Grand Ole Opry 4/17 & 4/18

I am sure some of you noticed that earlier this week, the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame announced their 2026 inductees. Counting all categories, there are 18 in all. Yes, that is correct. And while that number is high, it is not unusual as the Rock Hall annually averages over 10 new inductees each year. Contrast that with the Country Music Hall of Fame which annually elects 3 per year. 

Now I know that there is a difference in the demographics of rock and country music, and the size of the audience. However, country music has found a much greater audience in the past several decades and continues to grow. We talk about the backlog now; can you imagine what it will be in 10 or 20 years? I am not saying that the Country Hall of Fame needs to elect 10 or more inductees each year, but they can certainly do better than 3. And I will add, for what it is worth, electing 18 per year dilutes the worthiness of the Rock Hall a bit. That's just my two cents. 

Now moving ahead to this weekend at the Grand Ole Opry and it is a pretty good one. Opry member Vince Gill returns for both nights, along with comedian Gary Mule Deer. They will be joined on Friday night by Connie Smith and making his first appearance of the year, Darius Rucker. Saturday night has Riders In The Sky and John Conlee listed. 

Non-members on the Friday schedule are The Wilder Blue, Jake Hoot and making his Opry debut, Vincent Neal Emerson. There is another debut on Saturday night as Benny G was recently invited by Vince Gill to appear on the Opry. Also scheduled is Monte Warden & The Wagoneers and Nashville star Charles Esten. 

Friday April 17
7:00: Connie Smith, Vincent Neil Emerson, Gary Mule Deer, The Wilder Blue
Intermission
8:20: Jake Hoot, Vince Gill, Darius Rucker

Saturday April 18
7:00: Opry Square Dancers, Riders In The Sky, Monte Warden & The Wagoneers, John Conlee, Benny G, Charles Esten
Intermission
8:20: Opry Square Dancers, Gary Mule Deer, Vince Gill

(I had it in my original notes that Don Schlitz, who has only made one appearance thus far this year, was on the schedule for Saturday night. However, he is now off. I do believe he was to be in the spot to open the 2nd half of the show, thus you might see some movement in the running order)

Vincent Neil Emerson was surprised with his Opry invitation back in February. He is a singer/songwriter from East Texas. His debut album Fried Chicken and Evil Women was released in 2019 on La Honda Records. Since then, his music has appeared in numerous television shows and movies, including Yellowstone and Landman. Also to his credit is a self-titled record produced by Rodney Crowell and the recent Golden Crystal Kingdom produced by Shooter Jennings. His newest and fourth full length album, Blue Stars, releases April 17th. The first single “Jet Plane” is now streaming everywhere.

Benny G., as mentioned, was surprised with his Opry invitation by Vince Gill. His appearance will follow the release of his new EP ‘When You Know You Know', which will arrive on 17th April. “To stand in the Opry circle for the first time is a moment I imagined as a young kid discovering the magic of music in my childhood home,” said Benny. “For ‘Vinny G’ to be the one to call me and invite me to make my debut is as full circle of a moment as it could get. As a guitarist, songwriter, and performing artist, Vince Gill’s art is the guiding light.”

His Grand Ole Opry debut is the latest in a long line of career accomplishments for the 20-year-old wunderkind. It was recently announced that he will open for Ty Myers on all dates of The Legal Tour. This year, he has been on the road with Jack Wharff Band, Sons of Legion, Congress The Band, Penelope Road, and more. He made his debut at C2C in Germany and London and will make his first appearance at CMA Fest this summer.

I had posted in March the details regarding the night Diamond Rio were invited to become the newest members of the Grand Ole Opry. Fast forward to Saturday April 17, 1998, to the night when Diamond Rio were formally inducted as Opry members. 

Diamond Rio, consisting of Marty Roe, Jimmy Olander, Gene Johnson, Dan Truman, Dana Williams and Brian Prout, made their first Opry appearance in October 1991 and when they joined the Opry, they were the first group to join since The Whites in 1984. During their careers, they have won numerous awards from the Country Music Association and from the Academy of Country Music and have had more than 20 Top 10 singles.

