On October 13 & 14, 2000, the Grand Ole Opry celebrated its 75th anniversary. I only mention this as it was a milestone in the history of the show. It was a star filled weekend as most of the Opry members performed at least during one of the shows over the weekend. I attended the entire weekend of shows and it was great to see all the Opry stars there. Taking a trip down memory lane, I wanted to post the line-ups from that weekend, which took place 9 years ago today.
Friday October 13th:
First Show
6:30: Jeannie Seely(host); Jim Ed Brown; The Whites; Hal Ketchum; Jack Greene
7:00: Porter Wagoner(host); Connie Smith; Bill Carlisle; Jeanne Pruett; Diamond Rio
7:30: Steve Wariner(host); Holly Dunn; Del Reeves; Ronnie Milsap
8:00: Bill Anderson(host); Jan Howard; Jimmy C. Newman; Alison Krauss
8:30: Jimmy Dickens(host); Osborne Brothers; Martina McBride; Garth Brooks
Second Show
9:30: Porter Wagoner(host); Jim Ed Brown; Billy Walker; Jack Greene; Diamond Rio
10:00: Jimmy Dickens(host); Hal Ketchum; Ernie Ashworth; Del Reeves; Connie Smith
10:30: Steve Wariner(host); Osborne Brothers; Charlie Louvin; Jeanne Pruett; Alison Krauss
11:00: Bill Anderson(host); Jimmy C. Newman; Hank Locklin; Garth Brooks
11:30: Charlie Walker(host); Stu Phillips; Holly Dunn; Mel McDaniel
Saturday October 14
Saturday Matinee
3:00: Porter Wagoner; The Whites; Mel McDaniel
3:30: Jim Ed Brown; Osborne Brothers; Billy Walker
4:00: Jimmy Dickens; Travis Tritt
4:30: Trisha Yearwood; Loretta Lynn
First Show
6:30: Jeannie Seely(host); Connie Smith; Bill Carlisle; Lorrie Morgan
7:00: Porter Wagoner(host); Marty Stuart; Travis Tritt; Riders In The Sky; Jimmy Dickens; Pam Tillis; Trisha Yearwood; Loretta Lynn
8:00: Vince Gill(host); Alison Krauss; Dolly Parton; Opry Square Dance Band; Melvin Sloan Dancers
8:30: Jean Shepard(host); Ricky Van Shelton; Steve Wariner; Garth Brooks
Second Show:
9:30: Porter Wagoner(host); Marty Stuart; Wilma Lee Cooper; Alison Krauss
10:00: Jimmy Dickens(host); Pam Tillis; Skeeter Davis; Ronnie Milsap
10:30: Vince Gill(host); Ralph Stanley; Lorrie Morgan; Jack Greene; Opry Square Dance Band; Melvin Sloan Dancers
11:00: Riders In The Sky(host); Jean Shepard; Ricky Van Shelton; Steve Wariner
11:30: Johnny Russell(host); Jan Howard; Ray Pillow; Charlie Walker; Garth Brooks
>The 7:00-8:00 hour was the televised portion of the Opry that night.
>The 2nd Opry show did not end until almost 1am, with Garth Brooks being on stage for over a half hour. Jack Greene was the host of the mid-night jamboree that night, that did not end until after 2am.
>To fit in all the artists, many of them sang duets together. For example, Jimmy Dickens and Pam Tillis sang a song together as did Travis Tritt and Marty Stuart.
>The only Opry members who did not appear during any of the birthday shows were Clint Black, Roy Clark, John Conlee, Joe Diffie, Roy Drusky, The Gatlin Brothers, Don Gibson, Billy Grammer, Tom T. Hall, George Hamilton IV, Emmylou Harris, Alan Jackson, Stonewall Jackson, George Jones, Patty Loveless, Barbara Mandrell, Reba McEntire, Jim & Jesse McReynolds, Brother Oswald, Charlie Pride, Ricky Skaggs, Mike Snider, Randy Travis and Teddy Wilburn. Several of those were ill. That makes almost 50 Opry members appearing sometime over the weekend.
As always, it is fun to look back in history.
Nationally recognized independent Grand Ole Opry historian Byron Fay offers news and comments regarding country music's premier show.
Tuesday, October 13, 2009
Monday, October 12, 2009
Review & Recap of the Grand Ole Opry's 84th Birthday Weekend
This past weekend, I had the opportunity to attend the Grand Ole Opry's 84th Birthday Bash. It was a great weekend of shows and I also had the good fortune to have my wife attend the shows with me. I add that note because while I attend at least 10 Opry shows each year, and some years many more, she only attends the Opry about once every 5 years, so she can give me a different perspective on what is seen. Also, she is not your 'classic' country music fan. In fact, she is what would be classified as a "deadhead", following the Grateful Dead. But, she does know country music and her opinion is valid.
