Grand Ole Opry 1/28 & 1/29

We have reached the final weekend of January and another weekend at the Grand Ole Opry House. I am sure that all of us are looking forward to next Wednesday so that we can see, with breathless excitement, whether or not our furry friend the groundhog sees his shadow or not. Will it be an early Spring or six more weeks of winter? As I look out by den window and see 15+ inches of snow on the ground, I vote for an early spring. 

But before we get to that, let's take a look at the Opry shows for this week and a few interesting names scheduled to appear. 

First, the Friday Night Opry. Neal McCoy is on the schedule, and I am sure he will bring some real excitement to the Opry. Let's just say that each time I have seen Neal, he is full of energy. Neal rarely gets up to Nashville and the Opry, thus I am looking forward to his appearance. 

Also on the Friday schedule is Michael Ray. Michael, of course, at one time was married to Opry member Carly Pearce. I only bring that up because Michael has mentioned many times that he would like to be an Opry member some day and I am sure the Opry would love to have him. Since his Opry debut in 2015, he has made dozens of appearances on the show. So, the question is, will being the former husband of Carly, and considering the situation, stop Michael from becoming an Opry member at some point in the future? I don't think so, but others might have a different opinion. 

Finally on Friday night, Brooke & Darin Aldridge are scheduled. This popular husband and wife duo have always impressed during their Opry appearances and seem to fit right in. The duo has made an impact on the Roots, SiriusXM, Bluegrass and Gospel charts. They have received multiple nominations from the International Bluegrass Music Association (IBMA) and Inspirational Country Music (ICM). Brooke is the IBMA Female Vocalist of the Year, an award she has won four straight times, while Darin was the IBMA's Momentum Mentor of the Year in 2017 has he continues to teach and mentor young musicians. They love performing on the Opry and I look forward to many more appearances. 

Now looking at Saturday night and I see Bobby Bones & The Raging Idiots on the schedule, and not only that, but he is also scheduled for the Circle TV portion this week. Should we be surprised as not only is Bobby a national radio host, but he is also the executive producer of "Opry Live." Let me say this about this comedy act: Bobby and his group have performed at numerous charity events and have raised millions of dollars. They don't take themselves seriously and have a lot of fun doing whatever it is that they do. With Bobby on the Opry and TV this week, I guess that will leave Natalie Stovell to do the intros and commercial breaks. 

Also, on the televised portion of the Opry on Saturday are Grand Ole Opry members Dailey & Vincent, along with Dierks Bentley and Tiera Kennedy. 

As to who else is scheduled for this weekend, Opry member Ricky Skaggs is back again this weekend and is scheduled for both nights. On Friday night, he will be joined by members Jeannie Seely, Riders In The Sky, John Conlee and Connie Smith, while on Saturday night, in addition to Darrin and Jamie, Bill Anderson is listed. 

Brad Upton is the comedian scheduled for Saturday night, while James Gregory was originally on the schedule for Friday but has been taken off. 

Friday January 28
7:00: Jeannie Seely; Riders In The Sky; Brent Cobb; John Conlee; Darin & Brooke Aldridge
Intermission
8:15: Connie Smith; Neal McCoy; Michael Ray; Ricky Skaggs

Saturday January 29
7:00: Opry Square Dancers; Bill Anderson; Everette; Ricky Skaggs; Brad Upton
8:00: Dailey & Vincent; Tiera Kennedy; Bobby Bones & The Raging Idiots; Dierks Bentley

As mentioned, this will be the Opry debut for Everette. The duo was originally listed for November 20; however, they canceled that appearance but appear ready for this one. 

Everette consists of Brent Rupard and Anthony Olympia, natives of Kentucky. The are not only singers and musicians, but also songwriters who write most of their material. 

Brent and Anthony met in their early 20s in their hometown of Bullitt County, Kentucky. The two began writing songs together, taking inspiration not only from the artists they both loved — including Tom Petty, the Eagles, and Randy Travis.

Before moving to Nashville and officially forming Everette — named after George Clooney’s philosophy-spouting, folk-singing character in O Brother, Where Art Thou? — the musicians both headed to Bowling Green, Kentucky, where they cut their teeth playing four shows a week while attending Western Kentucky University.

After graduation, Brent and Anthony headed to Nashville. There, they began performing together as Everette, combining years of friendship into collaborative songs that told universal stories about love, family, long days, and wild nights. They officially unveiled that sound with their 2018 debut EP, Slow Roll, but it was Kings of the Dairy Queen Parking Lot that showcased the full range of their songwriting. Brent and Anthony co-wrote all 14 songs on Side A and Side B, teaming up with collaborators like Bryan Simpson, the Warren Brothers, Brent Cobb, Matt Jenkins, and Bobby Pinson along the way. Before recording those songs with Grammy-winning producer Luke Laird, they whittled them into shape during a monthly residency at the Springwater Supper Club & Lounge, a no-frills dive bar sporting one of Nashville’s smallest stages. 

