Grand Ole Opry Saturday January 30

The Grand Ole Opry wraps up the first month of 2021 with another Saturday night show. 

As we have seen during the past several months, Connie Smith and Riders In The Sky are once again the Opry members on the schedule, and this weekend they will be joined by Larry, Steve and Rudy: The Gatlin Brothers. After no Opry members being featured on the televised schedule last Saturday, the Gatlins will be part of the Circle broadcast on Saturday. 

Guesting this week will be comedian, and frequent Opry guest, Larry Mule Deer, along with Michael Ray and Maddie & Tae. 

7:00: Opry Square Dancers; Connie Smith; Riders In The Sky; Jerrod Niemann; Gary Mule Deer
8:00: Larry Gatlin & The Gatlin Brothers; Michael Ray; Maddie & Tae

As I mentioned in a comment during the past week, Opry management seems to be booking a comedian on most of their shows and this week it is Gary Mule Deer. 

During a career spanning six decades, Gary Mule Deer, who is now 81 years ago,  has performed on many major concert stages in the United States, and has made over 350 television appearances, including many on both The Tonight Show starring Johnny Carson and the Late Show with David Letterman, both of whose hosts he had met early in his career at The Comedy Store in Los Angeles. He was one of six comedians, along with Jay Leno, to star on the first HBO comedy special, Freddie Prinze and Friends, was the co-host of Don Kirshner's Rock Concert for four years on NBC, a regular on Make Me Laugh, and a frequent judge on The Gong Show. He appeared in films such as Annie Hall, Up In Smoke and Tilt. He is currently featured on the DVDs "Jeff Foxworthy's Comedy Classics" and "The World's Greatest Stand-up Comedy Collection" hosted by Norm Crosby. He also has a Gary Mule Deer Live CD of his comedy and music. Gary is currently one of the most-played comedians on the Clean Comedy Channels of both Sirius and XM Satellite Radio.

Gary Mule Deer entertains regularly at casinos in Las Vegas, Lake Tahoe, Atlantic City and Reno. For over 15 years, he has been touring in concert as special guest with Johnny Mathis. He performs often on the Grand Ole Opry stage.
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From 50 years ago, Saturday January 30, 1971: 

7:00: Roy Drusky (host); Jean Shepard; George Hamilton IV; Lonzo & Oscar; Ernie Ashworth
7:30: Jack Greene (host); Jeannie Seely; Bobby Bare; Grandpa Jones
8:00: Lester Flatt (host); Mel Tills; Bill Carlisle; Crook Brothers; Ray Pillow
8:30: Bill Monroe (host); Skeeter Davis; Earl Scruggs Revue; Charlie Louvin and Diane McCall; James William Monroe; Tom T. Hall
9:00: Roy Acuff (host); Billy Walker; Jim and Jesse; Fruit Jar Drinkers; Stu Phillips
9:30: Bill Anderson (host); Willis Brothers; Hank Locklin; Stringbean; Jan Howard
10:00: Jack Greene (host); Jeannie Seely; Bobby Bare; George Hamilton IV; Ernie Ashworth
10:15: Billy Walker (host); Jean Shepard; Grandpa Jones; Ray Pillow; Lonzo and Oscar
10:30: Lester Flatt (host); Skeeter Davis; Mel Tillis; Bill Carlisle; Willis Brothers
10:45: Roy Acuff (host); Charlie Louvin and Diane McCall; Tom T. Hall; Stringbean; Crook Brothers
11:00: Bill Monroe (host); Earl Scruggs Revue; Hank Locklin; Fruit Jar Drinkers; Tex Logan; Sam McGee
11:30: Jimmy C Newman (host); Jim and Jesse; Margie Bowes; Cousin Jody

How about Bill Monroe giving a solo spot to Tex Logan during his last spot that night. So, who remembers Tex and who remembers that he wrote the Christmas classic "Christmas Time's A Comin'"?

Benjamin Franklin "Tex" Logan, Jr. was an American electrical engineer and bluegrass music fiddler. Born in Coahoma, Texas, Logan earned a B.Sc. in electrical engineering at Texas Tech University, then Texas Technological College, in Lubbock, Texas, studied for a B.Sc. in engineering at Massachusetts Institute of Technology, and completed a M.Sc. He then moved to New Jersey where he joined Bell Labs (1956) and started his doctoral studies at Columbia University. There he earned a Ph.D. in electrical engineering with his dissertation "Properties of High-Pass Signals". Logan joined the communication theory department at Bell Labs where he and others demonstrated the use of computer simulation in the study of reverberation in digital audio, and did joint work with Manfred R. Schroeder who later pioneered MP3 audio (1961). He was with the mathematics center where he contributed to the theory of signals.