The weekend started with us attending the Opry Country Classics show at the Ryman Auditorium. I was anxious to attend the Opry Country Classics because I had not attended any of the shows since they started and was interested in how they went when seeing the show live instead of listening to the show on the radio. And, I will tell you that I really enjoyed the show and thought that it was very well presented. When you come into the Ryman, the curtain is open with the backdrop that they have used at the Ryman for the past several years. They had the Minnie Pearl impersonator doing the pre-show announcements, just like before the Opry shows. Eddie Stubbs did the introduction and then introduced Storme Warren, from GAC-TV, as the host for the night. Storme introduced all of the acts and then would defer to Eddie, who handled the commercials. Storme did an excellent job as the host and added a lot of enthusiasm to the show. I could see him as an Opry announcer. He gave high praise to the acts that he introduced and noted their career achievements. The show opened with Mandy Barnett, who did Ernest Tubb's "Walk-In The Floor Over You". She was followed on stage by Jeannie Seely, who did 2 songs, with her honoring Dottie West with the 2nd number. She was followed by George Hamilton IV for one number and Jan Howard for her classic, "Evil On Your Mind". Also performing was new artist Sunny Sweeney, who did several Loretta Lynn numbers and Jim Lauderdale, who honored George Jones. Jack Greene then did his classic numbers, "There Goes My Everything" and "Statue Of A Fool". There was a 15 minute intermission, during which several classic country songs were played. After the intermission, the Opry Square Dancers came out. There were only 4 of the square dancers, instead of the usual 8, and then Mandy Barnett came back on to do several Patsy Cline songs and a Don Gibson number. The show finished with the Del McCoury Band doing Roy Acuff's "Wabash Cannonball", and then several Bill Monroe numbers. After the last song by Del McCoury, they played "Rawhide", and while the song was on, the curtin was pulled close as Eddie gave the closing announcements.
Like I said, the show had a very good flow to it, with the newer acts mixed in with the veteran acts. As far as the attendance, I would say that the Ryman was about two-thirds filled, mostly senior citizens. The crowd was very enthusiastic, with Jack Greene receiving the greatest response. The intermission did seem out of place, and with the limited restrooms at the Ryman, was really too short. I would just rather see them do away with the intermission. Also at times, it seemed as if the commercials were out of place, as in one sequence they had 3 in a row after only 1 song. The only down note was that Hal Ketchum was advertised to be on the show and was listed in the program, but was not there. One last note: for those of you who have been at the Ryman before, you will know that for years they had display cases in the back that were filled with different items and the displays had not been changed for years. The finally updated them. Along the back walls, there are displays to honor the Opry in the 40's, 50's and 60's, including items from Stringbean, Porter Wagoner, Dolly Parton, Connie Smith, Lester Flatt, Marty Stuart and others. The last big display is in relation to the Johnny Cash television show, that was filmed at the Ryman, and the display features items from Johnny Cash and June Carter. The little cases behind the back row of seats have also been updated, with one of the displays highlighting Skeeter Davis. It included a mention that Skeeter was one of the outspoken members of the Opry and at one time was banned for a year because of comments that she made on stage. Items from Grandpa Jones, Pee Wee King, Marty Robbins and a couple of others were also on display in the cases. A very nice update to the auditorium. All-in-all, I thought the show was great and exceeded by expectations.
On Friday, I attended the Friday Night Opry at the Grand Ole Opry house. While the Saturday shows were very good, I would have to say in my opinion, the Friday show was the better of the two. The line-up was great and all the entertainers were very good. I was anxious to see Jimmy Dickens, as over the past several months he has not sounded very good and there have been health problems. But, I was suprised as he looked great and sounded much better than what I thought he would. As you would expect, Josh Turner and Montgomery Gentry received the biggest reactions from the audience. The Opry House was at least 90% full, with only the upper corners having available seats. Patty Loveless was signing copies of her new CD in the Opry Shop before the show. As for Saturday night, again the Opry House was over 90% full for the first show and I thought it was a good show. The crowd for the 2nd show was not as large, and that show was fine also. Jimmy Dickens did have some trouble hitting a few of the notes during his songs and the radio host, Delilah was the special guest announcer. She was slightly embarassed as she was reading from the wrong spot on her script, and was ready to introduce Mike Snider as Diamond Rio, but she handled it well. Kathy Mattea was outstanding as was Lorrie Morgan. The first segment hosted by Jimmy Dickens ran about 10 minutes over, so they played catch up for the rest of the night. The 2nd show started about 7 minutes late, but finished up on time. Stu Phillips made one of his rare Opry appearances on the 2nd show and sang great. Jim Ed Brown was also very good as was Joe Diffie. And of course, they rolled out the birthday cake for all 3 shows over the weekend. Nobody pulled it out on Friday night, except for a couple of the stage hands. On Saturday night, Jimmy Dickens and Diamond Rio did the honors. Also, Diamond Rio was in the Opry Museum signing copies of their new book and CD before the show.
