One of the marvelous events that takes place at the Grand Ole Opry each October is the night that the "Opry Goes Pink" to help raise awareness in support of Breast Cancer Awareness Month. The annual event for 2020, which will be the 12th consecutive year that the switch will be thrown at the start of the show and the Opry backdrop will turn pink, will take place this Saturday night.
This year's event will be headlined by Grand Ole Opry members Little Big Town, who will be making their first Opry appearance of 2020. Joining Little Big Town will be Lauren Alaina, Rita Wilson and Victoria Shaw. It promises to be another memorable Opry show.
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And now, from 50 years ago, Saturday October 24, 1970:
1st show
6:30: Willis Brothers (host); Jay Lee Webb; Sammi Smith
6:45: Stu Phillips (host); David Rogers; Lorene Mann
7:00: Bill Anderson (host); Ernie Ashworth; Justin Tubb; Jan Howard
7:30: Roy Acuff (host); Jean Shepard; Norro Wilson; Brook Brothers
8:00: Bill Monroe (host); Stan Hitchcock; Johnny Carver; Bobby Harden
8:30: Tex Ritter (host); Bill Carlisle; Karen Wheeler; Fruit Jar Drinkers
2nd show
9:30: Willis Brothers (host); Ernie Ashworth; Lorene Mann; Jay Lee Webb
10:00: Stu Phillips (host); Sammi Smith; Johnny Carver
10:15: Justin Tubb (host); Norro Wilson; Bill and Betty Price
10:30: Roy Acuff (host); Jean Shepard
10:45: Bill Monroe (host); James William Monroe; Bobby Harden; Crook Brothers
11:00: Tex Ritter (host); Stan Hitchcock; Karen Wheeler; Fruit Jar Drinkers; Sam McGee
11:30: Marty Robbins (host); Bill Carlisle; Louie Roberts
Another thin night as to Opry members appearing. Saw a lot of that from these 1970 shows.
Bill Price, along with his wife Betty, performed on the Opry's 2nd show that night.
Bill Price was a guitarist, who after graduating from high school, played with Jimmy Martin and later as a member of Bill Monroe's Bluegrass Boys. He later formed his own group, The Country Pardners, based out of Cincinnati.
In its initial reincarnation, the Country Pardners were seen as having so much potential that the group was signed to a contract with RCA records and set to produce with Chet Atkins. A publishing deal was offered by Grand Ole Opry star Roy Acuff. "Why Baby Why," by the then-totally unknown songwriter George Jones, was one of the first tunes pitched at the group as it prepared for its big Nashville sessions; and Price would later recall in an interview that had the group acted a bit faster, it might have scored the hit with the song that Webb Pierce and Red Sovine cashed in on. Unfortunately, the scent of this song was about the closest the Country Pardners got to a hit, although the four songs that were recorded by the group are superb examples of early bluegrass, and indeed have a rare amount of charm.
After a short hiatus, Price recovered from the sucker punch of rock & roll, enlisting new management and winding up with some Opry guest spots. Along with his wife Betty, Bill began a booking agency in the late '60s, and got a large boost from Bill Monroe when he became a client. Brother Charlie Monroe was also a cash cow muzzling at the bluegrass green for the Price agency in the '70s, by which time the couple was organizing several large-scale bluegrass festivals each year. Bill and Betty also played music together as well, cutting several albums for Rural Rhythm. Price began appearing under the billing of Bill Price & the Country Pardners, reviving the name of his old group.
Both Bill and Betty Price passed away from liver cancer, as did several of their children.
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Looking back, it was on October 23, 1965 that Roy Acuff, Jr. made his debut on the Grand Ole Opry.
Roy Neill Acuff, was born in Nashville, Tennessee in 1943. The son of Roy Acuff, at times during his childhood, Roy Jr. saw little of his father has Roy was constantly touring. Initially showing little interest in music, he began to work in the offices at Acuff-Rose Music but in 1963, unbeknown to his father, he learned to sing and play the guitar.
In 1965, he was given the opportunity to record for Columbia Records by Wesley Rose and a month later his father introduced him on the Grand Ole Opry. He played various venues in the USA and even toured US military bases in Germany. Occasionally he appeared with his father and in the early 70s, he sang backing vocals on some of his recordings. However, audiences made him nervous and he never enjoyed performing. He was much happier working behind the scenes and by the mid-70s, he had retired as a performer to become an executive of Acuff-Rose. During his brief recording career, he wrote and recorded several of his own songs including ‘Back Down To Atlanta’ and ‘Street Singer’.
After leaving the music business, Roy enjoyed spending his time painting and sculpting.
Roy Neill Acuff, Jr. passed away on November 5, 2015.
