. He grew up in Arkansas and at age four began playing a homemade fiddle his father fashioned from a cigar box. Just a year later, he was touring the vaudeville circuit as the World's Youngest Violin Player. At the age of 18, he moved to St. Louis and spent the next 12 years as the fiddler, singer, and musical director for Pappy Cheshire's Western swing group, the National Champion Hillbillies, until he was called to serve in the Army in 1943.
Upon his return, he joined Patsy Montana's group the Prairie Ramblers for several years, also recording with the Ozark Mountain Boys. He moved to Los Angeles in 1949, where he became a regular on The Rex Allen Show. He signed with RCA and released a total of 23 singles from 1951 to 1957, none of which charted ("Idaho Red" is perhaps the best known). He also appeared regularly on The Roy Rogers Show and The Ernest Tubb Show.
He moved to Nashville and did session work in the mid-'60s and also recorded his first solo album, A Ray of Country Sun, for ABC-Paramount in 1966. RCA Camden released Walk Softly (And Other Country Songs) later that year, and in 1967 Ray collaborated with the likes of Homer & Jethro, Sonny Osborne, and Hargus "Pig" Robbins on Down Yonder: The Country Fiddlers.
He continued his session work until 1979, when he retired to Sparta, IL, and performed with a local radio station's road show until health problems made it impossible. He passed away on November 11, 1998.
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Finally, on Saturday July 31, 1976, Don Williams made his first Saturday night appearance as a member of the Grand Ole Opry. Don, actually joined the cast on April 23, 1976, which was a Friday night. It took him another 3 months before his next appearance. Don didn't say around too long, with his final show as a member taking place in August 1981, a little over 5 years after joining the cast. It really didn't take long for Don to realize that Opry membership just wasn't for him.
Here is the running order from 44 years ago, Saturday July 31, 1976:
1st show
6:30: Mrs. Grissoms
Wilma Lee and Stoney Cooper (host): Big Midnight Special
Willis Brothers: Home on the Range
Wilma Lee and Stoney Cooper: Nobody's Darling But Mine
6:45: Rudy's
George Hamilton IV (host): Country Music in My Soul
Bill Carlisle: Too Old to Cut the Mustard
O.B. McClinton: Blanket on the Ground
George Hamilton IV: Early Morning Rain
7:00: Shoney's
Charlie Louvin (host): Did You Ever
Billy Grammer: Detroit City
Justin Tubb: Cold Brown Bottle
Brother Oswald: Mountain Dew
Charlie Louvin: Let's Put Our World Back Together/A Toast to Mama/Love Has to Die/I Ain't Gonna Work Tomorrow/I Want a Happy Life
Billy Grammer: Gotta Travel On
Justin Tubb: Keep Me from Blowing Away
7:30: Standard Candy
Roy Drusky (host): Second Hand Rose
Bob Luman: Neither One of Us
Don Williams: You're My Best Friend/Turn Out the Lights & Love Me Tonight
Crook Brothers and The Tennessee Travelers: Soldier's Joy
Bob Luman: A Satisfied Mind
Roy Drusky: I Really Don't Want to Know
8:00: Martha White
Lester Flatt (host): and The Nashville Grass: Ain't Nobody Gonna Miss Me When I'm Gone
The Four Guys: Top of the World
Melba Montgomery: Lonely Street
Jim Mundy: Never Met a Girl I Didn't Like
Paul Warren: Orange Blossom Special
The Four Guys: The Morning Sun
Melba Montgomery: Don't Let the Good Times Fool You
Lester Flatt: Great Big Woman & A Little Biddy Bottle of Wine
8:30: Stephens
Hank Snow (host): Miller's Cave
Jeanne Pruett: Satin Sheets
Ronnie Milsap: I'm a Stand By My Woman Man/Day Dreams About Night Things
Fruit Jar Drinkers: Hickory Leaf
Jeanne Pruett: It Doesn't Hurt to Ask
Hank Snow: That's When He Dropped the World in My Hands
2nd show
9:30: Kellogg's
Charlie Louvin (host): Will You Visit Me on Sundays/What Are Those Things
Wilma Lee and Stoney Cooper: Where is America Going
Bill Carlisle: Business Man
Charlie Louvin: Poison Red Berries
O.B. McClinton: I'm the Other One
Brother Oswald: Dobro Chimes
Wilma Lee and Stoney Cooper: Poor Ellen Smith
10:00: Fender
Roy Drusky (host): Fraulein
Willis Brothers: Ghost Riders in the Sky
Don Williams: I Recall a Gypsy Woman
Roy Drusky: Alone With You
10:15: Union 76
Billy Grammer (host): Under the Double Eagle
Melba Montgomery: Don't Keep Me Lonely Too Long
George Hamilton IV: Break My Mind
Billy Grammer: Somewhere My Love
10:30: Trailblazer
Lester Flatt (host)
Paul Warren: Black Eyed Susie
Justin Tubb: Sweetwater Texas
Bob Luman: A Satisfied Mind
Lester Flatt: Mama Don't Allow It
10:45: Beechnut
The Four Guys (host): Turn Your Radio On
Ronnie Milsap: What Goes on When the Sun Goes Down
Crook Brothers and The Tennessee Travelers: Gray Eagle
The Four Guys: The Morning Sun
11:00: Coca Cola
Hank Snow (host): Hello Love
Jim Mundy: Never Met a Girl I Didn't Like
Fruit Jar Drinkers: Hickory Leaf
Hank Snow: Old Doc Brown
Jim Mundy: The River's Too Wide
Sam McGee: The End of Forever
Hank Snow: Traveling Blues
11:30: Elm Hill
Marty Robbins (host): El Paso City
Jeanne Pruett: Satin Sheets/Break My Mind
Ronnie Robbins: Good Hearted Woman/The Bitter They Are
Marty Robbins: Cool Water/Love Me/Don't Worry/El Paso
There you have it for this week. As always, thanks for reading and commenting and I hope everyone enjoys the Opry this Saturday night.
Nationally recognized independent Grand Ole Opry historian Byron Fay offers news and comments regarding country music's premier show.
Tuesday, July 28, 2020
Tuesday, July 21, 2020
Grand Ole Opry July 25
Normally when I post the line-up for the upcoming Grand Ole Opry shows I begin with the names of the Opry members that will be appearing. However, and for the second time since these no-audience shows have started, there will be no Grand Ole Opry members appearing this week. That brings up the question, "How can it be called the Grand Ole Opry with no Opry members performing?"
I thought this would be a good time to go back and check my records. This Saturday will be the 20th show since the virus forced the Opry to cancel live performances. During the previous 19 shows, 27 different Grand Ole Opry members have appeared, with four of those appearing more than once. Those same 19 shows have featured 25 non-Opry members, with no repeat performances.
The list of Opry members who have appeared has been impressive and has included some of the Opry's long-lost members and bigger names. As to the list of non-retired, still active members who have not appeared, those names include: Dierks Bentley, John Conlee, Diamond Rio, Crystal Gayle, Emmylou Harris, Alan Jackson, Alison Krauss, Little Big Town, Patty Loveless, Martina McBride, Jesse McReynolds, Ronnie Milsap, Eddie Montgomery, Lorrie Morgan, Old Crow Medicine Show, Bobby Osborne, Dolly Parton, Charley Pride, Rascal Flatts, Riders In The Sky, Mike Snider, Pam Tillis, Travis Tritt, Josh Turner, Carrie Underwood, The Whites and Gene Watson.
So at this point, just under half of the "active" roster of members have appeared. While there are a few on the list that you would not expect to make an appearance based on their age and past health issues, there are some who you would expect to be able to make an appearance or two, especially those who live in the Nashville area.
Hopefully over the next several weeks, we will see some of those members back. It will be interesting to see how quickly some of the veteran members, such as The Whites, Mike Snider, John Conlee, Riders In The Sky, Jesse McReynolds and Bobby Osborne, along with Bill Anderson, Jeannie Seely and Connie Smith, return to the Opry once live audience shows return. I would have to believe that one of the reasons we haven't seen a few of these artists so far is based on the desire to promote the Opry on Circle TV with the bigger names that will draw in more viewers, thus more attention to the Opry. As a long time Opry fan, it would be nice to see some of these names back on the show and I think I speak for many others who hope that they are all staying healthy and will be back on the Opry as soon as possible.
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Now, looking at this week's scheduled artists, there is only one that I could call a true country music performer: Tracy Lawrence. He will be joined by CeCe Winans, who has previously appeared on the Opry, and Chrissy Metz, who will be making her Opry debut.
So, who is Chrissy Metz?
She is an Emmy and two-time Golden Globe nominee and stars on the award-winning NBC series “This Is Us,” winner of the 2018 and 2019 SAG Award for Outstanding Performance by an Ensemble in a Drama Series and People’s Choice Award for “Favorite New TV Drama.”
Chrissy recently starred as Joyce Smith in the hit 20th Century Fox faith-based film, “Breakthrough.” She also performs “I’m Standing With You” on the Breakthrough soundtrack, written by 10-time Academy Award nominee Diane Warren. Chrissy performed this song at the 2019 ACM Awards. Chrissy is currently working on her debut country album.
Chrissy recently guest-starred on the hit comedy series The Last OG with Tracy Morgan, and the NBC hit series “Superstore.” Chrissy is best known for her roles in “American Horror Story: Freak Show,” “Sierra Burgess is a Loser,” “My Name is Earl,” and “Entourage,” to name a few.
Chrissy recently released her memoir, “This Is Me,” which debuted at #1 on the NY Times Bestseller List. People magazine named her to the “Ones to Watch” and “50 Most Beautiful.”
There you have it.
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From 25 years ago, Saturday July 22, 1995:
1st show
6:30: Grandpa Jones (host); Bill Carlisle
6:45: Jimmy C Newman (host); Jeanne Pruett
7:00: Porter Wagoner (host); Jean Shepard; Del Reeves; Stonewall Jackson; Johnny Paycheck
7:30: Riders In The Sky (host); Ronna Reeves; Stu Phillips; Davis Daniel; Skeeter Davis
8:00: Bill Anderson (host); Jeannie Seely; Jack Greene; Mike Snider; Opry Square Dance Band; The Melvin Sloan Dancers
8:30: Billy Walker (host); Roy Drusky; Wilma Lee Cooper; Charlie Walker
2nd show
9:30: Porter Wagoner (host); Jean Shepard; Ray Pillow; Charlie Louvin; Brother Oswald
10:00: Jimmy C Newman (host); Johnny Paycheck
10:15: Grandpa Jones (host); Wilma Lee Cooper
10:30: Bill Anderson (host); Del Reeves
10:45: Riders In The Sky (host); The Whites; Opry Square Dance Band; The Melvin Sloan Dancers
11:00: Jeannie Seely (host); Jan Howard; Stu Phillips
11:30: Mike Snider (host); Darrell McCall; Billy Walker; Jack Greene
50 years ago, Saturday July 25, 1970:
1st show
6:30: Charlie Louvin (host); Hugh X Lewis; Jerry Smith; Dianne McCall
6:45: Billy Grammer (host); Norro Wilson; LaWanda Lindsay
7:00: Jimmy C Newman (host); Stringbean; Tom T. Hall
7:30: Roy Acuff (host); Skeeter Davis; Willis Brothers; Crook Brothers
8:00: Hank Locklin (host); Jean Shepard; Ray Pillow
8:30: Ernest Tubb (host); Wilma Lee and Stoney Cooper; Stu Phillips; Fruit Jar Drinkers
2nd show
9:30: Billy Grammer (host); Willis Brothers; Jimmy C Newman; Hugh X Lewis; Jerry Smith
10:00: Stu Phillips (host); Norro Wilson
10:15: Charlie Louvin (host); Stringbean; LaWanda Lindsay
10:30: Roy Acuff (host); Wilma Lee and Stoney Cooper; Tom T Hall
10:45: Ernest Tubb (host); Crook Brothers
11:00: Hank Locklin (host); Skeeter Davis; Ray Pillow; Fruit Jar Drinkers; Sam McGee
11:30: Marty Robbins (host); Jean Shepard; Bob Luman
Looking back, it was Saturday July 24, 1976 that Bobby Lord made his last appearance as a member of the Grand Ole Opry.