Just for the heck of it, I did some timing during the first show. The actual show lasts 2 hours, or in the case of this Saturday night, 2 hours and 10 minutes. For that show, there were 13 artists listed and they all appeared. The 13 artists played a total of 19 songs. With an average of 3 minutes per song, that comes out to about 57 minutes of actual entertainment for a show that lasted about 130 minutes. Add that to the fact that the top ticket is $53 and going up next year, it is no wonder why attendence is down at the Opry. Or another case in point: Would anyone pay $53 to see any of those artists in concert? Maybe some for Montgomery Gentry. But, the line-ups have got to be stronger each week to justify the price of the tickets. By the way, during the 2nd show on Saturday night, the 12 artists played a total of 18 songs; even less than on the 1st show.
All references to GAC-TV have been removed from the Opry house. Also, in case you missed it, Cracker Barrel is no longer the presenting sponsor of the Opry, but has been replaced by Humana. Cracker Barrel is still listed as a "Proud Sponsor" along with US Bank, Bass Pro Shop, and Dollar General. The other Opry sponsor is Martha White. I would like to see one change at the Opry House. Along the back wall in the outer hallways, they have several pictures of Opry stars, with Opry induction dates listed as well as Hall of Fame dates listed. Those include Roy Acuff, Patsy Cline, Hank Snow, Ernest Tubb, George Hay, Bill Monroe and a couple of others. If you are familiar with the Opry House, these are older, black and white photos. I would like to see these updated to include any former member of the Opry who is also a member of the Country Music Hall of Fame. There is space to add, perhaps Porter Wagoner, Bill Carlisle and a few others. They have done a nice job of honoring the past at the Opry House, I would just like to see them do a few more things.
Finally, I visited the Opry Museum as always. Last year, they updated the exhibits(finally), with a history of the Opry and some classic photos. But, it is time to update again. Some of the exhibits are looking very old and have been in place for many, many years. There is a story to tell about the Opry and the museum is the perfect place to do it. The same displays honoring Marty Robbins, Jim Reeves, Jimmy Dickens, Roy Acuff, Tex Ritter, Minnie Pearl and Patsy Cline have been up forever. The last change they made was removing the Hank Snow exhibit after he died. Keep the exhibits up, just reduce the size and add a few more. There are so many stars that could be honored. Just personally: they keep honoring Jim Reeves with a nice size exhibit, but he was an Opry member for such a short amount of time, and he had even quit the Opry. I would also love to see more of the video screens, showing classic Opry highlights. They have such a great vault of film that they could show.
That was a recap of the weekend. I have more to share, which I will do in future updates. My next trip is planned in December and then the usual trips in February, April and June.
The weekend started with us attending the Opry Country Classics show at the Ryman Auditorium. I was anxious to attend the Opry Country Classics because I had not attended any of the shows since they started and was interested in how they went when seeing the show live instead of listening to the show on the radio. And, I will tell you that I really enjoyed the show and thought that it was very well presented. When you come into the Ryman, the curtain is open with the backdrop that they have used at the Ryman for the past several years. They had the Minnie Pearl impersonator doing the pre-show announcements, just like before the Opry shows. Eddie Stubbs did the introduction and then introduced Storme Warren, from GAC-TV, as the host for the night. Storme introduced all of the acts and then would defer to Eddie, who handled the commercials. Storme did an excellent job as the host and added a lot of enthusiasm to the show. I could see him as an Opry announcer. He gave high praise to the acts that he introduced and noted their career achievements. The show opened with Mandy Barnett, who did Ernest Tubb's "Walk-In The Floor Over You". She was followed on stage by Jeannie Seely, who did 2 songs, with her honoring Dottie West with the 2nd number. She was followed by George Hamilton IV for one number and Jan Howard for her classic, "Evil On Your Mind". Also performing was new artist Sunny Sweeney, who did several Loretta Lynn numbers and Jim Lauderdale, who honored George Jones. Jack Greene then did his classic numbers, "There Goes My Everything" and "Statue Of A Fool". There was a 15 minute intermission, during which several classic country songs were played. After the intermission, the Opry Square Dancers came out. There were only 4 of the square dancers, instead of the usual 8, and then Mandy Barnett came back on to do several Patsy Cline songs and a Don Gibson number. The show finished with the Del McCoury Band doing Roy Acuff's "Wabash Cannonball", and then several Bill Monroe numbers. After the last song by Del McCoury, they played "Rawhide", and while the song was on, the curtin was pulled close as Eddie gave the closing announcements.
