I don't know where the word "residency" came from, or when it started, but according to the Grand Ole Opry, their January "residency" at the Ryman Auditorium will come to a close this weekend as the Opry will be offering two shows on Saturday night. Next weekend, the Opry returns to the newly renovated Grand Ole Opry House, where it will take up "residence" for the remainder of the year.
A couple of weeks ago, we were excited to see a lineup with only Grand Ole Opry members listed. While that is not the case this weekend, it is exciting to see that seven of the eight artists listed for each show are members of the Opry's cast.
Bill Anderson, Jeannie Seely, Mandy Barnett, Bobby Osborne, Riders In The Sky and Lauren Alaina are scheduled for both shows on Saturday night, while Rhonda Vincent will open the early show and Dailey & Vincent will close the late show. The only non-Opry member on the schedule is veteran country artist David Nail, who first hit the country charts 20 years ago.
1st show
7:00: Opry Square Dancers, Rhonda Vincent, Bill Anderson, David Nail, Jeannie Seely
8:00: Mandy Barnett, Bobby Osborne & The Rocky Top X-Press, Riders In The Sky, Lauren Alaina
8:00: Mandy Barnett, Bobby Osborne & The Rocky Top X-Press, Riders In The Sky, Lauren Alaina
2nd show
9:30: Opry Square Dancers, Jeannie Seely, David Nail, Bill Anderson, Mandy Barnett
10:30: Bobby Osborne & The Rocky Top X-Press, Riders In The Sky, Lauren Alaina, Dailey & Vincent
9:30: Opry Square Dancers, Jeannie Seely, David Nail, Bill Anderson, Mandy Barnett
10:30: Bobby Osborne & The Rocky Top X-Press, Riders In The Sky, Lauren Alaina, Dailey & Vincent
So, why is Rhonda only appearing on the first show? Well, it is going to be a busy weekend for Rhonda as the 48th Annual SPBGMA Bluegrass Music Awards & 39th National Convention & Band Championship will be taking place in Nashville this weekend, with Rhonda as one of the performing and nominated artists. The festivities will be taking place at the Sheraton Music City Hotel, just a couple of exits down Briley Parkway from the Opry House. After she appears on the Opry, she will be rushing over to the Sheraton to appear on the Bluegrass Music Awards Show. Others scheduled to appear on that show include Po' Ramblin' Boys, Larry Stephenson Band, The Grascals, and Dailey & Vincent, who will be rushing over to the Opry House in time to close out the late show.
After Rhonda handles her duties at the Sheraton, she will be headed to the Troubadour Theater to host the Ernest Tubb Midnight Jamboree, along with what I am sure will be some special guests. Yes, a busy Saturday for her.
On a personal note, it has been a few years, but I have attended SPBGMA before. It is a great weekend of bluegrass music, workshops and an opportunity to meet many of the great bluegrass artists and groups. The lineup of those scheduled to perform this weekend is outstanding and while it is probably too late to make plans to attend this year, mark this on your calendar for 2024. It is well worth the trip.
And now from 45 years ago, Saturday January 28, 1978:
1st show
6:00: Charlie Walker (host); Skeeter Davis; The Willis Brothers; Justin Tubb; Dottie West; Ernie Ashworth
6:00: Charlie Walker (host); Skeeter Davis; The Willis Brothers; Justin Tubb; Dottie West; Ernie Ashworth
6:30: Del Reeves (host); Jan Howard; Roy Drusky
6:45: Archie Campbell (host); Bill Carlisle; Wilma Lee Cooper
7:00: Osborne Brothers (host); Charlie Louvin; Billy Grammer; Stonewall Jackson
7:30: Roy Acuff (host); Jim and Jesse; Lonzo and Oscar; Crook Brothers and The Tennessee Travelers
8:00: Grandpa Jones (host); Jeanne Pruett; The 4 Guys; Jimmy C Newman; Wilburn Brothers; Jimmy Dickens
8:30: Hank Snow (host); Anne Murray; Ray Pillow; Fruit Jar Drinkers; Stu Phillips
2nd show
9:30: Roy Drusky (host); Dottie West; Archie Campbell; Charlie Walker; Skeeter Davis; Jim and Jesse
10:00: Del Reeves (host); Willis Brothers; Ernie Ashworth
10:15: Roy Acuff (host); Jan Howard; Charlie Louvin; Lonzo and Oscar
10:30: Billy Grammer (host); Wilma Lee Cooper; Bill Carlisle; Osborne Brothers
10:45: Stonewall Jackson (host); Justin Tubb; Crook Brothers and The Tennessee Travelers
11:00 Hank Snow (host); Jeanne Pruett; The 4 Guys; Fruit Jar Drinkers; Jimmy Dickens; Kirk McGee
11:30: Jimmy C Newman (host); Ray Pillow; Wilburn Brothers; Stu Phillips
(Porter Wagoner, Jean Shepard and Marion worth were scheduled for both shows that night, while Grandpa Jones only appeared on the early show).
