Grand Ole Opry September 26

Welcome to week #29 of what I have been calling, the "Circle" Grand Ole Opry shows. 

Looking back on last week's show, it was another good one with Opry member Ricky Skaggs headlining. Ricky was on top of his game with some nice country and bluegrass hits. Wendy Moten, who has appeared on the Opry previously and is one of the newest members of The Time Jumpers, also appeared and did an outstanding job. The final artists from Saturday were Brothers Osborne and they were also very good. 

This week, we get two Grand Ole Opry members, both of whom are also members of the Country Music Hall of Fame as Connie Smith and Marty Stuart will be headlining the show. Last week was Connie's 55th anniversary as a member of the Grand Ole Opry, while Marty was announced earlier this year as one of the newest members of the Hall of Fame. Personally, it is nice to see one of the Opry's legendary members back on the show as they have been missing since Covid started. 

Joining Connie and Marty will be Sierra Hull. Now 28, Sierra has been around since her early teens, as she was just 13 when she was signed to Rounder Records. Since that time, Sierra has released three albums, including her most recent "Weighted Mind," which was released earlier this year. She has performed and recorded with Alison Krauss, Dan Tyminski, Bela Fleck and Rhiannon Giddens among dozens of others. 

This week promises to be another great Saturday night. 

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And now, from 50 years ago, Saturday September 26, 1970:

1st show
6:30: Wilma Lee and Stoney Cooper (host); Bill Carlisle; Jack Reno
6:45: Willis Brothers (host); Del Wood; David Rogers
7:00: Charlie Walker (host); Earl Scruggs Revue; Leroy Van Dyke; Connie Eaton
7:30: Jack Greene (host); Jeannie Seely; Jimmy Martin; Crook Brothers
8:00: Lester Flatt (host); Wilma Burgess; Jay Lee Webb; Norro Wilson
8:30: Ernest Tubb (host); Jack Barlow; Fruit Jar Drinkers; Jeannie C. Riley

2nd show
9:30: Willis Brothers (host); Earl Scruggs Revue; Bill Carlisle; Jack Reno
10:00: Charlie Walker (host); Jimmy Martin; Connie Eaton
10:15: Wilma Lee and Stoney Cooper (host); Jack Barlow
10:30: Lester Flatt (host); Del Wood; Wilma Burgess
10:45: Ernest Tubb (host); Norro Wilson; Crook Brothers
11:00: Jack Greene (host); Jeannie Seely; Jay Lee Webb; Fruit Jar Drinkers; Sam McGee
11:30: Leroy Van Dyke (host); Jeannie C. Riley; Johnny Russell

As we have seen from many of these 1970 line-ups, it was another thin night in regards to Opry members appearing. So thin, in fact, that Leroy Van Dyke, who was not even a member of the Opry at the time, hosted the final segment that night.

A name from that night that some might not remember was Jack Reno. Jack was born in 1935 and was from Bloomfield, Iowa. He appeared at the Grand Ole Opry in the 1960s and played with Waylon Jennings and Dolly Parton.

During his career, he recorded seven albums and scored 12 hits on the country music charts, including "Hitchin' a Ride", "Repeat After Me" and "I Want One". In addition, he was a long-time country music DJ, with stints in Cincinnati, Ohio and Omaha, Nebraska.

Jack Reno passed away from brain cancer on November 1, 2008.
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Finally, it was on Saturday September 26, 1953 that future Grand Ole Opry member Skeeter Davis made her Opry debut.

Skeeter Davis never received much critical attention, but in the '50s and '60s, she recorded some of the most accessible crossover country music, occasionally skirting rock & roll. Born Mary Penick, Davis took her last name after forming a duo with Betty Jack Davis, the Davis Sisters. Their 1953 single "I Forgot More Than You'll Ever Know" was a big country hit; its B-side, the remarkable "Rock-a-Bye Boogie," foreshadowed rockabilly. That same year, however, the duo's career was cut short by a tragic car accident in which Betty Jack was killed and Skeeter was severely injured. Skeeter did attempt to revive the Davis Sisters with Betty Jack's sister but was soon working as a solo artist.

In the early '60s, Davis followed the heels of Brenda Lee and Patsy Cline to become one of the first big-selling female country crossover acts, although her pop success was pretty short-lived. The weepy ballad "The End of the World," though, was a massive hit, reaching number two in 1963. "I Can't Stay Mad at You," a Top Ten hit the same year, was downright rock & roll although such efforts were the exception rather than the rule. Usually she sang sentimental, country-oriented tunes with enough pop hooks to catch the ears of a wider audience, such as "I Will."

Davis concentrated on the country market after the early '60s, although she never seemed too comfortable limiting herself to the Nashville crowd. She recorded a Buddy Holly tribute album in 1967, when Holly wasn't a hot ticket with either the country or the rock audience. But she certainly didn't reject country conventions either: She performed on the Grand Ole Opry and recorded duets with Bobby Bare, Porter Wagoner, and George Hamilton IV. In the 1980s, she had a mild comeback with the rock crowd after recording an album with NRBQ; she also married NRBQ's bass player, Joey Spampinato.

