This past Wednesday night, the Grand Ole Opry continued with its "Opry 100 Honors" series by honoring Opry member Charlie Daniels. The tribute to Charlie was the third in the series of shows that began in May, with the first show on May 13 honoring Loretta Lynn followed by last month’s show paying tribute to Johnny Cash & June Carter Cash. In my personal opinion, each of the three shows thus far have been outstanding.
Some have asked if these shows will be shown. Highlights of the show paying tribute to Loretta Lynn will air on Opry Live next Saturday night, July 19. Highlights from the show honoring Johnny Cash & June Carter Cash will air on August 9. No date has been announced yet pertaining to the Charlie Daniels tribute.
As a reminder, Opry Live can be seen each Saturday night at 8 p.m. CT on the Opry Facebook and YouTube channels and streaming free on Circle Country.
The next "Opry100 Honors" show will take place on August 12 and will honor Grand Ole Opry legend Porter Wagoner. Scheduled to appear on that show are Opry members Marty Stuart, The Isaacs, Mandy Barnett and Old Crow Medicine Show's Ketch Secor, along with Rhett Akins and Gordon Mote.
Following the tribute to Porter, "Opry 100 Honors" will honor Bill Monroe on September 16. Opry members Ricky Skaggs, Del McCoury Band, Carly Pearce and Riders In The Sky are scheduled to appear, with more to be added.
Finally, Minnie Pearl and Roy Acuff will be honored on October 18. Scheduled for that night are Opry members Vince Gill, Bill Anderson, Old Crow Medicine Show and Steve Wariner, along with Chonda Pierce.
Again, I can't say enough as to how well done the first three shows have been and I am looking forward to the next group of shows, with I am sure, more to follow.
Now taking a look at the schedule at the Grand Ole Opry this weekend, one of the Opry's newest members, Jon Pardi is on the schedule, joined by members Don Schlitz and T. Graham Brown. Rounding out the schedule are Priscilla Block, the wonderful and very talented Linda Davis, bluegrass group Sister Sadie and comedian Mike James.
Moving over to Saturday night, Opry members Mandy Barnett, Charlie McCoy and Connie Smith headline the night. John Berry is back for another Opry appearance, as is Charles Esten. The very talented Sierra Hull will be appearing, as will Jake Kohn and making her Opry debut, Noah Cyrus.
Noah Cyrus, who is the youngest daughter of Billy Ray Cyrus, previously had released her debut album "The Hardest Part." During her Opry debut on Saturday night, she will be promoting her latest album, "I Want My Loved Ones to Go With Me," which is scheduled for release the following day.
To finish out the weekend is the Sunday Night Opry, which is being promoted as Jamey Johnson's Birthday Show. Joining Jamey on his special night will be fellow Opry member, and good friend, Bill Anderson. Also appearing will be Megan Moroney, Ernest, Randy Houser, Ryan and Rory, and making his Opry debut Stars Go Dim.
Originally formed as a mainstream pop band, today Stars Go Dim is the moniker for Christian Pop artist and songwriter Chris Cleveland. After years at the helm of an acclaimed independent secular band and more than a decade leading worship at Tulsa’s Asbury United Methodist Church—one of America’s largest congregations—Cleveland found success in the Christian format with his self-titled debut album. The singer has garnered number ones and Top 5 hits at Pop and Christian radio, including the massive No. 1 radio smash in the U.S. with “You Are Loved.” The Dove Award and K-LOVE Fan Award-nominated act has over 240 million streams and its songs have been placed in commercials and ads, including “You Are Loved” being used in an ADT Home Security national commercial.
Friday July 11
7:00: T. Graham Brown, Linda Davis, Jon Pardi
Intermission
8:20: Priscilla Block, Mike James, Sister Sadie, Don Schlitz
Saturday July 12
7:00: Opry Square Dancers, Mandy Barnett, Jake Kohn, Noah Cyrus, John Berry
Intermission
8:20: Connie Smith, Opry Square Dancers, Sierra Hull, Charles Esten, Charlie McCoy
Sunday July 13
7:00: Ryan & Rory, Bill Anderson, Stars Go Dim, ERNEST
Intermission
8:20: The Down Home Boys, Randy Houser, Megan Moroney, Jamey Johnson
The mid-1980s were generally a pretty quiet time at the Grand Ole Opry. A decade earlier the Opry had settled into the new Grand Ole Opry House and the Opryland amusement park was running at full capacity.
During this period, the Opry was running two shows on Friday and Saturday night, in addition to weekday matinees on Tuesday, Thursday, Saturday and Sunday. Friday and Saturday night tickets cost $10 ($9 upper balcony), while the matinee tickets were $8 and $7.