An interesting guest that night, and someone who seldom appeared on the Opry, was Anne Murray. This was not Anne's Opry debut, as that took place in December 1972.
Anne had a very successful career in country music, and as a cross-over artist. She recorded 32 studio albums and had 76 singles on the charts. In total, she has sold over 55 million records, including 10 #1 records. Her first big hit in the United States was "Snowbird" in 1970, which is also a song Hank Snow would sing frequently. Surprisingly, while it was a #1 hit on the Adult Contemporary Charts, it did not hit the top spot on the country charts. Her first #1 would have to wait until 1979 when "I Just Fell In Love" topped the country charts. Her greatest chart success would come in the early to mid-1980s, with her final #1 "Now and Forever" achieved in 1986. Anne was last on the charts in 1991, and while she would continue to perform for a few more years, she gradually went into retirement from performing.
Anne has received four Grammys, a record 24 Junos, three American Music Awards, three Country Music Association Awards, and three Canadian Country Music Association Awards. She has been inducted into the Canadian Country Music Hall of Fame, the Juno Hall of Fame, The Canadian Songwriters Hall of Fame, and Canadian Broadcast Hall of Fame. She is a member of the Country Music Hall of Fame Walkway of Stars in Nashville and has her own star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame in Los Angeles and on Canada's Walk of Fame in Toronto. A case can be made that she should be in the Country Music Hall of Fame, or at least in the conversation.
Here is the running order from that night 45 years ago:
1st show
6:00: Vietti
Charlie Walker (host): My Shoes Keep Walking Back to You
Skeeter Davis: It Wasn't God Who Made Honky-Tonk Angels
Willis Brothers: For The Good Times
Justin Tubb: What's Wrong with the Way that We're Doing it Now
Dottie West: Every Word I Write
Ernie Ashworth: Wichita Woman
Charlie Walker: T For Texas
6:30: Mrs. Grissoms
Del Reeves (host): Love's Gonna Live Here
Jan Howard: Better Off Alone
Roy Drusky: Second Hand Rose
Del Reeves: I Would Like to See You Again
6:45: Rudy's
Archie Campbell (host): Make Friends
Bill Carlisle: Same Ol' Tale That the Crow Told Me
Wilma Lee Cooper: Walking My Lord Up Calvary's Hill
Archie Campell: Archie in New York in July
7:00: Shoney's
Osborne Brothers (host): Rocky Top
Charlie Louvin: When I Stop Dreaming/Warm, Warm Woman
Billy Grammer: Family Business
Stonewall Jackson: Life to Go/Washed My Hands in Muddy Water
Osborne Brothers: Midnight Flyer
Sonny Osborne: Cripple Creek/Cumberland Gap/Foggy Mountain Breakdown
7:30: Standard Candy
Roy Acuff (host): Wabash Cannonball
Roy Acuff (host): Wabash Cannonball
Jim and Jesse: Then I'll Stop Going for You/Last Train to Clarksville
Lonzo and Oscar: Family Bible
Crook Brothers and The Tennessee Travelers: Buck Street Gal
Oswald: Mountain Dew
Roy Acuff: When My Blue Moon Turns to Gold Again
8:00: Martha White
Grandpa Jones (host): Uncle Eph's Got the Corn
Jeanne Pruett: Satin Sheets
The 4 Guys: Freedom Lives in a Country Song
Jimmy C Newman: Big Bayou
Wilburn Brothers: Country Kind of Feelings
