It was a wonderful weekend at the Grand Ole Opry for the opening weekend of the Opry's birthday month. I thought all of the shows were excellent, in fact, better than I had expected. Garth Brooks was obviously the surprise on Friday night, while we had the opportunity to be backstage on Saturday. In fact, the highlight for me on Saturday was meeting former WSM personality and Opry announcer Chuck Morgan. Chuck left the Opry in the mid-1980s and is the current stadium announcer for the Texas Rangers. In fact, he holds the longevity record, and his microphone is on display in the Baseball Hall of Fame. And yes, he is familiar with the blog!!
On Sunday, WSM celebrated its 100th birthday as it was on October 5, 1925, that the station went on the air. Many of the WSM and Opry's former announcers were back, and in addition to Chuck Morgan, Kyle Cantrell and Keith Bilbrey were guest announcers on the Sunday Night Opry. There was also a video tribute to those who have passed away or elected not to attend last night. Hopefully, many of you were able to watch the show as WSM did a livestream of the show on their Facebook page. From those who I have heard from, they said it was excellent. I will have more to say later, but for now, let's look at the mid-week shows upcoming.
It will be an eventful week at the Grand Ole Opry as the Tuesday Night Opry will feature the Opry debut of Sabrina Carpenter, while on Wednesday night the Opry will honor Connie Smith upon her 60th anniversary as a member of the Grand Ole Opry.
For those who are not familiar with Sabrina Carpenter, let me clear up any confusion right away: she is not a country music singer. So, what is she? She is one of the hottest pop artists in the world today. Her music has earned multiple gold and multi-platinum certifications, and her concerts have sold out worldwide. She has also earned praise for her starring roles in television and film. Her latest album, "Short n' Sweet," debuted at #1 on the Billboard 200, making it the 3rd biggest first week debut in the US in 2024, and became only the second album that year to spend its first three weeks atop the list. Short n' Sweet also topped the charts around the world, reaching #1 in UK, Canada, Australia, Spain, and France. The album earned Sabrina an impressive six GRAMMY® nominations as a first-time nominee. Short n’ Sweet took home the GRAMMY® Award for Best Pop Vocal Album and Sabrina also won the “Best Pop Solo Performance” GRAMMY® Award for the album’s lead single “Espresso.” To put it simply, she has turned into a world-wide icon in a very short amount of time.
The only Opry member on the Tuesday night schedule are Riders In The Sky
Tuesday October 7
7:00: Riders In The Sky, Laci Kaye Booth, Kameron Marlowe, Lukas Nelson
Intermission
8:20: Kaitlin Butts, Marcus King, ERNEST, Sabrina Carpenter
Back in August, Connie was scheduled to be honored upon her 60th anniversary as an Opry member. Sadly, due to Covid, Connie and Marty Stuart had to cancel. While the show went on without her, it was announced that there would be a rescheduled night in which Connie would be honor and that night will take place on Wednesday night.
While not everyone who was originally scheduled to appear on that August date will be appearing this week, Marty Stuart, Vince Gill and Sierra Ferrell will be appearing. Joining that group will be Deana Carter, Jimmy Fortune, and making their Opry debut, Trousdale.
Wednesday October 8
7:00: Riders In The Sky, Jimmy Fortune, Trousdale, Deana Carter
Intermission
8:20: Sierra Ferrell, Vince Gill, Connie Smith, Marty Stuart
While we were at the Opry on Saturday night, Connie was on the schedule for both shows and she looked and sounded great. Katie was surprised when I told her Connie's age.
Closing out the week will be Opry Country Classics on Thursday night. As usual, Larry Gatlin will be hosting and the Spotlight Artist this week will be Crystal Gayle.
Thursday October 9
Host: Larry Gatlin
Spotlight Artist: Crystal Gayle
Also Appearing: Gatlin Brothers, Jake Hoot, Carolyn Dawn Johnson, Collin Raye
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