Opryland was open each day with an admission of $14.95. There was also a separate Opryland attraction presented in the Acuff Theater. That show took place at 2:30 and 6:00 p.m. daily except for Tuesday. Those tickets for $4.95.
Other attractions included Nashville Now, which took place Monday-Friday at the Gaslight Studio inside of Opryland. Those tickets were first come, first served and were distributed each day when the park opened. And you had shows at Twitty City which featured Conway's children, Music Village U.S.A., and weekend shows at the Ernest Tubb Record Shop.
Nashville earned the title of "Music City U.S.A.
Taking a look at the Grand Ole Opry on Friday and Saturday July 11 &12, 1986, it was a pretty typical weekend as far as who was on the Opry's schedule.
Here is the posted lineup for the two Friday night shows, July 11:
1st show
6:30: Del Reeves (host), Skeeter Davis, Roy Drusky, The 4 Guys, David Houston
7:00: Ray Pillow (host), Jean Shepard, Charlie Louvin, The Carlisles, Lorrie Morgan
7:30: Roy Acuff (host), Jeanne Pruett, Stonewall Jackson, Justin Tubb, Wilma Lee Cooper
8:00: Jim Ed Brown (host), Mel McDaniel, Connie Smith
8:30: Hank Snow (host), The Whites, Charlie Walker
2nd show
9:30: Bill Anderson (host), Jean Shepard, The Carlisles, Mel McDaniel
10:00: Roy Acuff (host), The 4 Guys, Del Wood, David Houston
10:30: Jim Ed Brown (host), Del Reeves, Jeannie Seely, Ray Pillow
11:00: Hank Snow (host), Jeanne Pruett, Stonewall Jackson, The Whites
11:30: Charlie Walker (host), Connie Smith, Johnny Russell
Now the running order from Saturday night, July 12, 1986:
1st show
6:30: Mrs. Grissoms
Stonewall Jackson (host): Muddy Water
Wilma Lee Cooper: Matthew 24
Stonewall Jackson: Ol' Chunk Of Coal
6:45: Rudy's
The 4 Guys (host): Wings Of A Dove
Jeannie Seely: Once You're Gone
The 4 Guys: Some Memories Just Won't Die
7:00: Shoney's
Bill Anderson (host): Son Of The South
Charlie Walker: One Step Away From Coming Home
Bill Carlisle: Leave That Liar Alone
Judy Rodman: Until I Met You/I'll Be Your Baby Tonight
Bill Anderson: A World Of Make Believe
7:30: Standard Candy
Roy Acuff (host): Wabash Cannonball
Charlie Louvin: In A Millon Years Or So/When I Stop Dreaming
Ray Pillow: Bubbles In My Beer
Connie Smith: Louisiana Man/Once A Day
Crook Brothers & The Stoney Mountain Cloggers: Lafayette
8:00: Martha White
Jim Ed Brown (host): Everyday People
Skeeter Davis: The End Of The World/Rock-A-Bye Boogie
The Whites: Hometown Gossip/Down In Louisiana
Jim Ed Brown: The Old Lamplighter
8:30: Music Valley Drive
Hank Snow (host): Golden Rocket
Jean Shepard: I'll Sail My Ship Alone
Roy Drusky: Have I Stayed Away Too Long
Lorrie Morgan: Dear Me
Del Reeves: Yellow Roses Say Goodbye
Hank Snow: Almost Lost My Mind
2nd show
9:30: Dollar General
Bill Anderson (host): Rollin' In My Sweet Baby's Arms/Rocky Top/Mountain Dew
The 4 Guys: Shenandoah
Jeanne Pruett: Back-To-Back
Charlie Louvin & Jennifer O'Brien: Making Believe
Judy Rodman: She Thinks She Will Marry But She Never Will
Bill Anderson: Golden Guitar
10:00: Little Debbie
Charlie Walker (host): The Mean Woman With The Green Eyes
Jeannie Seely: He's All I Need
Charlie Walker: Don't Squeeze My Sharmon
10:15: Sunbeam
Roy Acuff (host): Night Train To Memphis
Stonewall Jackson: Standing Invitation
Roy Acuff: That's The Man I'm Looking For
10:30: Pet Milk
Jim Ed Brown (host): Southern Loving
Connie Smith: Then & Only Then
Jim Ed Brown: The 3 Bells
10:45: Heil-Quaker
Bill Monroe (host): Mary Jane, Won't You Be Mine
Skeeter Davis: I've Got The Joy, Joy, Joy, Joy Down In My Heart
Crook Brothers & The Stoney Mountain Cloggers: Gray Eagle
Bill Monroe: I Want To Go With You
11:00: Coca Cola
Hank Snow (host): Snowbird
Jean Shepard: If You've Got The Money, I've Got The Time
Ray Pillow: Ancient History
The Whites: What Love Is/Blue Letters
Hank Snow: Little Buddy
11:30: Quincy's
Del Reeves (host): The Race Is On
Roy Drusky: Why Baby, Why
Lorrie Morgan: Lonely But Only For You
Bill Carlisle: Have A Drink On Me
Del Reeves: Good Hearted Woman
All that entertainment for $10 and less. Amazing.