Like I said, the show had a very good flow to it, with the newer acts mixed in with the veteran acts. As far as the attendance, I would say that the Ryman was about two-thirds filled, mostly senior citizens. The crowd was very enthusiastic, with Jack Greene receiving the greatest response. The intermission did seem out of place, and with the limited restrooms at the Ryman, was really too short. I would just rather see them do away with the intermission. Also at times, it seemed as if the commercials were out of place, as in one sequence they had 3 in a row after only 1 song. The only down note was that Hal Ketchum was advertised to be on the show and was listed in the program, but was not there. One last note: for those of you who have been at the Ryman before, you will know that for years they had display cases in the back that were filled with different items and the displays had not been changed for years. The finally updated them. Along the back walls, there are displays to honor the Opry in the 40's, 50's and 60's, including items from Stringbean, Porter Wagoner, Dolly Parton, Connie Smith, Lester Flatt, Marty Stuart and others. The last big display is in relation to the Johnny Cash television show, that was filmed at the Ryman, and the display features items from Johnny Cash and June Carter. The little cases behind the back row of seats have also been updated, with one of the displays highlighting Skeeter Davis. It included a mention that Skeeter was one of the outspoken members of the Opry and at one time was banned for a year because of comments that she made on stage. Items from Grandpa Jones, Pee Wee King, Marty Robbins and a couple of others were also on display in the cases. A very nice update to the auditorium. All-in-all, I thought the show was great and exceeded by expectations.
On Friday, I attended the Friday Night Opry at the Grand Ole Opry house. While the Saturday shows were very good, I would have to say in my opinion, the Friday show was the better of the two. The line-up was great and all the entertainers were very good. I was anxious to see Jimmy Dickens, as over the past several months he has not sounded very good and there have been health problems. But, I was suprised as he looked great and sounded much better than what I thought he would. As you would expect, Josh Turner and Montgomery Gentry received the biggest reactions from the audience. The Opry House was at least 90% full, with only the upper corners having available seats. Patty Loveless was signing copies of her new CD in the Opry Shop before the show. As for Saturday night, again the Opry House was over 90% full for the first show and I thought it was a good show. The crowd for the 2nd show was not as large, and that show was fine also. Jimmy Dickens did have some trouble hitting a few of the notes during his songs and the radio host, Delilah was the special guest announcer. She was slightly embarassed as she was reading from the wrong spot on her script, and was ready to introduce Mike Snider as Diamond Rio, but she handled it well. Kathy Mattea was outstanding as was Lorrie Morgan. The first segment hosted by Jimmy Dickens ran about 10 minutes over, so they played catch up for the rest of the night. The 2nd show started about 7 minutes late, but finished up on time. Stu Phillips made one of his rare Opry appearances on the 2nd show and sang great. Jim Ed Brown was also very good as was Joe Diffie. And of course, they rolled out the birthday cake for all 3 shows over the weekend. Nobody pulled it out on Friday night, except for a couple of the stage hands. On Saturday night, Jimmy Dickens and Diamond Rio did the honors. Also, Diamond Rio was in the Opry Museum signing copies of their new book and CD before the show.
Just for the heck of it, I did some timing during the first show. The actual show lasts 2 hours, or in the case of this Saturday night, 2 hours and 10 minutes. For that show, there were 13 artists listed and they all appeared. The 13 artists played a total of 19 songs. With an average of 3 minutes per song, that comes out to about 57 minutes of actual entertainment for a show that lasted about 130 minutes. Add that to the fact that the top ticket is $53 and going up next year, it is no wonder why attendence is down at the Opry. Or another case in point: Would anyone pay $53 to see any of those artists in concert? Maybe some for Montgomery Gentry. But, the line-ups have got to be stronger each week to justify the price of the tickets. By the way, during the 2nd show on Saturday night, the 12 artists played a total of 18 songs; even less than on the 1st show.
