Grand Ole Opry 3/20 & 3/21

This weekend will be a special one for the Grand Ole Opry. An Evening with the Grand Ole Opry at Carnegie Hall will be taking place on Friday evening. This is in addition to the normal Friday Night Opry that will be taking place at the Grand Ole Opry House. Then on Saturday night, Opry 100 Honors Little Jimmy Dickens will be taking place, which will include an appearance by one of the Opry's long-lost members, Brad Paisley. 

Starting with the Carnegie Hall show, the Grand Ole Opry takes the stage at Carnegie Hall as part of the “United in Sound: America at 250” festival. This marks a return of the Opry to one of the most famous stages in America. Grand Ole Opry members Kelsea Ballerini, Scotty McCreery, Rhonda Vincent and comedian Henry Cho are on the schedule. Also appearing are Wyatt Flores and The War and Treaty. In looking at the lineup, those who will be attending are getting a good mix of Opry talent. 

Meanwhile the Friday Night Opry at the Grand Ole Opry House will feature Opry members Oak Ridge Boys, John Conlee, Connie Smith and The Whites. There was a time when Hunter Hayes was being promoted as one of the bright new stars in country music. He also made several guest appearances on the Opry. Well, the career hasn't panned out quite as he had hoped, but the good news for Opry audiences is that he will be back on the Opry on Friday night. Also guesting will be Morgan Evans, Ian Munsick and The Herculeons, which consists of John Cowan and Andrea Zonn. The Herculeons will be making their Opry debut as their previously scheduled appearance last April did not take place. 

Now turning to Saturday night where the Opry will continue its series of "Opry 100 Honors" shows and celebrate the life of Opry icon Little Jimmy Dickens. There actually be two celebrations that night as not only will the Opry honor Jimmy but also recognize Opry member Brad Paisley upon his 25th anniversary as a member of the Opry's cast. 

Brad Paisley became an Opry member on February 17, 2001, after being invited in December 2000 by Opry members Jimmy Dickens, Bill Anderson and Jeannie Seely. As time went on, Brad and Jimmy developed a close friendship which included Jimmy appearing in several of Brad's music videos as well as making surprise appearances on stage together. Brad, who led Little Jimmy’s memorial service at the Grand Ole Opry House, wrote after his passing in 2015, "Do not mourn Little Jim. Celebrate him. Relive and share the memories. Aspire to be like him. And above all, laugh at the punchlines, the craziness, and the way he so gracefully made this planet a funnier, better, richer place while he was alive. And in doing so, will continue to for years to come."

In addition to Brad Paisley, several of the Opry members who will be appearing on Saturday night, have a connection to Jimmy. In 2011, it was Jimmy who not only extended the invitation to the Oak Ridge Boys to become members of the Opry, but he was also the Opry member who formally inducted the group. And it was Jimmy who stood on a step stool and invited Trace Adkins to become an Opry member in 2003. 

Also on the schedule for Saturday night are Bill Anderson, who helped to extend the invite to Brad to become an Opry member and The Gatlin Brothers. Guesting are Julia Cole and 49 Winchester. 

Friday March 20
7:00: John Conlee, Connie Smith, The Herculeons, Hunter Hayes
Intermission
8:20: Morgan Evans, The Whites, Ian Munsick, Oak Ridge Boys

Saturday March 21
7:00: Opry Square Dancers, The Gatlin Brothers, Julia Cole, Oak Ridge Boys, 49 Winchester
Intermission
8:20: Bill Anderson, Opry Square Dancers, Trace Adkins, Brad Paisley

(no running order has been released for the Carnegie Hall show)

 
This week, I am taking a look back at Grand Ole Opry member Charlie Walker, who on March 21, 2008, made his final appearance on the Grand Ole Opry. 

Charlie Walker joined the Opry on August 19, 1967, and this is how it was reported in the Tennessean: 

From the Tennessean, August 27, 1967: 

The Grand Ole Opry's newest member is a tall, chain-smoking Texan who three years ago abandoned a position as one of the nation's most popular country music disc jockeys to seek stardom in Nashville. 