Bobby Lord was born January 6, 1934. His musical career began as teenager in Tampa, FL. There, he had his own television show in Tampa while still in high school—The Bobby Lord Homefolks Show. He got this show when he was asked to be a guest on a local show, so he did this for two weeks. Then he got a call from the program director and was asked to take over the show - he was told at the time that the star of the show had suddenly 'taken ill' and wouldn't be able to host the show anymore.
His first big break was an appearance on Paul Whiteman's TV show in New York as the result of winning an amateur talent contest. In 1953, the legendary songwriter, Boudleaux Bryant had a tape Bobby had cut in Nashville and had it played for Don Law at Columbia records, who then signed Bobby with Columbia Records. He recorded several "Rockabilly" hits (many of which have been re-released several times), as well as several country chart records for Columbia. At the same time, he became a regular on The Ozark Jubilee (an ABC television show hosted by Red Foley based out of Springfield, Missouri), where he stayed for five and a half years.
When The Ozark Jubilee went off the air in 1960, Bobby made the move to Nashville and joined the Grand Ole Opry in 1960.
In 1961 he began recording for the Hickory label. In 1967, he moved to the Decca label, where had several additional top 10 and 20 country hits.
He was perhaps best known for The Bobby Lord Show, a nationally syndicated TV show produced at WSM in Nashville. Bobby also had a late afternoon LIVE country TV show on WSM during this same time frame.
In the early '70s he grew tired of the road, and wanted to spend more time with his family. He semi-retired from music, left the Opry and returned to his home state of Florida, and developed very successful real estate and insurance businesses. However, he wasn't through with show business.
Bobby was well known as an avid outdoorsman, camper, fisherman, hunter, etc. and had a reputation as an excellent interviewer from his TV shows. With that background, TNN asked him to host one of it's original shows, Country Sportsman, which was later called Celebrity Outdoors after ABC got a little upset about the show's original name name being too similar to its show, American Sportsman.
A practicing Christian, Bobby wrote a book entitled Hit The Glory Road, published in 1969. The book focused on the grassroots gospel behind country music and included interviews with Roy Acuff, Bill Anderson, Bobby Bare, Jim Ed Brown, songwriters Boudleaux and Felice Bryant, Skeeter Davis, Ralph Emery, Jeanie C. Riley and Tex Ritter among others.
After Bobby left Nashville and the Opry, he occasionally returned to make guest appearances on the show.
Bobby Lord passed away on February 16, 2008.
Here is the running order from Saturday July 24, 1976, Bobby Lord's final night on the Opry as a member:
1st show
6:30: Mrs. Grissoms
Stonewall Jackson (host): Life to Go
Bill Carlisle: Too Old to Cut the Mustard
Stonewall Jackson: Washed My Hands in Muddy Water/Waterloo
6:45: Rudy's
Willis Brothers (host): Chattanooga Shoe Shine Boy
Lorrie Morgan: Merry-Go-Round
Johnny Carver: Afternoon Delight
Willis Brothers: For the Good Times
7:00: Shoney's
Jimmy C Newman (host): Good Deal Lucille
Wilma Lee and Stoney Cooper: (?)
Jerry Clower: (?)
Del Wood: Stars & Stripes/Caissons/Anchors Away/U.S. Marines/America the Beautiful
Wilma Lee and Stoney Cooper: Nobody's Darling But Mine
Jimmy C Newman: A Fallen Star/Diggy Liggy Lo
7:30: Standard Candy
Bobby Lord (host): Live Your Life Out Loud
Skeeter Davis: The End of the World
Billy Grammer: Family Man
Crook Brothers and the Stoney Mountain Cloggers: Cumberland Gap
Bobby Lord: Fall Away
Skeeter Davis: The Old Rugged Cross/The King is Coming
Billy Grammer: Under the Double Eagle
Bobby Lord: Hawkeye
8:00: Martha White
Lester Flatt (host): Life of Riley
Jeanne Pruett: Satin Sheets
Justin Tubb: Sweetwater, Texas
Brother Oswald: Mountain Dew
Lester Flatt: Father's Table Grace
Jeanne Pruett: Break My Mind
Justin Tubb: Yesterday Just Passed My Way Again
8:30: Stephens
Hank Snow (host): I'm Moving On
Jean Shepard: Wabash Cannonball
Larry Gatlin: Broken Lady/Take Back, It's Over
Fruit Jar Drinkers: Bill Cheatham
Jean Shepard: Ain't Love Good
Hank Snow: Paper Roses
2nd show
9:30: Kellogg's
Jimmy C Newman (host): Louisiana Saturday Night
Willis Brothers: Blue Eyes Cryin' in the Rain
Bill Carlisle: Knothole
Del Wood: Stars & Stripes/Caissons/Anchors Away/U.S. Marines/America the Beautiful
Johnny Carver: Afternoon Delight
Willis Brothers: Cool Water
Bill Carlisle: Business Man
10:00: Fender
Jerry Clower (host): Marcel Stops the Train
Wilma Lee and Stoney Cooper: Curly Headed Baby
Jerry Clower: (?)
10:15: Union 76
Stonewall Jackson (host): Don't Be Angry
Skeeter Davis: Come on Over
Brother Oswald: Sailing On
Stonewall Jackson: Waterloo
10:30: Trailblazer
Lester Flatt (host) w/Paul Warren: Black Eyed Susie
Lorrie Morgan: Stand By Your Man
Justin Tubb: Looking Back to See
Lester Flatt: Great Big Woman & A Little Biddy Bottle of Wind
Kenny Ingram: Flint Hill Special
10:45: Beechnut
Billy Grammer (host): Gotta Travel On
Larry Gatlin: Broken Lady
Crook Brothers and The Stoney Mountain Cloggers: Liberty
Billy Grammer: Peace in the Valley
11:00: Coca Cola
Hank Snow (host): Hello, Love
Jeanne Pruett: Satin Sheets
Fruit Jar Drinkers: Soldier's Joy
Hank Snow: That's When He Dropped the World in My Hands
Jeanne Pruett: It Doesn't Hurt to ask
Kirk McGee: Blue Night
Hank Snow: My Little Old Home Down in New Orleans
11:30: Elm Hill
Bobby Lord (host): Rainbow Girl
Jean Shepard: Slippin' Away/Ain't Love Good
Rex Allen: Green, Green Grass of Home/The Streets of Laredo
Bobby Lord: Y'all Come
There you have it for this week. Thanks for reading and commenting and as always, I hope everyone enjoys the Opry this Saturday night.
I thought this would be a good time to go back and check my records. This Saturday will be the 20th show since the virus forced the Opry to cancel live performances. During the previous 19 shows, 27 different Grand Ole Opry members have appeared, with four of those appearing more than once. Those same 19 shows have featured 25 non-Opry members, with no repeat performances.
The list of Opry members who have appeared has been impressive and has included some of the Opry's long-lost members and bigger names. As to the list of non-retired, still active members who have not appeared, those names include: Dierks Bentley, John Conlee, Diamond Rio, Crystal Gayle, Emmylou Harris, Alan Jackson, Alison Krauss, Little Big Town, Patty Loveless, Martina McBride, Jesse McReynolds, Ronnie Milsap, Eddie Montgomery, Lorrie Morgan, Old Crow Medicine Show, Bobby Osborne, Dolly Parton, Charley Pride, Rascal Flatts, Riders In The Sky, Mike Snider, Pam Tillis, Travis Tritt, Josh Turner, Carrie Underwood, The Whites and Gene Watson.
So at this point, just under half of the "active" roster of members have appeared. While there are a few on the list that you would not expect to make an appearance based on their age and past health issues, there are some who you would expect to be able to make an appearance or two, especially those who live in the Nashville area.
Hopefully over the next several weeks, we will see some of those members back. It will be interesting to see how quickly some of the veteran members, such as The Whites, Mike Snider, John Conlee, Riders In The Sky, Jesse McReynolds and Bobby Osborne, along with Bill Anderson, Jeannie Seely and Connie Smith, return to the Opry once live audience shows return. I would have to believe that one of the reasons we haven't seen a few of these artists so far is based on the desire to promote the Opry on Circle TV with the bigger names that will draw in more viewers, thus more attention to the Opry. As a long time Opry fan, it would be nice to see some of these names back on the show and I think I speak for many others who hope that they are all staying healthy and will be back on the Opry as soon as possible.
____________________________________________________________________
Now, looking at this week's scheduled artists, there is only one that I could call a true country music performer: Tracy Lawrence. He will be joined by CeCe Winans, who has previously appeared on the Opry, and Chrissy Metz, who will be making her Opry debut.
So, who is Chrissy Metz?
She is an Emmy and two-time Golden Globe nominee and stars on the award-winning NBC series “This Is Us,” winner of the 2018 and 2019 SAG Award for Outstanding Performance by an Ensemble in a Drama Series and People’s Choice Award for “Favorite New TV Drama.”
Chrissy recently starred as Joyce Smith in the hit 20th Century Fox faith-based film, “Breakthrough.” She also performs “I’m Standing With You” on the Breakthrough soundtrack, written by 10-time Academy Award nominee Diane Warren. Chrissy performed this song at the 2019 ACM Awards. Chrissy is currently working on her debut country album.
Chrissy recently guest-starred on the hit comedy series The Last OG with Tracy Morgan, and the NBC hit series “Superstore.” Chrissy is best known for her roles in “American Horror Story: Freak Show,” “Sierra Burgess is a Loser,” “My Name is Earl,” and “Entourage,” to name a few.
Chrissy recently released her memoir, “This Is Me,” which debuted at #1 on the NY Times Bestseller List. People magazine named her to the “Ones to Watch” and “50 Most Beautiful.”
There you have it.
