Grand Ole Opry 1/7 & 1/8

Welcome to the first full year of 2022 and like a lot of others, I am hoping for a much better year than the one just ended. At the Grand Ole Opry, it was a pretty eventful year as the Opry added several new members and celebrated its 5,000th Saturday night show. 

Looking at the line-up for this weekend, while solid, there is really nothing that stands out. Grand Ole Opry members Jeannie Seely, Connie Smith  and Riders In The Sky are scheduled for both nights, with Bobby Osborne joining them on the Friday Night Opry. 

Comedian Henry Cho is scheduled for both nights, as the Opry continues the pattern of having a comedian on most of the shows. Joining Henry as a guest on Friday night will be the legendary group, Sawyer Brown. I saw the group on the Opry Classics Show in October and Mark Miller and the guys were great. Mark still has a lot of energy!! Also scheduled on Friday night is Muscadine Bloodline. Matthew West and The Frontmen of Country (Larry Stewart, Tim Rushlow and Richie McDonald) are listed for Saturday night. 

There are three artists who will be making their Opry debuts this weekend. Logan Mize is scheduled for Friday night, while Tyler Braden and ERNEST are scheduled on Saturday night. 

Friday January 7
7:00: Jeannie Seely; Riders In The Sky; Muscadine Bloodline; Bobby Osborne & The Rocky Top X-Press
Intermission
8:15: Connie Smith; Logan Mize; Henry Cho; Sawyer Brown

Saturday January 8
7:00: Opry Square Dancers; Jeannie Seely; Tyler Braden; Riders In The Sky; Matthew West
Intermission
8:15: Connie Smith; ERNEST; Henry Cho; The Frontmen of Country
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From 50 years ago, Saturday January 8, 1972: 

7:00: Stonewall Jackson (host); Osborne Brothers; Bill Carlisle
7:30: Archie Campbell (host); Charlie Walker; Skeeter Davis; George Morgan
8:00: Bill Monroe (host); Grandpa Jones; Billy Walker; Crook Brothers; Del Wood
8:30: Wilburn Brothers (host); Earl Scruggs Revue; Wilma Lee and Stoney Cooper; Jimmy C Newman
9:00: Ernest Tubb (host); Stu Phillips; Ray Pillow; Fruit Jar Drinker; Ernie Ashworth
9:30: Hank Snow (host); Willis Brothers; The 4 Guys; Stringbean
10:00: Osborne Brothers (host); Billy Walker; Bill Carlisle; Charlie Walker
10:15: Wilburn Brothers (host); Skeeter Davis; Archie Campbell and Phil Campbell; George Morgan
10:30: Bill Monroe (host); Stonewall Jackson; Grandpa Jones; Del Wood
10:45: Ernest Tubb (host); Earl Scruggs Revue; Wilma Lee and Stoney Cooper; Crook Brothers; Stringbean
11:00: Hank Snow (host): Willis Brothers; Stu Phillips; Fruit Jar Drinkers; Sam McGee
11:30: Marty Robbins (host); Ray Pillow; The 4 Guys; Justin Tubb; Ernie Ashworth 

(Del Reeves, Jean Shepard and Marion Worth were also scheduled but cancelled. Jimmy C Newman only did one spot on the early portion of the show, while Marty Robbins and Justin Tubb only did the late segment). 
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Looking back 72 years ago, it was a very special night at the Grand Ole Opry as Hank Snow not only made his Grand Ole Opry debut, but he also became a member of the Opry the same night. 

For most of his career, prior to 1950, Hank Snow struggled. He made a name for himself in Canada, but had trouble establishing a career in the states. He traveled around to various locations, including Wheeling, California, and eventually Dallas, Texas, where he had his greatest success. It was along that journey that he met Ernest Tubb. Hank had been trying to connect with Ernest for some time, as both had a love for the music of Jimmie Rodgers. Prior to that first meeting in Texas, Hank and Ernest had exchanged letters. Upon that initial meeting, Ernest told Hank, "It's all happening in Nashville. Nashville is the home of country music. If you want to advance your career, you should be there. I promise you I'll do my best to get you on the Opry, but there's one problem. The Opry will not sign any new artist unless the artist has a hit record. However, I'm on my way to the West Coast, and I've taken a leave of absence from the Opry for a few months. Maybe they will accept you as a stand-in for me while I'm away."

