Welcome to July and the heart of summer. 4th of July. While things are currently fairly quiet at the Grand Ole Opry, there have been notable events that have taken place during the month. Here are the important events, or milestones that have taken place during the month of July at the Opry, or with the Opry's members:
July 15, 1913: Lloyd Estel was born in Adams County, Ohio. Better known as Cowboy Copas, he joined the Grand Ole Opry in 1946. He would remain an Opry member until his death in 1963 in the tragic plane crash that took the lives of Hawkshaw Hawkins, Patsy Cline and Randy Hughes. Some may not realize, but in the early 60s, Cowboy Copas was the bigger star of the three.
July 27, 1925: Former Grand Ole Opry member Annie Lou Dill was born. Along with her husband Danny, they were known as "The Sweethearts of Country Music." Annie Lou and Danny were members of the Opry from the late 1940s through the mid 1950s. They remained a popular duo into the 1960s. However, Annie Lou and Danny divorced, at which point the act became history. Annie passed away in January 1982.
July 24, 1926: The Crook Brothers, led by Herman Crook, made their first appearance on the WSM Barn Dance. Considered one of the Opry's original members, the Crook Brothers would remain a part of the Opry until the death of Herman in July 1988. That adds up to 62 years at the Opry, which puts Herman in a very select group of Opry members.
July 7, 1927: The late Charlie Louvin was born in Section, Alabama. Charles Loudermilk was a member of the Grand Ole Opry for over 50 years. Along with his brother Ira, Charlie was elected to the Country Music Hall of Fame in 2001. Charlie passed away on January 26, 2011.
July 9, 1929: Grand Ole Opry member Jesse McReynolds was born in Coeburn, Virginia. One of the true legends in bluegrass music, Jim and Jesse joined the Opry in 1964. Following the death of Jim McReynolds on December 31, 2002, Jesse has continued on at the Opry and at the age of 93 Jesse is the oldest member of the Opry's cast. Jesse has not been on the Opry since the beginning of Covid but hopefully he is well.
July 7, 1930: Doyle Wilburn was born in Hardy, Arkansas. Along with his brother Teddy, the Wilburn Brothers were long time members of the Opry.
July 14, 1932: The great Del Reeves was born in Sparta, North Carolina. Del joined the Grand Ole Opry in October 1966 and was an Opry member until his death in 2007. Del had one of the great personalities in country music and did a variety of impressions, including those of Roy Acuff, Johnny Cash and Hank Snow. While primarily a country artist, Del did have a couple of chart records on the pop charts.
July 4, 1934: Over 8,000 people showed up for an all-day Opry sponsored show in West Tennessee. The show featured Opry stars Uncle Dave Macon, Fiddlin' Arthur Smith, the Gully Jumpers and the Crook Brothers. As a result of the success of this show, Opry founder George D. Hay started the Artists Service Bureau, which would become the official booking agency for Opry members. In the future, this organization would cause some issues at the Opry, and eventually would lead to several Opry members, including Kitty Wells and Johnny Wright, leaving the Opry.
July 4, 1937: Ray Pillow was born in Lynchburg, Virginia. Ray came to the Opry in 1966 and has been a member of the Opry since. Now retired, Ray is considered one of the real nice guys in country music.
July 19, 1937: The late George Hamilton IV was born in Winston-Salem, North Carolina. George was a member of the Grand Ole Opry for 54 years before passing away in September 2014. George loved the Opry and meeting the fans and is really missed. I can tell you from personal experience that George was one of the nicest people I have ever met.
July 11, 1939: The Grand Ole Opry moved to the War Memorial Auditorium in downtown Nashville. They would stay at the War Memorial for just a few years as the type of crowd that came to Opry shows was not the ones that the operators of the building wanted to see. The Opry moved to War Memorial from the Dixie Tabernacle, which held more people but was in deplorable condition. Because of the lower capacity, which was listed as 2,200, the Opry decided to charge an admission fee of 25 cents, which did not stop the crowds from coming to the show. War Memorial Auditorium still stands in Nashville and is used. In 2010, when the Grand Ole Opry House was flooded, several Opry shows were relocated there.
July 6, 1940: Jeannie Seely, known as "Miss Country Soul," was born in Titusville, Pennsylvania. Jeannie first came to the Opry in 1966 as a guest and in September, Jeannie will celebrate 55 years as a member of the Grand Ole Opry. As far as female Opry members, Jeannie is one of the best and most weekends you can find her at the Opry. Over the past several years, she has also hosted a Sunday afternoon show on SiriusXM radio.