Jimmy Dickens: Sleepin' at the Foot of the Bed
Grandpa Jones: It's Raining Here this Morning
8:30: Stephens
Hank Snow (host): I'm Moving On
Anne Murray: Walk Right Back/He Thinks I Still Care/Snowbird
Ray Pillow: Texas
Fruit Jar Drinkers: Gray Eagle
Stu Phillips: Have I Told You Lately That I Love You/You Win Again/Release Me
Hank Snow: With This Ring, I Thee Wed
2nd show
9:30: Kellogg's
Roy Drusky (host): A Satisfied Mind
Roy Drusky (host): A Satisfied Mind
Dottie West: That's All I Wanted to Know
Archie Campbell: Scarlet Ribbons
Charlie Walker: T For Texas
Skeeter Davis: Give All Into Love
Jim and Jesse: Paradise
Roy Drusky: Somewhere My Love
10:00: Fender
Del Reeves (host): Tow Dollars in the Jukebox/A Dime at a Time
Willis Brothers: Give Me 40 Acres
Ernie Ashworth: There's No Place I'd Rather Be Tonight
Del Reeves: Margaritaville
10:15: Union 76
Roy Acuff (host): Sunshine Special
Jan Howard: Will the Circle Be Unbroken
Charlie Louvin: Store Up Love
Lonzo and Oscar: Fox on the Run
Roy Acuff: I'll Fly Away
10:30: Trailblazer
Billy Grammer (host): Wabash Cannonball
Wilma Lee Cooper: Rachel's Guitar
Bill Carlisle: Have A Drink on Me
Osborne Brothers: Fastest Grass Alive
10:45: Beech-Nut
Stonewall Jackson (host): Angry Words
Justin Tubb: What's Wrong with the Way that We're Doing it Now
Crook Brothers and The Tennessee Travelers: Billy in the Low Ground
Stonewall Jackson: Waterloo
11:00: Coca Cola
Hank Snow (host): Golden Rocket
Jeanne Pruett: Satin Sheets
The 4 Guys: Turn Your Radio On
Fruit Jar Drinkers: Nubbing Ridge
Jimmy Dickens: John Henry
Kirk McGee: Blue Night
Hank Snow: Old Shep
11:30: Elm Hil
Jimmy C Newman (host): Big Mamou
Ray Pillow: Even the Bad Times Are Good/Gone At Last
Wilburn Brothers: Roll, Muddy River
Stu Phillips: I'd Rather Be Sorry
Jimmy C Newman: Jambalaya
There you have it for this week. As I wrote before, Saturday will complete the January "residency" at the Ryman Auditorium. Next weekend, the Opry will be back at the Grand Ole Opry House, beginning with the Friday Night Opry on February 3rd.
As always, thanks for reading and commenting and I hope everyone enjoys the Grand Ole Opry on Saturday night.
That 8:30 show was all-Canadian, it appears!
ReplyDeleteLove Rhonda, she is the "living" energizer bunny!
ReplyDeleteThe January Ryman shows were very good, but I'm not sure how it worked out for the 'Opry since a bunch of Friday shows didn't happen.
ReplyDeleteNot sure we'll see it again for quite a while ?
Anyone see that next weekend we are all in for a surprise when they go back to the big house? They've been changing the backdrop from what I hear. Will that hayseed barn finally disappear? Maybe not but this should be interesting. Doing completely away with it would be about like saying our flag should not be red, white and blue anymore.
ReplyDeleteJim
Hope they bring back the original barn
ReplyDeleteI have a feeling you are thinking in the wrong direction. I'd be all for the old barn but just like I had said a few weeks back about signing the Malpas Brothers, that's backward instead of forward thinking. History and tradition is not as important as it used to be which doesn't speak well to where we might be going.
