Grand Ole Opry 10/22 & 10/23

Saturday night will be show #4999 and to mark the occasion the Grand Ole Opry is rolling out one of their bigger names as Opry member Carrie Underwood is set to appear. 

More on that in a minute, but let's look at who else is scheduled for this weekend. The Friday Night Opry will feature Grand Ole Opry members Connie Smith, Mark Wills and Riders In The Sky, while on Saturday night, in addition to Carrie, Opry members Bobby Osborne and Jeannie Seely are on the schedule, along with a return of Riders In The Sky, making it a two show weekend for the western singers. 

A couple of acts will be making their Opry debuts this weekend as Flatland Cavalry is scheduled on Friday night and Ian Munsick is listed for Saturday. 

Also appearing on Friday night will be Sarah Darling, Michael Ray, comedian Brian Bates and a duo that should be on the list of possible future Opry members: Darin & Brooke Aldridge. For those who might, or might not remember, Brian Bates is a Nashville based comedian who appeared on the Opry one time previously and someone who I thought did not do a good job. Some comedians are a good fit for the Opry while others are not, and I just think Brian is not a good fit for the Opry. 

Taking a look at Saturday night, specifically the televised portion on Circle TV, in addition to Carrie Underwood, John Berry, Tenille Arts and Sam Williams are scheduled. Sam Williams, who has appeared on the Opry previously, is the grandson of Hank Williams and the son of Hank Williams, Jr. John Berry is a veteran in the business and has appeared on the Opry a few times in the past year. Personally, as a fan, I am happy to see John get some time on the televised portion. He deserves it. 

Friday October 22
7:00: Connie Smith; Sarah Darling; Flatland Cavalry; Mark Wills
Intermission
8:15: Darin & Brooke Aldridge; Brian Bates; Michael Ray; Riders In The Sky

Saturday October 23
7:00: Opry Square Dancers; Jeannie Seely; Ian Munsick; Bobby Osborne & The Rocky Top X-Press; Riders In The Sky
8:00: John Berry; Tenille Arts; Sam Williams; Carrie Underwood
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As mentioned, Flatland Cavalry and Ian Munsick are making their Opry debuts this weekend. 

Flatland Calvary, based out of Texas, consists of bandleader and chief lyricist Cleto Cordero, guitarist Reid Dillon, bassist Jonathan Saenz, drummer Jason Albers, fiddle player Wesley Hall, and recent newcomer utility instrumentalist Adam Gallego. 

After the release of 2019’s critically-acclaimed Homeland Insecurity and their 2016 full-length debut Humble Folks, they’ve been on a healthy trajectory rising through the country ranks. After years of working with Lubbock stalwart Scott Faris in the friendly confines of Amusement Park Studios, Flatland decided a change of scenery was necessary. Despite some hesitation and a mix of emotions, they instantly knew recording at Nashville’s Sound Emporium Studio A with rising producer Jake Gear  was the right move.  

Since their humble beginnings out in the Panhandle town of Lubbock, Texas, Flatland Cavalry has embraced their surroundings and rural West Texas roots. Formed in 2014 while attending Texas Tech University, Cordero and company made their presence felt within the Hub City’s songwriting circles and dancehall circuits. Banking on Cordero’s earnest pen and the band’s blend of country instrumentation, toe-tapping grooves, and earworm choruses, Flatland quickly became a regional sensation. 
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Ian Munsick is pioneering a new brand of country. The Wyoming-born singer/songwriter’s upbringing was a mix of working the ranch and working crowds. Under the tutelage of their fiddle-playing father, Munsick and his two older brothers grew up playing everything from bluegrass to The Beatles. Incorporating elements across genres, he has now begun to establish himself as a progressive artist with an old soul. 