July 15, 1944: Country Music Hall of Fame member Rod Brasfield became a member of the Grand Ole Opry. Rod was hired to replace comedian Whitey Ford, the Duke of Paducah, on the Prince Albert portion of the show, which was broadcast on the NBC radio network. Rod was hired after Whitey got into a contract dispute with R.J. Reynolds and their advertising agency, which sponsored the segment. Rod was very successful, often teaming with fellow comedian Minnie Pearl. Rod was not only a great comedian but was also an excellent actor. He was featured in the movie, "A Face In the Crowd" which starred Andy Griffith. Rod remained a member of the Opry until passing away in September 1958.
July 24, 1948: Roy Acuff announced that he was running for Governor of Tennessee. He decided to run after the current Governor made some poor comments regarding country music. As a Republican in Tennessee in 1948, Roy really didn't stand much of a chance, and he lost the election by a wide margin. It was said that his campaign rallies drew large crowds that enjoyed the music and special guests but would leave once the political speeches started.
July 21, 1951: Left Frizzell made his first guest appearance on the Grand Ole Opry. Lefty would later become an Opry member, but he was gone pretty quickly. Lefty would later say that it just didn't work out and that the Opry wasn't the dream that he thought it would be.
July 5, 1952: Ralph Sloan and The Tennessee Travelers became members of the Grand Ole Opry. The group was formed in 1949 and they were originally called the Cedar Hill Square Dancers. Ralph passed away in 1980 after which his brother Melvin Sloan took over the group, changing the name to the Melvin Sloan Dancers. Melvin has since retired himself and the group is now simply called the Opry Square Dancers.
July 9, 1952: Grand Ole Opry members Carl Smith and June Carter were married. The marriage only lasted a few years as Carl expected June to give up her career to become a full-time wife and mother. While the marriage was short, it did produce a daughter, Rebecca Carlene Smith, better known as Carlene Carter. After the marriage ended, June would go on to remarry two more times, with her final marriage being to Johnny Cash, while Carl would have a very successful marriage with Goldie Hill, who did retire from performing after being married to Carl.
July 18, 1954: Grand Ole Opry member Ricky Skaggs was born in Cordell, Kentucky. Ricky joined the Opry cast in May 1982. For many of us, it is hard to believe that Ricky will be 68.
July 2, 1955: According to various reports, Patsy Cline made her first guest appearance on the Grand Ole Opry. Continuing to guest on the Opry, Patsy would eventually become an Opry member in 1960, after asking if she could join.
July 7, 1956: Johnny Cash made his first guest appearance on the Opry. For Johnny, it was a dream come true and a couple of weeks later Johnny would become an Opry member.
July 28, 1956: Just three weeks after making his Grand Ole Opry debut, Johnny Cash became a member of the Grand Ole Opry. Johnny would remain an Opry member until 1958, when he left Nashville and moved to California. Even though he gave it up, Johnny was always welcomed as a guest artist whenever he was in Nashville, and he would especially appear if June Carter was around. It was during one such performance in 1965, while under the influence of drugs, that Johnny kicked out the Opry stage lights and was told not to come back. He stayed away for a few years, but by the late 1960s, he was back. Toward the end of his life, Roy Acuff reportedly asked Johnny to once again become an Opry member, but Johnny declined.
July 24, 1957: Grand Ole Opry member Pam Tillis was born in Plant City, Florida.
July 15, 1961: Bill Anderson became a member of the Grand Ole Opry. This will be his 61st year as an Opry member. Bill made his first Opry appearance in 1958 and would guest several times before being asked by Opry manager Ott Devine to become a member. Currently the longest active member of the Opry's cast, and over the age of 80, Bill is still actively touring and making Opry appearances. He is always well received and sounds as good as ever. An argument can be made that this Hall of Fame member is one of the greatest all-around talents in the history of country music, as he has been successful as a solo artist, duet artist, songwriter, author, game show host and television personality. Bill has done it all. With Bill still in good health and sounding fine each time he is on the Opry, it is certainly possible that he will end up being the longest tenured member in the history of the Opry.
July 18, 1964: Connie Smith made her debut on the Grand Ole Opry. Connie joined the cast the following year and this will be her 57th year as an Opry member. Not only does Connie sound as good as every but she also has a new album that was released last year.