All references to GAC-TV have been removed from the Opry house. Also, in case you missed it, Cracker Barrel is no longer the presenting sponsor of the Opry, but has been replaced by Humana. Cracker Barrel is still listed as a "Proud Sponsor" along with US Bank, Bass Pro Shop, and Dollar General. The other Opry sponsor is Martha White. I would like to see one change at the Opry House. Along the back wall in the outer hallways, they have several pictures of Opry stars, with Opry induction dates listed as well as Hall of Fame dates listed. Those include Roy Acuff, Patsy Cline, Hank Snow, Ernest Tubb, George Hay, Bill Monroe and a couple of others. If you are familiar with the Opry House, these are older, black and white photos. I would like to see these updated to include any former member of the Opry who is also a member of the Country Music Hall of Fame. There is space to add, perhaps Porter Wagoner, Bill Carlisle and a few others. They have done a nice job of honoring the past at the Opry House, I would just like to see them do a few more things.
Finally, I visited the Opry Museum as always. Last year, they updated the exhibits(finally), with a history of the Opry and some classic photos. But, it is time to update again. Some of the exhibits are looking very old and have been in place for many, many years. There is a story to tell about the Opry and the museum is the perfect place to do it. The same displays honoring Marty Robbins, Jim Reeves, Jimmy Dickens, Roy Acuff, Tex Ritter, Minnie Pearl and Patsy Cline have been up forever. The last change they made was removing the Hank Snow exhibit after he died. Keep the exhibits up, just reduce the size and add a few more. There are so many stars that could be honored. Just personally: they keep honoring Jim Reeves with a nice size exhibit, but he was an Opry member for such a short amount of time, and he had even quit the Opry. I would also love to see more of the video screens, showing classic Opry highlights. They have such a great vault of film that they could show.
That was a recap of the weekend. I have more to share, which I will do in future updates. My next trip is planned in December and then the usual trips in February, April and June.
Sunday, October 11, 2009
Tuesday Night Opry 10/13 & Opry Country Classics 10/15
We'll, I am back from the big Grand Ole Opry birthday celebration and I will share my thoughts on what I saw and heard in a column tomorrow. But for tonight, I wanted to post the line-ups for this week's mid-week Opry shows.
Tuesday Night Opry-October 13th:
7:00: Jim Ed Brown; Wade Bowen
7:30: Connie Smith; The Steeldrivers
Intermission
8:15: Bill Anderson; Jamie O'Neal
8:45: Jimmy Dickens; Justin Moore
Opry Country Classics-Thursday October 15th:
7:00-9:00
This Week: Celebrating Rockabilly
Host: Marty Stuart and his Fabulous Superlatives
Also Appearing: Shawn Camp & Billy Burnette; John Conlee; Eric Heatherly; Rebecca Lynn Howard; Jesse McReynolds & The Virginia Boys; Jimmy C. Newman; Opry Square Dancers
My only comment regarding the Opry Country Classics show is that the theme is Rockabilly, and while Jesse McReynolds and Jimmy C. Newman are fine artists and singers, I do not remember either of them having anything to do with rockabilly. Also, the last I heard of Eric Heatherly was when he had his one and only hit, the remake of the Statler Brothers classic: Flowers on the Wall. He was a one hit wonder.
Tuesday Night Opry-October 13th:
7:00: Jim Ed Brown; Wade Bowen
7:30: Connie Smith; The Steeldrivers
Intermission
8:15: Bill Anderson; Jamie O'Neal
8:45: Jimmy Dickens; Justin Moore
Opry Country Classics-Thursday October 15th:
7:00-9:00
This Week: Celebrating Rockabilly
Host: Marty Stuart and his Fabulous Superlatives
Also Appearing: Shawn Camp & Billy Burnette; John Conlee; Eric Heatherly; Rebecca Lynn Howard; Jesse McReynolds & The Virginia Boys; Jimmy C. Newman; Opry Square Dancers
My only comment regarding the Opry Country Classics show is that the theme is Rockabilly, and while Jesse McReynolds and Jimmy C. Newman are fine artists and singers, I do not remember either of them having anything to do with rockabilly. Also, the last I heard of Eric Heatherly was when he had his one and only hit, the remake of the Statler Brothers classic: Flowers on the Wall. He was a one hit wonder.
Thursday, October 8, 2009
Nashville, Tennessee & The Grand Ole Opry
Just wanted to let all my loyal readers know that I am off to Nashville and the Grand Ole Opry. It should be a great weekend with the Opry celebrating its 84th birthday. I will have a full report and update on all the activities on Monday. Who knows; I may hear a nugget or two to pass on. There are some people I do want to talk to. Until Monday, have a great weekend!!!