Diamond Rio were originally known as the Tennessee River Boys, a group that performed on a regular basis in the Opryland theme park. During the late 1980s, membership in the group changed as several members left and others joined. In 1991, their first single, "Meet in the Middle" went to No. 1 on the charts and their career took off from there. Their 2001 hit ballad "One More Day" became a key song of healing after the September 11 terrorist attacks. In 2004, they were awarded the Minnie Pearl Humanitarian Award for their work on behalf of Big Brothers Big Sisters of America. While their hit making days are behind them, they remain a popular road band and are always well received at the Opry.

Here is the running order of the Opry from Saturday April 18, 1998, the night that Diamond Rio joined the Opry's cast:

1st show
6:30: GHS Strings
Jimmy C Newman (host): Diggy-Liggy Lo
Bill Carlisle: (?)
Jimmy C Newman: Jole Blon

6:45: Joggin' In A Jug
Jean Shepard (host): Love's Gonna Live Here
Wilma Lee Cooper: I'm Picking Up the Pieces
Jean Shepard: Tennessee Waltz

7:00: Shoney's
Vince Gill (host): The Cold Gray Light of Dawn
Ray Pillow: Someone Had to Teach You
Skeeter Davis: I Can't Stay Mad at You
George Hamilton IV: We Will Meet Again
Jack Greene: My World Ain't Turning Yet
Vince Gill: My Pretty Little Adriana/Whenever You Come Around

7:30: Standard Candy
Jimmy Dickens (host): Me and My Big Loud Mouth
Chonda Pierce: Comedy
Charlie Louvin: When I Stop Dreaming
Diamond Rio: Meet In the Middle/Tennessee
Jimmy Dickens: I'd Rather Sleep In Peace Than Know You're Gone

8:00: Martha White
Porter Wagoner (host): Y'all Come
Jeanne Pruett: Satin Sheets
Billy Walker: Cross the Brazos at Waco
4 Guys: Swing Down Chariot
Opry Square Dance Band/Melvin Sloan Dancers: Ida Red
Porter Wagoner: A Satisfied Mind
Porter Wagoner & Christie Lynn: Dooley

8:30: Fan Fair
Johnny Russell (host): Folsom Prison Blues
Charlie Walker: Smoke, Smoke, Smoke
Jeannie Seely: Making Believe
The Whites: Doing it By the Book
Johnny Russell: Wabash Cannonball

2nd show
9:30: Opry Book
Porter Wagoner (host): Freight Train Boogie
Oswald: Mansion on the Hill
Jack Greene: Satisfaction
Stonewall Jackson: Why I'm Walkin'
Jeanne Pruett: A Poor Man's Woman
Porter Wagoner & Christie Lynn: If Teardrops Were Pennies/Head on Over to the Twist and Shout

10:00: Opry Book
Jimmy C Newman (host): Good Deal, Lucille
Jan Howard: I Wish I Could Love that Much Again
Kenny Sears: Orange Blossom Special
Jimmy C Newman: Jambalaya

10:15: Banquet
Jimmy Dickens (host): Take An Old Cold Tater
Vince Gill: Two Worlds Apart
Jimmy Dickens: I Love Lucy Brown

10:30: Purnell's
4 Guys (host): The Grundy County Auction
Jean Shepard: When Two Worlds Collide
4 Guys: Shenandoah

10:45: Opry Book/Opry Cruise
Billy Walker (host): Don't Stop In My World
Roy Drusky: Waltz of the Angels
Opry Square Dance Band/Melvin Sloan Dancers: Durang's Hornpipe
Billy Walker: Blue Suede Shoes

11:00: Coca-Cola
Johnny Russell: Good Heated Woman
Ray Pillow: Cinderella
Stu Phillips: Only God
Diamond Rio: Dig A Little Deeper/Walking in Jerusalem Just Like John

11:30: Turbo Nutrition
Jeannie Seely (host): Speaking of the Devil
Charlie Walker: Right or Wrong/Pick Me Up On Your Way Down
The Whites: Swing Down, Chariot
Jeannie Seely: Don't Touch Me

As I mentioned in my original post, Diamond Rio has not appeared on the Opry in years, with their last appearance taking place in 2019. Hopefully, the issues can be worked out, and Diamond Rio will be back at the Opry soon. They continue to be a popular road act and they are missed.