Nothing happened at that point, but Ernest did try. He talked to Jim Denny, manager of the Opry, and to Jack Stapp, the program director at WSM, and both told Ernest that they couldn't handle a new member at that time. So, Hank continued to stay in the Dallas area, performing at clubs when the opportunity came. But he kept in contact with Ernest, hoping that his dream of going to Nashville and being on the Opry could come true. 

Finally, in late 1949, he got the call from Ernest, who told Hank, "I had a talk with Mr. Denny yesterday, and he told me to bring you in to see him. He thinks he'll be able to place you on the Opry, so come to Nashville right away if at all possible." When Hank got to Nashville, he met with Mr. Denny, who didn't say anything about a tryout and that he wanted Hank to start on the Opry on January 7, 1950. Hank also wrote that he would be paid $75 a week. In getting prepared for his debut on the Opry, Hank moved his family to Nashville. Since Hank did not have a band, Ernest allowed Hank to use his Texas Troubadours for his first appearance on the Opry. 

Here is the posted running order from that night 72 years ago, Saturday January 7, 1950: 

7:30: American Ace Coffee
Roy Acuff (host): It's Alright Now
Hal Smith: Wake Up Susan
Dot & Smokey: Blue Eyes Crying in The Rain
Jimmy Riddle: Steamboat Bill
Roy Acuff: The Day They Laid Mary Away
Uncle Dave Macon & Dorris: Tennessee Farmer
Jug Band: Missouri
Roy Acuff: The Can Only Fill One Grave
Joe Zinkas: Tiger Rag
Dot & Smokey: Sleepy Rio Grande
Rachel & Oswald: Curly Headed Baby

8:00: Purina
Cowboy Copas (host): Crazy Over You
Lew Childre: I Love My Little Rooster
Bill Monroe: Molly and Ten Brooks
Sam, Kirk & Arthur: Black Mountain Rag
Cowboy Copas: One Step More
Bob Eaton: Second Hand Heart
Blue Grass Quartet: He'll Set Your Fields on Fire
Crook Brothers: Billy in The Low Ground
Cowboy Copas: Filipino Baby
Square Dance: Leather Britches

8:30: Royal Flour
Ernest Tubb (host): Biting My Finger Nails
Martha White: If I Could Learn To Yodel
Jimmy Dickens: Lonesome Wind Blues
Hank Williams: Dear John
Possum Hunters: Black Berry Blossom
Ernest Tubb: I Love You Because
Jimmy Dickens: Country Boy
Jimmy Self: Picking Them Up & Putting Them Down
Hank Williams: I'm So Lonesome I Could Cry
Breakdown: Old Joe Clark

9:00: Royal Crown
Jimmy Riddle: Limehouse Blues
Roy Acuff (host): Blue Eyes Crying in The Rain
Lonzo & Oscar: Hole in the Bottom of the Sea
Fruit Jar Drinkers: Dusty Miller
Jamup & Honey: Jokes
Hank Snow: To Be Selected
Jug Band: Shame On You
Roy Acuff: Hold To God's Unchanging Hand
Hank Snow: To Be Selected
Rachel & Oswald: Take Me Back to Tennessee
Hal Smith: Done Gone

9:30: Prince Albert
Red Foley (host): Tennessee Saturday Night
Tennessee Ernie: Anticipation Blues
Wally Fowler: You Ain't Got Faith Til You Got Religion
Red Foley: Just a Closer Walk With Thee
Old Hickory Quartet: Oh Miss Hannah
Tennessee Ernie: Cry of the Wild Goose
Rod Brasfield: Jokes
Minnie Pearl: Jokes
Red Foley: Gotta Have My Baby Back
Square Dance: Wake Up Susan

10:00: Wallrite
Bill Monroe (host): Shady Grove
Bill & Mack: I'm Going Back to Old Kentucky
Uncle Dave & Dorris: Over the Mountain
Blue Grass Quartet: Just a Little Talk With Jesus
Bill Monroe: Blue Grass Special

