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.
Loretta Lynn will be calling in to Eddie Stubbs Wednesday night July 29th around 7:00 PM CT That will be Eddie's last night with WSM Bob
ReplyDeleteI think Vince has the ability to make the show move along with his hosting style. He does it well. Smooth, quiet and certain. It seems to take the edge off for the other entertainers. Last week was very good. I agree, Byron, this week appears to be a winner.
ReplyDeleteSad to see Eddie Stubbs leave. Hope he maintains some presence In the music industry.
A great Saturday night after what will be a sad Wednesday night with Eddie Stubbs "retiring." I have the funny feeling he will find an outlet.
ReplyDeleteIf it is not announced soon that Jeff Hogue will be taking over Eddie's spot on WSM, I believe that will be the indication that WSM will be pursuing another direction for the 7:00 - midnight time slot. Honestly, I have a bad feeling that it will be a syndication type of program. Hopefully, I will be completely wrong. Like others, I had noticed a slow changing of some of the music that Eddie and Jeff played. Their lack of enthusiasm was glaring. I have great memories of the different themes he had for the various nights. There was also the times when he would comment to the effect, regarding an older record, "You can hear the bacon frying on that one." Also, I call to mind when he would, after playing a record with an especially going instrumental break, "Let's listen to the fiddle part again," etc. There was also "the hymn of inspiration" he would regularly play. All of these are great memories which will probably never be replicated by any other host. [I realized I spoke of things Eddie did in the past tense. This was only referring to his work on WSM - AM] As is the case with many others who have already commented, I am hoping Eddie will eventually show up on some other venue on radio. One closing thought, wouldn't it be wonderful if Eddie would write a book on Country music."].
ReplyDeleteI'm shocked that they would even have to think about Eddie's replacement. Jeff Hogue has been a devoted disciple of Mr. Stubbs and has proven himself worthy to carry the torch forward. If Jeff doesn't get the gig then the light on Nashville radio will likely be extinguished for good! "Please God, let at least one good thing happen this year!"
DeleteLike everyone else I cannot see Eddie Stubbs riding off into the sunset at this point. Who knows what is ahead for him. The Circle Network? the CMA? Willie's roadhouse? There are a great number of things he could get involved in. Maybe even the Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum.
ReplyDeleteGreat memories will also surround Stubbs and the Opry boardcasts I listened to from my mid-teens up to present day. Keith Bilbrey is another name that comes to mind and Hairl Hensley.
I hope Eddie is inclined to do a book. I hope so. I wonder if it might be wise for the Opry to hire him--he could be their house historian, among other things.
ReplyDeleteBy the way, interesting thing about the lineups: Mr. Acuff was out sick. In 1976, I believe he had a heart attack. In 1965, he had been in that horrible auto accident.
Eddie is now a fig-newton of our imaginations. If he indeed had Covid he probably still is feeling the after effects, some of which never go away. His priorities could have changed , since it appears his marriage is thing of joy for him and Debbie. Eddie gave us 25 great years. I hope Jeff Hogue gets his radio spot. If not, my 40 year old cassette tapes and 33 1/3 vinyl records will get lots of play --- Dashmann, Flushing , Michigan ---
ReplyDeleteEddie could voice audio tours or do other things for Marty Stuart's Congress of Country Music when that comes to fruition in a few years. So that's another place he could wind up. Marty already has a collection of some of his D.C. radio broadcasts.
ReplyDeleteA.B.
I personally am very nervous about WSM's future.
ReplyDeleteCircle Network this morning has changed (at least to my eyes) from a radio show that is also on TV to essentially a TV show. Scary days ahead folks.
Nat ; Scary indeed ---no word from Eddie on who or what will be replacing his slot ---- I thought that was strange --- Dashmann
DeleteJeff Hogue did his usual fantastic job last night.
DeleteI may get crucified to say this, but in some ways I enjoy Jeff even more than Eddie. He has the same love of traditional country music, but he comes at it from a slightly different place.
I HOPE they let him continue.
Jeff occasionally strays into some other genres but he plays a lot of things Eddie didn't play. I don't think he is as old and is still finding songs and artist and when he dose he shares them. He plays his share of deep catalog and album cuts. No doubt, Eddie had his favorites that he "had" to play, Flatt and Scruggs, Ray Price and of course Kitty Wells. As they seemed to push more new artist slots into his show it cut down on how many of his own picks he could get in each night.
DeleteJim
Knightsville, IN
PS, I guess you all know I put my town after my name as sort of a tribute to Fred in Bismark whose comments I miss! By now, most of you know me.
Here is the latest update from the Grand Ole Opry, posted this morning:
ReplyDeleteTo align with Metro Nashville health and safety guidelines amid current COVID-19 concerns, the Grand Ole Opry has cancelled performances that include a live audience through August 31 with the exception of August 22 and August 29.
If you purchased tickets to one of those shows, your ticket order is in the process of being cancelled and fully refunded to the credit card used to place the order. It may take up to 14 days for the refund to reflect on your credit card account. Please note: If you purchased a post-show or VIP tour, parking, or the Circle Room VIP Party to accompany your show experience, those are also being cancelled and refunded to you.