Captivated by traditional lyrical truth and the modern soundscape, Munsick followed his ear to Music City. In 2017 he released a self-titled EP, winning iHeartRadio’s Rocky Mountain Song of the Year for the rootsy “Horses Are Faster” and becoming the only artist who simultaneously qualified two tracks as finalists in the NSAI/CMT songwriting competition. Fast forward to 2021: Munsick has signed a major label record deal with Warner Music Nashville, earned more than 100 million global streams and been named one of Spotify’s inaugural Hot Country Artists to Watch. His debut album Coyote Cry, out now, features his mile-high tenor underscoring self-penned songs that conjure equal parts epic adventure and down-to-earth wisdom. 
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Now from 50 years ago, Saturday October 23, 1971: 

1st show
6:30: Stu Phillips (host); Bill Carlisle
6:45: Wilma Lee and Stoney Cooper (host); Ray Pillow
7:00: Tex Ritter (host); Jean Shepard; George Morgan; Stringbean
7:30: Roy Acuff (host); Skeeter Davis; Willis Brothers; Crook Brothers; Chet Hines
8:00: Lester Flatt (host); Dottie West; Lonzo and Oscar; Merle Kilgore
8:30: Hank Snow (host); The 4 Guys; Glen Sherley; Jeanne Pruett; Fruit Jar Drinkers

2nd show
9:30: Stu Phillips (host); Willis Brothers; Bill Carlisle; Ray Pillow
10:00: Wilma Lee and Stoney Cooper (host); Stringbean
10:15: Tex Ritter (host); Jean Shepard; Merle Kilgore
10:30: Lester Flatt (host); Skeeter Davis; George Morgan
10:45: Roy Acuff (host); Dottie West; Crook Brothers
11:00: Hank Snow (host); Lonzo and Oscar; Glen Sherley; Fruit Jar Drinkers; Sam McGee
11:30: Marty Robbins (host); The 4 Guys; Jeanne Pruett

For those who might be wondering. that is the same Glen Sherley who wrote "Greystone Chapel" that Johnny Cash sang on the Folsom Prison album. Johnny would take a personal interest in Glen, helping him to secure his release and signing him to a songwriting/publishing deal with House of Cash. Sadly, Glen had a lot of difficulty adjusting to life outside of prison and due to his behavior, was let go by Johnny, who disassociated himself from Glen. Glen committed suicide in 1978 at the age of 42 after shooting another man. 
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Now looking back, it was on Saturday October 22, 1983 that one of the originals, Kirk McGee, performed on the Grand Ole Opry for the final time, and it was also the last date that the Fruit Jar Drinkers were listed on the Opry's schedule. 

Sam & Kirk McGee were one of the earliest country music duos. During the nearly six decades they were active, the McGees performed and recorded as a duo and in conjunction with Uncle Dave Macon's Fruit Jar Drinkers, Bill Monroe's Bluegrass Boys, and fiddler Arthur Smith. One of the first acts to become members of the Grand Ole Opry, Sam & Kirk McGee continued to share their unique hybrid of old-timey country music and blues with enthusiastic audiences until the mid-'70s.

Raised on a family farm in Franklin, TN, south of Nashville, the McGees inherited their musical skills from their father, who played fiddle. As youngsters, they often accompanied their father on banjo. By the time they were teenagers, Sam & Kirk were performing at local dances for as little as ten cents apiece. Inspired by the syncopated music played by black railroad workers who congregated outside his father's store, Sam McGee switched to guitar and developed a soulful style of fingerpicking. A turning point came in 1923 when the McGee brothers attended their first concert and heard a performance by Uncle Dave Macon. They were so absorbed by Macon's playing that they continued to ask to join his troupe until Macon agreed the following year. When Macon joined the WSM Barn Dance, which later evolved into the Grand Ole Opry, the McGees, who joined with guitarist Hubert Gregory and bassist Golden Stewart to form the Fruit Jar Drinkers, were members of Macon's band.

Sam & Kirk McGee continued to explore musical possibilities. In July 1928, Sam used a six string banjo-guitar during a recording session in Chicago. He later became played the first electric steel guitar on a broadcast of the Grand Ole Opry.

In 1931, the McGees teamed with fiddler Arthur Smith to form a new band, the Dixieliners. The group continued to perform together until the late '30s, when Smith submitted his resignation. In 1957, Sam & Kirk reunited with Smith, continuing to perform together through the mid-'60s, including a memorable appearance at the Newport Folk Festival in 1965.

In the late '30s and early '40s, the McGee brothers worked with a comedy act, Sara & Sally, before joining Bill Monroe's revue. In addition to playing with Monroe's band, the Bluegrass Boys, the brothers were featured in their own segment of the show. The McGees continued to perform on their own through the '50s and made numerous Grand Ole Opry appearances as the Fruit Jar Drinkers. They remained active into the '70s, and ended with a stunning performance at the Country Music Fan Fair in 1975.

