Like many of you, I receive via email, Bill Anderson's monthly newsletter. In the April edition, which arrived on Tuesday morning, the following caught my attention:
And speaking of the Opry, just because the TV special is over don't make the mistake of thinking the 100Year celebration is over, too, because it's not. It will go on through the end of 2025. Each current Opry performer will have a night dedicated to them, and my night will be Tuesday July 15th which marks the date I joined the show 64-years ago. I'm not sure just what all will take place that night, but it promises to be exciting. I'd love for as many of you as possible to be here, but if you can't be, I hope you'll make plans to be listening. I'll tell you more as the time approaches.
While we have all heard that the Opry was going to have special tribute shows during 2025, this is the first that I have heard that every current Grand Ole Opry member will have a night dedicated to them. While it's not guaranteed that every Opry member will show up on his or her special night, hopefully most will. I will also add that hopefully the Opry will dedicate shows to Opry members who are no longer with us or have retired. If so, I would assume that a few of those shows would take place on Opry Country Classics. Like many, I am looking forward to seeing what the Opry comes up with.
Now looking ahead to the shows this weekend, Grand Ole Opry member Mark Wills is on the schedule for both nights, making it two weekends in a row. Also on the Friday night schedule are Opry members Eddie Montgomery, Don Schlitz, Del McCoury and Connie Smith. Connie was on the schedule for last weekend but did not appear. Hopefully she is better this weekend.
Saturday night, in addition to Mark, Crystal Gayle, T. Graham Brown and Riders In The Sky are listed.
Looking at the non-members on the schedule, comedian Dusty Slay is listed on the schedule for both Friday and Saturday night. Joining Dusty on Friday night is Opry NextStage artist Tigirlily Gold and Mike Farris. On Saturday night, The Wilder Blue, Camille Parker and, making their Opry debut, Danny Paisley & The Southern Grass.
Friday April 4
7:00: Mark Wills, Connie Smith, Tigirlily Gold, Del McCoury Band
Intermission
8:20: Mike Farris, Dusty Slay, Eddie Montgomery, Don Schlitz
Saturday April 5
7:00: Opry Square Dancers, Mark Wills, Riders In The Sky, Camille Parker, T. Graham Brown
Intermission
8:20: Danny Paisley & The Southern Grass, Opry Square Dancers, Dusty Slay, The Wilder Blue, Crystal Gayle
As I am sure you can guess, Danny Paisley & The Southern Grass is a bluegrass band, and a pretty good one. Southern Grass was founded by Bob Paisley, Danny's father, and after he passed away in 2004, Danny took over as the leader of the group. The group has been given over 20 Bluegrass Music Award Nominations and won the 2009 IBMA Song of the Year for Don’t Throw Mama’s Flowers Away. In 2024, Danny Paisley joined an elite group of vocalists to be awarded the IBMA Male Vocalist of the Year for the fourth time - an achievement bestowed only to three others in the history of Bluegrass music.
The group’s latest release, Bluegrass Troubadour, was nominated for IBMA’s Album of the Year and earned significant chart action, with the song Blink of an Eye spending several months at the #1 spot on the Bluegrass music charts and was also nominated for IBMA Song of the Year.
With Danny Paisley on guitar, Southern Grass continues the family tradition by adding Danny’s son Ryan on mandolin, the next generation of up-and-coming pickers. Southern Grass continues the rich musical heritage started by Bob Paisley and Ted Lundy with Lundy’s sons T.J. (Fiddle) and Bobby (Bass and Vocals). T.J. Lundy is a highly respected fiddler bridging the gap between old-time fiddling and bluegrass music. Bobby Lundy is also a renowned multi-instrumentalist who has gained attention for his unique bass style. Southern Grass also includes Dean Phillips on banjo.
This week the Spotlight is on Skeeter Davis as it was 50 years ago Saturday night, April 5, 1975, that Skeeter returned to the Opry after being suspended from the show in December 1973.
From The Tennessean:
Two ladies of lasting musical magic made long awaited returns to the Grand Ole Opry on Saturday night. Skeeter Davis, suspended from the Opry some 16 months ago, and Rosemary Clooney, making her first appearance in 22 years were all smiles and excitement.
Miss Davis' return marked the end of an indefinite suspension from the Opry that began in December 1973, and which strained relationships between Miss Davis and both Opry officials and some of her fellow entertainers. The suspension was precipitated by comments Miss Davis made during an Opry performance in defense of members of a religious group who had been arrested for allegedly harassing customers in a Nashville shopping center. "They've arrested 15 people just for telling people that Jesus loves them. That really burdens my heart, so I thought I would come to the Opry tonight and sing," Miss Davis was quoted as saying.