July 31, 1964: Jim Reeves, along with Dean Manual, died in a plane crash just outside of Nashville. Jim was just 39. While he was not an Opry member at the time of his death, giving it up a few years earlier, Jim was very successful while an Opry member. However, as the focus of his career changed, he felt that the Opry was no longer for him.
July 31, 1964: The Osborne Brothers are told during the "Friday Night Frolics" they will join the Grand Ole Opry the following weekend. The night is also the final time the "Frolics," a Friday night version of the Opry, are held at Nashville's National Life Building.
July 10, 1965: Roy Acuff was seriously injured in a car accident near Sparta, Tennessee. Roy suffered two pelvic fractures, a broken collarbone and several broken ribs. Also injured in the crash were Shot Jackson and June Stearns. Roy would be out of action for about a month, returning to the Opry in August.
July 31, 1965: Waylon Jennings made his debut on the Grand Ole Opry. While never becoming an Opry member, Waylon would make an occasional appearance on the show.
July 26, 1966: Opry member Martina McBride was born in Sharon, Kansas.
July 1, 1967: Dave Hooten replaced Johnny "Lonzo" Sullivan as part of Lonzo and Oscar. Johnny had recently passed away and it was agreed before his death that Roland "Oscar" Sullivan would continue with the act. David was generally considered a good replacement for Johnny.
July 8, 1967: Mother Maybelle and The Carter Sisters (June, Anita and Helen), made their final appearance as members of the Grand Ole Opry. The group originally joined the Opry in May 1950 and left in order to tour full time with Johnny Cash. As with many other veteran Opry members, Maybelle Carter complained many times to management in regard to the slots they were scheduled on the show. Later, the June Carter and the Carter Sisters would make a couple of guest appearances on the Opry with Johnny Cash.
July 14, 1967: While performing on the Friday Night Opry, burglars stole $5,000 worth of goods from Hank Snow's office. Taken are watches, cufflinks, diamond earrings, belt buckles and insurance papers, but no money.
July 24, 1971: Country and Western music legend Patsy Montana made her first guest appearance on the Grand Ole Opry.
July 31, 1971: A bomb scare at the Grand Ole Opry delayed the show almost 40 minutes. The call came in around 10:00 and after a quick search, the show resumed.
July 8, 1972: Barbara Mandrell became a member of the Grand Ole Opry. While some accounts, including the Grand Ole Opry, list her induction date as July 29, this was actually the night that Barbara was announced as a member. Celebrating her 50th year as an Opry member, Barbara is now retired from performing. When she made the decision to retire, he asked Opry management if she would remain a member of the Opry, of which they agreed. Without knowing it at the time, Barbara started a trend where retired members would retain their Opry membership, reversing a policy where members had to give up their Opry membership if they were no longer active.
July 14, 1973: Tompall, Chuck, and Jim, the Glaser Brothers, made their final appearance as members of the Grand Ole Opry. The brothers, who often had creative differences, decided to go their separate ways. They would reunite several years later, but then broke up for good. But, at the personal invitation of Hank Snow, the brothers appeared on the Opry one final time, in January 1990 at a show honoring Hank for 40 years of Opry membership. The brothers were awesome that night and you can see the video of the performance on YouTube. That night was the final night that they would appear together.
July 21, 1973: Just over a year after Barbara Mandrell joined the Opry cast, Jeanne Pruett became a member of the Grand Ole Opry. Like Barbara, Jeanne is now retired. This will be her 49th year as an Opry member. Jeanne was the last singing member of the cast to join the show before it left the Ryman Auditorium (of course, Jerry Clower joined after Jeanne, but he was known as a comedian). On the night of her induction, Dolly Parton handled the honors. Now retired, Jeanne has recently written an autobiography and has been known to visit the Opry now and then and even come out on stage and wave to the audience.
July 7, 1975: Grand Ole Opry member George Morgan passed away in a Nashville hospital after suffering a heart attack. He was just 51. George joined the Opry in 1948 as the replacement for Eddy Arnold. He left the Opry in 1956 to star on a television show, but returned in 1959. George's daughter Lorrie followed in his footsteps as an Opry member.