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From 25 years ago, Saturday July 22, 1995:
1st show
6:30: Grandpa Jones (host); Bill Carlisle
6:45: Jimmy C Newman (host); Jeanne Pruett
7:00: Porter Wagoner (host); Jean Shepard; Del Reeves; Stonewall Jackson; Johnny Paycheck
7:30: Riders In The Sky (host); Ronna Reeves; Stu Phillips; Davis Daniel; Skeeter Davis
8:00: Bill Anderson (host); Jeannie Seely; Jack Greene; Mike Snider; Opry Square Dance Band; The Melvin Sloan Dancers
8:30: Billy Walker (host); Roy Drusky; Wilma Lee Cooper; Charlie Walker
2nd show
9:30: Porter Wagoner (host); Jean Shepard; Ray Pillow; Charlie Louvin; Brother Oswald
10:00: Jimmy C Newman (host); Johnny Paycheck
10:15: Grandpa Jones (host); Wilma Lee Cooper
10:30: Bill Anderson (host); Del Reeves
10:45: Riders In The Sky (host); The Whites; Opry Square Dance Band; The Melvin Sloan Dancers
11:00: Jeannie Seely (host); Jan Howard; Stu Phillips
11:30: Mike Snider (host); Darrell McCall; Billy Walker; Jack Greene
50 years ago, Saturday July 25, 1970:
1st show
6:30: Charlie Louvin (host); Hugh X Lewis; Jerry Smith; Dianne McCall
6:45: Billy Grammer (host); Norro Wilson; LaWanda Lindsay
7:00: Jimmy C Newman (host); Stringbean; Tom T. Hall
7:30: Roy Acuff (host); Skeeter Davis; Willis Brothers; Crook Brothers
8:00: Hank Locklin (host); Jean Shepard; Ray Pillow
8:30: Ernest Tubb (host); Wilma Lee and Stoney Cooper; Stu Phillips; Fruit Jar Drinkers
2nd show
9:30: Billy Grammer (host); Willis Brothers; Jimmy C Newman; Hugh X Lewis; Jerry Smith
10:00: Stu Phillips (host); Norro Wilson
10:15: Charlie Louvin (host); Stringbean; LaWanda Lindsay
10:30: Roy Acuff (host); Wilma Lee and Stoney Cooper; Tom T Hall
10:45: Ernest Tubb (host); Crook Brothers
11:00: Hank Locklin (host); Skeeter Davis; Ray Pillow; Fruit Jar Drinkers; Sam McGee
11:30: Marty Robbins (host); Jean Shepard; Bob Luman
Looking back, it was Saturday July 24, 1976 that Bobby Lord made his last appearance as a member of the Grand Ole Opry.
Bobby Lord was born January 6, 1934. His musical career began as teenager in Tampa, FL. There, he had his own television show in Tampa while still in high school—The Bobby Lord Homefolks Show. He got this show when he was asked to be a guest on a local show, so he did this for two weeks. Then he got a call from the program director and was asked to take over the show - he was told at the time that the star of the show had suddenly 'taken ill' and wouldn't be able to host the show anymore.
His first big break was an appearance on Paul Whiteman's TV show in New York as the result of winning an amateur talent contest. In 1953, the legendary songwriter, Boudleaux Bryant had a tape Bobby had cut in Nashville and had it played for Don Law at Columbia records, who then signed Bobby with Columbia Records. He recorded several "Rockabilly" hits (many of which have been re-released several times), as well as several country chart records for Columbia. At the same time, he became a regular on The Ozark Jubilee (an ABC television show hosted by Red Foley based out of Springfield, Missouri), where he stayed for five and a half years.
When The Ozark Jubilee went off the air in 1960, Bobby made the move to Nashville and joined the Grand Ole Opry in 1960.
In 1961 he began recording for the Hickory label. In 1967, he moved to the Decca label, where had several additional top 10 and 20 country hits.
He was perhaps best known for The Bobby Lord Show, a nationally syndicated TV show produced at WSM in Nashville. Bobby also had a late afternoon LIVE country TV show on WSM during this same time frame.
In the early '70s he grew tired of the road, and wanted to spend more time with his family. He semi-retired from music, left the Opry and returned to his home state of Florida, and developed very successful real estate and insurance businesses. However, he wasn't through with show business.
Bobby was well known as an avid outdoorsman, camper, fisherman, hunter, etc. and had a reputation as an excellent interviewer from his TV shows. With that background, TNN asked him to host one of it's original shows, Country Sportsman, which was later called Celebrity Outdoors after ABC got a little upset about the show's original name name being too similar to its show, American Sportsman.
A practicing Christian, Bobby wrote a book entitled Hit The Glory Road, published in 1969. The book focused on the grassroots gospel behind country music and included interviews with Roy Acuff, Bill Anderson, Bobby Bare, Jim Ed Brown, songwriters Boudleaux and Felice Bryant, Skeeter Davis, Ralph Emery, Jeanie C. Riley and Tex Ritter among others.
After Bobby left Nashville and the Opry, he occasionally returned to make guest appearances on the show.
Bobby Lord passed away on February 16, 2008.
Here is the running order from Saturday July 24, 1976, Bobby Lord's final night on the Opry as a member:
1st show
6:30: Mrs. Grissoms
Stonewall Jackson (host): Life to Go
Bill Carlisle: Too Old to Cut the Mustard
Stonewall Jackson: Washed My Hands in Muddy Water/Waterloo
6:45: Rudy's
Willis Brothers (host): Chattanooga Shoe Shine Boy
Lorrie Morgan: Merry-Go-Round
Johnny Carver: Afternoon Delight
Willis Brothers: For the Good Times
7:00: Shoney's
Jimmy C Newman (host): Good Deal Lucille
Wilma Lee and Stoney Cooper: (?)
Jerry Clower: (?)
Del Wood: Stars & Stripes/Caissons/Anchors Away/U.S. Marines/America the Beautiful
Wilma Lee and Stoney Cooper: Nobody's Darling But Mine
Jimmy C Newman: A Fallen Star/Diggy Liggy Lo
7:30: Standard Candy
Bobby Lord (host): Live Your Life Out Loud
Skeeter Davis: The End of the World
Billy Grammer: Family Man
Crook Brothers and the Stoney Mountain Cloggers: Cumberland Gap
Bobby Lord: Fall Away
Skeeter Davis: The Old Rugged Cross/The King is Coming
Billy Grammer: Under the Double Eagle
Bobby Lord: Hawkeye
8:00: Martha White
Lester Flatt (host): Life of Riley
Jeanne Pruett: Satin Sheets
Justin Tubb: Sweetwater, Texas
Brother Oswald: Mountain Dew
Lester Flatt: Father's Table Grace
Jeanne Pruett: Break My Mind
Justin Tubb: Yesterday Just Passed My Way Again
8:30: Stephens
Hank Snow (host): I'm Moving On
Jean Shepard: Wabash Cannonball
Larry Gatlin: Broken Lady/Take Back, It's Over
Fruit Jar Drinkers: Bill Cheatham
Jean Shepard: Ain't Love Good
Hank Snow: Paper Roses
2nd show
9:30: Kellogg's
Jimmy C Newman (host): Louisiana Saturday Night
Willis Brothers: Blue Eyes Cryin' in the Rain
Bill Carlisle: Knothole
Del Wood: Stars & Stripes/Caissons/Anchors Away/U.S. Marines/America the Beautiful
Johnny Carver: Afternoon Delight
Willis Brothers: Cool Water
Bill Carlisle: Business Man
10:00: Fender
Jerry Clower (host): Marcel Stops the Train
Wilma Lee and Stoney Cooper: Curly Headed Baby
Jerry Clower: (?)
10:15: Union 76
Stonewall Jackson (host): Don't Be Angry
Skeeter Davis: Come on Over
Brother Oswald: Sailing On
Stonewall Jackson: Waterloo
10:30: Trailblazer
Lester Flatt (host) w/Paul Warren: Black Eyed Susie
Lorrie Morgan: Stand By Your Man
Justin Tubb: Looking Back to See
Lester Flatt: Great Big Woman & A Little Biddy Bottle of Wind
Kenny Ingram: Flint Hill Special
10:45: Beechnut
Billy Grammer (host): Gotta Travel On
Larry Gatlin: Broken Lady
Crook Brothers and The Stoney Mountain Cloggers: Liberty
Billy Grammer: Peace in the Valley
11:00: Coca Cola
Hank Snow (host): Hello, Love
Jeanne Pruett: Satin Sheets
Fruit Jar Drinkers: Soldier's Joy
Hank Snow: That's When He Dropped the World in My Hands
Jeanne Pruett: It Doesn't Hurt to ask
Kirk McGee: Blue Night
Hank Snow: My Little Old Home Down in New Orleans
11:30: Elm Hill
Bobby Lord (host): Rainbow Girl
Jean Shepard: Slippin' Away/Ain't Love Good
Rex Allen: Green, Green Grass of Home/The Streets of Laredo
Bobby Lord: Y'all Come
There you have it for this week. Thanks for reading and commenting and as always, I hope everyone enjoys the Opry this Saturday night.
Tuesday, July 14, 2020
Grand Ole Opry July 18
So, what did everyone think of last weeks show? Surprised that there was very little comment.
Moving ahead, last week Bill Anderson gave an interview to Rolling Stone. I thought I would share the question he was asked concerning the current Grand Ole Opry shows, and his response:
Question: Since the pandemic began, the reaction from the Grand Ole Opry has been so inspiring. As a longtime Opry member it must be really gratifying for you, even if you can’t all be there together with an audience.
Bill's response: It’s been very inspiring. I feel like the Opry’s in awfully good hands right now with [vice president and executive producer] Dan Rogers and [director of talent scheduling and logistics] Gina Keltner. They’ve done a brilliant job. I did the very first one of the shows with no audience on March 14th, and they were still kind of feeling their way along with it. My band was actually out there with me, and Connie Smith and Jeannie Seely were hosting segments, too. Although I told Seely, “You know, it’s not unusual for me to play to empty seats. I’ve been doing it for 50 years.” [Laughs] But, the Opry figured out a wonderful way to keep that remarkable string alive, 4,931 shows, I think it is. Another thing that’s been so good about it, well, it’s bad and it’s good — nobody’s on the road. So, a lot of the artists that are not available to do the Opry very often — Garth, Brad Paisley, Vince, Keith Urban — they’re in town and wanting to pick so they can go out and do the Opry and get that out of their system and still keep the Opry going.
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Looking ahead to this week, one of those artists who I am sure Bill was referring to will be making her first Grand Ole Opry appearance since 2017. Yes, Reba McEntire will be performing on Saturday night, along with Opry member Vince Gill. Reba's last appearance was in conjunction with the 40th anniversary of her Opry debut in 1977. I think we are all in agreement that we enjoy Reba and wish she was at the Opry more often.
One more comment from Bill's interview. After naming a couple of the artists who are not available to do the Opry often, he finished the sentence with, "they're in town and wanting to pick so they can go out and do the Opry and get that out of their system and still keep the Opry going."
I sincerely hope that he meant getting picking out of their system and not the Opry out of their system!! I am sure he did!!
And now 25 years ago, Saturday July 15, 1995:
1st show
6:30: Grandpa Jones (host); Skeeter Davis
6:45: Jeannie Seely (host); Stu Phillips
7:00: Jack Greene (host); Wilma Lee Cooper; Hank Locklin; Mike Snider; Jeanne Pruett
7:30: Jimmy C Newman (host); Bill Carlisle; Charlie Walker; Del Reeves
8:00: Porter Wagoner (host); Billy Walker; Connie Smith; Opry Square Dance Band; The Melvin Sloan Dancers
8:30: Hank Snow (host); Jan Howard; Roy Drusky; Ricky Skaggs
2nd show
9:30: Porter Wagoner (host); Brother Oswald; Del Reeves; Mac Yasuda
10:00: Billy Walker (host); Wilma Lee Cooper
10:15: Grandpa Jones (host); Ray Pillow
10:30: Jeanne Pruett (host); Shotgun Red
10:45: Jeannie Seely (host); Hank Locklin; Opry Square Dance Band; The Melvin Sloan Dancers
11:00: Hank Snow (host); Charlie Walker; Roy Drusky; Jan Howard
11:30: Ricky Skaggs (host); Mike Snider; Whitstein Brothers
One might not be familiar with Mac Yasuda, who was on the 2nd show that night. Mac played country music at an early age and fell in love with the style. He organized a band in Japan dedicated to country music. As his audiences grew, Mac was being asked more and more about where they too could get the type of guitars he was playing. He soon began dealing in musical instruments and was a leader in collecting vintage guitar instruments, especially guitars made by Gibson. He later grew his own collection to include banjos as well as costumes worn on stage by such icons as Hank Snow and Porter Wagoner.