Here is the running order from 67 years ago, Saturday September 26, 1953:

7:30: Prince Albert
Ray Price (host): Who Stole that Train
Minnie Pearl: Comedy
Darrell Glenn: Crying in the Chapel
Square Dancers: Katy Hill
Old Hickory Singers: Floating Down to Cotton Town
Rod Brasfield: Comedy
Darrell Glenn: Hang Up that Telephone
String Beans: Uncle Pen
Ray Price: The Wrong Side of Town

8:00: Martha White
Ernest Tubb (host): When the World has Turned You Down
Bill Monroe and Jimmy Martin: Cabin of Love
Hank Snow: Golden Rocket
June Carter: Rub a Dub Dub
Possum Hunters: Sleepy Lou
Ernest Tubb: The Long Way
Carter Family: Red River Blues
Bill Monroe: Rocky Road Blues
Hank Snow: Message from the Trade Winds
Ernest Tubb: Daisy May
Fiddle Tune: Old Hen Cackled

8:30: Royal Crown Cola
Webb Pierce (host): I'm Walking the Dog
Fruit Jar Drinkers: Cotton Eyed Joe
Martha Carson: Satisfied
Lonzo and Oscar: I'm Movin' On No. 2
Del Wood: 12th Street Rag
Skeeter Davis: I Forgot More Than You'll Ever Know
Webb Pierce: It's Been so Long
Lonzo and Oscar: Hole in the Bottom of the Sea
Fiddler: Down Yonder

9:00: Martha White
Carl Smith (host): Hey Joe
Jimmy Dickens: Thick and Thin
Marty Robbins: Sing Me Something Sentimental
Anita Carter: I'm Fading Fast with the Time
Rod Brasfield: Comedy
Crook Brothers: Bile Them Cabbage Down
Carl Smith: Darling Am I the One
Chet Atkins: Dill Pickle Rag
Jimmy Dickens: Sidemeat and Cabbage
Fiddle: Arkansas Traveler

9:30: Warren Paint
Johnny and Jack (host): Private Property
Lew Childre: Hang out the Front Door Key
Kitty Wells: I Don't Claim to Be an Angel
Johnny and Jack: Don't Say Goodbye If You Love Me
Paul Warren: Turkey in the Straw

9:45: American Ace
Cowboy Copas (host): Tennessee Senorita
Ray Price: Talk to Your Heart
String Beans: Take Me Back to Tulsa
Cowboy Copas: Feeling Low
Dale Potter: Cattle Call

10:00: Wallrite
Webb Pierce (host): That's Me Without You
Bill Monroe: Blue Moon of Kentucky
Martha Carson: I'm Walking and Talking with My Lord
Webb Pierce: Wondering
Don Slayman: Fisher's Horn Pipe

10:15: Dr. Le Hear
Hank Snow (host): Ladies Man
Annie Lou and Danny: I'd Rather Die Young Than Grow Old Without You
Bill Monroe: Swing Low Sweet Chariot
Hank Snow: A Fool Such as I
Tommy Varden: Rickett's Horn Pipe

10:30: Jefferson Island Salt
Ernest Tubb (host): I'm With the Crowd But so Alone
Jimmy Dickens: I'll Dance at Your Wedding
Jordanaires: My Rock
Duke of Paducah: Comedy
June Carter: Juke Box Blues
Marty Robbins: Every Precious Memory
Ernest Tubb: Somebody Loves You
Chet Atkins: Sweet Georgia Brown
Jimmy Dickens: Making Love To a Stranger

11:00: O-Cell-O
Ray Price (host): Don't Let the Stars Get in Your Eyes
Johnny and Jack: South in New Orleans
Paul Warren: Black Mountain Swag
Kitty Wells: Hey Joe
Ray Price: Weary Blues

11:15: Hester Battery
Carl Smith (host): Trademark
String Beans: John Henry
Gully Jumpers: Old Joe
Carl Smith: This Side of Heaven

11:30: W. E. Stephens
Hank Snow (host): Music Making Mama
Lew Childre: Put on Your Old Gray Bonnet
Lonzo and Oscar: Pretty Little Indian Maid
Crook Brothers: Fire On the Mountain
Hank Snow: Golden River

11:45: Grand Ole Opry
Cowboy Copas (host): Those Gone and Left Me Blues
Sam and Kirk McGee:
Fruit Jar Drinkers: Fire on the Mountain
Cowboy Copas: Will You Forget
Dale Potter: Fiddle Sticks

Skeeter Davis became a member of the Grand Ole Opry on August 4, 1959 and with the exception of her suspension from the show, she would remain an Opry member until her death in 2004.

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