As was his father Frank, Tex Logan was a fiddler. He played with Mike Seeger in the late 1950s, with The Lilly Brothers & Don Stover and Bill Monroe in the 1960s, and with Peter Rowan in the 1980s. He performed on several records and international tours and had minor roles in movies as well. Logan wrote "Christmas Time's A-Coming", a song made popular by Bill Monroe that has been recorded by many performers, including Johnny Cash, Emmylou Harris, Sammy Kershaw, Rhonda Vincent, and Patty Loveless, among others; and "Diamond Joe" recorded by Bob Dylan. In 1969, Logan played fiddle on the Bee Gees' 1969 song "Give Your Best", released on the band's sixth album Odessa.

Tex Logan died April 24, 2015

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Looking back, it was on January 30, 1982 that Grand Ole Opry member Wilma Lee Cooper was recognized upon her 25th anniversary as a member of the Grand Ole Opry. 

Wilma Lee, along with her husband Stoney, became Opry members on January 12, 1957. After Stoney passed away in March 1977, Wilma Lee continued on as a solo Opry member, backed by the Clinch Mountain Clan and her daughter Carol Lee Cooper. Wilma Lee performed on the Opry until February 2001 when she suffered a stroke while performing on the show. Wilma Lee Cooper passed away in September 2011. 

Here is the running order from 39 years ago, Saturday January 30, 1982: 

1st show
6:30: Mrs. Grissoms
Stonewall Jackson (host): Muddy Water
Justin Tubb: Take a Letter, Miss Gray
Stonewall Jackson: 'Ol Chunk of Coal

6:45: Rudy's
Jack Greene (host): I'll Be There
David Houston: Waltz of the Angels
Jeannie Seely: Who Needs You
Jack Greene: You Are My Treasure

7:00: Shoney's
Porter Wagoner (host): You Make Everyday Feel Like Sunday
Skeeter Davis: Rock-A-Bye Boogie
Ernie Ashworth: Irene
Jimmy C Newman: Louisiana Cajun Band
Jan Howard: It's Good to See You
Vic Willis Trio: Shenandoah
Porter Wagoner: Katy Did/Ol' Slewfoot

7:30: Standard Candy
Ernest Tubb (host): Jealous Lovin' Heart
Jean Shepard: Enough To Make a Woman Lose Her Mind
Stu Phillips: Great El Tigrae
Billy Grammer: Renfro Valley
Wilma Lee and Carol Lee Cooper: Walking My Lord Up Calvary Hill
Crook Brothers and The Stoney Mountain Cloggers: Sally Goodin

8:00: Martha White
Roy Acuff (host): Wabash Cannonball
Bill Carlisle: Goodnight Irene
Connie Smith: The Key's in the Mailbox
Roy Drusky: Blues In My Heart
Del Wood: 12st Rag
Roy Acuff: The Great Speckled Bird

8:30: Acme
Hank Snow (host): Right or Wrong
The 4 Guys: Made in the USA
Jeanne Pruett: Satin Sheets
Charlie Louvin: Will You Visit Me on Sundays
Fruit Jar Drinkers: Nubbing Ridge
Hank Snow: It Kinda Reminds Me of Me

2nd show
9:30: Kellogg's
Porter Wagoner (host): Ol' Slewfoot
Stonewall Jackson: Me & You & A Dog Named Boo
Vic Willis Trio: Faded Love
Wilma Lee and Carol Lee Cooper: Poor Ellen Smith
Lonzo and Oscar: I'm Not That Good at Goodbye
Porter Wagoner: Katy Did/Big Wind

10:00: Little Debbie
Jack Greene (host): Try A Little Kindness
Jeannie Seely: When Your House is Not a Home
Jack Greene: There Goes My Everything

10:15: Sunbeam
David Houston (host): Texas Ida Red
Skeeter Davis: The End of the World
David Houston: The Waltz of the Angels

10:30: Martha White
Roy Acuff (host): Meeting in the Air
Jan Howard: Time
Roy Acuff: Jesus Will Outshine Them All/I'll Fly Away

10:45: Beechnut
Charlie Louvin (host): I Ain't Gonna Work Tomorrow
Jean Shepard: Poor Sweet Baby
Crook Brothers and The Stoney Mountain Cloggers: Eighth of January
Charlie Louvin: We Could

11:00: Coca Cola
Hank Snow (host): Paper Roses
Billy Grammer: Somebody Loves You
Fruit Jar Drinkers: Saturday Night Hop
Connie Smith: Give Them All to Jesus
Justin Tubb: Unwound
Kirk McGee: Blue Night
Hank Snow: The Call of the Wild

11:30: Bama
Roy Drusky (host): Billy Bayou
Bill Carlisle: Too Old to Cut the Mustard
Del Wood: Beer Barrel Polka
Jeanne Pruett: Elvira/Temporarily Yours
Roy Drusky: Blues In My Heart/One Day at a Time

There you have it for this week as we close out the month of January. As always, thanks for reading and commenting and I hope everyone enjoys the Grand Ole Opry on Saturday night.