I think many of us were surprised upon hearing the news that on Friday night, Vince Gill invited Charlie Worsham to become a member of the Grand Ole Opry. For this singer/songwriter/musician, this fulfilled a long-time dream, and it took place exactly 20 years after his move to Nashville. In looking at the various social media sites, this invitation has received very positive reviews, and I am happy to see that. No induction date has been announced, so now we have not only Charlie's to look forward to, but we are also waiting a date for Rhett Akins to be inducted.
Now taking a look at this upcoming weekend, the Friday Night Opry features Opry members The Oak Ridge Boys (yes, they are back again), along with The Gatlin Brothers, Mandy Barnett, John Conlee and The Whites. The Oak Ridge Boys are back on Saturday night, joined by comedian Gary Mule Deer and one of the Opry's newest members, Suzy Bogguss.
Comedian Brad Upton is listed on the Friday schedule, as is Ingrid Andress and Sons of Habit, who will be making their Opry debut. There is another debut on Saturday night as Josh Weathers will get his turn in the Circle. Popular and frequent Opry guest Maggie Rose is scheduled, with Joy Oladokun, DEK of Hearts and Monte Warden rounding out the lineup.
Friday August 14
7:00: Mandy Barnett, John Conlee, Sons of Habit, The Gatlin Brothers
Intermission
8:20: The Whites, Brad Upton, Ingrid Andress, The Oak Ridge Boys
Saturday August 15
7:00: Opry Square Dancers, Suzy Bogguss, Monte Warden, Josh Weathers, Maggie Rose
Intermission
8:20: DEK of Hearts, Gary Mule Deer, Opry Square Dancers, Joy Oladokun, The Oak Ridge Boys
It is really nice to see five Opry members on the schedule for Friday night.
Sons of Habit, who is debuting on Friday night, is a folk, rock, and Americana roots group from Owensboro, KY, formed by lead singer Mitchell Douglas and his writing partner Hagan Edge, along with Dalton Daniels, Jeffrey Parish, and Noah Patrick. The name comes from the trailer in Habit, KY, where Douglas first started making music. Regarding the Opry invitation, Mitchell Douglass said that appearing on the Opry was always one of their goals. Since releasing their first single “Madeline” in July 2024, the band has performed at high-profile venues such as The Troubadour in Los Angeles and festivals like Redwest in Salt Lake City UT & Railbird in Lexington KY.
Josh Weathers described the Opry as “the honor of a lifetime”. In a heartfelt social media video, he thanked fans for their support and expressed his excitement to step into the legendary circle, calling it a historic moment in his career. The singer/songwriter is from Fort Worth, Texas and has recently signed with Nashville publishing house Sea Gayle Music.
So how many have heard of Hardrock Gunter?
Sidney Louie Gunter Jr. (February 27, 1925 – March 15, 2013), known as Hardrock Gunter, was a singer, songwriter and guitarist whose music at the turn of the 1950s prefigured rock and roll and rockabilly music.
He was born in Birmingham, Alabama. He formed his first group, the Hoot Owl Ramblers, in his teens, and also performed a solo novelty act in talent shows. In 1939, he joined Happy Wilson's Golden River Boys, a country swing group, and acquired his nickname when a van trunk lid fell on him before a show and he never flinched. After wartime service he returned to work with the group, before leaving to become their agent and starting to appear on local TV.
As a popular local personality, he was approached to record by Birmingham's Bama label. He recorded his own song "Birmingham Bounce" in early 1950, the Golden River Boys being renamed the Pebbles on the record. It became a regional hit, and led to over 20 cover versions, the most successful being by Red Foley, whose version reached no.1 on the Billboard country chart and no.14 on the pop chart. Gunter's original version has become regarded as a contender for the first rock and roll record, predating "Rocket 88" by a year.
Gunter followed up with "Gonna Dance All Night", one of the first records to feature the actual words "rock'n'roll". When the Bama label folded, Gunter signed to Decca, and his 1951 duet with Roberta Lee, "Sixty-Minute Man," was one of the first country records to cross over to R&B audiences. In 1953 he began working at a radio station and also remade "Gonna Dance All Night" and recorded "Jukebox Help Me Find My Baby", both of which were issued by Sun Records and became regional hits. In 1958 he was one of the first musicians to use both echo and overdub on his recording of "Boppin' to Grandfather's Clock", released under the name Sidney Jo Lewis.
He continued to record with limited success, and in the 1960s left the music business to develop a career in insurance, based in Colorado. He retired to Rio Rancho, New Mexico. In 1995 he began to perform again at festivals in England, Germany and the United States. He died in 2013, from complications of pneumonia at the age of 88.
