Welcome to 2025 and the start of Opry100. a yearlong celebration of the Grand Ole Opry's 100th anniversary. As posted on the Opry's website, Opry 100 is going to be the most thrilling year in country music, and we want to celebrate with you. All year long, the Opry will have bigger shows, bolder moments, huge stars, and surprise guests, delivering a fresh mix of your favorites and fresh sounds. Be there as we push the boundaries of country music and the Opry with our most ambitious and exciting shows.
The celebration gets underway this weekend at the Ryman Auditorium as the Opry returns to its most famous former home. The Opry will be taking place at the Ryman for the first two weekends of the year, along with the third Friday night before returning to the Grand Ole Opry House on January 18.
What better way to kick off the Opry's 100th year than with the longest tenured member in the history of the Grand Ole Opry, as Bill Anderson is on the schedule for the Friday Night Opry. He will be joined by Grand Ole Opry members Craig Morgan, Mandy Barnett and a trio of Hall of Fame members: Charlie McCoy, Connie Smith and Don Schlitz.
Guesting on the Friday Night Opry will be Charlie Worsham and The Travelin' McCourys, both of whom have appeared on the Opry numerous times. In fact, The Travelin' McCourys is basically the Del McCoury Band without Del.
Opry member Mandy Barnett is back on Saturday night, along with Dailey & Vincent and Riders In The Sky.
Guesting will be comedian Aaron Weber, Taylor Hicks, Grace Bowers, who made her Opry debut in 2024, and The Shootouts.
Friday January 3
7:00: Bill Anderson, The Travelin' McCoury's, Connie Smith, Don Schlitz
Intermission
8:20: Charlie McCoy, Mandy Barnett, Charlie Worsham, Craig Morgan
Saturday January 4
7:00: Opry Square Dancers, Dailey & Vincent, Mandy Barnett, Taylor Hicks, The Shootouts
Intermission
8:20: Charlie McCoy, Aaron Weber, Grace Bowers Riders In The Sky
Taking a look back, on Saturday January 4, 2003, Hank Williams Jr. and Hank Williams III performed together on a show that marked the 50th anniversary of the death of Grand Ole Opry legend Hank Williams.
Taking a look back on the tribute show upon the 50th anniversary of the death of Hank Williams, here is the running order from that night, January 4, 2003:
1st show
6:30: Tennessee Pride
John Conlee (host): The Carpenter
Jimmy C Newman: Big Mamou/Cajun Stripper
Jack Greene: Try A Little Kindness/Don't You Ever Get Tired Of Hurting Me
John Conlee: She's Mine
7:00: Gutter Guard
Hank Williams III: Howling At The Moon/Thrown Out Of The Bar
Jimmy Dickens: Jambalaya/Take An Old Cold Tater
The Whites: Move It On Over
Vince Gill: I'm So Lonesome I Could Cry
7:30: Standard Candy
Hank Williams, Jr: Honky Tonk Blues/Kawliga/Long Gone Lonesome Blues/Tee Tot Blues/All My Rowdy Friends Are Coming Over Tonight/There's A Tear In My Beer
Grand Ole Opry Cast: I Saw The Light
8:00: Martha White
Porter Wagoner (host): Howdy Neighbor Howdy
Riders In The Sky: Happy Roving Cowboy/The Mystery Of His Way
Jim Lauderdale: If I Were You/The King Of The Broken Hearts
Opry Square Dance Band & The Grand Ole Opry Square Dancers: Liberty
Porter Wagoner: Why Don't You Haul Off & Love Me
8:30: Tootsie's
Bill Anderson (host): Southern Fried
Osborne Brothers: Rocky Top
Holly Dunn: Devil, Stand Back
Joe Nichols: The Impossible/Farewell Party/Broken Heartsville
Bill Anderson: Pictures From Life's Other Side
2nd show
9:30: online.com
Jimmy Dickens (host): Sleepin' At The Foot Of The Bed
Jeannie Seely: Hey, Good Lookin'/Together Again
Hank Williams III: A Fool About You/I'll Never Get Out Of This World Alive
Jimmy Dickens: I'd Rather Sleep In Peace Than Know You're Gone
10:00: Opry Tours
Porter Wagoner (host): Katy Did
Jimmy C Newman: Jambalaya
Billy Walker: Funny How Time Slips Away