ReplyDeleteJim
Sadly that is the problem of our country, we dont respect our own history and tradition. Too much focus on progress and making money. I am 50 and it disturbs me that younger people have no knowledge of these things. When I was their age, and I didnt know it, and an elder gave me a lesson I felt privileged. One of those privileges was seeing the originale tradition of teh Grand Ole Opry with some of its pioneers when I was 7 in 1980.
DeleteHope Byron will post pix on FB or give us info where to find pix of the new stage. Thx
ReplyDeleteI hope the barn gets a fresh coat of paint. I always liked the 2000 version that was solid instead of the outline version. I did have a question: when did the barn actually appear at the Ryman? When you look at old photos some of the backdrops are for very colorful sponsors like Pet Milk, Jefferson Island Salt (which had a large guitar) Stephen’s Workwear and Prince Albert which if I recall had a silo. I think the curtain originally closed between segments was so the backdrop could go up and down (I miss the segments, hosts and the curtain going up and down). I remember as a kid in the late 70s at the Opry House and through the PBS shows even into the early 80s (which you could see during the backstage show when they were in the booth out front large sponsor projections were the back drop. I think using the stationary red barn on all Segments must have started some time in the late 80s? PS Charlie Louvin told me one time he thought Reba didn’t want to appear on the Opry if she had to stand in front of a barn! Take that or leave it. Lol (Oldtimeopry)
ReplyDeleteI do believe the Reba story is true. While I did not hear it from Charlie, I did hear it from someone else who would have been in a position to know. It was said that she wanted to drop the rodeo type image that she originally had and go more modern and she felt that the barn did not fit her new image. Again, that was what I had been told years ago.
DeleteWell I don't always read between the lines well but my reading of that makes me think Reba became to good and uptown to appear on the Opry and maybe that is why she has only been there just a little more than a dozen times since joining. Maybe she'll come around if this by chance is the end of the barn. Guess we don't know wither yet.
DeleteJim
For what it's worth, I remember when Garth Brooks did his first TV special, he began it by saying there would be no haystacks. But he had no problem being in front of the barn, and if Reba did, shame on her. THAT said, I do think there were concerns about Hee Haw making them look a certain way. Ernest Tubb spent a lot of years complaining about the term "hillbilly," and he wasn't the only one--but not everybody agreed with him, either!
DeleteA couple of comments:
ReplyDeleteYes, I will post pictures once the new stage and backdrop is revealed. If you have Circle TV, the Opry will be live on Saturday February 4, which is being advertised as the night of the official unveiling of the new stage. While I can't really go into specifics, I think many will be surprised.
I also did like the initial refresh of the barn backdrop, and as Oldtimeopry pointed out, it was red. Then over time they started using different colors and combination of colors.
I absolutely remember the different advertising signs that were used at the Ryman. They hung from the ceiling on wires and depending on the sponsor, the corresponding backdrop would be lowered. When the Opry moved to the new Grand Ole Opry House, some continued to use the backdrop, while others did not. I specifically remember Shoney's and Martha White. Rudy's had the bell that was brought out. I know there were others. I always thought it was special when the curtain went up and down as it made each segment special, almost a show within a show.
Maybe the new screen can bring back that feeling. Hope so!
ReplyDeleteOf course being blind, I totally don't care what the set looks like, but I'm very interested to read reactions. Jim, as always, I get where you're coming from on the history front, but I also get that this opry thing in 2023 is about selling tickets. There is an up coming interview a very well known blind friend of mine did for a magazine, talking about the fact that so many folks have totally done away with their am fm radios in favor of streaming and podcasts. I do understand why. It's so amazing to talk to my smart speaker, and tell it to play some song one of you has mentioned, and as fast as I can say it, it plays. I wouldn't wanna go back to the days of hoping I could pick up wsm on an am radio. At the same time, Byron will confirm that wsm is one of if not the lowest rated stations in the entire Nashville market and maybe honestly in the nation. I think we should consider ourselves lucky that the broadcast continues in the form of a radio show. I believe it always will, but only for the sake of tridition and the backlash that social media would create if they removed it. Even folks who don't listen, would want the opry on wsm. Having said that, it isn't about the radio at all anymore. Artists don't need radio now. They need streams. So, the opry needs tickets because the radio isn't helping at all. People in their 30s and younger would much rather go see someone like Vince or Carrie do 5 songs, rather than people that sorry to say most of them have never heard of and then Carrie gets 2 songs. So, I understand why they're doing what they're doing.
