Here is the line-up for the Tuesday Night Opry July 27:
7:00: Riders In The Sky; Matt Stell; Dailey & Vincent; Tenille Arts
Intermission
8:15: Charlie Worsham; Jamey Johnson; Killer Beaz; Trace Adkins
Three Grand Ole Opry members on the schedule and one (Jamey Johnson) who believes he should be a member and is just waiting for the contract to be signed. I thought for sure after that little deal it would be a while before Jamey was back, but since then he has been back several times. And personally, I think he would make a great Opry member.
It would be nice if Tuesday was the night they asked Jamey.
ReplyDeleteJamey is his own guy, for sure, he's a super talented songwriter and a unique and distinctive singer and would make a great member. I love his duet with Bill Anderson, The Guitar Song and always thought he and Bill would be great re-doing Bill and Mr. Acuff's song, I Wonder if God Likes Country Music, with Bill assuming Mr. Acuff's role and Jamey taking Bill's role.
ReplyDeleteWith the old man's voice reduced to a whisper .... :)
DeleteJamey Johnson has cancelled out for Tuesday night.
ReplyDeleteBummer.
ReplyDeleteAgreed @Nat; was excited that Jamey Johnson was in the line-up. Call me disappointed, though it's still a decent line-up.
DeleteI wouldn't mind if the Opry invited Charlie Worsham to be a member. He is very talented & I like his voice.
Jeanene
Jamey Johnson is the kind of member the Opry needs - someone who respects the past (go listen to his tribute album to Harlan Howard,) a talented songwriter/singer based in Nashville who would most likely really become an anchor member that would support the show. I'm surprised BAnderson hasn't pushed for him.
ReplyDeleteI'd like to go back to the earlier thread about bus tours. Before Fisher left I was told by an insider that the record companies were funding all the debut artists and in return were filling the house with comp tickets. Not sure if this is true or not but it would speak to all the first timers and it would fit the narrative of Fisher's goal to get rid of all the "gray hairs." I agree with the previous post that we used to always depend on seeing a core group of regulars when we went. Today there are about six or eight elderly regulars (which they only allow one or two per show) and the rest are the record company toys. I'm sure Opry Dan is in a tough situation with management but he knows better. If I was him, I'd work on building a core of regulars. The Opry has to get younger, we all know that. They've just missed the boat on people who having a following who play traditional country music like Tyler Childers, Sturgill Simpson, Jamey Johnson, Mandy Barnett, Brandi Carlile, Charlie Worsham, Charley Crockett, Mo Pitney etc and instead keep going for the no names the record companies are trying to break and the chart flavor of the day that they can put in the picture book but who seldom play.
The Opry lost a lot of its charm when they went for national sponsors instead of regional sponsors - Standard Candy, Martha White, Rudys (remember the bell?) et al. I'd go retro. The commercials are part of it. A national portion with name stars is nothing new: think Prince Albert. It just didn't take up half of the Opry show. Give us a three hour or even four hour Saturday night show Dan and you could still program the TV hour. I'd gladly come back and pay $75 or $100 to see 15 or 20 artists. Now when I go to Nashville its for concerts at the Ryman by people I like. And bluegrass - did you ever think the stage where bluegrass was born would ever have shows without any bluegrass? Rhonda and Bobby can only play so often! I'm ashamed to say the last three times I went to the Opry they let me down. It just isn't worth the money to hear Connie Smith or Jeannie Seely sing two songs and the rest is people 1) I've never heard of or 2) aren't really even that good. Acuff/Snow/Monroe/Pearl aside, I just think of people like Wilma Lee Cooper, Charlie Louvin, Kirk McGee, Skeeter Davis, Jimmy Newman, Charlie Walker, Billy Walker, Del Reeves, Justin Tubb, Del Wood, the Wilburn Brothers who poured their heart and soul and lives into the sustaining the Opry week after week - often at their own expense. Look at it now. We need a new core of regulars we can support and root on. It didn't come from the 80s and 90s acts that put the Opry on their trophy case and forgot it.(oldtimeopry)
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DeleteVery well put. I totally agree with this.
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