Everette's journey continues on Saturday night as they are headed to the Opry stage for their debut. _______________________________________________________________________

And now from 50 years ago, Saturday January 29, 1972: 

7:00: George Hamilton IV (host); Stringbean; Bill Carlisle
7:30: Jack Greene (host); Jeannie Seely; Bob Luman; Stu Phillips
8:00: Tompall (host) & The Glaser Brothers; Hank Locklin; John Hartford; Crook Brothers
8:30: Porter Wagoner (host); Dolly Parton
9:00: Ernest Tubb (host); Wilma Lee and Stoney Cooper; George Morgan; Fruit Jar Drinkers
9:30: Wilburn Brothers (host); Willis Brothers; Grandpa Jones; Stonewall Jackson; The 4 Guys
10:00: Jack Greene (host); Jeannie Seely; Bill Carlisle; Stu Phillips
10:15: Tompall (host); & The Glaser Brothers; Stringbean; Hank Locklin; Bob Luman
10:30: Porter Wagoner (host); Dolly Parton; Grandpa Jones
10:45: Ernest Tubb (host); Willis Brothers; Crook Brothers
11:00: Wilburn Brothers (host); Stonewall Jackson; Wilma Lee and Stoney Cooper; George Morgan; Fruit Jar Drinkers; Sam McGee
11:30: Marty Robbins (host); The 4 Guys; Louie Roberts

(Ernie Ashworth; Jean Shepard, Bobby Bare and Charlie Louvin were also scheduled that night but cancelled. The only non-Opry members were John Hartford and Louie Roberts, who each had one spot). 
_________________________________________________________________________

Going back into the Opry archives, it was on Saturday January 28, 2006, that Standard Candy Company, makers of the Goo Goo Cluster, sponsored the 7:30 segment of the Saturday Night Opry for the final time. 

For more than three decades, announcers of the Grand Ole Opry led the Saturday night audience in a chorus of "Go get a GooGoo/It's good!" to the tune "Shave and a Haircut." That familiar ditty has been silenced, now that one of the Opry's longest-running sponsors has exited the stage of the venerable radio show broadcast.

Standard Candy Co., which makes the now world-famous GooGoo Cluster, elected not to renew the annual sponsorship deal it has had with the Opry since the late 1960s. The last GooGoo jingle aired on the Jan. 28 show. "It's not very dramatic. We have had a number of discussions with Gaylord, and we've elected not to renew our sponsorship with the Grand Ole Opry," said Joanne Barthel, director of marketing for Nashville-based Standard Candy.  "We plan to continue a close affiliation with the Opry going forward," she added. "We will be participating in various advertising opportunities tied to the Opry when the appropriate opportunity presents itself."

Standard's departure from the broadcast may signal the end of other advertisers who have traditionally paid for only half-hour sponsorships of the radio show.  In a shift from its 80-year tradition, the Opry has been moving to longer-term, more extensive sponsorship packages that integrate live-event promotion, logos, signage and mentions in the Opry's TV, radio and Web site promotions. So far, Cracker Barrel Old Country Store and Martha White, the latter the Opry's longest-running sponsor, have signed on to the sponsorship package, but Standard declined, said Pete Fisher, Opry vice president and general manager.

Fisher said he regrets, but understands, the company's decision and that the Opry and Standard will continue to explore other promotional partnerships. "What we're doing with Opry sponsorships is very much in line with the trends in the industry - to really respond to sponsors' desires to move beyond strictly advertising and have a greater sense of ownership of the event," Fisher said. The new sponsorship also costs more money, although Fisher would not disclose how much.

The GooGoo sponsorship, most recently for the 7:30 p.m. to 8 p.m. portion of the Opry, had been a cornerstone of the show since the late 1960s, said Kyle Cantrell, an Opry announcer from 1985 to 2003. "I think it's sad for both Standard Candy and the Grand Ole Opry, because the GooGoo and the Opry have become synonymous and, over the years, some of the greatest moments on the Opry happened during that segment of the show," Cantrell said.

He said during the segment in its early days, country star Roy Acuff would urge fellow announcer Hairl Hensley and Opry staff drummer Harold Weakley to sing the GooGoo commercial as a duet. "[Acuff] would call them the GooGoo twins," Cantrell said. Until just recently, Hensley and Carol Lee, who leads the Carol Lee Singers on stage, would introduce the candy bar and encourage the audience to sing the jingle with gusto. "I would credit the connection with the Grand Ole Opry for extending the life of the GooGoo and making it more famous," Cantrell said. "Prior to the Grand Ole Opry, at least my understanding is, that the GooGoo was pretty much a regional product and the Opry made it into an internationally known item."

