Grand Ole Opry 7/18 & 7/19

This weekend at the Grand Ole Opry, Opry member Trisha Yearwood is on the schedule for the Saturday night. For Trisha, this will be her first "official" Opry appearance of 2025. You may remember in March she appeared on the NBC Opry 100 special. Trisha, who will also be making an appearance on the Today show, has a new album out and I am sure her Opry appearance is in part, to promote her new project. Regardless of the reason, it is nice to see her back on the Opry schedule. 

Joining Trisha on Saturday night are Opry members Riders In The Sky, and a pair of Hall of Fame members, Don Schlitz and Charlie McCoy. Singer/Songwriter Sean Dietrich is scheduled to visit, as is Zach Williams and the husband/wife duo John Carter & Ana Cristina Cash. 

While that is the list of artists for Saturday night, there is also the Friday Night Opry which will include Opry members Mark Wills, Riders In The Sky, John Conlee and Connie Smith. Bluegrass music will take center stage with another visit from The Grascals. American Idol alum Taylor Hicks is scheduled to appear, as is Abbey Cone. Last, but not least, comedian and radio host Bobby Bones is set to reappear on the Opry. Some like Bobby, others don't. It's been a while since he has been on, 

Friday July 18
7:00: Mark Wills, John Conlee, Abbey Cone, The Grascals
Intermission
8:20: Connie Smith, Bobby Bones, Taylor Hicks, Riders In The Sky

Saturday July 19
7:00: Opry Square Dancers, Riders In The Sky, John Carter & Ana Cristina Cash, Charlie McCoy, Sean Dietrich
Intermission
8:20: Zach Williams, Opry Square Dancers, Don Schlitz, Trisha Yearwood

Closing out the weekend is the Sunday Night Opry. Opry members Mandy Barnett, T. Graham Brown, Riders In The Sky and Gene Watson head up the lineup. Guesting are Rhett Akins, Dillon Carmichael, Hannah Ellis and The Malpass Brothers. 

Sunday July 20
7:00: T. Graham Brown, Mandy Barnett, Dillon Carmichael, The Malpass Brothers
Intermission
8:20: Hannah Ellis, Gene Watson, Rhett Akins, Riders In The Sky

(As always, lineups are subject to change)

This week the Opry 100 spotlight shines on George Hamilton IV, who born on July 19, 1937 and was a Grand Ole Opry member for over 50 years. 

George Hamilton IV, who was from North Carolina, began performing in the late 1950s as a teen idol while attending the University of North Carolina. He recorded his first single "A Rose and a Baby Ruth" in 1956 for Colonial Records. The song reached No. 6 on the Billboard Hot 100 Chart. 

In 1959 he moved to Nashville to pursue a career in country music. He said the decision came after catching a performance of the Opry at Ryman Auditorium. He became a member of the Grand Ole Opry in 1960. His breakthrough Country song was "Before this Day Ends" (1961), followed by "Abilene" (1963) and "Fort Worth, Dallas, or Houston" (1964). By then his music began to reveal a folk influence, with "Steel Rail Blues" (1966, by Gordon Lightfoot), "Early Morning Rain" (1966, also by Gordon Lightfoot), and "Urge for Going" (1967, by Joni Mitchell). His last Top 5 single came in 1970, with "She's a Little Bit Country." 

Upon the decline of his American chart success in the early 1970s, he started touring the world, across the Soviet Union, Poland, Australia, the Middle East and East Asia, earning him the nickname "The International Ambassador of Country Music." During this time, he hosted several successful television programs in the England and Canada, and in the 1990s he played himself in the musical "Patsy" at London, England's West End theatre, based on the life of Patsy Cline. In 2004 he recorded an acoustic gospel album entitled "On a Blue Ridge Sunday" which earned him a Dove Award nomination in the Best Bluegrass Album of the Year category by the members of the Gospel Music Association. A single from the album, "Little Mountain Church House", won nominee recognition in the "Best Bluegrass Recorded Song" category the following year. In 2007 he collaborated with Live Issue, a group from Northern Ireland, to record a live album based on the life of Joseph Scriven, who wrote the hymn "What a Friend We Have in Jesus." They also toured together again in 2009 and that same year, he released a parody of his classic hit "Abilene" in the height of the soaring US gas prices called "Gasoline". He was also a regular participant in the Country's Family Reunion video series. In 2010 Lamon Records released his album "Old Fashioned Hymns" and he was joined on the 28-track collection by a number of musical guests, including Ricky Skaggs, Marty Stuart, Gail Davies, Pat Boone, Del McCoury, Bill Anderson, Connie Smith, Tommy Cash, Cliff Barrows, George Beverly Shea and many others. During his over 50-year musical career, he released 35 albums and over 60 singles. 

After 12 years as a Grand Ole Opry member, in June 1972, George made the decision to resign from the Opry and move with his family to Charlotte, North Carolina, as he made the decision to enter a partnership with Arthur and Ralph Smith of Charlotte. He said the agreement included a regular televised spot on the Arthur Smith syndicated television show and to make weekend appearances with the cast. Saying he traveled 100,000 miles and averaged 25 singing dates a month in 1971, the move would allow him more time with his family. 