Here is the running order from 55 years ago, Saturday October 23, 1965, the night Roy Acuff Jr. made his Grand Ole Opry debut:
6:00: Vietti
Wilma Lee and Stoney Cooper (host): Big Midnight Special
Ernie Ashworth: A Week in the Country
Jim and Jesse: Memphis
Bob Luman: Love Worked a Miracle
Wilma Lee and Stoney Cooper: I Couldn't Care Less
Cousin Jody: Mockingbird
Stoney Cooper: Instrumental
6:30: Sealtest
Jimmy C Newman (host): Artificial Rose
Bill Carlisle: No Help Wanted
Connie Smith: If I Talk to Him
Stringbean: Big Ball in Nashville
Osborne Brothers: I'll Be all Right Tomorrow
Bill Carlisle: Too Old to Cut the Mustard
Jimmy C Newman: Cry, Cry Darling
7:00: Rudy's
Roy Drusky (host): Strangers
Margie Bowes: Lost
Billy Walker: Cross the Brazos at Waco
The Browns: I Heard the Bluebird Sing
George Hamilton IV: Write Me a Picture
Bobby Bare: Four Strong Winds
Margie Bowes: Don't You Ever Get Tired of Hurting Me
The Browns: The Three Bells
Roy Drusky: Peel Me a Nanner
Jimmy Wilson and Pete Wade: Alabama Jubilee
7:30: Luzianne
Porter Wagoner (host): Dooley
Bill Monroe: There's an Old, Old House
Leroy Van Dyke: Walk on By
Skeeter Davis: The End of the World
Willie Nelson: I Just Can't Let You Say Goodbye
Buck Trent and Mac Magaha: Turkey in the Straw
Norma Jean: Let's Go All the Way
Bill Monroe: Panhandle Country
Porter Wagoner: Green, Green Grass of Home
8:00: Martha White
Lester Flatt and Earl Scruggs (host): The Ballad of Jed Clampett
Hank Locklin: Send Me the Pillow You Dream On
Dottie West: Here Comes My Baby
Bobby Lord: Life Can Have Meaning
Crook Brothers: Black Mountain Rag
Bill Anderson: City Lights/I've Enjoyed as Much of This as I Can Stand/That's What It's Like to Be Lonesome/I Don't Love You Anymore/Once a Day/Bright Lights and Country Music
8:30: Stephens
Roy Acuff (host): Night Train to Memphis
Roy Acuff, Jr: Baby Just Said Goodbye/Wabash Cannonball
Wilburn Brothers: Making Plans
Archie Campbell: Comedy
Loretta Lynn: The Home You're Tearin' Down
Lonzo and Oscar: There's A Hole in the Bottom of the Sea
9:00: Pet Milk
Ernest Tubb (host): Walking the Floor Over You
Sonny James: You're the Only World I Know/I'll Keep Holding On/Behind the Tear
Fruit Jar Drinkers: Gray Eagle
Tex Ritter: Take Him Fishing
Glaser Brothers: Teardrops "Til Dawn
Jean Shepard: Ain't You Ashamed
Stringbean: String's a' Pickin
9:30: Kellogg's
Hank Snow (host): I'm Movin' On
Willis Brothers: Give Me 40 Acres
Carter Family: Cottonfields
Charlie Louvin: Think I'll Go Somewhere and Cry Myself to Sleep
Anita and Helen Carter: Twelve O'Clock Hour
Jim and Jesse: Memphis
Marion Worth: I Will Not Blow out the Light
Hank Snow: There's a Fool Such as I
10:00: Schick
Porter Wagoner (host): I'm Gonna Feed You Now
Norma Jean: I Wouldn't Buy a Used Car from Him
Leroy Van Dyke: Auctioneer
Ernie Ashworth: Talk Back Trembling Lips
Speck Rhodes: Hound Dog
10:15: Mary Carter Paints
Roy Acuff (host): Freight Train Blues
Wilma Lee and Stoney Cooper: Satisfied
Jimmy C Newman: Artificial Rose
Wilburn Brothers: It's Another World
10:30: Harvey's
Lester Flatt and Earl Scruggs (host): The Wreck of the Old 97
Billy Walker: Forever
Skeeter Davis: Silver Threads and Golden Needles
Lester Flatt and Earl Scruggs: Father's Table Grace
10:45: Newport
Ernest Tubb (host): For God & Country & You
Loretta Lynn: Blue Kentucky Girl
Bill Carlisle: What Kind of Deal is This
Crook Brothers: Old Joe Clark
Ernest Tubb and Loretta Lynn: We're Not Kids Anymore
11:00: Coca Cola
Hank Snow (host): I Don't Hurt Anymore
Bill Monroe: I'll Live in the Past
Glaser Brothers: Molly Darling
Lonzo and Oscar: Country Music Time
Margie Bowes: I Can't Love that Way
Fruit Jar Drinkers: Cacklin' Hen
Bill Anderson: Bright Lights & Country Music/Still
Sam and Kirk McGee: Don't Let Your Deal Go Down
Hank Snow: From a Beggar Into a King
11:30: Lava
Marty Robbins (host): Ribbon of Darkness
Willis Brothers: Pinball Anonymous
Dottie West: All the World is Lonely Now
Charlie Louvin: See the Big Man Cry
Curly Fox: The Old Gray Mule
Marion Worth: Mansion on the Hill
Marty Robbins: Don't Worry/Bouquet of Roses/I Could Never Be Ashamed of You/Lovesick Blues
Well, that was certainly a great night at the Opry!!