 Despite their close association, the GooGoo name does not stand for Grand Ole Opry. According to company lore, one speculation is that GooGoo drew its name from the first words a baby makes. The candy - a cluster of peanuts, caramel and marshmallow coated with milk chocolate - was actually invented in 1912 in a copper kettle at the company's plant, located at that time at Clark Place and First Avenue.  It's now sold in a variety of stores, including places affiliated with the Opry, including Cracker Barrel, the Opry House and Ryman Auditorium.

Barthel said she doesn't expect the sponsorship's withdrawal to hurt the candy's sales. "There's a strong association between the Opry and GooGoo Clusters, and that's not going to go away," she said. " We will be participating in other advertising opportunities tied to the Opry, so it's not that we're going away completely, we're just changing our focus a little bit."

Fisher said the Friday and Saturday Opry broadcasts continue to have five 30-second sponsor slots per show, with sponsors such as Johnny Walker Tours and Tootsie's Orchid Lounge. He didn't speak directly as to their fate but reiterated that the Opry is moving toward the more extensive partnerships.

(Nashville City Paper)

Here is the running order from Saturday January 28, 2006, the final night that Standard Candy sponsored an Opry segment:

1st show
6:30: Cracker Barrel
Jimmy C Newman (host): Colinda
The Whites: Pins & Needles/Keep on the Sunny Side
Ralph Stanley: Pretty Polly
Ralph and Nathan Stanley: Sandy Ridge
Jimmy C Newman: Big Mamou/A Fallen Star

7:00: Tootsie's
George Hamilton IV (host): Abilene
Mel McDaniel: Baby's Got Her Blue Jeans On/Stand Up
Mandy Barnett: Cryin' Over You/Believe Me
George Hamilton IV: Life's Railway to Heaven/Break My Mind

7:30: Standard Candy
Hal Ketchum (host): Pass the Point of Rescue
Connie Smith: The Key's in the Mailbox/I Never Once Stopped Loving You
Del McCoury Band: Nothing Special/She Can't Burn Me Now
Hal Ketchum: Just This Side of Heaven

8:00: Martha White
Charlie Walker (host): Right or Wrong
Billy Walker: I Taught Her Everything She Knows
Raul Malo: Indian Love Call/Playing Games that Lovers Play
Opry Square Dance Band: Snow Shoes
Charlie Walker: Pick Me Up on Your Way Down

8:30: Tennessee Pride
Jeannie Seely (host): Catfish John
Jesse McReynolds: Ashes of Love/Bill Cheatham
Buddy Jewell: That's What You'll Love About Me Loving You/Sweet Southern Comfort
Jeannie Seely and Danny Davis: What's Going on In Your World/What a Way to Live

2nd show
9:30: Cracker Barrel
Jeannie Seely (host): What a Way to Live
The Whites: Making Believe/Swing Down Chariot
Raul Malo: Indian Love Call/Playing Games that Lovers Play
Jeannie Seely and The Whites: Those Memories

10:00: Gaylord
Hal Ketchum (host): Pass the Point of Rescue
Mel McDaniel: Louisiana Saturday Night/Stand Up
Ralph Stanley: A Room at the Top of the Stairs/Oh, Death
Hal Ketchum: Just This Side of Heaven

10:30: Johnny Walker Tours
Jimmy C Newman (host): Sugar Bee
Charlie Louvin: Don't Say Goodbye if You Love Me
Mandy Barnett: No One Will Ever Know/Baby
Opry Square Dance Band: Here & There
Jimmy C Newman: Jambalaya
Kenny Sears: Orange Blossom Special
Jimmy C Newman: Cry, Cry Darling

11:00: Opry Visa
George Hamilton IV (host): Early Morning Rain
Connie Smith: If It Ain't Love/Burning a Hole in My Mind
Del McCoury Band: Count Me Out/Cotton Eyed Joe
George Hamilton IV: Just Forget About Me/A Rose & A Baby Ruth

11:30: Night at The Opry
Ray Pillow (host): Oklahoma Gal
Jesse McReynolds: There's More Pretty Girls Than One
Jesse McReynolds and Luke McKnight: El Comanchero
Buddy Jewell: That's What You'll Love About Me Loving You/Sweet Southern Comfort
Ray Pillow: I Wonder Who's Missing You Now

(Porter Wagoner was scheduled to host segments on both shows but cancelled). 

What I find interesting is that all of the sponsors that Pete Fisher mentioned (Cracker Barrel, Martha White, Johnny Walker Tours and Tootsie's) are no longer sponsors of the Opry, and in fact, none of the sponsors from that 2006 show sponsor the Opry today. 

Raise your hand if you miss the dedicated segments and commercials.

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