Grand Ole Opry 3/25 & 3/26

Those of you who follow me on Facebook or Twitter know that Miss Nellie and I have been doing some traveling lately and catching shows in various cities such as Asheville, Raleigh and Columbus. Well, this weekend the journey takes me to Nashville as I will be in town this weekend with plans to attend both the Friday Night Opry and Saturday's Grand Ole Opry. 

So, who will I be seeing this weekend? As far as Grand Ole Opry members are concerned, Jeannie Seely, Connie Smith and The Isaacs are scheduled for both nights this weekend. They will be joined on the Friday Night Opry by the legendary Gene Watson and one of the Opry's newest members, Mandy Barnett, while on Saturday night, Bluegrass Hall of Fame member Bobby Osborne is on the schedule. 

Guesting on Friday night will be The War and Treaty, Drew Parker, and making his Opry debut, Andrew Jannakos. There are a couple of names that stand out on the schedule for Saturday night: Shenandoah and making another Opry appearance, Tiera Kennedy. Also on the schedule is Kat & Alex and making his Grand Ole Opry debut, comedian William Lee Martin. 

Friday March 25
7:00: Jeannie Seely, Andrew Jannakos, Mandy Barnett, The Isaacs
Intermission
8:15: Connie Smith, Drew Parker, Gene Watson, The War and Treaty

Saturday March 26
7:00: Opry Square Dancers, Jeannie Seely, Tiera Kennedy, Bobby Osborne & The Rocky Top X-Press, Shenandoah
Intermission
8:15: Connie Smith, William Lee Martin, Kat & Alex, The Isaacs

No live TV this week as Opry Live on Circle will be showing a previously taped show. 

Many of may remember Andrew Jannakos from his appearance on season 16 of NBC’s The Voice. However, it wasn't until July 2020, that his then-girlfriend (now wife) posted a video of him cooking dinner while singing along to “Gone Too Soon” to his TikTok and took his social stardom to new heights. The video racked up 250K likes by the next morning, earning him over 740K followers on the platform to date. When Jannakos finally released “Gone Too Soon” (which he co-wrote with Jason Afable and Josh Bricker) in September, the song garnered over 15 million streams in just over a month. 

Growing up in Flowery Branch, Andrew had a diverse taste in music – he listened to Eminem, NSYNC, and Brad Paisley, whom he cites as his greatest vocal influence. Outside of music, when he wasn’t playing backyard sports with his neighborhood friends, he spent his time engrossed in outdoor activities like hunting and fishing. After graduating from high school, he worked as a sauté chef and then waiter for several years. All the while, his love for singing and performing. By the time he was 24, he was driven to pursue a career in music. His first opportunity came when a recruiter from The Voice invited Jannakos to a private audition in Atlanta. From there, after passing the first round with flying colors, he went on to build a global fanbase during his tenure on the competition show. 
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Spurred on by his ailing grandmother to find a career that makes him happy, the fifth generation Texan, husband and father of five William Lee Martin started his comedy career at the age of 30 in 1996 under his nickname, “Cowboy Bill” Martin. He went from open-mic night to headliner in just 3 short years. By 2005 he had opened for country stars like Loretta Lynn, George Strait, George Jones and Brad Paisley, performed with all four of the Blue Collar Comedy stars, and even gone overseas to entertain the troops. 

The next 10 years after that were much more lean but in 2015, Martin and wife, Michele rolled the dice and self-financed a one-hour special “Let the Laughter Roll” which was picked up by CMT. It received rave reviews and put Martin back on the proverbial map. In the last 2 years his popularity has continued to skyrocket on Facebook, YouTube, and TikTok. In 2021 he added serious songwriter to his resume by signing a publishing deal with Myriad Publishing of Nashville. 

William Lee Martin proudly serves as founder and CEO of the non-profit organization: The Cowboys Who Care Foundation, which provides support, smiles and free cowboy hats to kids living with cancer and other life-threatening illnesses.  The foundation is generously sponsored in part by Resistol hats. 
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From 50 years ago, Saturday March 25, 1972: 

1st show
6:30: Jim Ed Brown (host); Wilma Lee and Stoney Cooper; Willis Brothers
6:45: Billy Grammer (host); Jimmy C Newman; Ernie Ashworth
7:00: Stu Phillips (host); Jean Shepard; Tom T. Hall; Lonzo and Oscar; Stringbean
7:30: Roy Acuff (host); Bobby Bare; Charlie Walker; Crook Brothers
8:00: Tex Ritter (host); Grandpa Jones; Skeeter Davis; Archie Campbell
8:30: Hank Snow (host); The 4 Guys; Fruit Jar Drinkers

2nd show
9:30: Jim Ed Brown (host); Willis Brothers; Jimmy C Newman; Charlie Walker; Cates Sisters
10:00: Bobby Bare (host); Wilma Lee and Stoney Cooper; Stringbean
10:15: Billy Grammer (host); Jean Shepard; Lonzo and Oscar
10:30: Archie Campbell (host); Grandpa Jones; Tom T. Hall
10:45: Roy Acuff (host); Minnie Pearl; Crook Brothers
11:00: Hank Snow (host); Skeeter Davis; Fruit Jar Drinkers; Sam McGee
11:30: Tex Ritter (host); Louie Roberts; The 4 Guys

(Roy Drusky and Dottie West were scheduled for both shows but canceled, while Ernie Ashworth and Stu Phillips were only one the first show and Minnie Pearl on the late show. Also, Tex Ritter left the final segment early as he was the host of the Midnight Jamboree that night). 