(David Houston, Justin Tubb, Mel McDaniel, Del Wood and Johnny Russell only appeared on Friday night, while Wilma Lee Cooper only appeared on the early show on Saturday and Bill Monroe and Jeanne Pruett were only on the late show.
This was during the period in which many called the Grand Ole Opry a "Living Museum" as most of the acts appearing were veteran artists who had been around for a while. Really, the only exceptions on Saturday night were The Whites, Lorrie Morgan and Judy Rodman, the only non-member solo artist who was on the schedule that night.
There you have it for this weekend. Hopefully I get the final lineups before the show on Friday night. As always, thanks for reading and commenting and I hope everyone enjoys the Grand Ole Opry this weekend.
Gordon mote was in Porter‘s band if I remember correctly, and does the greatest Porter impression you will ever hear. Today he is the Floyd Cramer of Nashville basically playing on every number one record in the last 30 years. On a personal note he is also one of my closest friends in the music industry. He is one of the busiest guys in Nashville, but if I ever text him for something I hear back from him within an hour. He recently got me complementary tickets to see opry star Vince Gill. There are people in the music industry who are far less busy and in demand than he is who act like they are far more important than they are. He is one of the most genuine human beings in Nashville. Ez
ReplyDeleteYou got it exactly right EZ.. Best Porter Wagoner impersonation in the world.
ReplyDeleteI didn't know he was that busy as a session player. And, I'm not one bit surprised he's a great guy.
Thanks for reporting!
I have a question about this thought that the Opry was like a museum in the 1980's. I know that people learning about the Opry today probably look back at the lineups from that period and think that. I'm curious if that was the general thought in the Nashville music community at that time. Was it a joke around town?
ReplyDeleteI know we have discussed here multiple times that during this period Hal and Bud did little to get new members and did not demand that they agree to appear a certain number of times a year. And during that time, much different than today, far fewer guests appeared and seldom were they outside of country music.
My opinion is very bias on the subject so it probably has minimal value. Although I listened to the Opry as a very young child and attended at the Ryman my first time when I was 4 in 1970, I really didn't understand in those early years the importance of what I was listening to. Each weekend, Porter, the Teddy and Doyle, That Good Ole Nashville Music and Hee Haw and other shows were on our family TV if we were home. I wasn't forced to watch but I wanted to. About 1980, I began listening to the Opry anytime I could, even sacrificing being out with kids my age so I could be home Friday and Saturday night to hear Acuff, Snow, Tubb, Shepard, Monroe, Anderson, Cooper, Walker, Walker and so many more on the Opry....while I painted! I learned so much and deepened my love for the music because those folks were appearing on the Opry and I could hear them each weekend. To this day it has had a lasting impression on my life. I was to young to have known Roy Acuff's music when he was the superstar of the 40's or ET when he had those great bands of the 50's and 60's. But I could still hear, learn about and enjoy them and realize that I needed to do my own research and find out more about them. With Mr. Acuff, I guess there was hardly ever any change but there was still a lot of history to dig into like all the girls he had in the band through the years and more. This feeling was true for most everyone who appeared regularly on the Opry in the 80's. Something else that comes to my mind is that this was before the internet and social media allowed stars more visibility to their fans and now allows us to see where and when anyone is playing a date. Beyond a doubt, we attended many road shows of Opry members, admittedly more in the 90's, because they would announce where they be appearing in upcoming weeks. This allowed them to stay in touch with their long time fans and find out that some of the latest generation loved them to. Win, win!
The bottom line for me is that my love and appreciation for the music would be less had all of the older performers not been allowed to play the Opry in that period. Beyond that, we probably would have never met so many of them or purchased, as a collector, so many of their records. To this day, if there is a viable opportunity to see those of that period that are still with us perform on the road we do it. It may not have been good business or helped sustain the Opry to what is now 100 years but for me it was a real blessing that those artist were willing and allowed to perform there each week.
Just my personal perspective and nothing more.
Thanks for posting the lineups Byron.