Tuesday, October 6, 2009
Grand Ole Opry Line-Up-10/9 & 10/10-Birthday Weekend
Changes to the announced line-up for this weekend are already taking place. On Friday night, Mark Wills has cancelled and replaced by Ricky Skaggs. Nothing wrong with that. Also on Friday, Mike Snider and Bill Anderson have switched spots. The updated line-up is listed below:
This weekend, the Grand Ole Opry celebrates its 84th birthday with 3 star-filled shows, along with Opry Country Classics on Thursday night and Larry Gatlin & The Gatlin Brothers in a big birthday concert on Saturday afternoon. The Opry's official anniversary date is November 28, but for a number of years(as long as I can remember), the Opry has celebrated in October(usually the 2nd or 3rd weekend). I will be in Nashville this weekend, attending all the shows and when I return next week, I will offer a full review of what I saw and heard. Now for the line-ups:
Opry Country Classics-Thursday October 8
7:00-9:00
This week, Songs That Made The Grand Ole Opry Famous
Host: Storme Warren
Also Appearing: Mandy Barnett; Jack Greene; George Hamilton IV; Jan Howard; Hal Ketchum; Jim Lauderdale; Del McCoury Band; Opry Square Dancers; Jeannie Seely; Sunny Sweeney.
A real solid line-up of talent for this show. No spotlight artist and I am sure that the various entertainers will be singing lots of songs from the earlier days of the Opry and songs that were made famous by many of the now-departed Opry Hall of Famers. This show will be at the Ryman Auditorium instead of the Grand Ole Opry house.
Friday Night Opry-October 9
7:00: John Conlee(host); Jeannie Seely; Riders In The Sky; Ricky Skaggs
7:30: Jimmy Dickens(host); The Whites; Patty Loveless
8:00: Mike Snider(host); BJ Thomas; Josh Turner
8:30: Bill Anderson(host); Jack Greene; Jean Shepard; Montgomery Gentry
Grand Ole Opry-Saturday October 10
First Show:
7:00: Jimmy Dickens(host); The Whites; Kathy Mattea
7:30: Lorrie Morgan(host); Jan Howard; George Hamilton IV; Jean Shepard
8:00: Jeannie Seely(host); Jim Ed Brown; Joe Diffie; Opry Square Dancers
8:30: Bill Anderson(host); Mike Snider; Diamond Rio
Second Show:
9:30: Jimmy Dickens(host); Lorrie Morgan; Bobby Osborne & The Rocky Top X-Press
10:00: Mike Snider(host); Ray Pillow; Kathy Mattea
10:30: Diamond Rio(host); Stu Phillips; Jean Shepard; Opry Square Dancers
11:00: Bill Anderson(host); Jim Ed Brown; Joe Diffie
Again, real solid line-ups for both the Friday Night Opry and the Saturday Grand Ole Opry shows. The Ernest Tubb Midnight Jamboree will be hosted by James Hand, who is a Texas honky-tonk singer, featured on Willie's Place on Sirius/XM radio. He will be joined by Heather Myles, another Texas singer, who I have heard many times and does a very nice job. Neither of these are Nashville based, or Nashville known artists, so it will be interesting to see what kind of a crowd they draw.
This weekend, the Grand Ole Opry celebrates its 84th birthday with 3 star-filled shows, along with Opry Country Classics on Thursday night and Larry Gatlin & The Gatlin Brothers in a big birthday concert on Saturday afternoon. The Opry's official anniversary date is November 28, but for a number of years(as long as I can remember), the Opry has celebrated in October(usually the 2nd or 3rd weekend). I will be in Nashville this weekend, attending all the shows and when I return next week, I will offer a full review of what I saw and heard. Now for the line-ups:
Opry Country Classics-Thursday October 8
7:00-9:00
This week, Songs That Made The Grand Ole Opry Famous
Host: Storme Warren
Also Appearing: Mandy Barnett; Jack Greene; George Hamilton IV; Jan Howard; Hal Ketchum; Jim Lauderdale; Del McCoury Band; Opry Square Dancers; Jeannie Seely; Sunny Sweeney.
A real solid line-up of talent for this show. No spotlight artist and I am sure that the various entertainers will be singing lots of songs from the earlier days of the Opry and songs that were made famous by many of the now-departed Opry Hall of Famers. This show will be at the Ryman Auditorium instead of the Grand Ole Opry house.