July 24, 1976: Bobby Lord made his final appearance as a member of the Grand Ole Opry. Bobby came to the Opry in 1960 from the Ozark Jubilee. After leaving the Opry, Bobby went into semi-retirement, living in Florida and working in real estate. He later hosted a sportsman show on TNN. Although he gave up his Opry membership, Bobby would continue to make occasional Opry appearances when he was up in the Nashville area. Bobby, who also had his own television show, passed away in 2008
July 24, 1976: On the same day as Bobby Lord's final appearance as an Opry member, a fire broke out backstage at the Opry House that morning. The fire was discovered at 6:00 a.m. on the lighting dimmer board and was quickly put out. Damage was estimated at nearly a quarter million dollars.
July 31, 1976: Former Grand Ole Opry member Don Williams made his first Saturday night appearance as a member of the Grand Ole Opry. Sadly, Don didn't stay at the Opry very long and reportedly, there were no hard feelings when he decided to move on.
July 4, 1980: Future Diamond Rio member Dana Williams made his first Opry appearance as a bass player for Jimmy C Newman.
July 5, 1980: John Conlee made his debut on the Grand Ole Opry. You can say it went over pretty well and John would become an Opry member.
July 2, 1982: Former Grand Ole Opry member DeFord Bailey died in Nashville at the age of 82. DeFord was one of the first members of the WSM Barn Dance but was fired in 1941 by Opry founder George D. Hay. Various reasons were given for the firing, but it would appear that race was the major reason. While he did come back to make guest appearances in the 1940s, DeFord was very bitter about being fired by the Opry and went to great lengths to avoid the opportunity to make guest appearances. However, he did appear a couple of times and in February 1974 he returned for the annual reunion show. He was well received and would make a few more reunion shows before passing away. DeFord is a member of the Country Music Hall of Fame.
July 1, 1983: Gaylord Broadcasting Company purchased the Grand Ole Opry, WSM radio and the entire Opryland complex from American General Corporation. Even though it was called Gaylord Broadcasting, it was actually Edward Gaylord and his wife Thelma who were the actual owners. At the time, Gaylord owned "Hee Haw" and other major media outlets. The price was rumored to have been between $250 and $350 million. The Opry was for sale at the time because of the purchase of National Life and Accident Company and the new owners, American General, had no interest in owning the Opry or Opryland. It was Roy Acuff who convinced Edward Gaylord that the Opryland properties were perfect for him to buy and add to his company. Over time, Gaylord Broadcasting would become Gaylord Entertainment and is now known as Ryman Hospitality.
July 30, 1983: Former Grand Ole Opry members The Glaser Brothers returned for a guest appearance on the Opry. The brothers were having some chart success at the time with "Lovin' Her Was Easier" and had briefly reunited.
July 1, 1984: Grand Ole Opry member Roy Acuff is diagnosed with angina and would take a break from performing. He would not return to the Opry in an active role until December.
July 6, 1985: Johnny Russell became a member of the Grand Ole Opry. Johnny would remain a very popular and loyal member of the Opry until passing away on July 3, 2001, after a period of declining health. One of the most talented performers in country music, Johnny was a singer, songwriter and comedian. After joining the Opry, Johnny would normally appear on the 11:30 segment, telling funny stories and singing serious songs. I was privileged one day to have met Johnny at Opryland and to spend a little bit of time with him.
July 29, 1989: Future Grand Ole Opry member Vince Gill made his Opry debut. He had turned down his first opportunity to appear on the show due to a previous family commitment. Happily, they invited him back and he has since gone on to become one of the Opry's best members.
July 8, 1990: The Grand Ole Opry put on a special performance in Houston, Texas for President George Bush and a number of foreign dignitaries who were attending a summit meeting. Among the artists performing were Charley Pride, The Gatlin Brothers, Minnie Pearl, Roy Acuff, Loretta Lynn and Bill Monroe.
July 25, 1990: Grand Ole Opry staff band member Harold Weakley passed away. While primarily the drummer on the staff band, Harold also announced the Goo Goo candy segments and would occasionally step in front of the microphone and sing a song or two.
July 3, 1993: Alison Krauss became a member of the Grand Ole Opry. This will be her 29th year as an Opry member with Garth Brooks doing the honors. At the time she joined, she was the Opry's youngest member. Alison has won more Grammy Awards than any other female country music, or bluegrass singer. Sadly, we don't see or hear much of Alison on the Opry but when she does appear it is a pleasure. I would say that as an Opry member, she has been a disappointment.
July 10, 1999: June Carter Cash made a guest appearance on the Grand Ole Opry, in what would be her final appearance on the Opry stage. June was an Opry member in the 1950s and was known for singing with her family and for her comic skills.