50 years ago, Saturday July 18, 1970:
1st show
6:30: Roy Drusky (host); Jack Barlow; Norro Wilson
6:45: Del Reeves (host); Lonzo and Oscar; Penny DeHaven
7:00: Osborne Brothers (host); Ray Pillow; Del Wood; Wilma Burgess
7:30: Roy Acuff (host); Willis Brothers; Stu Phillips; Crook Brothers; Johnny Carver
8:00: Lester Flatt (host); Jimmy C Newman; Joe and Rose Lee Maphis; Merle Travis
8:30: Bill Anderson (host); Stringbean; Charlie Walker; Fruit Jar Drinkers
2nd show
9:30: Del Reeves (host); Willis Brothers; Lonzo and Oscar; Penny DeHaven
10:00: Stu Phillips (host); Wilma Burgess; Norro Wilson
10:15: Ray Pillow (host); Stringbean; Jack Barlow
10:30: Lester Flatt (host); Billy Troy
10:45: Roy Acuff (host); Del Wood; Crook Brothers
11:00: Jimmy C Newman (host); Charlie Walker; Johnny Carver; Fruit Jar Drinkers; Sam McGee
11:30: Bill Anderson (host); Merle Travis; Louie Roberts
____________________________________________________________________
56 years ago, Saturday July 18, 1964, Connie Smith made her debut on the Grand Ole Opry.
Here is the running order from that night:
7:30: Luzianne
Bill Anderson (host): Po' Folks
The Browns: Wayward Wind
Gordon Terry: Wild Honey
Del Wood: Mocking Bird
Bill Anderson: Five Little Fingers
Connie Smith: I Can Stand It
Jimmy Gately: (?)
The Browns: Then I'll Stop Loving You
Bill Anderson: Still
8:00: Martha White
Jimmy Newman (host): Alligator Man
Jean Shepard: Two Little Boys
Carl Butler: I'm Hanging Up the Phone
Crazy Elmer: Comedy
Crook Brothers: Mississippi Sawyer
Jimmy Newman: Summer Skies and Silver Sands
Jean Shepard: Second Fiddle
Carl Butler: Don't Let Me Cross Over
Jimmy Newman: A Fallen Star
8:30: Stephens
Leroy Van Dyke (host): Your Money
Marion Worth: You Took Him Off My Hands
Sonny James: Ask Marie
Bill Carlisle: Shanghai Rooster
Leroy Van Dyke: Auctioneer
Stan Hitchcock: Looking Through a Teardrop
Marion Worth: Crazy Arms
Sonny James: The Minute Your Gone
Leroy Van Dyke: Walk on By
9:00: Pet Milk
Roy Acuff (host): Sunshine Special
Billy Grammer: Detroit City
George Hamilton IV: Abilene
Brother Oswald: Roll On, Buddy, Roll On
Roy Acuff: The Great Speckled Bird
June Stearns: (?)
Bill Grammer: Beautiful Isle of Somewhere
Fruit Jar Drinkers: Mississippi Sawyer
George Hamilton IV (?)
9:30: Kellogg's
Hank Snow (host): Ninety Miles an Hour (Down a Dead End Street)
Carter Family: Wildwood Flower
Roy Drusky: Pick of the Week
Willis Brothers: Gonna Buy Me a Jukebox
June Carter: Comedy
Roy Drusky: Yesterday
Hank Snow: Caribbean
10:00: Schick
Jimmy Newman (host): Bayou Talk
The Browns: Yesterday's Gone
Jean Shepard: Hillbilly Fever
Jimmy Newman: The Mover
10:15: SSS Tonic
Sonny James (host): Jenny Lou
Marion Worth: The Hands You're Holding Now
Bill Carlisle: No Help Wanted
Sonny James: Ask Marie
10:30: Harvey's
Leroy Van Dyke (host): All the Boys are Talking
Del Wood: Pony Boy
George Hamilton IV: Three Steps to the Phone
Leroy Van Dyke: Dim Dark Corner
10:45: Newport
Roy Acuff (host): Wabash Cannonball
Crook Brothers: New Five Cents
Carl Butler: (?)
Roy Acuff: Lights in the Valley
Howdy and Jimmy: Jesse Polka
11:00: Coca Cola
Hank Snow (host): I'm Movin' On
The Browns: The 3 Bells
Billy Grammer: (?)
June Carter: (?)
Hank Snow: (?)
Fruit Jar Drinkers: (?)
Carter Family: Foggy Mountain Top
Billy Grammer: (?)
Hank Snow: Jimmy Rodgers Melody
11:30: Lava
Roy Drusky (host): Peel Me a Nanner
Willis Brothers: Private Lee
George Hamilton IV: (?)
Crazy Elmer: (?)
Roy Drusky: Another
Connie Smith: (?)
Willis Brothers: Big Daddy
George Hamilton IV: (?)
Roy Drusky: (?)
Only 5 artists who appeared that night are still living: Bill Anderson, Connie Smith, Leroy Van Dyke, June Stearns and Stan Hitchcock.
One final note before finishing this week. I want to offer a personal apology to my readers as I am sure a few of you have seen some of the spam comments that have been appearing under the comment section. I have been checking and working each day to weed those out and to report the offenders. Let's just say most of those are coming from a foreign address. Again, my apologies for anyone offended.
There you have it for this week. Thanks for reading and commenting and I hope everyone enjoys the Opry this Saturday night. It shapes up as one of the better shows.
Moving ahead, last week Bill Anderson gave an interview to Rolling Stone. I thought I would share the question he was asked concerning the current Grand Ole Opry shows, and his response:
Question: Since the pandemic began, the reaction from the Grand Ole Opry has been so inspiring. As a longtime Opry member it must be really gratifying for you, even if you can’t all be there together with an audience.
Bill's response: It’s been very inspiring. I feel like the Opry’s in awfully good hands right now with [vice president and executive producer] Dan Rogers and [director of talent scheduling and logistics] Gina Keltner. They’ve done a brilliant job. I did the very first one of the shows with no audience on March 14th, and they were still kind of feeling their way along with it. My band was actually out there with me, and Connie Smith and Jeannie Seely were hosting segments, too. Although I told Seely, “You know, it’s not unusual for me to play to empty seats. I’ve been doing it for 50 years.” [Laughs] But, the Opry figured out a wonderful way to keep that remarkable string alive, 4,931 shows, I think it is. Another thing that’s been so good about it, well, it’s bad and it’s good — nobody’s on the road. So, a lot of the artists that are not available to do the Opry very often — Garth, Brad Paisley, Vince, Keith Urban — they’re in town and wanting to pick so they can go out and do the Opry and get that out of their system and still keep the Opry going.
_______________________________________________________________________
Looking ahead to this week, one of those artists who I am sure Bill was referring to will be making her first Grand Ole Opry appearance since 2017. Yes, Reba McEntire will be performing on Saturday night, along with Opry member Vince Gill. Reba's last appearance was in conjunction with the 40th anniversary of her Opry debut in 1977. I think we are all in agreement that we enjoy Reba and wish she was at the Opry more often.
One more comment from Bill's interview. After naming a couple of the artists who are not available to do the Opry often, he finished the sentence with, "they're in town and wanting to pick so they can go out and do the Opry and get that out of their system and still keep the Opry going."
I sincerely hope that he meant getting picking out of their system and not the Opry out of their system!! I am sure he did!!
And now 25 years ago, Saturday July 15, 1995:
1st show
6:30: Grandpa Jones (host); Skeeter Davis
6:45: Jeannie Seely (host); Stu Phillips
7:00: Jack Greene (host); Wilma Lee Cooper; Hank Locklin; Mike Snider; Jeanne Pruett
7:30: Jimmy C Newman (host); Bill Carlisle; Charlie Walker; Del Reeves
8:00: Porter Wagoner (host); Billy Walker; Connie Smith; Opry Square Dance Band; The Melvin Sloan Dancers
8:30: Hank Snow (host); Jan Howard; Roy Drusky; Ricky Skaggs
2nd show
9:30: Porter Wagoner (host); Brother Oswald; Del Reeves; Mac Yasuda
10:00: Billy Walker (host); Wilma Lee Cooper
10:15: Grandpa Jones (host); Ray Pillow
10:30: Jeanne Pruett (host); Shotgun Red
10:45: Jeannie Seely (host); Hank Locklin; Opry Square Dance Band; The Melvin Sloan Dancers
11:00: Hank Snow (host); Charlie Walker; Roy Drusky; Jan Howard
11:30: Ricky Skaggs (host); Mike Snider; Whitstein Brothers
One might not be familiar with Mac Yasuda, who was on the 2nd show that night. Mac played country music at an early age and fell in love with the style. He organized a band in Japan dedicated to country music. As his audiences grew, Mac was being asked more and more about where they too could get the type of guitars he was playing. He soon began dealing in musical instruments and was a leader in collecting vintage guitar instruments, especially guitars made by Gibson. He later grew his own collection to include banjos as well as costumes worn on stage by such icons as Hank Snow and Porter Wagoner.
50 years ago, Saturday July 18, 1970:
1st show
6:30: Roy Drusky (host); Jack Barlow; Norro Wilson
6:45: Del Reeves (host); Lonzo and Oscar; Penny DeHaven
7:00: Osborne Brothers (host); Ray Pillow; Del Wood; Wilma Burgess
7:30: Roy Acuff (host); Willis Brothers; Stu Phillips; Crook Brothers; Johnny Carver
8:00: Lester Flatt (host); Jimmy C Newman; Joe and Rose Lee Maphis; Merle Travis
8:30: Bill Anderson (host); Stringbean; Charlie Walker; Fruit Jar Drinkers
2nd show
9:30: Del Reeves (host); Willis Brothers; Lonzo and Oscar; Penny DeHaven
10:00: Stu Phillips (host); Wilma Burgess; Norro Wilson
10:15: Ray Pillow (host); Stringbean; Jack Barlow
10:30: Lester Flatt (host); Billy Troy
10:45: Roy Acuff (host); Del Wood; Crook Brothers
11:00: Jimmy C Newman (host); Charlie Walker; Johnny Carver; Fruit Jar Drinkers; Sam McGee
11:30: Bill Anderson (host); Merle Travis; Louie Roberts
____________________________________________________________________
56 years ago, Saturday July 18, 1964, Connie Smith made her debut on the Grand Ole Opry.
Here is the running order from that night:
7:30: Luzianne
Bill Anderson (host): Po' Folks
The Browns: Wayward Wind
Gordon Terry: Wild Honey
Del Wood: Mocking Bird
Bill Anderson: Five Little Fingers
Connie Smith: I Can Stand It
Jimmy Gately: (?)
The Browns: Then I'll Stop Loving You
Bill Anderson: Still
8:00: Martha White
Jimmy Newman (host): Alligator Man
Jean Shepard: Two Little Boys
Carl Butler: I'm Hanging Up the Phone
Crazy Elmer: Comedy
Crook Brothers: Mississippi Sawyer
Jimmy Newman: Summer Skies and Silver Sands
Jean Shepard: Second Fiddle
Carl Butler: Don't Let Me Cross Over
Jimmy Newman: A Fallen Star
8:30: Stephens
Leroy Van Dyke (host): Your Money
Marion Worth: You Took Him Off My Hands
Sonny James: Ask Marie
Bill Carlisle: Shanghai Rooster
Leroy Van Dyke: Auctioneer
Stan Hitchcock: Looking Through a Teardrop
Marion Worth: Crazy Arms
Sonny James: The Minute Your Gone
Leroy Van Dyke: Walk on By
9:00: Pet Milk
Roy Acuff (host): Sunshine Special
Billy Grammer: Detroit City
George Hamilton IV: Abilene
Brother Oswald: Roll On, Buddy, Roll On
Roy Acuff: The Great Speckled Bird
June Stearns: (?)
