It is going to be a very special weekend at the Grand Ole Opry as two of music's iconic stars are going to be making their Opry debuts. Ringo Starr will be making his debut on Friday night and Bill Medley is set to debut on Saturday night.
I think everyone knows who Ringo Starr is and his relationship to country music and rockabilly, so I will just go with one of the press releases:
Ringo Starr is about to cross a huge item off of his bucket list. The founding member of the Beatles will make his Grand Ole Opry debut on February 21. Starr was invited to perform at the Opry by Emmylou Harris, while at the Ryman Auditorium. Starr was performing the first of two headlining shows in support of his new country album, Look Up.
Harris was a surprise for Starr, who replied to her invitation with his own bit of comedy. "When is that, July?" he asked, with Harris telling him his debut was to happen next month. "I'd love to," he said. "It's an honor and a pleasure. Thank you."
Opry Executive Producer Dan Rogers praises Starr for his contribution in music. Starr will perform as part of the Grand Ole Opry's 100th anniversary celebration.
"What an honor that after all the extraordinary music he has made and all the incredible history he's been a part of, Ringo Starr will be making his Opry debut during this, the Opry's milestone 100th year," Rogers said. "It's going to be a night like no other."
Few could have ever predicted Starr's segue from being part of arguably the biggest band of all time to making country music. But to Starr, it's an easy evolution, especially after joining forces with T Bone Burnett. Starr first asked Burnett to produce what he thought was going to be another EP. But when Burnett brought him nine songs that he had written or co-written, the plans for Look Up fell into place.
"I had been making EPs at the time and so I thought we would do a country EP - but when he brought me nine songs, I knew we had to make an album! And I am so glad we did," Starr says. "I want to thank and send peace and love to T Bone and all the great musicians who helped make this record. It was a joy making it and I hope it is a joy to listen to."
While I have seen Ringo in concert before with his All-Star Band, I am not about to miss his debut on the Grand Ole Opry. Yes, I will be at the Opry this weekend.
Joining Ringo on the Friday Night Opry is Grand Ole Opry members Lauren Alaina, Mandy Barnett, Riders In The Sky, Don Schlitz and Rhonda Vincent. Along with Ringo, Mickey Guyton and Molly Tuttle are the non-members on the schedule.
While Ringo is debuting on Friday night, Bill Medley will be debuting on Saturday night. Along with Bill, Saturday night's lineup includes Opry members Del McCoury Band, John Conlee, Jeannie Seely and Sara Evans. Non members on the schedule, in addition to Bill Medley, include Frank Ray, Breland, and making her solo Opry debut, Kat Luna, who was formally a part of the duet Kat & Alex.
Friday February 21
7:00: Riders In The Sky, Lauren Alaina, Rhonda Vincent, Don Schlitz
Intermission
8:20: Mandy Barnett, Molly Tuttle, Mickey Guyton, Ringo Starr
Saturday February 22
7:00 Opry Square Dancers, John Conlee, Frank Ray, Jeannie Seely, Del McCoury Band
Intermission
8:20: Kat Luna, Breland, Bill Medley, Sara Evans
Bill Medley has one of the most iconic voices this world will ever know. As one-half of GRAMMY® Award-winning, Rock & Roll Hall of Fame inductees The Righteous Brothers – a beloved and legendary duo who released songs that are part of the fabric of worldwide pop culture – Medley influenced generation upon generation of vocalists through songs such as: “You’ve Lost That Lovin’ Feelin’,” “Unchained Melody,” and “(I’ve Had) The Time Of My Life.”
As a lover of Country music, and with a forthcoming album – Straight From The Heart - of his versions of Country mega-hits, Bill recently told his grandson, “This is who your grandpa really is.”
Kenny Rogers called Bill in 1978 and invited him to Nashville, beginning a lifetime of relationships and experiences with the Country music community, including earning an ACM Nomination for Top New Male Vocalist of the Year in 1985, after 25 years in the music business. Bill went on to open for Loretta Lynn for two months, toured with Alabama, and spent time with Johnny Cash, Glen Campbell, Kris Kristofferson, among many others.
Songs on Bill Medley’s historic album with a historic voice include: “The Dance,” originally recorded by Garth Brooks; “He Stopped Loving Her Today,” originally recorded by George Jones; and “I’m So Lonesome I Could Cry (feat. Shawn Colvin),” originally recorded by Hank Williams.