But lest he be type-cast in the stereotype of the usual high-pressure record spinner, it should be pointed out that Charlie Walker's radio nickname was "Polk Salad," and he's been wearing cowboy boots all his life. "The only pair of shoes I've got are golf shoes," he said after his first performance as an Opry regular, and then went on to admit, with apparent reluctance, that on the links he shoots in the 70s. 

The amiable Walker, who gladly left a Texas cotton farm to turn pro as a guitar-picker at the precocious age of 17, strode out into the Opry spotlight on Aug. 19 and brought the house down with his hit song about a brawl over a girl, who bless her heart, just can't seem to avoid getting herself embraced by everybody except her boyfriend. And to beat it all, she has the unlikely name "Sharmon." 

Charlie Walker is a veteran observer and participant in the business of making country music, and he many times has appeared on the stage of the Opry as a guest star. "But tonight, it felt just like it did the first time I was ever on it," he said afterward. 

Walker grew up on a cotton farm near Dallas, and his lack of feeling for cotton farming probably is a main reason that he usually tells people he is from San Antonio, rather than Dallas. He got himself a guitar when he was 10 years old and started learning to play the songs of the late Jimmy Rodgers, as well as the tunes of the stars of the Grand Ole Opry. He says he was particularly influenced by Tubb and the "King of Country Music" Roy Acuff. He got away to a Texas hillbilly band and finally, after an Army tour in which a group of men he organized introduced country music to Japan in the early 1950s, went to work as a disc jockey in San Antonio, playing dates on the side when he could. For 10 consecutive years, music polls put him the top 10 country music disc jockeys in the nation. 

Three years ago, he decided he wanted to make the big leap to Nashville in search of stardom, and he wasn't as nervous about it as some might have been. "My agent Hubert Long told me he thought they could get me a lot of work if I wanted to come up here and try it, and I knew he wouldn't advise something like that without having some pretty good reasons," Walker said. 

Soon afterward, he had a big country hit, "Pick Me Up On Your Way Down," and the ones that followed were also successful. He moved into a home at Hendersonville, where he lives with his wife Shirley and their new baby, Art Walker. 

After making his debut as a member of country music's biggest single showcase of stars, Walker hit the road toward the Midwest to perform at the Indiana State Fair and then move on north to Toronto. This fall he expects a tour that will take him to England and Europe. 

On a personal note, I always enjoyed Charlie Walker. I met him several times during the period when he ran for political office, and I always enjoyed the conversation. We had a mutual acquaintance that was a country music disc jockey in Akron, Ohio that Charlie knew, and he would always ask how he was doing.

While at the Opry, and thanks to his radio background, Charlie hosted many segments and was a good host. Toward his later years, many Saturday nights would find him on the closing segment, often in a host role. 

Here is the posted lineup from Friday March 21, 2008, the final night Charlie Walker appeared on the Grand Ole Opry: 

7:00: John Conlee (host): Connie Smith, Sarah Johns
7:30: Jean Shepard (host): Jan Howard, Jimmy C Newman, James Otto
8:00: Riders In The Sky (host): Charlie Walker, George Hamilton IV, Josh Gracin
8:30: Jeannie Seely (host): Jack Greene, Cherryholmes

Charlie passed away on September 12, 2008, in Hendersonville, Tennessee at the age of 81. Cause of death was colon cancer. In addition to being a member of the Grand Ole Opry, Charle was also a member of the Country Music Disc Jockey Hall of Fame

Finally, to finish up the weekend, on Sunday night at the Grand Ole Opry House, Trisha Yearwood will be hosting Band As One Nashville. In addition to Trisha, Opry members Reba McEntire, Ashley McBryde and Charles Kelley of Lady A are on the schedule. Also listed are The War and Treaty, Rissi Palmer, Lukas Nelson, Hailey Whitters and The Band Loula.