Bill Grammer: Beautiful Isle of Somewhere
Fruit Jar Drinkers: Mississippi Sawyer
George Hamilton IV (?)
9:30: Kellogg's
Hank Snow (host): Ninety Miles an Hour (Down a Dead End Street)
Carter Family: Wildwood Flower
Roy Drusky: Pick of the Week
Willis Brothers: Gonna Buy Me a Jukebox
June Carter: Comedy
Roy Drusky: Yesterday
Hank Snow: Caribbean
10:00: Schick
Jimmy Newman (host): Bayou Talk
The Browns: Yesterday's Gone
Jean Shepard: Hillbilly Fever
Jimmy Newman: The Mover
10:15: SSS Tonic
Sonny James (host): Jenny Lou
Marion Worth: The Hands You're Holding Now
Bill Carlisle: No Help Wanted
Sonny James: Ask Marie
10:30: Harvey's
Leroy Van Dyke (host): All the Boys are Talking
Del Wood: Pony Boy
George Hamilton IV: Three Steps to the Phone
Leroy Van Dyke: Dim Dark Corner
10:45: Newport
Roy Acuff (host): Wabash Cannonball
Crook Brothers: New Five Cents
Carl Butler: (?)
Roy Acuff: Lights in the Valley
Howdy and Jimmy: Jesse Polka
11:00: Coca Cola
Hank Snow (host): I'm Movin' On
The Browns: The 3 Bells
Billy Grammer: (?)
June Carter: (?)
Hank Snow: (?)
Fruit Jar Drinkers: (?)
Carter Family: Foggy Mountain Top
Billy Grammer: (?)
Hank Snow: Jimmy Rodgers Melody
11:30: Lava
Roy Drusky (host): Peel Me a Nanner
Willis Brothers: Private Lee
George Hamilton IV: (?)
Crazy Elmer: (?)
Roy Drusky: Another
Connie Smith: (?)
Willis Brothers: Big Daddy
George Hamilton IV: (?)
Roy Drusky: (?)
Only 5 artists who appeared that night are still living: Bill Anderson, Connie Smith, Leroy Van Dyke, June Stearns and Stan Hitchcock.
One final note before finishing this week. I want to offer a personal apology to my readers as I am sure a few of you have seen some of the spam comments that have been appearing under the comment section. I have been checking and working each day to weed those out and to report the offenders. Let's just say most of those are coming from a foreign address. Again, my apologies for anyone offended.
There you have it for this week. Thanks for reading and commenting and I hope everyone enjoys the Opry this Saturday night. It shapes up as one of the better shows.
Wednesday, July 8, 2020
Grand Ole Opry July 11
It has been another sad week at the Grand Ole Opry as Opry member Charlie Daniels passed away on Monday morning. Charlie was an Opry member for over 10 years and always said that being an Opry member was part of his dream. He was always appreciated being asked and was proud to acknowledge it.
We are just past the halfway point of 2020 and it has already been a tough year with Jan Howard, Joe Diffie, Jimmy Capps, and now Charlie passing away. Sadly, there are several more members who are not in the best of health. While we mourn those who have left, we are also excited about the new members who have joined and help to keep the Opry vibrant, especially in these trying times.
The Opry continues to roll on and this week three more artists are scheduled to perform on the Opry stage. Grand Ole Opry members Larry, Steve and Rudy Gatlin are set to make their first appearance since the pandemic has started. They will be joined by guest artists Jimmie Allen and Margo Price for what should be another fine show of great music and variety. As each of these artists will be performing their own hits, I would absolutely expect a Charlie Daniels tribute along the way.
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From 25 years ago, Saturday July 8, 1995:
1st show
6:30: Jimmy Dickens (host); Bill Carlisle
6:45: Grandpa Jones (host); Jeanne Pruett
7:00: Porter Wagoner (host); Stonewall Jackson; Brother Oswald; The Whites; Billy Walker
7:30: Ricky Skaggs (host); Tracy Byrd; Bill Anderson; Martina McBride
8:00: Bill Anderson (host); Connie Smith; Johnny Russell; Opry Square Dance Band; The Melvin Sloan Dancers
8:30: Hank Snow (host); Riders In The Sky; Jeannie Seely; Jack Greene; Mike Snider
2nd show
9:30: Porter Wagoner (host); Skeeter Davis; George Hamilton IV: Martina McBride
10:00: Jimmy Dickens (host); Jan Howard
10:15: Grandpa Jones (host); Mike Snider
10:30: Bill Anderson (host); Tracy Byrd
10:45: Jack Greene (host); Roy Drusky; Opry Square Dance Band; The Melvin Sloan Dancers
11:00: Hank Snow (host); Charlie Walker; Stonewall Jackson; Riders In The Sky
11:30: Jeannie Seely (host); Charlie Louvin; Ray Pillow; The Four Guys
50 years ago, Saturday July 11, 1970:
1st show
6:30: Bill Monroe (host); Ernie Ashworth; Cousin Jody
6:45: Stu Phillips (host); The Four Guys
7:00: Roy Acuff (host); Wilma Lee Cooper; Jim and Jesse
7:30: Porter Wagoner (host); Dolly Parton; Willis Brothers; Crook Brothers
8:00: Lester Flatt (host); Grandpa Jones; Wilma Burgess; Johnny Darrell
8:30: Jimmy C Newman (host); Johnny Carver; Leroy Van Dyke; Fruit Jar Drinkers
2nd show
9:30: Bill Monroe (host); Willis Brothers; Stu Phillips; Cousin Jody; Ernie Ashworth
10:00: Roy Acuff (host); Jim and Jesse
10:15: Porter Wagoner (host); Dolly Parton
10:30: Lester Flatt (host); The Four Guys; Johnny Darrell
10:45: Jimmy C Newman (host); Wilma Lee Cooper; Crook Brothers
11:00: George Morgan (host); Grandpa Jones; Leroy Van Dyke; Fruit Jar Drinkers; Sam McGee
11:30: Marty Robbins (host); Bob Luman; Wilma Burgess
__________________________________________________________________
And now looking back, it was on Saturday July 10, 1999 that former Grand Ole Opry member June Carter Cash made a guest appearance on the Grand Ole Opry, which was also her last appearance on the show.
Valerie June Carter was born on June 23, 1929 in Maces Spring, Virginia. June was introduced to country music, specifically Appalachian folk songs, at a very young age. Her mother, Maybelle Carter, was part of the Carter Family, a popular trio that grew to include June and her sisters.
After the group disbanded in 1943, June began touring with her mother and sisters as the Carter Sisters and Mother Maybelle. The act was featured on several radio and television programs, eventually becoming a regular at the Grand Ole Opry in Nashville, Tennessee.
Noted for her comedic skills and her talents with various musical instruments, especially the autoharp, June began a successful solo career while continuing to work with her family; she made her solo debut at the Grand Ole Opry in 1950 and later toured with Elvis Presley. She also pursued an acting career, studying with Lee Strasberg.
In 1961 Carter joined the road show of famed country singer Johnny Cash. Two years later she co-wrote what was perhaps her best-known song, “Ring of Fire,” to describe her feelings about Cash, whose rendition of it became a hit. The two soon began performing together and earned a Grammy Award for their duet “Jackson” (1967). Carter encouraged Cash to seek treatment for his drug addiction, and the couple married in 1968.
June continued to record popular duets with Cash as well as perform as a solo artist—she earned her first Grammy as a solo artist for Press On (1999)—and as a member of the Carter Family, which had re-formed in the 1950s. Her autobiographies, Among My Klediments and From the Heart, were published in 1979 and 1987, respectively. Her relationship with Cash figured prominently in Walk the Line (2005), a film based on Cash’s life.
June Carter Cash passed away on May 15, 2003 due to complications from heart surgery.
Here is the running order from 21 years ago, Saturday July 10, 1999, June Carter's final Opry appearance:
1st show
6:30: Circle Club
Jimmy C Newman (host): La Cajun Band
Skeeter Davis: It's Different Now
Jimmy C Newman: Cochon De Lait
Kenny Sears: Orange Blossom Special
Bessyl Duhon: Cajun Stripper
6:45: Ryman
Jeannie Seely (host): Hey, Good Lookin'
Charlie Louvin: Jesus Is Whispering Now/When I Stop Dreaming
Jeannie Seely: It Wasn't God Who Made Honky Tonk Angels
7:00: Shoney's
Porter Wagoner (host): Ol' Slewfoot
Jeanne Pruett: Satin Sheets
Bill Carlisle: I've Waited Too Long
Matt King: I Wrote the Book on Heartaches
Matt King and Jessie Alexander: From Your Knees
Matt King: Memories, Fiddles and Songs
Porter Wagoner: Cabin in Gloryland
7:30: Standard Candy
Emmylou Harris (host): Hello Stranger
Emmylou Harris and Rodney Crowell: (?)
June Carter Cash: Little Moses/Ring of Fire
Emmylou Harris: (?)
Rodney Crowell: There's a Fool Such As I
8:00: Martha White
Bill Anderson (host): Southern Fried
Jan Howard: Together When We Tried
Stu Phillips: Have I Told You Lately That I Love You/You Win Again/Release Me
T. Bubba Bechtol: Comedy
Opry Square Dance Band and The Melvin Sloan Dancers: Old Joe Clark
Bill Anderson: Still
8:30: Physicians Mutual
Mike Snider (host): If My Nose was Runnin' Money
The Four Guys: When You Got a Good Woman, It Shows
Del Reeves: I Would Like to See You Again
Jack Greene: Love Takes Good Care of Me/Don't You Ever Get Tired of Hurting Me
Mike Snider: Look What They've Done to the Dominica Hen
2nd show
9:30: B.G.R. Development
Porter Wagoner (host): Tennessee Saturday Night
Jeanne Pruett: Temporarily Yours
Jimmy C Newman: Jambalaya
June Carter Cash: Wildwood Flower/I Used to Be Somebody, Tiffany Anastasia Lowe
10:00: Lincoln Mercury
Emmylou Harris (host): IF I Could Only Win Your Love/Everytime You Leave
10:30: Opry Book
Jeannie Seely (host): Burning That Old Memory
Mike Snider: Snuff Dipper
Jeannie Seely: Those Memories
10:45: Joggin' In A Jug
Charlie Walker (host): Who'll Buy the Wine
Opry Square Dance Band and The Melvin Sloan Dancers: Sail Away Ladies
Charlie Walker: Smoke; Smoke; Smoke
11:00: Coca Cola
Jack Greene (host): Highway to the Sky
The Four Guys: It's All Right to Have a Good Time
T. Bubba Bechtol: Comedy
Matt King: In Dreams/From Your Knees
Jack Greene: Status of A Fool
11:30: Ray Stevens
Del Reeves (host): Anywhere USA
Stu Phillips: El Tigrae
Ray Pillow: Ain't No Way to Treat My Heart
Coon Creek: This Heart of Mine/Stuck in the Middle
Del Reeves: Hound Dog
There you have it for this week. As always, thanks for reading and commenting and I hope everyone enjoys the Opry on Saturday night.