The forthcoming 14-song collection was produced by Fred Mollin (Miley Cyrus, Billy Joel) and features guest artists Michael McDonald, Shawn Colvin, Keb’ Mo’, and Vince Gill, who went on to win that 1985 ACM Top New Male Vocalist of the Year for which Bill was nominated. Mollin shares, “In the heart of Music Row in Nashville, where so many of these songs were originally recorded, the truly iconic voice of Bill Medley sat around with the current class of legendary studio musicians and one song rolled into the next. Live on the floor. The way it was meant to be.”
A self-described Pop/Blues artist, Bill shares, “At its core, a pure Country ballad is the blues.”
Medley’s upcoming album, Straight From The Heart is set for release this week.
Kat Luna is embarking on a new chapter as a solo artist. A first generation Cuban American, Luna was born and raised in Miami and grew up singing in church. She decided to pursue music professionally after appearing on “La Voz” at the age of 19. Luna later competed as a solo artist on American Idol, prompting a move to Nashville upon completion of the show. Luna now looks ahead to her next chapter as she continues to record new music with producer Nathan Chapman. With her Cuban roots, powerful vocals, and love of country music storytelling, Luna is forging her own path built on her passion for music and commitment to authenticity.
This week, we highlight 49+ year Grand Ole Opry member Bill Carlisle, who made his final Saturday night Grand Ole Opry appearance on Saturday February 22, 2003.
From Variety (at the time of Bill's death):
Country Music Hall of Fame member Jumpin’ Bill Carlisle, whose music and comedy made him a Grand Ole Opry staple for the past half-century, died March 17 at his home in Goodlettsville, Tenn., after suffering a stroke the previous week. He was 94.
A Grand Ole Opry member since 1953, Carlisle was inducted into the Country Music Hall of Fame in 2002. He is best known for novelty hits like “No Help Wanted,” and for penning the now-classic hymn “Gone Home,” popularized by Flatt & Scruggs and recently recorded by Ricky Skaggs.
William Carlisle was born into poverty in Wakefield, Ky., near Louisville. Following the lead of older brother Cliff, he learned to play guitar and began performing around the region during the 1920s. In 1929, the family launched the “Carlisle Family Saturday Night Barn Dance” on a Louisville radio station.
Bill developed an alter-ego for his shows: a comedic rube in overalls named Hot Shot Elmer, noted for gags that included a pet skunk, a shock box and ducks in diapers.
In the mid-’30s, Cliff and Bill formed the Carlisle Brothers, one of the most popular country duos of the time. They had live programs on radio stations in nine Southeastern cities, gaining their largest following during a stint on “The Midday Merry-Go-Round” on Knoxville’s WNOX. From 1932 to 1947, they recorded more than 100 sides for six different labels, peaking with 1946 single “Rainbow at Midnight,” which hit No. 5 on the Billboard country singles chart. In 1948, they charted again with “Tramp on the Street.”
In addition to their recordings, the brothers’ live shows drew big crowds, who particularly came to see Bill as Hot Shot Elmer. The barefoot Hot Shot was notorious for hurdling chairs in the audience and leaping from the stage, earning Carlisle his “Jumpin’ Bill” nickname.
He came into his own as a solo recording artist with a series of novelty hits in the early 1950s, most of which he wrote. These include “No Help Wanted”; “Knothole”; “Shake-a-Leg”; and “Too Old to Cut the Mustard,” which spurred interest from the Grand Ole Opry. But when the Opry didn’t take him on right away, he found himself scrambling for work — which inspired him to write “No Help Wanted.” The song reached No. 1 in January 1953, and 10 months later, the Opry had added Carlisle to its roster.
Carlisle gave Chet Atkins one of his first jobs in music, employing the now-legendary guitar picker as a fiddler in the early 1940s. Carlisle was noted for his own skill as an acoustic guitar player; he was an early favorite of rock ‘n’ roll guitar hero Duane Eddy, and some credit him with influencing rockabilly.
Six major surgeries in the 1990s limited his jumping but he continued to mix music and comedy throughout his tenure at the Opry. He performed with a walker after hip replacement and kept using it even after he no longer needed it, only to surprise the audience by flinging it over his shoulder at the end of his set and walking away. He made his last Opry appearance March 7.
He was married to the former Leona King for 62 years, and both of their children — Sheila Carlisle, who died in 1991, and Bill Carlisle Jr.– performed in their dad’s ensemble.
