Grand Ole Opry 3/7 & 3/8

Two weeks ago, we had the Opry debut of Ringo Starr. Last weekend, we had the unveiling of the new microphone stands. Let me just say, the new mic stands have a very clean and modern look. OPRY really stands out. I will admit that I miss the words "Grand Ole" on the stands and I do believe these are the first mic stands without those words. However, for marketing and promotional purposes, it seems that OPRY is the focus right now. I was surprised that I did not see 100 after Opry, as everything right now is focused on OPRY100. And yes, it was time for a change. 

Taking a look at the Grand Ole Opry shows for this weekend, members The Isaacs are back on the schedule for both Friday and Saturday night. Joining them on Friday night are Opry members Mandy Barnett, John Conlee, Riders In The Sky and Don Schlitz. Rounding out the schedule is Opry NextStage artist Niko Moon, along with Caylee Hammack. 

Along with The Isaacs, Country Music Hall of Fame member Connie Smith is back on the schedule for the second week in a row. It is certainly nice to see Connie back. Also scheduled are members Terri Clark and Dailey & Vincent. The very popular duo Maddie & Tae are back for their first appearance of 2025, along with Tyler Rich and Ingrid Andress. 

Friday March 7
7:00: Riders In The Sky, John Conlee, Caylee Hammack, Don Schlitz
Intermission
8:20: Mandy Barnett, Niko Moon, The Isaacs

Saturday March 8
7:00: Opry Square Dancers, Dailey & Vincent, Connie Smith, Tyler Rich, Terri Clark
Intermission
8:20: Ingrid Andress, Maddie & Tae, The Isaacs

Continuing a look at pass Grand Ole Opry members, this week the spotlight is on Hank Locklin, who passed away on March 8, 2009: 

First, the press release when Hank joined the Grand Ole Opry in November 1960: 

Hank Locklin has joined WSM's Grand Ole Opry and makes his debut tomorrow night (8:30). Locklin, whose RCA-Victor disc of "Please Help Me, I'm Falling" was a recent best seller, becomes the 46th Country Music artist to attain star status with the Saturday night program, now in its 35th year. Locklin will continue to make his home in Milton, Fla. and commute weekly to Nashville, according to Opry manager Ott Devine. 

And from his obituary: 

International country music legend and Grand Ole Opry star Hank Locklin, who soared to stardom with the mega country/pop hit Please Help Me I'm Falling and wrote the country classic Send Me The Pillow You Dream On passed away on Sunday March 8th. He was 91 years old.

Locklin had been a Brewton, Alabama resident since 1984 and was well known among the locals as a friend and were never a stranger after meeting the cordial performer.

One of country's greatest tenors, Locklin scored one of the biggest hits of the music's golden era with "Please Help Me, I'm Falling," which spent a remarkable 14 weeks at No. 1 and 30 weeks in the Top 10 in 1960. With that hit came membership into the Opry, an honor he maintained for the rest of his life. Locklin's other big hits included Geisha Girl, Let Me Be The One, Country Hall of Fame and Danny Boy. For nearly two decades Locklin recorded for RCA Records (1955-1974). Locklin helped usher in the famous 1950s-60s Nashville Sound, which also featured the likes of fellow performers Jim Reeves, Patsy Cline and The Browns. His legacy grew overseas helping to spread country music popularity to Japan, Germany and especially to Ireland, where fans took to his clear, crisp tenor voice and claimed Locklin as an adopted son.

He was born Lawrence Hankins Locklin in the piney northwest Florida community of McLellan. In later years, after gaining international popularity, he was nicknamed the Mayor of McLellan by television/radio personality Ralph Emery. The name stuck as Locklin maintained residence there on his 350-plus acre Singing L Ranch until moving to Brewton 25 years ago.

While he was born into a family that reared doctors and educators, Locklin discovered very early he was to be a performer. Hank was picking guitar for amateur contests in nearby Milton, Florida, by age 10. In his teens he was a featured performer on Pensacola radio station WCOA. For the next several years, he played with a variety of groups through the South and worked at various jobs in Florida, including farmer, ribbon mill hanker, and shipyard worker.

After World War II ended, his career started taking off, and he appeared on Shreveport's Louisiana Hayride and the Big D Jamboree in Dallas, Texas. He recorded briefly for Decca, and after meeting producer Bill McCall, Hank recorded for McCall's Four Star Records for five years. Hank scored his first Top 10 song in 1949 with "The Same Sweet Girls." Four years later, he had a No. 1 with "Let Me Be the One," and a recording contract with RCA Victor followed.