So why do I bring up Hardrock Gunter? Well, 73 years ago on Saturday night August 15, 1953, Hardrock played on the Grand Ole Opry. He had two spots and when you look at the show from that night, he was one of the very few non-Opry members who appeared.
Here is that show from Saturday August 15, 1953:
7:30: Prince Albert
Carl Smith: Hey Joe
Minnie Pearl: Comedy
Johnny and Jack: Down South in New Orleans
Square Dancers: Cotton Eyed Joe
Carl Smith: Pass Me Not
Old Hickory Singers: Tuck Me to Sleep in My Old Kentucky Home
Rod Brasfield: Comedy
Johnny and Jack: Private Property
String Beans: Nine-Pound Hammer
Carl Smith: Darling Am I The One
Breakdown: Skip To My Lou
8:00: Martha White
Ernest Tubb: Fortune In Memory
Bill Monroe: California Blues
Hank Snow: From New and Always
June Carter: The Tennessee Wig Walk
Ernest Tubb: My Wasted Past
Possum Hunters: Tom and Jerry
Bill Monroe: Rocky Road Blues
Carter Family: Wildwood Flower
Hank Snow: Rumba Boogie
Ernest Tubb: Daisy May
Fiddle Chaser: Leather Britches
8:30: Royal Crown Cola
Roy Acuff: A Dollar Down and A Dollar A Week
Fruit Jar Drinkers: Old Jeff Davis
George Morgan: I Passed By Your Window
Jug Band: Just Because
Marty Robbins: Sing Me Something Sentimental
Grandpa Jones: Good Old Mountain Dew
Roy Acuff: Mother's Not Dead
Oswald: John Henry
Howdy: Ricketts Hornpipe
9:00: Martha White
Carl Smith: My Trademark
Jimmy Dickens: I'll Dance At Your Wedding
Cowboy Copas: Tennessee Senorita
Anita Carter: How's The World Treating You
Crook Brothers: Black Mountain Rag
Lonzo and Oscar: I'm Moving On No. 2
Carl Smith: This Orchid Means Goodbye
Chet Atkins: Spanish Fandango
Jimmy Dickens: I'm Makin' Love To A Stranger
9:30: Warren Paint
Roy Acuff: The Southbound Train
String Beans: Free A Little Bird
Johnny and Jack: Don't Say Goodbye If You Love Me
Roy Acuff: Who Broke The Lock On The Hen House Door
Howdy Forrester: Devil's Dream
9:45: American Ace
Roy Acuff: Not A Word From Home
Kitty Wells: I Don't Claim To Be An Angel
Jimmy Riddle: Lost John
Roy Acuff: We'll Understand It Better
Oswald: Foggy Mountain Top
10:00: Wallrite
George Morgan: Almost
Bill Monroe: Cabin of Love
Hardrock Gunter: To Be Selected
George Morgan: Room Full of Roses
Don Slayman: Fire on the Mountain
10:15: Dr. Le Gear
Hank Snow: Spanish Fireball
Marty Robbins: At The End of a Long, Lonely Day
Bill Monroe: Swing Low Sweet Chariot
Hank Snow: A Message From The Trade Winds
10:30: Jefferson Island Salt
Ernest Tubb: Let's Say Goodbye Like We Said Hello
Jimmy Dickens: Sidemeat and Cabbage
Jordanaires: My Rock
Salty and Matty: Cat Fight
June Carter: Walkin' To Missouri
Ernest Tubb: Rainbow At Midnight
Lonzo and Oscar: Let's Live a Little No. 2
Chet Aktins: St. Louis Blues
11:00: O-Celo
Howdy Forrester: Twinkle Little Star
Eddie Hill: Frog Eye
Roy Acuff: The Crawdad Song
Bobby Hebbs: Mr. Spoons
Roy Acuff: Lonesome Valley
11:15: Darimix
Carl Smith: Hey Joe
Johnny and Jack: Poison Love
String Beans: John Henry
Gully Jumpers: Old Joe
Carl Smith: Do I Like It
11:30: Hester Battery
Hank Snow: Indian Man
Grandpa Jones: Steppin Out Kind
Crook Brothers: Arkansas Traveler
Hank Snow: Between Fire and Water
Fiddle: Let's Go Boys
11:45: Grand Ole Opry
Cowboy Copas: Love Me Now
Sam and Kirk: Long John Green from Bowling Green
Hardrock Gunter: To Be Selected
Fruit Jar Drinkers: Bile Them Cabbage On
Cowboy Copas: To Be Selected
You look at those past lineups, and I am just amazed at the amount of talent that appeared on the Opry during that period in its history. What is even more impressive is that the lineup from that night was pretty typical for that period.
Some great memories
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