The Whites: Mansion On The Hill/Move It On Over
Porter Wagoner: House Of Gold
10:30: online.com
John Conlee (host): How High Did You Go
Stu Phillips: Blue Canadian Rockies
Jack Greene: Highway To The Sky/Statue Of A Fool
Opry Square Dance Band & The Grand Ole Opry Square Dancers: Cherokee Shuffle
John Conlee: Rose Colored Glasses
11:00: Coca Cola
Bill Anderson (host): Get A Little Dirt On Your Hands
Osborne Brothers: Pathway Of Teardrops/Midnight Flyer
Joe Nichols: Broken Heartsville/The Impossible
Bill Anderson: Wedding Bells
11:30: Tootsie's
Riders In The Sky (host): We're Burning Moonlight
Ray Pillow: Too Many Memories
Holly Dunn: That's What Your Love Does To Me
Jim Lauderdale: We're Gone/I'll Follow You Anywhere
Riders In The Sky: Give Me A Pinto Pal/Happy Trails To You
In addition to the tribute to Hank Williams, the show that night was dedicated to Jim McReynolds, who had passed away the prior week. Grand Ole Opry General Manager Pete Fisher began the first show with the following tribute:
Good evening, Ladies and Gentlemen: On this night in which we honor one of country music's greatest legends, we also pause to dedicate this performance of the Opry to Jim McReynolds, one half of the longtime Opry duo Jim & Jesse, who passed away this past Tuesday at age 75 from a battle with cancer. Jim and his brother were born into a musical family in the mountains of southwest Virginia. Their grandfather Charles McReynolds had taken part in the landmark Bristol sessions of Jimmy Rodgers and The Carter Family when Jim was born. Both sides of the brother's family were steeped in music, as much so that neither brother could recall having to learn to play his signature guitar or mandolin. There were always instruments around the house, Jim said, so it would be hard to say when we started.
Having embarked on a professional career in 1947, Jim and Jesse's 55 years of making music together is a record. No other family act, in the history of American music, has actively performed together for a longer period of time. Jim, who sang a clear polished tenor, and played guitar while Jesse contributed lead vocals in mandolin playing, together with their Virginia Boys, they were regulars on a succession of radio shows from their native Virginia to Ohio, to Kansas early in their careers. A recording contract with Capital Records, during this period produced the cut "Are You Missing Me," which became a bluegrass classic, and a staple of their stage shows.
Following many guest appearances under the sponsorship of Martha White Flour, Jim and Jesse obtained a lifelong goal, becoming members of the Opry on March 2, 1964. The Opry stage served as a springboard for Jim and Jesse's traditional bluegrass sound. They starred on their own syndicated TV show, the Jim and Jesse Show, from 1965-1972; literally crisscrossed the world playing at bluegrass festivals, and recorded more than 50 albums including chart hits like "Better Time's A' Comin'" "Diesel On My Tail" "Freight Train" and "Paradise," Their contributions to the music they loved were recognized in 1993 when Jim and Jesse were inducted into the Bluegrass Music's International Hall of Honor. Indeed, their music took them from their Virginia homeplace to the Opry House to the White House as the brother duo received the National Endowment for the Arts National Heritage Fellowship, the most prestigious honor in Folk and Traditional Arts at a Washington D.C. ceremony in 1997.
This evening, we salute a family man, a musical partner, and a much-loved member of the Opry. Music was one of his earliest memories as well as an enduring gift to all of us. He made his final stage performance on this stage, on this past November 23. Tonight, the Opry honors a Virginia Boy and an Opry gentleman, Jim McReynolds.
A wonderful and heartfelt tribute by Pete Fisher.