After being away from the Opry for four years, George made the decision to return and on May 8, 1976, he rejoined the Grand Ole Opry cast. On the night of his return, George said, "It was like the very first time. It was just a beautiful feeling. It was like suddenly discovering that you are still in love. Like an old love affair that didn't turn sour." He also said he was a little hesitant about returning to the Opry but he was well accepted by the Opry cast. 

Here is the running order from Saturday May 8, 1976, the night George Hamilton IV returned as a member of the Grand Ole Opry: 

1st show
6:30: Mrs. Grissoms
Jimmy Dickens (host): May The Bird of Paradise Fly Up Your Nose
Jim & Jesse: Paradise
Del Wood: Keep on the Firing Line
Jimmy Dickens: Another Bridge to Burn

6:45: Rudy's
Willis Brothers (host): Give Me 40 Acres
Justin Tubb: Cold Brown Bottle
Wilma Lee Cooper: Coming Down from God
Willis Brothers: Truck Stop

7:00: Shoney's
Bill Anderson (host): I Love You Drops
Billy Grammer: That's Life
Lonzo & Oscar: I'm Moving On #2
Jimmy Gately: The Angel of the Bar Room
Bill Anderson & Mary Lou Turner: That's What Made Be Love You
Bill Anderson: Mama Sang A Song

7:30: Standard Candy
Porter Wagoner (host): On A Highway Headed South
Don Gibson: I Can't Stop Loving You
George Hamilton IV: Early Morning Rain/Abilene
Brother Oswald: Nobody's Business
Crook Brothers & The Tennessee Travelers: Chicken Reel
Porter Wagoner: Cold Hard Facts of Live/The Carroll County Accident/The Last One to Touch Me/Green Green Grass of Home/Indian Creek

8:00: Martha White
Jack Greene (host): Walking on New Grass
Grandpa Jones: Little Pink
Jeannie Seely: Who Needs You
Osborne Brothers: Smokey Mountain Smoke
Hank Locklin: These Arms You Push Away
Stu Phillips: Only You Can Hush the Wind
Grandpa Jones: Dark As a Dungeon
Jack Greene: There Goes My Everything

8:30: Stephens
Hank Snow (host): Hello Love
Jeanne Pruett: Satin Sheets
Wilburn Brothers: It's Another World
Jimmy C Newman: Shrimp Boats
The 4 Guys: Turn Around, Look At Me
Fruit Jar Drinkers: Nubbing Ridge
Hank Snow: My Mother

2nd show
9:30: Kellogg's
Jack Greene (host): I Need Somebody Bad Tonight
Willis Brothers: Blue Eyes Crying in the Rain
Jeannie Seely: Mama Never Told Me About Cowboys
Lonzo & Oscar: Divorce #2
Webb Pierce & Carol Channing: Back Street Affair
Webb Pierce, Carol Channing, Jimmy C Newman & Hank Locklin: You Are My Sunshine
Del Wood: Alabama Jubilee
Jac Greene & Jeannie Seely: Somebody Touched Me

10:00: Fender
Bill Anderson (host): Thanks/But You Know I Love You/Wild Weekend
Jim & Jesse: Freight Train
Jimmy Dickens: Mountain Dew
Bill Anderson & Mary Lou Turner: Sometimes

10:15: Union 76
Porter Wagoner (host): On A Highway Headed South
Billy Grammer: That's Life
Wilma Lee Cooper: Give Me the Roses While I Live
Porter Wagoner: Way Down Deep in Love

10:30: Trailblazer
Grandpa Jones (host): Baptism of Jesse Taylor
Don Gibson: Doin' My Time
The 4 Guys: Don't It Make You Wan to Go Home
Stu Phillips: The Great El Tigre

10:45: Beechnut
Osborne Brothers (host): Rocky Top
Justin Tubb: Bad, Bad Leroy Brown
Crook Brothers & The Tennessee Travelers: Gray Eagle
Osborne Brothers: Smokey Mountain Smoke

11:00: Coca Cola
Hank Snow (host): The Wreck of The Old 97
George Hamilton IV: Break My Mind
Jimmy C Newman: Shrimp Boats
Fruit Jar Drinkers: Bill Cheatham
George Hamilton IV: Country Music in My Soul
Kirk McGee: Blue Night
Hank Snow: She Even Woke Me Up to Say Goodbye

11:30: Elm Hill
Wilburn Brothers (host): It Looks Like the Sun's Gonna Shine
Jeanne Pruett: Satin Sheets/Count Me Out
Hank Locklin: Send Me the Pillow You Dream On
Brother Oswald: The End of the World
Wilburn Brothers: Metals For Mothers

George Hamilton IV passed away on September 17, 2014, after suffering a heart attack. He was 77. During his career he released 35 albums and over 60 singles. I can tell you from personal experience that George was one of the nicest and kindest persons that I have ever met. He was genuine and down to earth and took the time to talk to anyone and everyone backstage at the Grand Ole Opry. I always found it sad that on several occasions, George was backstage at the Opry to greet fans but would not be scheduled to perform on the show on those nights. For all he did for country music, he should have been treated better. 

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