We are just past the halfway point of 2020 and it has already been a tough year with Jan Howard, Joe Diffie, Jimmy Capps, and now Charlie passing away. Sadly, there are several more members who are not in the best of health. While we mourn those who have left, we are also excited about the new members who have joined and help to keep the Opry vibrant, especially in these trying times.
The Opry continues to roll on and this week three more artists are scheduled to perform on the Opry stage. Grand Ole Opry members Larry, Steve and Rudy Gatlin are set to make their first appearance since the pandemic has started. They will be joined by guest artists Jimmie Allen and Margo Price for what should be another fine show of great music and variety. As each of these artists will be performing their own hits, I would absolutely expect a Charlie Daniels tribute along the way.
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From 25 years ago, Saturday July 8, 1995:
1st show
6:30: Jimmy Dickens (host); Bill Carlisle
6:45: Grandpa Jones (host); Jeanne Pruett
7:00: Porter Wagoner (host); Stonewall Jackson; Brother Oswald; The Whites; Billy Walker
7:30: Ricky Skaggs (host); Tracy Byrd; Bill Anderson; Martina McBride
8:00: Bill Anderson (host); Connie Smith; Johnny Russell; Opry Square Dance Band; The Melvin Sloan Dancers
8:30: Hank Snow (host); Riders In The Sky; Jeannie Seely; Jack Greene; Mike Snider
2nd show
9:30: Porter Wagoner (host); Skeeter Davis; George Hamilton IV: Martina McBride
10:00: Jimmy Dickens (host); Jan Howard
10:15: Grandpa Jones (host); Mike Snider
10:30: Bill Anderson (host); Tracy Byrd
10:45: Jack Greene (host); Roy Drusky; Opry Square Dance Band; The Melvin Sloan Dancers
11:00: Hank Snow (host); Charlie Walker; Stonewall Jackson; Riders In The Sky
11:30: Jeannie Seely (host); Charlie Louvin; Ray Pillow; The Four Guys
50 years ago, Saturday July 11, 1970:
1st show
6:30: Bill Monroe (host); Ernie Ashworth; Cousin Jody
6:45: Stu Phillips (host); The Four Guys
7:00: Roy Acuff (host); Wilma Lee Cooper; Jim and Jesse
7:30: Porter Wagoner (host); Dolly Parton; Willis Brothers; Crook Brothers
8:00: Lester Flatt (host); Grandpa Jones; Wilma Burgess; Johnny Darrell
8:30: Jimmy C Newman (host); Johnny Carver; Leroy Van Dyke; Fruit Jar Drinkers
2nd show
9:30: Bill Monroe (host); Willis Brothers; Stu Phillips; Cousin Jody; Ernie Ashworth
10:00: Roy Acuff (host); Jim and Jesse
10:15: Porter Wagoner (host); Dolly Parton
10:30: Lester Flatt (host); The Four Guys; Johnny Darrell
10:45: Jimmy C Newman (host); Wilma Lee Cooper; Crook Brothers
11:00: George Morgan (host); Grandpa Jones; Leroy Van Dyke; Fruit Jar Drinkers; Sam McGee
11:30: Marty Robbins (host); Bob Luman; Wilma Burgess
__________________________________________________________________
And now looking back, it was on Saturday July 10, 1999 that former Grand Ole Opry member June Carter Cash made a guest appearance on the Grand Ole Opry, which was also her last appearance on the show.
Valerie June Carter was born on June 23, 1929 in Maces Spring, Virginia. June was introduced to country music, specifically Appalachian folk songs, at a very young age. Her mother, Maybelle Carter, was part of the Carter Family, a popular trio that grew to include June and her sisters.
After the group disbanded in 1943, June began touring with her mother and sisters as the Carter Sisters and Mother Maybelle. The act was featured on several radio and television programs, eventually becoming a regular at the Grand Ole Opry in Nashville, Tennessee.
Noted for her comedic skills and her talents with various musical instruments, especially the autoharp, June began a successful solo career while continuing to work with her family; she made her solo debut at the Grand Ole Opry in 1950 and later toured with Elvis Presley. She also pursued an acting career, studying with Lee Strasberg.
In 1961 Carter joined the road show of famed country singer Johnny Cash. Two years later she co-wrote what was perhaps her best-known song, “Ring of Fire,” to describe her feelings about Cash, whose rendition of it became a hit. The two soon began performing together and earned a Grammy Award for their duet “Jackson” (1967). Carter encouraged Cash to seek treatment for his drug addiction, and the couple married in 1968.
June continued to record popular duets with Cash as well as perform as a solo artist—she earned her first Grammy as a solo artist for Press On (1999)—and as a member of the Carter Family, which had re-formed in the 1950s. Her autobiographies, Among My Klediments and From the Heart, were published in 1979 and 1987, respectively. Her relationship with Cash figured prominently in Walk the Line (2005), a film based on Cash’s life.
June Carter Cash passed away on May 15, 2003 due to complications from heart surgery.
Here is the running order from 21 years ago, Saturday July 10, 1999, June Carter's final Opry appearance:
1st show
6:30: Circle Club
Jimmy C Newman (host): La Cajun Band
Skeeter Davis: It's Different Now
Jimmy C Newman: Cochon De Lait
Kenny Sears: Orange Blossom Special
Bessyl Duhon: Cajun Stripper
6:45: Ryman
Jeannie Seely (host): Hey, Good Lookin'
Charlie Louvin: Jesus Is Whispering Now/When I Stop Dreaming
Jeannie Seely: It Wasn't God Who Made Honky Tonk Angels
7:00: Shoney's
Porter Wagoner (host): Ol' Slewfoot
Jeanne Pruett: Satin Sheets
Bill Carlisle: I've Waited Too Long
Matt King: I Wrote the Book on Heartaches
Matt King and Jessie Alexander: From Your Knees
Matt King: Memories, Fiddles and Songs
Porter Wagoner: Cabin in Gloryland
7:30: Standard Candy
Emmylou Harris (host): Hello Stranger
Emmylou Harris and Rodney Crowell: (?)
June Carter Cash: Little Moses/Ring of Fire
Emmylou Harris: (?)
Rodney Crowell: There's a Fool Such As I
8:00: Martha White
Bill Anderson (host): Southern Fried
Jan Howard: Together When We Tried
Stu Phillips: Have I Told You Lately That I Love You/You Win Again/Release Me
T. Bubba Bechtol: Comedy
Opry Square Dance Band and The Melvin Sloan Dancers: Old Joe Clark
Bill Anderson: Still
8:30: Physicians Mutual
Mike Snider (host): If My Nose was Runnin' Money
The Four Guys: When You Got a Good Woman, It Shows
Del Reeves: I Would Like to See You Again
Jack Greene: Love Takes Good Care of Me/Don't You Ever Get Tired of Hurting Me
Mike Snider: Look What They've Done to the Dominica Hen
2nd show
9:30: B.G.R. Development
Porter Wagoner (host): Tennessee Saturday Night
Jeanne Pruett: Temporarily Yours
Jimmy C Newman: Jambalaya
June Carter Cash: Wildwood Flower/I Used to Be Somebody, Tiffany Anastasia Lowe
10:00: Lincoln Mercury
Emmylou Harris (host): IF I Could Only Win Your Love/Everytime You Leave
10:30: Opry Book
Jeannie Seely (host): Burning That Old Memory
Mike Snider: Snuff Dipper
Jeannie Seely: Those Memories
10:45: Joggin' In A Jug
Charlie Walker (host): Who'll Buy the Wine
Opry Square Dance Band and The Melvin Sloan Dancers: Sail Away Ladies
Charlie Walker: Smoke; Smoke; Smoke
11:00: Coca Cola
Jack Greene (host): Highway to the Sky
The Four Guys: It's All Right to Have a Good Time
T. Bubba Bechtol: Comedy
Matt King: In Dreams/From Your Knees
Jack Greene: Status of A Fool
11:30: Ray Stevens
Del Reeves (host): Anywhere USA
Stu Phillips: El Tigrae
Ray Pillow: Ain't No Way to Treat My Heart
Coon Creek: This Heart of Mine/Stuck in the Middle
Del Reeves: Hound Dog
There you have it for this week. As always, thanks for reading and commenting and I hope everyone enjoys the Opry on Saturday night.
Monday, July 6, 2020
Charlie Daniels
(From the New York Times):
NASHVILLE — Charlie Daniels, the singer, songwriter and bandleader known for his brash down-home persona and his blazing fiddle work on hits like “The Devil Went Down to Georgia,” died on Monday in Nashville. He was 83. His publicist announced the death, at Summit Medical Center in the Hermitage section of the city, saying the cause was a hemorrhagic stroke.
A force in country and rock for more than five decades, Mr. Daniels first made his mark as a session musician. In the late 1960s and early ‘1970s he played guitar, bass, fiddle and banjo on Nashville recordings by Bob Dylan, Ringo Starr and Leonard Cohen. He also produced albums for the Youngbloods, including the group’s 1969 folk-rock touchstone, “Elephant Mountain,” during this period.
But his greatest acclaim came as the leader of the Charlie Daniels Band, a country-rock ensemble that hosted the Volunteer Jam, the freewheeling Southern music festival established in 1974 that featured Roy Acuff, Stevie Ray Vaughn, James Brown and the Marshall Tucker Band.
Modeled after the Allman Brothers, who also were regular performers at the Jam, Mr. Daniels’s band employed dual lead guitarists and drummers in the service of an expansive improvisational sound that included elements of country, blues, bluegrass, rock and Western swing.
Formed in 1971, the group earned a reputation early on for recording material of an outspoken countercultural bent, much of it written by Mr. Daniels. “The South’s Gonna Do It,” a Top 40 pop hit in 1975, sang the praises of his fellow Southern rockers Lynyrd Skynyrd and ZZ Top, among others. “Uneasy Rider,” a talking bluegrass number that reached the pop Top 10 in 1973, and “Long Haired Country Boy,” from 1975, unabashedly extolled the virtues of free speech and marijuana.
“I ain’t askin’ nobody for nothin’/If I can’t get it on my own,” Mr. Daniels asserted in a gruff drawl on the chorus of “Long Haired Country Boy.” “If you don’t like the way I’m livin’/You just leave this long haired country boy alone.”
His plucky attitude assumed mythical proportions with “The Devil Went Down to Georgia,” a No. 1 country single and Top 10 pop hit from 1979 in which Mr. Daniels’s protagonist goes head-to-head with Satan in a fiddle contest and prevails. The recording appeared on the multiplatinum-selling album “Million Mile Reflections” and won a Grammy Award for best country vocal.
Mr. Daniels’s penchant for championing the underdog, coupled with his band’s constant touring, won him a devoted following, including the admiration of President Jimmy Carter, who invited the Charlie Daniels Band to perform at his 1977 Inaugural Ball.
Mr. Daniels’s persona and politics grew more patriotic and strident as the ’70s gave way to the ’80s, beginning with “In America,” a Top 20 pop hit written in response to the Iran hostage crisis of 1980. “Simple Man,” a No. 2 country single in 1990, called for the lynching of drug dealers and sex offenders, while “(What the World Needs Is) A Few More Rednecks,” also from 1990, ran counter to the hippie nonconformity of his early hits.
“If I come across an issue, or something I feel strongly about, and I happen to think of a
song that would go in that direction, then I do it,” Mr. Daniels said, discussing how he came to write “Simple Man,” in an online interview. “But that’s not what I start out, necessarily, to do.”