The next year started a string of hit singles, with "Send Me the Pillow You Dream On," which he wrote, "It's a Little More Like Heaven," "Geisha Girl," "Fraulein," "Why, Baby Why," and "Blue Grass Skirt." In 1960, the remarkable success of "Please Help Me, I'm Falling"—the song not only dominated the country chart that year, but crossed over into the Top 10 pop charts in both the United States and the United Kingdom—earned him membership in the Grand Ole Opry. It also introduced the slip-note piano style to country music through legendary pianist Floyd Cramer and was a major factor in creating the "Nashville Sound." Locklin remembers, "Chet played me the demo and Don Robertson (one of the co-writers) was playing that slip-note on the piano…I told Chet if we could get Cramer to copy that style, we'd have us a hit, and we did." The slip-note piano style was synonymous with Hank's recordings from20that point forward and considered his signature sound.

Many hits followed throughout the '60s, including "We're Gonna Go Fishin'," "Happy Birthday To Me," "Happy Journey," "Followed Closely by My Teardrops," "The Country Hall of Fame," "Danny Boy" and "Where The Blue Of The Night, Meets The Gold Of The Day." During this time, Hank pioneered the creation of concept albums in country music with releases such as Foreign Love and Irish Songs, Country Style. Hank is also credited with taking country music to unprecedented heights of popularity with International audiences throughout the 50's, 60's and 70's. In all, Hank has sold more than 15 million albums and received numerous industry awards from The Grand Ole Opry, BMI, ASCAP, Cashbox, Billboard and NARAS.

Long a favorite with Opry audiences, Hank returned to the studio in 2001 to record Generations in Song. Featuring long-time colleagues such as Dolly Parton and Jeannie Seely, newer friends and admirers like Vince Gill (who cites Hank as an influence) and Jett Williams. Recently, Hank recorded his 65th album, a gospel album, with an award winning cast of artists such as The Oak Ridge Boys, The Jordanaires, Gold City and Jeff & Sheri Easter.

Locklin is survived by his loving wife of thirty-nine years, Anita Locklin, his children Margaret Kent, Maurice Locklin, Beth Padgett, Nina Hendricks, Amy Alford, and Hank Adam Locklin, along with his beloved grandchildren and great-grandchildren. Locklin was a member of Red Rock Lodge F. & A.M. in Munson, Florida, The Scottish Rite Bodies of Nashville, Tennessee and Hadji Shrine Temple in Pensacola, Florida.

In his later years at the Opry, Hank would usually be joined by his son Hank Adam Locklin, who himself had a fine voice. And speaking of voices, nobody could sing "Danny Boy" any better than Hank. 

Hank Locklin made his final Opry appearance on September 8, 2007. 

Back in the 60s and 70s, Hank would host Opry segments on a semi-regular basis. On of those nights was 50 years ago, on Saturday March 8, 1975. Here is the running order from the 2nd show that night: 

9:30: Kellogg's
Bill Monroe (host)
Stu Phillips: Loving You, Still Loving You
Bill Carlisle: No Help Wanted
Bill Monroe: Uncle Pen

10:00: Fender
Hank Locklin (host): The Sweetest Mistake I've Ever Made
Dottie West: Last Time I Saw Him
Ernie Ashworth: The High Cost Of Living
Hank Locklin: Send Me The Pillow You Dream On

10:15: Union 76
Roy Acuff (host): Old Time Sunshine Song
Charlie Walker: The Last Supper
Marion Worth: Go On Home
Roy Acuff: The Great Speckled Bird

10:30: Trailblazer
Wilma Lee & Stoney Cooper (host): Little Darling Pal Of Mine
Louie Roberts: Make The World Go Away
Wilma Lee & Stoney Cooper: Did You Think To Pray

10:45: Beechnut
The 4 Guys (host): Down By The Lazy River
Billy Grammer: Gotta Travel On
Crook Brothers: Black Mountain Rag
The 4 Guys: Let Me Be There

11:00: Coca Cola
Roy Drusky (host): Dixie Lily
Justin Tubb: As Long As There's A Sunday
Marilyn Sellars: He's Everywhere
Fruit Jar Drinkers: Bill Cheatham
Roy Drusky: Knee Deep In Loving You
Justin Tubb: Bad, Bad Leroy Brown
Sam McGee: Farewell Blues/Alabama Jubilee/Just Because

11:30: Elm Hill
Jimmy C Newman (host): Jambalaya
Jeanne Pruett: Satin Sheets/Just Like Your Daddy
Ronnie Robbins: If You Love Me, Let Me Know
Ronnie Robbins & Jeanne Pruett: Love Me
Jimmy C Newman: Thoroughbred Loser

There you have it for this week. As always, thanks for reading and commenting and I hope everyone enjoys the Grand Ole Opry this weekend.