Here is the running order of the first show, and Bill Carlisle's final Saturday night appearance on the Grand Ole Opry:
Saturday February 22, 2003
1st show
6:30: Tennessee Pride
Jimmy Dickens (host): Sleepin' At The Foot Of The Bed
Hal Ketchum: Dreams Of Martina
Jimmy C Newman: Big Mamou
John Conlee: She's Mine
Jimmy Dickens: Mountain Dew
7:00: Gutter Guard/Standard Candy
John Michael Montgomery: Country Thing/I Can Love You Like That
Jim Ed Brown: Pop A Top (host)
Stevens Sisters: Old Joe Clark/Those Words We Said
Blake Shelton: Georgia In A Jug/The Baby/Ole Red
Jim Ed Brown: Fools
Nanci Giffith: Love At the Five & Dime/A Simple Life/Listen To The Radio
Jim Ed Brown: Take This Job And Shove It/Pop A Top
8:00: Martha White
Porter Wagoner (host): The Burned The Little Roadside Tavern Down
Bill Carlisle: Gone Home
Jeannie Seely & Danny Davis: Today I Started Loving You Again
The Whites: Pins & Needles/He Took Your Place
Opry Square Dance Band: Cherokee Shuffle
Porter Wagoner & Penny DeHaven: Forty Miles To Poplar Bluff
8:30: Tootsie's
Mike Snider (host): Acorn Hill/ (?)
Billy Walker: I Saw Elvis At Walmart
Holly Dunn: You Really Had Me Going
Andy Griggs: Ain't No Practice Life/I Wanna Be Your Man
Mike Snider: Sally Goodin
As mentioned, that was the final Saturday night for Bill Carlisle. His final Opry appearance took place on Friday March 7. Here is the posted lineup from his final night:
7:30: Porter Wagoner (host): Jeannie Seely, Mike Snider, Jeff Bates
8:00: Jean Shepard (host): Bill Carlisle, Jack Greene, Radney Foster
8:30: Jimmy Dickens (host): Jan Howard, Jim Ed Brown, Suzy Bogguss
9:00: Bill Anderson (host): Ernie Ashworth, Connie Smith, Andy Griggs
9:30: George Hamilton IV (host): Stevens Sisters, Billy Walker, Gene Watson
Bill Carlisle was an Opry member for 49+ years. He would have celebrated his 50th anniversary later in 2003.
The following Saturday night, the Grand Ole Opry had a tribute to Bill Carlisle, that took place during the first show's 8:00 segment hosted by Porter Wagoner. Bill Carlisle was a joy to watch and hear on the Opry, another of the legendary members who have been largely forgotten.
There you have it for this weekend. It is going to be an exciting weekend for sure at the Grand Ole Opry House and I am very fortunate to say that I will be there both nights. For those listening on WSM, I hope you enjoy what the Opry has offering.
As always, thanks for reading and commenting.
The Grateful Dead also recorded " Gone Home". I always remember the story when Bill got the statement that Grateful Dead had recorded " Gone Home". Bill asked Bill Jr., " who's the Grateful Dead, they recorded one of my songs?" Bill Jr replied," you'll find out when you get the royalty check.". Then Bill would say ,"they're like family now. "
ReplyDeleteYou are correct. I remember Bill Sr saying that. Bill would also say,Onie Wheeler wrote Go, Home, not the same song as Bill's Gone Home. Onie died in 1984 on the Circle of the Opry stage singing for Rev Jimmie Snow's Grand Ole Gospel Show and was the train whistle and Harmonica player for Roy Acuff.
ReplyDeleteBill Carlisle wrote Gone Home after the Funeral of his Grandpa.
Who do you guys see going into the Hall of Fame this year?.
ReplyDeleteWhat a great Friday Night Opry line-up ... the first five performers are Opry members. Yay! :-)
ReplyDeleteAnd who would ever think that a former member of The Beatles would be making his Opry debut? Though I am going to disagree with the writer of the press release saying Ringo was a founding member of The Beatles, no he wasn't, he was hired to be the drummer after John, Paul and George let Pete Best go, then Ringo became a member of The Beatles and lucky him, that he was a member of a small group of musicians the wrote and recorded some of the best music in our lifetime. If the writer of the press release meant it to mean he was one of four musicians that set the world on absolute fire with their music, I can totally buy that, but to say he was a founding member, let's not rewrite history. The Beatles loved country and rockabilly music, so Ringo being on the Opry really is no stretch saying he's just a pop/rock/country musician. I am really am looking forward to listening to Ringo and tonight's entire show, it is going to be a GREAT night of music!
Tomorrow night's Saturday Night Grand Ole Opry looks to be a good show as well. I sure loved the Righteous Brothers music back in the day, so I will enjoy listening to Bill Medley. It's nice to see Sara Evans being able to find the back door ... she so wanted to be asked to be a member for a long, long time, couldn't prove it by me for how little she walks through that back door.