Please note: If you did not purchase tickets directly from the Opry, you should request a refund from the third party who sold them to you.
While we are unsure when ticketed shows will return, presently tickets are on sale for shows starting September 1. We continue to hope these shows will take place as planned.
Not a surprise, sad to say.
DeleteOff the subject, but I would recommend everyone check out the new Randy Travis single, “Fool’s Love Affair”. What a walk back into REAL country music. I’d love to see it get chart activity, but that’s not likely.
ReplyDeleteBill and Charlie did a very interesting interview with Charlie Monk. I guess he FOUND some old tapes he had of Randy's, and that's where this latest stuff is coming from.
ReplyDeleteIt's legitimate country music, which means it will get no air play on today's radio.
Agree with David B, it's a great cut.
I always think of the story that Minnie Pearl told on an episode of "Backstage at the Grand Ole Opry" with Bill Anderson in the early 1980s. She told of being on a flight with Hank Williams and he reeled off a song he had written, "Heart of a Devil, Face of a Saint." He never recorded it. After he died, she asked Audrey, she asked the band, she asked anyone she could, and they never found evidence of that song.
DeleteAs Eddie Stubbs retires or moves on, we have lost one of the power player DJ's of the music. He was directly connected to the Opry but to the success of the records of many Opry stars. Bill Mack passed today at age 88 and according to his son it was COVID-19 along with other underlying health conditions.
ReplyDeleteJim
Knightsville, IN
Okay, Bill Mack WASN"T directly connected to the Opry is what I meant to type.
ReplyDeleteHe was one of those guys on all night truck radio in the 80's we stayed up late at night and listened to. WBAP the Dallas Fort Worth Metroplex! I was listening that station when I leaned Doyle Wilburn passed. Bill was not on the air that night.
Jim
Another thought about Eddie Stubbs. I left a note on the WSM page someone posted here. My main point to Eddie was not about the records he played or even the history and details which I really get into. The greatest thing he gave me as a fan was that personal connection to the artist he provided with his long interviews and the insight he shared from his close relationship with them. Connie pretty much nailed it Wednesday night. Eddie said that Kitty did not talk much but when he got to talk to her without Johnny involved she would really open up even on air. Connie said "that's because she loved and trusted you." And that was my point to Eddie. We gained a lot of great insights to these artist through his interviews because they respected and trusted him and he knew their history so well.
ReplyDeleteI've got so many of those interviews on tape and I cherish them. And, I think listening and gaining that insight made it easier for us to relate to and have good conversations with some the artist when we met them on the road.
Someone suggested Eddie write a book and I'm all for that. I could also see him be the chief historian or curator at the museum Marty is working on. Can you imagine a guided tour of such a place by Edde Stubbs?
Sorry if that is a little deep.
Jim
Knightsville, IN
Jeff Hogue was great last night after the long Friday Night replay.
ReplyDeleteCouldn't get to sleep, kept waiting for the next great song.
He said to keep requesting songs, so he could play them "next week."
I hope (and pray to be truthful) that they allow Jeff to continue in the Stubb's time slot.
Jeff is amazing.
Thank You Nat. I agree with you about Jeff. I just hope that WSM agrees and makes him a permanent dj from 7:00 PM until Midnight CT Bob
DeleteJesse McReynolds needs our prayers.
DeleteMessage From Joy McReynolds...Jesse's Wife. I would appreciate your prayers for Jesse. I had to take him to the ER this evening because he was having some numbness in his arm. They’re doing some tests but he’s in good spirits and I’ll keep you posted. Bob
I thought of another thing Eddie could do. TN Mafia Jug Band is in need of a fiddler because of Dan Kelly's untimely passing.
ReplyDeleteA.B.
Who was the mandolin/fiddle player on the Opry tonight with Vince, Emmylou and Rodney ?
ReplyDeleteThe fiddle player is Eamon McGlothlin. He is a member of the Opry staff band. When things reopen in Nashville, you can often see him at Nashville Palace at 3:00 on Sundays as a part of 50 Shades of Hay, fronted by Wendy Newcomer. They are GREAT people and make great old time country music. By the way, Wendy's husband David--who plays stand-up bass for the group--is the son of A team fiddle player Buddy Spicher.
ReplyDeleteWhat a wonderful night of music from three old friends. A nice surprise was the majority of the music were from songs written by Rodney Crowell. Great three part harmony and very enjoyable.
ReplyDeleteThanks again to the Grand Ole Opry for putting on a great night of music.
Rip Wilford Brimley https://www.google.com/amp/s/deadline.com/2020/08/wilford-brimley-dead-cocoon-the-natural-actor-85-1203001716/amp/
ReplyDeleteGREAT NEWS FROM WSM!
ReplyDeletehttps://wsmradio.com/shows/wsm-at-night/
Our man, Jeff Hogue, will be the "star of the show!"
Finally a ray of hope in what has been a dark and dismal year!!! I’m going to miss the Way Back Wednesday shows though. Congratulations Jeff!
DeleteJeff said last night that his Wednesday night shows will feature his "the year that was," just like he was doing after the Saturday Night 'Opry.
ReplyDeleteThat man can do no wrong in my eyes!