Jim
Jim, we are pretty much in tune with our opinions and love for those Opry greats. I know that a lot of the industry people made those museum jokes/comments back then. Regardless of opinions, the fact is if it wasn't for Charlie Louvin, Charlie Walker, Billy Walker, Wilma Lee Cooper, Jean Shepard, Jan Howard, etc playing the Opry in the 1980s & 90s the Opry wouldn't be celebrating 100 years this year. Today's Opry marketing team is pretty good and I think marketing is the key to filling the seats. When the Opry moved to the Opry House they had Opryland that brought families to the Opry after spending the day at the park. After 1997 attendance went down until they started focusing on the convention crowds coming to Nashville. I just turned 40 yesterday so the 90s is when I started listening and going to the Opry. I know from experience that a 90s audience pretty much knew what they were attending. The audience (as a whole) the last 20 plus years,doesn't seem like they know what they're attending. There's still that fan base that loves & respects the Opry, but the ticket prices have ran them off( I live less than an hour from the Opry and if ticket prices were cheaper I would go at least 2-3 times a month). Today you have people who don't really know the Opry,but they'll pay the ticket price to come, cause they are in town for a convention or it's a bucket list thing to do.
DeleteJim and Curry: I always appreciate your comments and opinions. They are valued. As someone who has attended Opry shows since 1973, maybe I can add a little more insight into my comment regarding the Opry as a "Living Museum."
DeleteYes, that term was used at times during the period of the late 80s. It was a time when the cast of the Opry was getting older and the icons had been at the Opry for many years: Roy Acuff, Minnie Pearl, Bill Monroe, Crook Brothers, among others, were all pushing 50 years on the Opry. Ernest and Marty Robbins had passed away. Other acts, such as Hank Snow, Bill Carlisle, Grandpa Jones, Skeeter Davis, (and the list goes on), had joined the Opry in the 1950s. And while the Opry did add some younger acts, the fact was that Ronnie Milsap, Ricky Skaggs, the Gatlins, Reba, John Conlee were in the middle of their careers and were not at the Opry that often. Barbara Mandrell and Lorrie Morgan were there until the hits started coming, and then they were gone. BJ Thomas and Don Williams left after a short time. Pretty much the only acts that joined during that period that appeared on the Opry during that period were The Whites and Riders In The Sky. In other words, each weekend the Opry was pretty much putting on the same show.
It doesn't mean that the Opry was putting on bad shows, in fact, they were some of the better shows with nice lineups. But the Opry was not attracting a younger audience, attendance was somewhat down, and the younger artists were not appearing on the show. This lack of growth led to the group that joined in the early 90s (Garth, Vince, Patty, etc.).
Like now, the Opry adjusted and moved into a very successful period in its history and that growth has continued to this day. While many will disagree, I do continue to enjoy the Opry and seeing what lies ahead.
I am reminded that in the late 1950s, Dee Kilpatrick became manager and saw that attendance was down and mostly gray-haired amid rock and roll. He got flak for merging the Possum Hunters and Gully Jumpers into the Crook Brothers and Fruit Jar Drinkers, and bringing in the Everly Brothers. But he also brought in Wilma Lee and Stoney and Porter Wagoner, and now we look back on the "young" acts he hired as traditional country types.
DeleteCurry and Jim, you guys have nailed it.
ReplyDeleteThe 'Opry used to be predictable in its lineup, and folks like Jim and I loved it way back when.
Now it's become a "cool" thing for people to do, and it is my opinion that most attending have no idea that it's even a radio show. I often suspect it has become a "bucket list" item for lots of folks. Reactions when Don Schlitz sings his song about the kid saying "even I didn't know I could PITCH like that" prove to me that the crowd has little knowledge of country music.
It's not bad, it's just different. Time changes everything.
I have commented before and will repeat myself. I have no problem with new artists being on the 'Opry. I just hope they can actually sing and have some ability to react with the crowd and entertain. Some are unfortunately simply tone-deaf and have zero personality. And it would be nice if they performed traditional country music. I have often wondered if 'Opry guests have to audition, or if they're simply invited because they're popular on social media.
For my money, the best the 'Opry has done lately was Rhonda Vincent bringing Little Roy and Lizzy to help her perform. Now THAT was country music!
I think everyone knows but just to be clear, I was not criticizing the remark that it was like a museum nor did I think there was any put down of that period. I was just curious what the tone was in Nashville at the time and wanted to express anew my love of that period because I was learning so much from those veterans.
ReplyDeleteWould like to here Barry's thoughts since he was involved at that time!
Good conversation here.
Keep it going!
Jim