Now, let's go back 22 years to Saturday March 25, 2000, as former Grand Ole Opry member B.J. Thomas made a guest appearance on the Opry that night. 

B.J. Thomas hit the top ten on the charts 26 times and sold 70 million albums worldwide. He had a winning formula combining country with pop music, including his version of the Burt Bacharach and Hal David (1921–2012) song “Raindrops Keep Fallin’ on My Head,” which won the Academy Award for Best Original Song as part of “Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid.” His other popular hits included “Hooked on a Feeling,” later made famous by Blue Swede, and “(Hey Won’t You Play) Another Somebody Done Somebody Wrong Song.” Thomas also performed the theme song titled “As Long As We’ve Got Each Other” for the hit sitcom “Growing Pains.” At the time of this latest Opry appearance by B.J., it was reported that he was making "another comeback." He had just released "The Best of B.J. Thomas" which included a duet with the late Dusty Springfield, "As Long as We Got Each Other," the theme from the TV sitcom Growing Pains. 

Here is the running order: 

1st show
6:30: Fluffo
Jimmy C Newman (host): Allons ah Lafayette
Jeanne Pruett: Satin Sheets
Bill Carlisle: Stay a Little Longer
Mandy Barnett: Don't You Ever Get Tired of Hurting Me/Who
Jimmy C Newman: Cochon De Lait/Cajun Stripper

7:00: Shoney's
Porter Wagoner (host): My Long Journey Home
The Whites: Steal Away & Pray
Skeeter Davis: My Last Date 
Del McCoury Band: Rein in the Lights/Pike County Breakdown/Nashville Cats
Porter Wagoner: Brewster's Farm

7:30: Standard Candy
Johnny Russell (host): Act Naturally
Earl Scruggs: Lonesome Rubin
Holly Dunn: That's What Your Love Does to Me
B.J. Thomas: What's Forever For/You Call That a Mountain
Johnny Russell: Ain't 'Che Gonna Cry

8:00: Martha White
Ricky Skaggs (host): On a Lonesome Night
Jean Shepard: Only a Phone Call Away
Mike Snider: John Henry
Roy Drusky: Always
Opry Square Dance Band and The Melvin Sloan Dancers: Rachel
Ricky Skaggs: Boston Boy

8:30: Physicians Mutual
Jimmy Dickens (host): Take an Old Cold Tater
Wilma Lee Cooper: Thirty Pieces of Silver
Jim Ed Brown: Morning
Chalee Tennison: Leave It at That/Just Because She Lives There
Jimmy Dickens: I Leaned Over Backwards for You

2nd show
9:30: Ryman
Porter Wagoner (host): Y'all Come
Wilma Lee Cooper: Walking My Lord Up Calvary Hill
Billy Walker: Adam's Side
Mandy Barnett: Hurt/Ever True; Every More
Porter Wagoner: I'd Like to Make That Same Mistake Again/They Burned the Roadside Tavern Down

10:00: Lincoln Mercury
The Whites (host): Hangin' Around
Del McCoury Band: Train Wreck of Emotion/I'll Be There
The Whites: Keep on the Sunny Side

10:15: Opryland Hotel
Jimmy Dickens (host): Out Behind the Barn
Jeanne Pruett: Temporarily Yours
Jimmy Dickens: I' Rather Sleep in Peace Then Know You're Gone

10:30: Opry Cruise
Jimmy C Newman (host): Colinda
B.J. Thomas: What's Forever For/You Call That a Mountain
Jimmy C Newman: Jambalaya

10:45: Joggin' In A Jug
Johnny Russell (host): Act Naturally
Earl Scruggs: Foggy Mountain Breakdown
Jean Shepard: Dear Hearts & Gentle People
Opry Square Dance Band and The Melvin Sloan Dancers: Cotton Eyed Joe

11:00: Coca Cola
Ricky Skaggs (host): Little Maggie
Del Reeves: The Girl I Can't Forget
Mike Snider: Sally Goodin/The Fur Coat
Chalee Tennison: Let's Leave it at That/Just Because She Lives There
Ricky Skaggs: Rollin' In My Sweet Baby's Arms

11:30: Ryman Videos
Jim Ed Brown (host): Don't Bother to Knock
Stu Phillips: If Loving You Means Anything
Jan Howard: My Heart Skips a Beat
Charlie Walker: Cherokee Maiden
Jack Greene: Statue of a Fool
Jim Ed Brown: It's That Time of the Night/The 3 Bells

(Notice that they threw a lot of the Opry's veterans into that final 30 minutes)

B.J. joined the Grand Ole Opry on August 7, 1981 and made his final appearance as on Opry member on August 27, 1982, just over a year later. B.J. was one of those artists who realized that Opry membership just wasn't for him, making very few appearances during his year as a member. However, he would continue to make an occasional guest appearance and was always well received. 

B.J. Thomas passed away on May 29, 2021, from lung cancer. 

Besides B.J., another former Grand Ole Opry member was on that night, Country Music Hall of Fame member Earl Scruggs. After the breakup of Flatt & Scruggs in 1969, Earl remained an Opry member, performing with his sons as the Earl Scruggs Revue. He left the Opry shortly after the new Grand Ole Opry House opened, as he wanted to explore other opportunities and take his music to a different audience. And much like B.J. Thomas, Earl would find his way back to the Opry House now and then. 

As always, thanks for reading and commenting and I hope everyone enjoys the Grand Ole Opry this weekend. I know I will as I will be at the Opry both nights.