Charlie Daniels became a member of the Grand Ole Opry in 2008 and was elected to the Country Music Hall of Fame in 2016.
It goes without saying that 2020 has already been a tough year for the Grand Ole Opry with Jan Howard, Joe Diffie, Jimmy Capps, and now Charlie Daniels passing away. And we are just past the half way point of the year.
Our prayers and thoughts go to Charlie's family.
NASHVILLE — Charlie Daniels, the singer, songwriter and bandleader known for his brash down-home persona and his blazing fiddle work on hits like “The Devil Went Down to Georgia,” died on Monday in Nashville. He was 83. His publicist announced the death, at Summit Medical Center in the Hermitage section of the city, saying the cause was a hemorrhagic stroke.
A force in country and rock for more than five decades, Mr. Daniels first made his mark as a session musician. In the late 1960s and early ‘1970s he played guitar, bass, fiddle and banjo on Nashville recordings by Bob Dylan, Ringo Starr and Leonard Cohen. He also produced albums for the Youngbloods, including the group’s 1969 folk-rock touchstone, “Elephant Mountain,” during this period.
But his greatest acclaim came as the leader of the Charlie Daniels Band, a country-rock ensemble that hosted the Volunteer Jam, the freewheeling Southern music festival established in 1974 that featured Roy Acuff, Stevie Ray Vaughn, James Brown and the Marshall Tucker Band.
Modeled after the Allman Brothers, who also were regular performers at the Jam, Mr. Daniels’s band employed dual lead guitarists and drummers in the service of an expansive improvisational sound that included elements of country, blues, bluegrass, rock and Western swing.
Formed in 1971, the group earned a reputation early on for recording material of an outspoken countercultural bent, much of it written by Mr. Daniels. “The South’s Gonna Do It,” a Top 40 pop hit in 1975, sang the praises of his fellow Southern rockers Lynyrd Skynyrd and ZZ Top, among others. “Uneasy Rider,” a talking bluegrass number that reached the pop Top 10 in 1973, and “Long Haired Country Boy,” from 1975, unabashedly extolled the virtues of free speech and marijuana.
“I ain’t askin’ nobody for nothin’/If I can’t get it on my own,” Mr. Daniels asserted in a gruff drawl on the chorus of “Long Haired Country Boy.” “If you don’t like the way I’m livin’/You just leave this long haired country boy alone.”
His plucky attitude assumed mythical proportions with “The Devil Went Down to Georgia,” a No. 1 country single and Top 10 pop hit from 1979 in which Mr. Daniels’s protagonist goes head-to-head with Satan in a fiddle contest and prevails. The recording appeared on the multiplatinum-selling album “Million Mile Reflections” and won a Grammy Award for best country vocal.
Mr. Daniels’s penchant for championing the underdog, coupled with his band’s constant touring, won him a devoted following, including the admiration of President Jimmy Carter, who invited the Charlie Daniels Band to perform at his 1977 Inaugural Ball.
Mr. Daniels’s persona and politics grew more patriotic and strident as the ’70s gave way to the ’80s, beginning with “In America,” a Top 20 pop hit written in response to the Iran hostage crisis of 1980. “Simple Man,” a No. 2 country single in 1990, called for the lynching of drug dealers and sex offenders, while “(What the World Needs Is) A Few More Rednecks,” also from 1990, ran counter to the hippie nonconformity of his early hits.
“If I come across an issue, or something I feel strongly about, and I happen to think of a
song that would go in that direction, then I do it,” Mr. Daniels said, discussing how he came to write “Simple Man,” in an online interview. “But that’s not what I start out, necessarily, to do.”
Charlie Daniels became a member of the Grand Ole Opry in 2008 and was elected to the Country Music Hall of Fame in 2016.
It goes without saying that 2020 has already been a tough year for the Grand Ole Opry with Jan Howard, Joe Diffie, Jimmy Capps, and now Charlie Daniels passing away. And we are just past the half way point of the year.
Our prayers and thoughts go to Charlie's family.
Wednesday, July 1, 2020
Grand Ole Opry Saturday July 4
Happy Independence Day to Everyone. I hope that the fireworks in your neighborhood are safe and spectacular. I know a lot of cities and villages have cancelled, but I am sure there will be more than enough action taking place in the neighborhoods.
Last Saturday night was another in the long line of Saturday night performances that the Opry has been presenting during the current COVID-19 crisis. Brad Paisley made his second Opry appearance, joined this past week by Keb' Mo'. It was another outstanding show. For those who haven't seen it, I hope you will take the time to watch.
For the July 4th holiday, the Grand Ole Opry has come up with, what looks like on paper, another fine line-up. Grand Ole Opry members Oak Ridge Boys and Mark Wills are scheduled to appear, along with Opry favorite Sara Evans.
___________________________________________________________________
From 25 years ago, the first Saturday in July 1995:
Saturday July 1
1st show
6:30: Bill Anderson (host); Skeeter Davis
6:45: Grandpa Jones (host); Bill Carlisle
7:00: Jimmy C Newman (host); Jeanne Pruett; George Hamilton IV; Jean Shepard; Brother Oswald
7:30: Porter Wagoner (host); Chet Atkins; George Jones
8:00: The Whites (host); Jan Howard; Stu Phillips; Lonesome River Band; Opry Square Dance Band; The Melvin Sloan Dancers
8:30: Hank Snow (host); The Four Guys; Jeannie Seely; Mike Snider
2nd show
9:30: Porter Wagoner (host); Wilma Lee Cooper; George Hamilton IV & V; Charlie Louvin; Ray Pillow
10:00: Jimmy C Newman (host); Stonewall Jackson
10:15: Grandpa Jones (host); Jean Shepard
10:30: Charlie Walker (host); Hank Locklin
10:45: Mike Snider (host); Opry Square Dance Band; The Melvin Sloan Dancers
11:00: Hank Snow (host); Connie Smith; Stu Phillips; Charles Whitstein;
11:30: The Four Guys (host); Jeannie Seely; Lonesome River Band; Johnny Russell
50 years ago, Saturday July 4, 1970:
1st show
6:30: Stu Phillips (host); Tommy Jones; Del Wood
6:45: Willis Brothers (host); The Four Guys; Cousin Jody
7:00: Roy Acuff (host); Earl Scruggs Revue; Webb Pierce; Joe and Rose Lee Maphis; Johnny Bales
7:30: Glaser Brothers (host); John Hartford; Red Sovine; Crook Brothers
8:00: Billy Grammer (host); Merle Kilgore; Jean Shepard; Bobby Wright; Peggy Little
8:30: Ernest Tubb (host); Jack Greene; Diana Trask; Fruit Jar Drinkers
2nd show
9:30: Billy Grammer (host); Willis Brothers; Jean Shepard; Cousin Jody
10:00: Willis Brothers (host); Del Wood; Joe and Rose Lee Maphis
10:15: The Four Guys (host); Bobby Wright; Peggy Little
10:30: Stu Phillips (host); Merle Kilgore; Red Sovine
10:45: Ernest Tubb (host); Earl Scruggs Revue; Crook Brothers
11:00: Roy Acuff (host); Webb Pierce; Fruit Jar Drinkers; Johnny Bales
11:30: Jack Greene (host); Diana Trask; Louie Roberts
A little short on Opry members on that 4th of July night but overall, a good line-up.
__________________________________________________________________
It was 27 years ago, Saturday July 3, 1993 that Alison Krauss became a member of the Grand Ole Opry.
By the time 17-year-old Alison Krauss first played the Grand Ole Opry in 1989 with her band Union Station, she’d already been gracing stages across the country for a decade, winning fiddle contests and impressing audiences with her subtle, captivating singing voice. Since then she has distinguished herself as one of the world’s most respected musicians and an accomplished record producer. She has collaborated with countless other artists, including Robert Plant of the legendary hard rock band Led Zeppelin. The spirit of camaraderie she has shown toward fellow musicians is the same one she says she witnessed early on at the Opry.
“When we first started coming to play, the staff band was always so encouraging to us and would come by and say they were rooting for us,” Alison says. “With all the people that have come through here, that they would take the time to find us and compliment us was really overwhelming.”
At 14, Alison recorded her first album, Too Late to Cry. By age 18, she earned a Grammy nomination for her 1989 release Two Highways. The following year, Alison won the Grammy for Best Bluegrass Recording for I’ve Got That Old Feeling. When she joined the Opry at 21, she became the first bluegrass artist in 29 years to be inducted and the youngest cast member at the time.
Since her first win, Alison has become the most awarded female artist in the history of the Grammys, picking up five trophies for the 2008 album Raising Sand, a collaboration with Robert Plant which also led to a successful concert tour for the pair. Alison was also a part of the phenomenally successful old-time/bluegrass soundtrack album for the 2000 film, O Brother, Where Art Thou?
Collaboration is one of Alison’s great musical loves. In addition to performing on the Opry stage with fellow members including Brad Paisley, Patty Loveless and The Whites, she has also sung and played with guests ranging from bluegrass musicians Tony Rice, Rhonda Vincent and Dale Ann Bradley to rock singer John Waite, whom she joined on his ’80s pop smash “Missing You.”
Alison continues to release albums with Union Station and solo projects from time to time as well as guest on the albums of many other artists in a number of genres. And she still loves watching other Opry performers as often as possible.
“I used to come here and sit in the audience and watch Ricky Skaggs, Porter Wagoner, and John Conlee,” Alison says. “The amount of talent that wanders around backstage is shocking, and it sounds so beautiful out front. I love the way everybody watches everybody else play.”