Grand Ole Opry Manager E.W. "Bud" Wendell, (now general manager of the Opryland complex), later talked with Miss Davis about the remark, and suspension resulted. Wendell has never discussed the suspension publicly and Saturday night, Miss Davis steered the conversation away from the past and into the more congenial present. "The timing was bad," she said of the incident and the reaction to it. "The police took it personal, and it wasn't. I don't think we should even go into that," she said.
Hal Durham, who became manager of the Opry last year, said, "All I can say is the differences have been resolved, and we're very happy to have her back." Introduced to the Opry audience by Billy Grammer, Miss Davis came on to say, "This is a song I'd Like to dedicate to all of you because I Love all of you so much." Then she sang "I Can't Help It If I'm Still In Love With You."
Greeted with warm hugs backstage by many of her old friends, Miss Davis' performance was received just as warmly by the capacity crowd. "It's hard to realize it's been 16 months," Miss Davis said, again backstage. "It's interesting to find that people were concerned all along about when I would be back." The suspension, she said, hurt her career in some ways, but in other ways, "it opened a lot of doors for me." The open doors included religious concerts as well as appearances on a number of religious television programs, which she said pay very well. "I wouldn't have survived this last year with just my country concerts," she said. Now she expects her bookings to pick back up as she makes more appearances on the Opry and gets back into the studio to do some recording.
Summing up her feelings about the suspension and her return, Miss Davis referred to the time of year and the good things that have happened. "It's just Spring, love. Everything is good in the springtime," she said. "I've been preaching all the years I've been here. It was just an incident that happened that God took advantage of."
Here is the running order from the 1st show that featured the return of Skeeter Davis, on Saturday April 5, 1975:
6:30: Mrs. Grissoms
Charlie Louvin (host): Freight Train Boogie
Bill Carlisle: Too Old To Cut The Mustard
Charlie Louvin: When You Have To Fly Alone/See The Big Man Cry
6:45: Rudy's
Ray Pillow (host): Countryfied
Stu Phillips: She Thinks I Still Care
Del Wood: The Entertainer
Ray Pillow: The Simple Things In Life
7:00: Rudy's
Billy Grammer (host): Lonesome Road Blues
Skeeter Davis: I Can't Help It
Lonzo & Oscar: When I Stop Dreaming
Ernie Ashworth: The Hight Cost Of Living
Skeeter Davis: Bus Fare To Kentucky
Billy Grammer: What A Friend
7:30: Standard Candy
Charlie Walker (host): Pick Me Up On Your Way Down
Jimmy C Newman: Thibodeaux Cajun Band
Marion Worth: Delta Dawn
Jim & Jesse: Ashes Of Love
Charlie Walker: The Last Supper
Crook Brothers & The Stoney Mountain Cloggers: Old Joe Clark
Jimmy C Newman: Before The Next Teardrop Falls
Charlie Walker: Good Deal Lucille
8:00: Martha White
Roy Acuff (host): Wabash Cannonball
Jeanne Pruett: Just Like Your Daddy
Wilma Lee & Stoney Cooper: Poor Ellen Smith
Justin Tubb: Sunshine Lady
Roy Acuff: Carry Me Back To The Mountains
Jeanne Pruett: Hold To My Unchanging Love/Love Me/You Don't Need To Move A Mountain/Satin Sheets
Wilma Lee & Stoney Cooper: There's A Big Wheel
8:30: Stephens
Jack Greene (host) & Jeannie Seely: If You're Going Down
Jeannie Seely: Catfish John
Willis Brothers: Truck Stop
Fruit Jar Drinkers: Soldier's Joy
The 4 Guys: Another Somebody Done Somebody Wrong Song
Jack Greene: There Goes My Everything
Jeannie Seely: He Can Be Mine
(As an FYI, Rosemary Clooney appeared only on the late show that night)
Skeeter Davis made her Grand Ole Opry debut on September 26, 1953, joining the cast in 1959. She made her last Opry appearance on December 30, 2000. She stopped performing due to reoccurring health issues that led to her death in September 2004. Skeeter is probably most famous for her hit, "The End of the World." I will always remember Skeeter for the colorful outfits that she wore on the Opry and the smiles that she always had on her face.
There you have it for this weekend. As always, thanks for reading and commenting and I hope everyone enjoys the Grand Ole Opry this weekend.