There you have it for this weekend as the Opry begins its 100th anniversary. As always, thanks for reading and commenting and I hope everyone enjoys the Grand Ole Opry at the Ryman Auditorium this weekend.
For those who did not listen, or did listen to the Friday Night Opry, I thought it was an outstanding show, one of the best in recent memory. From the start with Billy Cody doing the Opry100 introduction, followed by Bill Anderson with a slightly different version of "Will The Circle Be Unbroken," and right to the end with Craig Morgan, each of the artists were at their best.
ReplyDeleteI did want to point out what I thought was the highlight of the night, which was Charlie's Worsham's 10-minute instrumental/singing that started off with a tribute to DeFord Bailey and The Carter Family, on down to the present. If I was in charge of Opry membership, which I am not, he is the type of artist who would do the Opry proud, and I would hope he is on the short list of future membership. In my mind, and having seen him several times on the Opry, I would be all in favor of him.
Tonight, show #2 of Opry100 takes place and while the lineup doesn't seem as strong as the one last night, I am looking forward to the show.
Ol' Whisper did a nice job. And I see that he has a song he's co-written coming as a duet for Tim McGraw and Barbra Streisand. He's amazing.
DeleteI totally agree with you, Byron. What a great way to kick off the Opry100 year ... every artist was absolutely terrific, but Charlie Worsham was the one that totally stood out for sure AND he even sang the Martha White commercial. Hopefully, at some point, Charlie will become an Opry member. His musicianship was on full display last night and he showed the audience why he won the CMA Musician of the Year Award back in November.
DeleteAlso, Mandy Barnett did a fabulous job last night. The highlight of her 3-song set was singing Linda Ronstadt's "Long, Long Time." Just she and her guitarist and what's better than hearing it one night but hearing it a second night in a row. What a true vocalist she really is.
(Jeanene)
I am not on Facebook but my brother told me about one of the comments he recently saw on the Opry page. It said, paraphrasing here, that the weak singers like Bill Anderson and Jeannie Seely needed to get out of the way and make room for people like Keith Urban. First, I have never heard Jeannie Seely sound weak and second, I wonder why they call him whisper. And I'm listening so I do hear what the rest of you hear some nights. Regardless of comments like that from the possibly uneducated or uninformed, how sad it would be to have Bill, Jeannie, Connie and maybe some others pushed aside as we celebrate 100 years. We had enough of that under Mr. Fisher.
ReplyDeleteWhat was it Stringbean used to say? "I feel so unnecessary"? I admit that I did not hear the first of the next to last act tonight, not mentioning names, but that was unnecessary and even the audience knew it. I just don't understand. Has the word come down from on high that the Opry MUST find every possible style, useing that word loosely, of music and have it performed on that stage. Most of you know how I feel and you know that I am a big fan of Bill Anderson. The line in his song Too Country that says "Too country, I don't understand" is how I feel. I don't understand. I'm not even talking about being too country, I'm talking about just plain not country. I don't understand why that seems to have become a mission of the Opry.
I'm sure I am more in the minority every day and I know whether I like it or not, it is filling seats but it just makes me sad. My hair is about 60% gray so maybe that explains it.
A rare, good word, I did think the Friday night show was really good and I do expect some very good moments in 2025. After that........
Jim
Knightsville, IN
Jim, you and I and several others here better get used to it.
ReplyDeleteFrom Above:
"All year long, the Opry will have bigger shows, bolder moments, huge stars, and surprise guests, delivering a fresh mix of your favorites and fresh sounds. Be there as we push the boundaries of country music and the Opry with our most ambitious and exciting shows. "
My Translation:
"Less traditional country music, more pop stuff that is not one bit country."
I found that statement to be ominous, too.
DeleteJ in OK
Jim and Nat, totally agree with your comments; as we all know it will never be back to the wonderful shows and Opry members we loved in years past. We are grateful that our many many trips to Nashville were "back in the day" and have no desire to go back. Thankfully they did have Bill Anderson be the first member to kick off the year (deservedly so) but otherwise it was a diisappointing opening to a significant year/event. (Anonymous in PA).
ReplyDelete