July 6, 2002: Melvin Sloan, leader of the Melvin Sloan Dancers, retired. Melvin began dancing on the Opry following the death of his brother Ralph Sloan in 1980. After Melvin's retirement, the Opry took over management of the square dancers and they are now called the Opry Square Dancers.
July 2, 2004: Grand Ole Opry member Ricky Van Shelton made his final Grand Ole Opry appearance. Now retired, Ricky joined the Opry in June 1988. Sadly, he was another one from that era that did not appear on the Opry very often. Last I heard, Ricky was doing well in retirement.
July 5, 2008: Ending a long-standing tradition, the start time of Saturday's early Grand Ole Opry show was changed from 6:30 to 7:00, resulting in a two-hour show. This followed the change of the late Saturday show being cut to two hours the previous January. There was no reason given for the change, and no, there was no price reduction on account of the shorter show.
July 15, 2008: Future Grand Ole Opry member Darius Rucker made his first guest appearance on the Opry, singing "Don't Think I Don't Think About It."
July 8, 2011: Jimmy Dickens made a surprise appearance on the stage of the Grand Ole Opry to ask the Oak Ridge Boys if they would like to become the Opry's newest members. Of course, the Oak Ridge Boys said yes, and later this year they will celebrate their 11th year as Opry members. The Oak Ridge Boys had been asked previously if they were interested in becoming Opry members, however they had declined due to their heavy touring schedule. While they are still actively touring, the group has found the time to appear on the Opry and fulfill their membership obligations.
July 16, 2011: Grand Ole Opry member Bill Anderson was honored upon his 50th anniversary as a member of the Grand Ole Opry. Alison Krauss joined the celebration that evening.
July 13, 2012: Grand Ole Opry member Randy Travis made his final scheduled performing appearance on the Opry. Randy would later suffer a serious stroke that would end his performing career. While that was Randy's final singing performance, he and his wife Mary have visited backstage at the Opry a number of times.
July 3, 2013: Alison Krauss celebrated 20 years of Opry membership. As part of the show that night, she does a duet with Jamey Johnson on "Make the World Go Away."
July 14, 2016: Sonny Osborne performed on the Grand Ole Opry, reuniting The Osborne Brothers for the first time in more than a decade. They join Mac Wiseman and Jesse McReynolds to cover Flatt & Scruggs' "'Tis Sweet To Be Remembered."
July 1, 2017: Montgomery Gentry performed "Where I Come From" on the Grand Ole Opry. It would be the final Opry appearance for Troy Gentry, who would pass away in September as the result of a helicopter crash. Since his passing, Eddie Montgomery has continued on as an Opry member.
July 20, 2018: Frequent Grand Ole Opry guest Charles Esten made his 100th appearance on the Grand Ole Opry. Primarily an actor, who gained fame staring on "Nashville," he is one of the few cast members to have continued to appear on the Opry after the cancelation of the show.
July 19, 2019: Luke Combs was formally inducted as a member of the Grand Ole Opry. While somewhat of a surprise, so far it has worked out pretty well as Luke has made a number of appearances. Inducting Luke that night were Vince Gill and Joe Diffie. Also lining up on stage for the ceremony were Craig Morgan, Dustin Lynch, Chris Janson, Mark Wills and Larry Gatlin & The Gatlin Brothers Band. Combs' first song as a member: the title track from the album "This One's For You."
July 22, 2019: Sally Williams, general manager of the Grand Ole Opry, announced her resignation from Ryman Hospitality. While she was at the company for over 20 years, she had only been in charge of the Opry since 2017, following the resignation of Pete Fisher. Sally left to go to Live Nation and in her current role she is also involved in the management of Old Crow Medicine Show.
July 6, 2020: Grand Ole Opry member Charlie Daniels passed away, a huge lost for country music. Not only was Charlie a great performer but he was also a fine humanitarian who was involved in a number of charitable causes.
July 21, 2020: WSM personality and Grand Ole Opry announcer Eddie Stubbs announced his retirement. Eddie, who normally announced the Friday Night Opry and the 2nd show on Saturday night, was the 3rd longest Opry announcer in the history of the show. Since his retirement, Eddie has very rarely been seen or heard from.
July 17, 2021: Grand Ole Opry member Bill Anderson was honored upon his 60th anniversary as a member of the Opry's cast. Bill is one of the very few to have reached that milestone. Vince Gill, among others, celebrated the evening with Bill.
There you have it for this month. Another busy one at the Opry.