Friday Night Opry-October 9
7:00: John Conlee(host); Jeannie Seely; Riders In The Sky; Ricky Skaggs
7:30: Jimmy Dickens(host); The Whites; Patty Loveless
8:00: Mike Snider(host); BJ Thomas; Josh Turner
8:30: Bill Anderson(host); Jack Greene; Jean Shepard; Montgomery Gentry
Grand Ole Opry-Saturday October 10
First Show:
7:00: Jimmy Dickens(host); The Whites; Kathy Mattea
7:30: Lorrie Morgan(host); Jan Howard; George Hamilton IV; Jean Shepard
8:00: Jeannie Seely(host); Jim Ed Brown; Joe Diffie; Opry Square Dancers
8:30: Bill Anderson(host); Mike Snider; Diamond Rio
Second Show:
9:30: Jimmy Dickens(host); Lorrie Morgan; Bobby Osborne & The Rocky Top X-Press
10:00: Mike Snider(host); Ray Pillow; Kathy Mattea
10:30: Diamond Rio(host); Stu Phillips; Jean Shepard; Opry Square Dancers
11:00: Bill Anderson(host); Jim Ed Brown; Joe Diffie
Again, real solid line-ups for both the Friday Night Opry and the Saturday Grand Ole Opry shows. The Ernest Tubb Midnight Jamboree will be hosted by James Hand, who is a Texas honky-tonk singer, featured on Willie's Place on Sirius/XM radio. He will be joined by Heather Myles, another Texas singer, who I have heard many times and does a very nice job. Neither of these are Nashville based, or Nashville known artists, so it will be interesting to see what kind of a crowd they draw.
Monday, October 5, 2009
Tuesday Night Opry 10/6
Here is the line-up for the Tuesday Night Opry-October 6
7:00: The Whites; Hal Ketchum
7:30: Jack Greene; Dailey & Vincent
Intermission
8:15: Bill Anderson; Craig Morgan
8:45: Jimmy Dickens; Charlie Daniels Band
Dailey & Vincent won the Bluegrass Association's Entertainers of the Year award for the 2nd straight year Sunday night at the awards show that took place at the Ryman Auditorium. Dale Ann Bradley, a favorite of ours, won the female vocalist of the year for the 2nd year in a row. Congratulations to the winners.
7:00: The Whites; Hal Ketchum
7:30: Jack Greene; Dailey & Vincent
Intermission
8:15: Bill Anderson; Craig Morgan
8:45: Jimmy Dickens; Charlie Daniels Band
Dailey & Vincent won the Bluegrass Association's Entertainers of the Year award for the 2nd straight year Sunday night at the awards show that took place at the Ryman Auditorium. Dale Ann Bradley, a favorite of ours, won the female vocalist of the year for the 2nd year in a row. Congratulations to the winners.
Thursday, October 1, 2009
Grand Ole Opry Line-Up Friday 10/2 & Saturday 10/3
Updated: On Saturday night, Jamie O'Neal has cancelled for both shows and replaced by Cherryholmes
Here is the line-up for this week's Grand Ole Opry shows. There are 2 shows both Friday and Saturday night, with Friday having a very strong line-up as the Opry is doing its part for breast cancer awareness. Looking the Friday night line-up, both shows are exactly the same with the exception of the third slot in the second segment. Jim Ed Brown is on the first show and The Whites are on the second show. Usually, you will see some variety in the shows and also you will see some performers on the first show and not on the second show, and some on the second show and not on the first. It is the same for Saturday night with the exception of the second slot in the third segment of the show. Kind of strange. Anyways, here are the line-ups:
Friday October 2:
First Show
7:00: Jimmy Dickens(host); Jo Dee Messina
7:30: Lorrie Morgan(host); Jean Shepard; Jim Ed Brown; Caitlin Lynn; Mike Snider
8:00: Bill Anderson(host); Connie Smith; Terri Clark
8:30: Jeannie Seely(host); Mindy Smith; Carrie Underwood
Second Show
9:30: Jimmy Dickens(host); Jo Dee Messina
10:00: Lorrie Morgan(host); Jean Shepard; The Whites; Caitlin Lynn; Mike Snider
10:30: Bill Adnerson(host); Connie Smith; Terri Clark
11:00: Jeannie Seely(host); Mindy Smith; Carrie Underwood
Before we leave Friday night, there is still one slot to fill on the first segment of each show. However, I know that they are having a special moment where Carrie Underwood will light a switch to turn the barn backdrop pink for the night. That may be why only one guest is scheduled for that first segment. Ray Price is scheduled for a concert at the Acuff Theater on Friday night, so it is possible that he could stop over at the Opry for a song or two. They have done that in the past. Also, Robin Roberts from Good Morning America will be on the first show as a special announcer. Finally, when they first announced that these shows would be dedicated to breast cancer awareness, I was under the assumption that most of the talent on Friday night would be female and that is the way it turned out, with 4 male performers on the first show and 3 on the second.