While I am happy that Jason Carter is striking out on his own after 33 years as a member of the Del McCoury Band, I am happy for him that he is now going to do his own thing; he and Michael Carmichael are terrific together; all the best to both terrific fiddlers.
Enjoy the Opry shows and your weekend everyone and stay warm, here in the Chicagoland area, we are finally going to lift out of sub-zero temps and we are actually going into the 30's ... again yay!! :-)
Have a great time in Music City, Byron; safe travels back home when it's time to leave.
(Jeanene)
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ReplyDeleteEZ, good luck with your performance tonight!
ReplyDeleteI'm past the point of having much of an opinion when posting here anymore. I'll should stick to memory posts or to relating information or facts I might have. I'm not against all types of music if it is well done. I may not like it but I can respect it. The Opry has evolved very quickly in the past decade as outside influences have entered the picture changing it forever. It has always evolved and become more tolerant of musical influences beyond country but it has been on the fast track recently. I can attribute much of it to country music industry itself over the past 20 years or so. I say industry because I think the change was brought on equally by record companies and new artist that did not grow up with a heavy influence from the country artist that went before them. So often you hear them mention their musical influences as rock or pop artist and now and then you might hear Haggard, Nelson or Cash but I often feel those are just names to drop to justify having some country roots. Now and then someone comes along with and older style country song but it is not enough to make the impact a Skaggs, Whitley, Travis or McEntire did in the early 80's. George Strait is the same ole George and can still sell out a huge arena but radio has written him off. The music world in general is getting closer to eliminating the lines between genres just like a local hall of fame disc jokey told us it would 30 years ago. As goes the industry, so goes the Opry if it wanted to survive. I wonder of those who closed Opryland Park 25 years ago had the foresight to see that the Grand Ole Opry would one day replace it as "The Home of American Music"?
I'll just be thankful that the Opry still exists and I can still hear some country music as I like it along with bluegrass and some other things I enjoy even if we are in the minority.
Too bad Johnny Russell can't be there to enjoy Ringo tonight. They made him a lot of money!
Jim
Jim, don't forget, as Johnny used to say about those millions of sales, "If it wasn't for alimony and taxes, I'd be a rich little fat boy today."
DeleteRingo Starr at the age of 84 can sing as well as some of the young first time 'Opry acts :)
ReplyDeleteAnd he had a steel guitar in his set !
Sounded like legitimate traditional country music to me. Ringo is still a showman. And he did Act Naturally.
Very good show tonight. Well done Grand Old 'Opry.
Thank you Jim. I ended up finishing way before he started around 9:30 or so. The band was not finished and I could not and would not have left but, noise canceling AirPods in your ears will do wonders even when there’s live music right in front of you so I was able to listen to the whole set and I know he’s not traditional country music but I thought it was fantastic. My musical partner is one of the most talented people in the history of the business and he knows everything about everything. He told me that Ringo made his first solo album in Nashville and used people like Pete Drake, and all of those legendary musicians and that he has always, always had a deep reverence for country music. That should be good enough for most people plus, he’s one of the most famous people in the history of music. Right up there with Elvis or Sinatra and if you can get some of that caliber to do anything no matter what show it is, you should get him, especially While you can. At 84 or 85, he isn’t going to be around much longer. Watch I say that and he’s still going to be spreading peace and love well over 100 years old. Ez. Also, if anybody’s wondering for some reason, it’s been really hard to keep myself signed in as myself on my phone so it’s easier to just sign my name at the end. 😂 Google is acting weird or something I don’t know.
ReplyDeleteRingo did a nice job last night. Sometimes the folks that come on who are not known as country end up performing more country music than the rest of the acts for the night. Although Ringo kept it pretty country, last night was not as short on more traditional country as some nights with Riders, Rhonda and Mandy performing.
ReplyDeleteI seem to recall Jim Ed or maybe one of the girls or maybe all three discussing that the Beatles were fans of theirs and their harmony. I seem to recall they came to watch them perform one night when they were in Europe but I might be making that one up! And we know they liked Buck and Don and their Telecasters.
I was a bit surprised that the crowd did not cheer longer at the end of the show and that Mike signed them off so quickly.
Jim
Hi Jim,
DeleteI agree with you, I was surprised first of all, that Ringo wasn't given one or two more songs to sing seeing that he was a pretty special guest ... 61 years in the music business being one of four musicians, that as I said on my above post, set the entire world on fire with their music. But okay, three songs it was and like you, I thought he did a really good job and I again I agree with you that the big red curtain came down rather quickly with Mike Terry signing off. I know they went a bit long but still ... it was Ringo! Maybe he will come back.
Tonight we have Bill Medley, who I am sure will be very good as well.
(Jeanene)