On August 28, 1975, Sam was killed in a tractor accident on the family farm in Williamson County. After Sam's death, Kirk continued performing, mostly as a regular fiddler on the Opry. He died of a heart attack on October 24, 1983, a few days after his last appearance on the program.

Here is the running order from Saturday October 22, 1983, the final night Kirk McGee and the Fruit Jar Drinkers appeared on the Grand Ole Opry: 

1st show
6:30: Bonanza
Jimmy C Newman (host): Jambalaya
Vic Willis Trio: Shenandoah
Cajun Country: Happy Cajun

6:45: Rudy's
Stonewall Jackson (host): Don't Be Angry
Osborne Brothers: Little Cabin Home on the Hill
Stonewall Jackson: Waterloo

7:00: Shoney's
Grandpa Jones (host): Nashville on My Mind
Billy Grammer: The Old Spinning Wheel
Jan Howard: One Every Hour as Often as Needed for Pain
Ernie Ashworth: Talk Back Trembling Lips
Ray Pillow: You're One Memory That I'd Like to Make Again/Julie Loved Boston More Than Me
Grandpa Jones: Gone Home

7:30: Standard Candy
Jim Ed Brown (host): Pop A Top
Jeannie Seely: When Will I See You Again
Teddy Wilburn: Because He Lives
The Other Brothers: Just Sittin' & Pickin'
Crook Brothers and The Stoney Mountain Cloggers: Sally Goodin'
Jim Ed Brown: The 3 Bells

8:00: Martha White
Roy Acuff (host): Wabash Cannonball
Roy Drusky: Blues in My Heart
Jeanne Pruett: We Came So Close
Bill Carlisle: Is Zat You Myrtle
Del Wood: Gloryland March/Down Yonder
Roy Acuff: I'll Fly Away

8:30: Acme
Hank Snow (host): Ninety Miles an Hour (Down a Dead End Street)
Charlie Walker: Pick Me Up on Your Way Down
Johnny Russell: Red Neck, White Socks & Blue Ribbon Beer
Fruit Jar Drinkers: Saturday Night Hop
The 4 Guys: You Made it Right
Hank Snow: Beggar to a King

2nd show
9:30: Kellogg's
Grandpa Jones (host): Kitty Klide
The 4 Guys: Shenandoah
Jimmy C Newman: Colinda
Vic Willis Trio: Let It Be Me
Stonewall Jackson: While I'm Walking
Jan Howard: Tainted Love
Grandpa Jones: My Mother's Mansion is Higher than Mine

10:00: Little Debbie
Charlie Walker (host): My Window Faces the South
Billy Grammer: Homestead on the Farm
The Other Brothers: Whatever Happened to the Cowboys
Charlie Walker: San Antonio Rose

10:15: Sunbeam
Osborne Brothers (host): Wreck of the Old 97
Ray Pillow: Too Many Bridges Need Burning
Osborne Brothers: Old Flames

10:30: Martha White
Roy Acuff (host): Just a Friend
Del Wood: Roll out the Barrel/Cajun Stripper
Onie Wheeler and Charlie Collins: Mother Prays Loud in Her Sleep

10:45: Beechnut
Jim Ed Brown (host): Fools
Jeannie Seely: When Your Heart's Been Stepped On
Crook Brothers and The Stoney Mountain Cloggers: Green Back Dollar
Jim Ed Brown: Four Walls

11:00: Coca Cola
Hank Snow (host): In the Misty Moonlight
Jeanne Pruett: I Oughta Feel Guilty
Fruit Jar Drinkers: Sugar Tree Stomp
Justin Tubb: Pull the Covers Over Me
Kirk McGee: I Was Sorta Wondering
Hank Snow: So Goes My Heart

11:30: Hardee's
Roy Drusky (host): Mississippi
Bill Carlisle: Business Man
Sheila and Bill Carlisle, Jr: Just to Satisfy You
Johnny Russell: Kaw-Liga
Roy Drusky: Wings of a Dove

There you have it for this week. As always, thanks for reading and commenting and I hope everyone enjoys the Grand Ole Opry this weekend.