There you have it for this week. As always, thanks for reading and commenting and I hope everyone enjoys the Grand Ole Opry this Saturday night.
On that night in 1965, I think there were 45 Opry members, if I counted correctly, and I probably didn't. Wow.
ReplyDeleteI just wanted to share this concerning former Grand Ole Opry member Margie Bowes, who has been battling some serious health issues over the past several months.
ReplyDeleteI’m sorry to report that she has gone home from the hospital and is under Hospice care. Please send prayers good thoughts and vibes to her and the family.
That former member list just keeps getting shorter :(
DeleteFormer Grand Ole Opry member Margie Bowes has passed away at the age of 79. Margie had a string of country hits in the late 1950s and 60s including" "Poor Old Heartsick Me"(which was her only Top 10 single), "My Love and Little Me," and "Understand Your Gal." Her last single was in 1970 ("The Note") which failed to make the country charts.
ReplyDeleteMargie, who was married for a brief time to Doyle Wilburn of the Wilburn Brothers, came to Nashville in 1958 after winning the Pet Milk Company's nationwide talent contest.
Margie first appeared on the Grand Ole Opry in 1958 and became a member shortly after her Opry debut. She made her last Opry appearance as a member in November 1971, although she did return to make a couple of guest appearances.
With Margie's death, the number of former Grand Ole Opry members who are still living gets smaller and smaller. There are not that many left.
Our prayers and thoughts go out to Margie's family and friends.
My sympathies to her family and friends.
DeleteShe did one of Reunion shows, and TNN aired the segment she was on, and she still had it, for sure.
It gets harder to imagine doing another of those shows. I think Norma Jean is the only living former woman member of the Opry. The only women "regulars" I can think of who weren't members were Mary Lou Turner when she was Whisper's duet partner, and Smoky Mountain "Girls" Melba Montgomery, June Webb, and June Stearns.
I would also add Diane McCall to the list of females. She was featured on the Opry many times doing duets with Charlie Louvin.
DeleteJust off the cuff the only former members I can think of are Doug Kershaw, Norma Jean, Leroy Van Dyke, Willie Nelson, B.J. Thomas, Ray Walker of the Jordanaires and possibly Don Maddox, If the brothers were including in the membership with their sister Rose. Carol Lee Cooper was never a member but certainly there and active many years.
ReplyDeleteA few more names: Sam Wellington and various members of The 4 Guys are still living, along with Melvin Sloan. While not Opry members, Dennis McCall, who was a member of the Carol Lee Singers is still alive, while from the Opry Staff Band, Joe Edwards and Tim Atwood are still with us.
ReplyDeleteI've wondered about Jerry Whitehurst and Billy Linneman.
DeleteI'd like to say a word for longtime sidemen. The last living Smoky Mountain Boy, with the recent death of Dan Kelly, is Larry McNeely. Bessyl Duhon is over 80 and was with Jimmy C. Newman for 37 years.
Among announcers, Ralph Emery is the senior living announcer, I think.
Jerry Whitehurst was born on May 25, 1943 in Heber Springs, Arkansas as Jerry R. Whitehurst. He is known for his work on Dolly (1976), Nashville Now (1983) and Hee Haw (1969). He died on October 23, 2015 in Little Rock, Arkansas Bob
DeleteBob, I think IMDB messed up. That's a different Jerry Whitehurst. Here's the obit on that Whitehurst: https://www.brazzelfuneralhomes.com/obituary/5494352.
DeleteIt's kind of a mystery. I still he's still listed on the musicians' union website, but he appears to be long retired and living very anonymously!
How about Dave Hooten? And, isn't Kelly Foxton who was a regular with Hank Snow for a couple of years still with us?
ReplyDeleteJim
Knightsville, IN
Yes, Kelly Foxton is still alive and based on her website, she is still in the squirrel business. Last I heard, David Hooten is still alive.
Delete