10:15: Warren Paint & Color Co. 
Lew Childre: Riding on the Elevated
Hank Williams: Long Gone Daddy
String Beans: Hot Corn, Cold Corn
Hank Williams: Lost Highway
Fiddle Tune: Old Joe Clark

10:30: Darimix
Roy Acuff (host): Pale Horse and His Rider
Jimmy Riddle: To Be Selected
Roy Acuff: Poem
Gang: Waiting for My Call to Glory
Hal: Bill Cheatham

10:45: Dr. Le Gear
Cowboy Copas (host): Road of Broken Hearts
Lonzo & Oscar: Sheepskin Corn
Cowboy Copas: Tennessee Waltz
Lazy Jim Day: Singing the News
Cowboy Copas: Ain't Nobody Gonna Miss Me

11:00: To Be Selected
Ernest Tubb (host): Give Me a Hundred Reasons
Billy Byrd: Steel Guitar
Jimmy Dickens: Sleeping At the Foot of the Bed
Wally Fowler: Lead Me to That Rock
Ernest Tubb: Unfaithful One
Gully Jumpers: Forked Deer
Jimmy Dickens: My Hearts Bouquet
Wally Fowler: Lead Me Gently Home Father
Ernest Tubb: That Wild and Wicked Look in Your Eyes
Mac McGarr: Katy Hill

11:30: Jefferson Island Salt
Sam, Kirk & Arthur: Listen to the Mocking Bird
Hank Snow: To Be Selected
Crook Brothers: Sally Goodin
Sam, Kirk & Arthur: Love Letters in the Sand
Hank Snow: To Be Selected

11:45: Coyne Electric Co.
Hank Williams (host): Mansion on the Hill
Jimmy Self: I Miss You So Much
Fruit Jar Drinkers: My Little Girl
Hank Williams: Thy Burdens Are Greater Than Mine
Fruit Jar Drinkers: Ravins Gap

In his autobiography, Hank wrote about that night: 

I remember that night so well. I put on my beautiful custom-made gold suit, and I did something that I have done very few times since. I wore my big white Stetson hat. Back then hats were not so important to country singers. Most artists on the Opry didn't wear them. Only a few did, like Ernest Tubb. He was known for his white Stetson. 

Believe me, I say this in all honesty: I said many prayers during the few weeks before my Opry debut that I would be a success. God has His plan worked out for all of us, even a little weakling from Nova Scotia, Canada. 

Ernest introduced me, "From up Canada way, here's the newest member of the Grand Ole Opry, the Singing Ranger, Hank Snow!" My whole body was trembling as I went out on that stage, and I sang the song that had done so much for me in Dallas, "Brand on My Heart." When I finished, I got only mild applause, not anything near what I was getting in Dallas or back in Canada. I felt sort of embarrassed, and I couldn't leave the stage fast enough. 

Hank wrote that when he left the Opry that night with his wife Min, he told her he was never going back to the Opry and that he would go back to Canada, where he was appreciated and known. He wrote that Min set him straight, telling him, "Now you can't expect everything to happen in just one night. People will become more familiar with you as time goes on. You're lucky you've been given this chance." 

Hank wrote that he kept going back and the response was the same. He was actually in danger of being fired from the Opry, but then "I'm Moving On" came along and the rest became history. Hank would become one of the pillars of the Grand Ole Opry, continuing as a member nearly 50 years, settling into hosting the 8:30 and 11:00 segments each week. 

I find it interesting that Hank wrote that he was introduced by Ernest Tubb that night, but based on the program, he was actually on Roy Acuff's segment, nor was his second spot on Ernest's late segment. Hank was very clear about his first night at the Opry, so perhaps Ernest came out and introduced Hank, or a change in the program? Sadly, there really aren't any individuals left living from that night at the Opry who could fill in the blanks. 

One final note from that night: You might have noticed the name of Tennessee Ernie (Ford) listed on the Prince Albert nationally broadcast portion of the Opry hosted by Red Foley. Like Hank Snow, this was Tennessee Ernie's debut on the Grand Ole Opry. Unlike Hank, Ernie Ford was already an established star, thus he was featured on the national broadcast that night. While Tennessee Ernie never became an Opry member, he had an open invitation to appear on the Opry whenever he was in town. 

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.