Another Grand Ole Opry member will be making his first Opry appearance of 2021 as Trace Adkins is scheduled for the Tuesday Night Opry. Trace was on the schedule for an earlier show however he was taken off the final schedule. Trace will be joined by Opry members Rhonda Vincent and Chris Janson.
American Aquarium will be making their Opry debut on the Tuesday show. Also appearing is veteran country artist T.G. Sheppard, guitarist Tommy Emmanual, Maggie Rose and comedian Gary Mule Deer.
7:00: Rhonda Vincent; T.G. Sheppard; American Aquarium; Chris Janson
8:00: Tommy Emmanual; Gary Mule Deer; Maggie Rose; Trace Adkins
I always found T.G. Sheppard interesting and have thought he would have made a pretty good Opry member. I know he has changed his feelings about the Opry over the years, but earlier in his career he was quoted as saying:
"I played the Opry only once. I guess we could play it more, but we just don't, because we're what they call the 'new breed.' And a lot of the 'new breed' doesn't play the Opry." He went on, "Well, it was very strange. I don't know, I think every performer experiences that whenever you go to the Opry for the first time. You know, you're standing in the middle of history."
He concluded by saying that the reaction was good an the audiences at the Opry were very enthusiastic people.
Just a final thought on Gary Mule Deer, who is in the rotation of comedians making semi-regular Opry appearances. He really needs to change up his act. It is basically the same 10-15 minute routine each appearance. I realize many are hearing him for the first time but for others, he is getting old pretty quick. There are other comedians who perform on the Opry on a semi-regular basis and they do seem to mix it up. I think Gary needs to do the same.
Just my thought.
I agree on T.G. Sheppard. He is basically Nashville only based anymore, with little touring. Like Crystal Gayle & Gene Watson, he would bring a great nostalgic to those who loved country music in the 1980's and 90's. But others could be added to that list as well, including, Kathy Mattea, Lee Greenwood, Tracy Lawrence and others.
ReplyDeleteFor anybody interested. The July 17th Midnight Jamboree will be a 10:00 PM CT taping hosted by Darrell McCall and Tony Booth. Bob
ReplyDeleteHenry Cho's gig is mostly repetitive as well. For the "in-house" audience it is new, for the radio it is not. We used to laugh about Little Jimmy Dickens always giving the same jokes and stories, but we loved them and laughed every time even if we were saying them with him and we were often in the audience and on the radio. The difference - it was Little Jimmy - not a comedian hired to be on the show.
ReplyDeleteI agree about Gary Mule Deer and the other comedians. A little variety might be a good thing, comedy isn't like music in that you want to hear the same thing every time you see an artist. Henry Cho is essentially the same material every time, but he seems more fresh in his delivery than GMD. With Little Jimmy, it wasn't his whole act and since it was him, it was funny every time and the audience reaction was always great.
ReplyDeleteIt's fine for comedians to repeat material--George Burns said every comic has a couple of minutes of "insurance" guaranteed to go over big. Certainly, we could recite a lot of Minnie Pearl's jokes. But she and others still kept things fresh. It's ok for Bobby to sing "Rocky Top" once a week, though I'd like to hear something else, and I think if Mr. Acuff hadn't done the Cannonball, there might have been a riot. But I'd think even the ones who repeat stuff--i.e., Gary Mule Deer--must get bored with it themselves?
ReplyDeleteSo what's more important? Entertaining the people who paid big bucks to see the show for the first time or those few of us who listen for free every week?
ReplyDeleteGary Mule Deer goes over BIG every time he's on the 'Opry, and so does Henry Cho. I enjoy hearing the crowd go wild, and personally can put up with their repetition. But that's just a personal opinion.
"You told me at breakfast this morning." One of my all time favorite jokes. :)
I understand your point but I would just add that those who are listening at home are the Opry's future customers. I would think that the Opry would like to present a fresh product to encourage those listening to buy a ticket. Just my thought.
DeleteEZ: If you were asking about The Golden Era Of The Opry on another post, Yes it is on every Saturday after the Grand Ole Opry. Bob
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