Saturday October 3:
First Show
7:00: Jimmy Dickens(host); Jimmy C. Newman; Cherryholmes
7:30: Mike Snider(host); Jack Greene; Grand Master Fiddle Champion; Gene Watson
8:00: Jean Shepard(host); Jesse McReynolds & The Virginia Boys; Opry Square Dancers
8:30: Hal Ketchum(host); Bobby Osborne & The Rocky Top-X-Press; The Whites
Second Show
9:30: Jimmy Dickens(host); Jimmy C. Newman; Cherryholmes
10:00: Mike Snider(host); Jack Greene; Grand Master Fiddle Champion; Gene Watson
10:30: Jean Shepard(host); Stonewall Jackson; Opry Square Dancers
11:00: Hal Ketchum(host); Bobby Osborne & The Rocky Top X-Press; The Whites
One slot to fill on each show before the Square Dancers. Dailey & Vincent will be the host at the Ernest Tubb Midnight Jamboree. They have had an amazing two year run since teaming up in bluegrass. They have been on the Opry several times and it is suprising that they are not on the Opry schedule for Saturday considering that they are going to be at the record shop.
Next weekend is the Opry's 84th birthday celebration.
Here is the line-up for this week's Grand Ole Opry shows. There are 2 shows both Friday and Saturday night, with Friday having a very strong line-up as the Opry is doing its part for breast cancer awareness. Looking the Friday night line-up, both shows are exactly the same with the exception of the third slot in the second segment. Jim Ed Brown is on the first show and The Whites are on the second show. Usually, you will see some variety in the shows and also you will see some performers on the first show and not on the second show, and some on the second show and not on the first. It is the same for Saturday night with the exception of the second slot in the third segment of the show. Kind of strange. Anyways, here are the line-ups:
Friday October 2:
First Show
7:00: Jimmy Dickens(host); Jo Dee Messina
7:30: Lorrie Morgan(host); Jean Shepard; Jim Ed Brown; Caitlin Lynn; Mike Snider
8:00: Bill Anderson(host); Connie Smith; Terri Clark
8:30: Jeannie Seely(host); Mindy Smith; Carrie Underwood
Second Show
9:30: Jimmy Dickens(host); Jo Dee Messina
10:00: Lorrie Morgan(host); Jean Shepard; The Whites; Caitlin Lynn; Mike Snider
10:30: Bill Adnerson(host); Connie Smith; Terri Clark
11:00: Jeannie Seely(host); Mindy Smith; Carrie Underwood
Before we leave Friday night, there is still one slot to fill on the first segment of each show. However, I know that they are having a special moment where Carrie Underwood will light a switch to turn the barn backdrop pink for the night. That may be why only one guest is scheduled for that first segment. Ray Price is scheduled for a concert at the Acuff Theater on Friday night, so it is possible that he could stop over at the Opry for a song or two. They have done that in the past. Also, Robin Roberts from Good Morning America will be on the first show as a special announcer. Finally, when they first announced that these shows would be dedicated to breast cancer awareness, I was under the assumption that most of the talent on Friday night would be female and that is the way it turned out, with 4 male performers on the first show and 3 on the second.
Saturday October 3:
First Show
7:00: Jimmy Dickens(host); Jimmy C. Newman; Cherryholmes
7:30: Mike Snider(host); Jack Greene; Grand Master Fiddle Champion; Gene Watson
8:00: Jean Shepard(host); Jesse McReynolds & The Virginia Boys; Opry Square Dancers
8:30: Hal Ketchum(host); Bobby Osborne & The Rocky Top-X-Press; The Whites
Second Show
9:30: Jimmy Dickens(host); Jimmy C. Newman; Cherryholmes
10:00: Mike Snider(host); Jack Greene; Grand Master Fiddle Champion; Gene Watson
10:30: Jean Shepard(host); Stonewall Jackson; Opry Square Dancers
11:00: Hal Ketchum(host); Bobby Osborne & The Rocky Top X-Press; The Whites
One slot to fill on each show before the Square Dancers. Dailey & Vincent will be the host at the Ernest Tubb Midnight Jamboree. They have had an amazing two year run since teaming up in bluegrass. They have been on the Opry several times and it is suprising that they are not on the Opry schedule for Saturday considering that they are going to be at the record shop.
Next weekend is the Opry's 84th birthday celebration.
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