ReplyDeleteEZ, I think you've nailed it. They're doing an amazing job of selling tickets and making money, and that's their job.
DeleteE.Z.'s comments bring a couple of things to mind. One is that once upon a time, the idea was that the Opry promoted National Life's sales--as Bud Wendell once said, it was magical for a salesperson to say to someone at their door, "Roy Acuff would ike me to talk with you about insurance." Of course the Opry became much more, but that leads me to the second thing, and something that I deeply miss.
ReplyDeleteSegments and sponsors.
There was something special about hearing Grant Turner declare, "It's Martha White's Grand Ole Opry!" and then hear Lester sing the jingle. Mr. Acuff liked to call Hairl Hensley and Harold Weakley "the Goo-Goo twins" when they sang that jingle. Now we don't have that, but it also means that revenue stream isn't there. Also, lest we forget, the original Opry, that good-natured riot, had no sponsored segments; I suspect when Vito Pelletieri (speaking of behind the scenes people worth thinking about for the Hall of Fame) started segmenting the show when he became stage manager in 1934, some listeners gritted their teeth and said, "That Opry show is becoming too modern."
But I notice that Bobby Osborne is still on there past his 91st birthday, and Jeannie Seely, and the greatest living country songwriter (Willie and Kris are great--Bill Anderson is greater) still are on there frequently. Maybe Brad Paisley will eventually remember saying upon Little Jimmy Dickens's death, "Tater, we'll take it from here."
E.Z.: I enjoy and appreciate your perspective. It is valuable here because many of us are older than you and maybe not as much in tune with the generation that you are. You may be different but in 20 or 30 years you will likely have some of the same thoughts we do now. I think it is a natural part of aging for most people.
ReplyDeleteFrom a business standpoint, I agree that this rebranding is required to survive because if you live in the an era decades old as an entertainment business your customers will die out on you and so goes your business.
I can't share my complete thoughts and feelings on the subject because it will go beyond the purpose of this blog and I intend to do as I wish others to do and that is to stay within the boundaries of the purpose of this blog. I just hope that the Opry does not sacrifice it's precocious history for the quick dollar. In any walk of life whether it be family, business, a charitable organization, a church and anything else, if you ignore or deny your history or heritage, good or bad, your future can well be jeopardized.
I had just hoped the Opry could have made the 100 year mark before a major makeover. I still feel like the first 80-85 years of evolution at the Opry was slow and not overly drastic. In the last ten years it has been accelerated by opening the stage to nearly all genres of music imaginable, not just the changes in country music. That to me has helped the Opry loose it's identity and turned it into a show that's sole purpose it to make money any way it can. I get it, money is the driver of most all things but oft said to be the root of all evil. For the Opry to survive it must make money and we all understand and acknowledge that.
At last, it has been said that country music represents the soul or values of the common man and as things around us change, so maybe the music and Opry much change too. I'm just not sure it is the common man they are trying to serve anymore. The common man may not have the money they are trying to earn.
Jim
Knightsiville, IN
I’m the opposite of what the market tells me a 30 year old wants. I’m in my 30s and I prefer a radio, records, etc over the modern day of digital music. It doesn’t have the same feeling to me. I agree that majority people my age have no clue about real talent. They’ll pay over $150 for one ticket and stay on the phone the whole time or keep making trips to the bar.
DeleteThe whole thing comes down to the audience. Bobby Osborne got a great response from the Opry audience last night, but then next week he might not. I believe last night’s audience where people who know & appreciate the music; instead of just groups of people in town for a convention.