Here is the running order from Saturday July 3, 1993, the night Alison became an Opry member:
1st show
6:30: GHS Strings
Del Reeves (host): Two Dollars in the Jukebox/A Dime at a Time/Looking at the World Through a Windshield
The Whites: Hangin' Around
Del Reeves: Bad News
6:45: Hall of Fame
Grandpa Jones (host): Going Down the Country
Billy Walker: You Gave Me a Mountain
Grandpa Jones: Little Old Home Down in New Orleans
7:00: Shoney's
Jack Greene (host): I'll Be There
Jimmy C Newman: La Cajun Band
Jeanne Pruett: I Oughta Feel Guilty
Stonewall Jackson: Old Chunk of Coal
Charlie Walker: There's a Star Spangled Banner Waving Somewhere
Jack Greene: There Goes My Everything/Statue of a Fool
7:30: Standard Candy
The Four Guys (host): If It's From the Country, It's coming From the Heart
George Hamilton IV; Has Anyone Here Seen Hank
Mike Snider: Battle Cry of Freedom/Get Your Hands Off My Knee and Load the Cannon
Alison Krauss: Atlanta, I Hear You Calling/Big Mon
The Four Guys: The Star Spangled Banner
8:00: Martha White
Porter Wagoner (host): Company's Comin'
Jean Shepard: Bouquet of Roses
Brother Oswald: Mountain Dew
Charlie Louvin: See the Big Man Cry
Porter Wagoner: Happy Birthday Margaret Smathers
Opry Square Dance Band and The Stoney Mountain Cloggers: Sugar in the Goard
Porter Wagoner: Green, Green Grass of Home
8:30: Kraft
Hank Snow (host): Address Unknown
Skeeter Davis: Lovesick Blues
Ray Pillow: Someone Had to Teach You
Jan Howard: You Don't Know Me
Roy Drusky: Son, Go Bring My Children Home
Hank Snow: I've Done at Least One Thing That Was Good in My Life
2nd show
9:30: Dollar General
Porter Wagoner (host): Y'all Come
Del Reeves: There She Goes
Stonewall Jackson: Side-Steppin' the Blues
Alison Krauss: (?)Molly & Tenbrooks
Porter Wagoner: Wabash Cannonball/The Precious Jewel/Fireball Mail/Night Train to Memphis/The Great Speckled Bird/On A Highway Headed South
10:00: Little Debbie
Grandpa Jones (host): Ball Headed End of the Broom
Wilma Lee Cooper: The Gloryland March
The Whites: Keep on the Sunny Side
Grandpa Jones: Gone Home
10:15: Sunbeam/Tennessee Pride
The Four Guys (host): We're Only Here for a Little While
Skeeter Davis: The End of the World
The Four Guys: Swing Down Chariot
10:30: Piccadilly
Charlie Walker (host): Right or Wrong
Jean Shepard: Let's All Go Down to the River/I Saw the Light/Will the Circle Be Unbroken/I'll Fly Away/Somebody Touched Me
Charlie Walker: There's A Star Spangled Banner Waving Somewhere
10:45: Opry Book
Jimmy C Newman (host): Colinda
Charlie Louvin: Will You Visit Me on Sundays
Opry Square Dance Band and The Stoney Mountain Cloggers: Sail Away Ladies
Jimmy C Newman: Cajun's Dream
11:00: Coca Cola
Hank Snow (host): Ancient History
Roy Drusky: Mississippi
Justin Tubb: Waltz Across Texas
Jack Greene: Walking on New Grass/Statue of a Fool
Hank Snow: The Prisoner's Song/Are You Lonesome Tonight
11:30: General Jackson
George Hamilton IV: This Land is Your Land
Ray Pillow: Please Don't Leave Me Anymore
Jan Howard: Wayfaring Stranger
Mike Snider: Bells of St. Mary's
George Hamilton IV: Forever Young
When Alison joined the Opry, I really thought we would see more of her on the show. However, she appears just a couple of times each year. And for those who are interested, Garth handled Alison's induction that night.
There you have it for this week. Thanks for reading and commenting and I hope everyone enjoys the Opry this Saturday night.
Last Saturday night was another in the long line of Saturday night performances that the Opry has been presenting during the current COVID-19 crisis. Brad Paisley made his second Opry appearance, joined this past week by Keb' Mo'. It was another outstanding show. For those who haven't seen it, I hope you will take the time to watch.
For the July 4th holiday, the Grand Ole Opry has come up with, what looks like on paper, another fine line-up. Grand Ole Opry members Oak Ridge Boys and Mark Wills are scheduled to appear, along with Opry favorite Sara Evans.
___________________________________________________________________
From 25 years ago, the first Saturday in July 1995:
Saturday July 1
1st show
6:30: Bill Anderson (host); Skeeter Davis
6:45: Grandpa Jones (host); Bill Carlisle
7:00: Jimmy C Newman (host); Jeanne Pruett; George Hamilton IV; Jean Shepard; Brother Oswald
7:30: Porter Wagoner (host); Chet Atkins; George Jones
8:00: The Whites (host); Jan Howard; Stu Phillips; Lonesome River Band; Opry Square Dance Band; The Melvin Sloan Dancers
8:30: Hank Snow (host); The Four Guys; Jeannie Seely; Mike Snider
2nd show
9:30: Porter Wagoner (host); Wilma Lee Cooper; George Hamilton IV & V; Charlie Louvin; Ray Pillow
10:00: Jimmy C Newman (host); Stonewall Jackson
10:15: Grandpa Jones (host); Jean Shepard
10:30: Charlie Walker (host); Hank Locklin
10:45: Mike Snider (host); Opry Square Dance Band; The Melvin Sloan Dancers
11:00: Hank Snow (host); Connie Smith; Stu Phillips; Charles Whitstein;
11:30: The Four Guys (host); Jeannie Seely; Lonesome River Band; Johnny Russell
50 years ago, Saturday July 4, 1970:
1st show
6:30: Stu Phillips (host); Tommy Jones; Del Wood
6:45: Willis Brothers (host); The Four Guys; Cousin Jody
7:00: Roy Acuff (host); Earl Scruggs Revue; Webb Pierce; Joe and Rose Lee Maphis; Johnny Bales
7:30: Glaser Brothers (host); John Hartford; Red Sovine; Crook Brothers
8:00: Billy Grammer (host); Merle Kilgore; Jean Shepard; Bobby Wright; Peggy Little
8:30: Ernest Tubb (host); Jack Greene; Diana Trask; Fruit Jar Drinkers
2nd show
9:30: Billy Grammer (host); Willis Brothers; Jean Shepard; Cousin Jody
10:00: Willis Brothers (host); Del Wood; Joe and Rose Lee Maphis
10:15: The Four Guys (host); Bobby Wright; Peggy Little
10:30: Stu Phillips (host); Merle Kilgore; Red Sovine
10:45: Ernest Tubb (host); Earl Scruggs Revue; Crook Brothers
11:00: Roy Acuff (host); Webb Pierce; Fruit Jar Drinkers; Johnny Bales
11:30: Jack Greene (host); Diana Trask; Louie Roberts
A little short on Opry members on that 4th of July night but overall, a good line-up.
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It was 27 years ago, Saturday July 3, 1993 that Alison Krauss became a member of the Grand Ole Opry.
By the time 17-year-old Alison Krauss first played the Grand Ole Opry in 1989 with her band Union Station, she’d already been gracing stages across the country for a decade, winning fiddle contests and impressing audiences with her subtle, captivating singing voice. Since then she has distinguished herself as one of the world’s most respected musicians and an accomplished record producer. She has collaborated with countless other artists, including Robert Plant of the legendary hard rock band Led Zeppelin. The spirit of camaraderie she has shown toward fellow musicians is the same one she says she witnessed early on at the Opry.
“When we first started coming to play, the staff band was always so encouraging to us and would come by and say they were rooting for us,” Alison says. “With all the people that have come through here, that they would take the time to find us and compliment us was really overwhelming.”
At 14, Alison recorded her first album, Too Late to Cry. By age 18, she earned a Grammy nomination for her 1989 release Two Highways. The following year, Alison won the Grammy for Best Bluegrass Recording for I’ve Got That Old Feeling. When she joined the Opry at 21, she became the first bluegrass artist in 29 years to be inducted and the youngest cast member at the time.
Since her first win, Alison has become the most awarded female artist in the history of the Grammys, picking up five trophies for the 2008 album Raising Sand, a collaboration with Robert Plant which also led to a successful concert tour for the pair. Alison was also a part of the phenomenally successful old-time/bluegrass soundtrack album for the 2000 film, O Brother, Where Art Thou?
Collaboration is one of Alison’s great musical loves. In addition to performing on the Opry stage with fellow members including Brad Paisley, Patty Loveless and The Whites, she has also sung and played with guests ranging from bluegrass musicians Tony Rice, Rhonda Vincent and Dale Ann Bradley to rock singer John Waite, whom she joined on his ’80s pop smash “Missing You.”
Alison continues to release albums with Union Station and solo projects from time to time as well as guest on the albums of many other artists in a number of genres. And she still loves watching other Opry performers as often as possible.
“I used to come here and sit in the audience and watch Ricky Skaggs, Porter Wagoner, and John Conlee,” Alison says. “The amount of talent that wanders around backstage is shocking, and it sounds so beautiful out front. I love the way everybody watches everybody else play.”
Here is the running order from Saturday July 3, 1993, the night Alison became an Opry member:
1st show
6:30: GHS Strings
Del Reeves (host): Two Dollars in the Jukebox/A Dime at a Time/Looking at the World Through a Windshield
The Whites: Hangin' Around
Del Reeves: Bad News
6:45: Hall of Fame
Grandpa Jones (host): Going Down the Country
Billy Walker: You Gave Me a Mountain
Grandpa Jones: Little Old Home Down in New Orleans
7:00: Shoney's
Jack Greene (host): I'll Be There
Jimmy C Newman: La Cajun Band
Jeanne Pruett: I Oughta Feel Guilty
Stonewall Jackson: Old Chunk of Coal
Charlie Walker: There's a Star Spangled Banner Waving Somewhere
Jack Greene: There Goes My Everything/Statue of a Fool
7:30: Standard Candy
The Four Guys (host): If It's From the Country, It's coming From the Heart
George Hamilton IV; Has Anyone Here Seen Hank
Mike Snider: Battle Cry of Freedom/Get Your Hands Off My Knee and Load the Cannon
Alison Krauss: Atlanta, I Hear You Calling/Big Mon
The Four Guys: The Star Spangled Banner
8:00: Martha White
Porter Wagoner (host): Company's Comin'
Jean Shepard: Bouquet of Roses
Brother Oswald: Mountain Dew
Charlie Louvin: See the Big Man Cry
Porter Wagoner: Happy Birthday Margaret Smathers
Opry Square Dance Band and The Stoney Mountain Cloggers: Sugar in the Goard
Porter Wagoner: Green, Green Grass of Home
8:30: Kraft
Hank Snow (host): Address Unknown
Skeeter Davis: Lovesick Blues
Ray Pillow: Someone Had to Teach You
Jan Howard: You Don't Know Me
Roy Drusky: Son, Go Bring My Children Home
Hank Snow: I've Done at Least One Thing That Was Good in My Life
2nd show
9:30: Dollar General
Porter Wagoner (host): Y'all Come
Del Reeves: There She Goes
Stonewall Jackson: Side-Steppin' the Blues
Alison Krauss: (?)Molly & Tenbrooks
Porter Wagoner: Wabash Cannonball/The Precious Jewel/Fireball Mail/Night Train to Memphis/The Great Speckled Bird/On A Highway Headed South
10:00: Little Debbie
Grandpa Jones (host): Ball Headed End of the Broom
Wilma Lee Cooper: The Gloryland March
The Whites: Keep on the Sunny Side
Grandpa Jones: Gone Home
10:15: Sunbeam/Tennessee Pride
The Four Guys (host): We're Only Here for a Little While
Skeeter Davis: The End of the World
The Four Guys: Swing Down Chariot
10:30: Piccadilly
Charlie Walker (host): Right or Wrong
Jean Shepard: Let's All Go Down to the River/I Saw the Light/Will the Circle Be Unbroken/I'll Fly Away/Somebody Touched Me
Charlie Walker: There's A Star Spangled Banner Waving Somewhere
10:45: Opry Book
Jimmy C Newman (host): Colinda
Charlie Louvin: Will You Visit Me on Sundays
Opry Square Dance Band and The Stoney Mountain Cloggers: Sail Away Ladies
Jimmy C Newman: Cajun's Dream
11:00: Coca Cola
Hank Snow (host): Ancient History
Roy Drusky: Mississippi
Justin Tubb: Waltz Across Texas
Jack Greene: Walking on New Grass/Statue of a Fool
Hank Snow: The Prisoner's Song/Are You Lonesome Tonight
11:30: General Jackson
George Hamilton IV: This Land is Your Land
Ray Pillow: Please Don't Leave Me Anymore
Jan Howard: Wayfaring Stranger
Mike Snider: Bells of St. Mary's
George Hamilton IV: Forever Young
When Alison joined the Opry, I really thought we would see more of her on the show. However, she appears just a couple of times each year. And for those who are interested, Garth handled Alison's induction that night.
There you have it for this week. Thanks for reading and commenting and I hope everyone enjoys the Opry this Saturday night.