As far as WSM ,not being a top rated Nashville station. Shouldn’t be a shocker to anyone, since Nashville has done it’s best to kill all that has made Nashville famous. The powers to be have tried to make it like any other big city in America. They have succeeded in doing that. The majority of people ,in Nashville, have never being supportive of the Country Music scene.
There’s a market for traditional Country Music, just as there’s one for the pop or even the dreadful Bro country. Just got to have the right people ,behind the scenes ,that know what they’re doing.
Curry
Its fine they want to upgrade the Opry House. However, though I am 50. I detest change in all phases of life. I have never liked the modernized barn, and have always prefered the traditional red one. MIss that sponsor segments are pretty much gone. Miss having hosts for the segments. Hate the fact that lots of these washed up rockers have been on recently. Dont like that cajun country is not represented. Reject members that do not meet the requirement of 10 appearances (only excuseable if health concerns impede it). Finally, these people who try to come out there with their stetson, ripped blue jeans, boots, and cowboy shirt pale desperately try to imitate Hank Sr. and Ernest Tubb. Yeah, I miss nudie suits....rhinestone is country, and when I go to see a show, I want to se the artists dressed up like I did in my youth. Thats why I like Riders in The Sky, Bill Anderson at times wears a jacket with rhinestone, etc.
ReplyDeleteNittannee, as I recall, Whispering Bill once said that he always has felt that he should be dressed a little better than the best-dressed person in the audience. Now, if someone shows up in a tuxedo, I guess that might not work. But I wish more performers felt that way. Granting, some people always dress neatly ... but not all.
DeleteI think E.T. was a big believer in that and many of that generation felt that way and passed it on to Bill's generation. They felt like people paid their hard earned money to come and see them and the least they could do was look like they cared enough to dress well and be presentable. Jim and Jesse were good examples of doing that very well without the flashy outfits. I love the colorful shirts and suits with the embroidery, sequins or rhinestones. People call them gaudy but I think they are pretty. I suppose today it might be said by some that wearing such cloths says I'm better than the audience and politically incorrect.
DeleteShowing my age again.
Jim
Appreciate Ms. Alaina showing respect to Loretta Lynn by singing "You Ain´t Woman Enough To Take My Man". Very important younger artists keep these songs alive and well, just like Mandy Barnett does with Patsy Cline songs.
ReplyDeleteNittannee73, Wait until you hear Carly Pierce talk about her call from Loretta Lynn, then hear her sing "Dear Miss Loretta." Makes a grown man cry!
Deletehttps://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HTlPX3Ani6U
Wow. That's all I can say.
DeleteAs the Grand Ole Opry finishes up their "residency" at the Ryman Auditorium, I have to say how impressed I was with the shows.
ReplyDelete23 different Opry members (counting future Opry members Henry Cho and Gary Mule Deer) made appearances, while only 12 non-Opry members appeared. Only 3 acts made their Opry debuts.
In the past, we have seen shows with only 1, 2 or even 3 Opry members, so it was nice to see shows that had more Opry members appearing than non-members. We also had one show with only members, and last night with only one non-member appearing.
Hopefully this will be the start of a trend in 2023, as more members are added, including acts that will honor their commitments to support the show.
I agree Byron. Loved the lineups, love the venue. Hope they go back to the Ryman next year (including Friday nights! :) ), and also hope the current trend of more 'Opry members holds up.
DeleteNittannee73, The Malpass Brothers are trying to do what you mentioned, they are "real" country music (and cut their teeth as an opening act for Merle Haggard, they learned from a legend) and they have retrofitted their look to the nudie style and hats. They are one of our favorites. Some think they are "too country" for the Opry. Sad.
ReplyDeleteByron, wonder if playing at the Ryman was the draw, the acoustics are so much better there - that's something the Opry House could have revamped - heaven knows they get enough $$$ for tickets now to do a lot of renovations!
I’ll be seeing the Malpass Brothers at Rory Feek’s Homestead Hall this coming Saturday night!!! Curry
ReplyDelete