Should The Opry Do Live Webcasts?

I am currently watching the live broadcast of the Wheeling Jamboree on their website. Overall, the quality of the broadcast is pretty good. The sound is very good, and the video stream is pretty good, although there were a couple of problems with the stream.

Watching this webcast show gave me the thought how I wished that the Opry would do live webcasts. Maybe not everyweek, but certainly once in a while. It is something that I would pay a reasonable cost for. It would give people who live long distances away from the Opry the opportunity to see the show, and, I think it would help the Opry and encourage more people to attend. As the Opry continues to explore other media opportunites and with live television broadcasts not happening right now, perhaps this is something that they should explore.

Now, back to the Wheeling Jamboree. They have restarted the show and tonight was the 77th anniversary of the show. Jeannie Seely acted as the host and she looked and sounded great. Also on the show were Jim Ed Brown and Helen Cornelius, who sang individually and together. Again, as with Jeannie, they both looked and sounded great.

Also on the show, and highlighting the show, was Little Jimmy Dickens. He looked great and was very, very funny with some great jokes, many of which we hear on the Opry each week. But, he also did some that I haven't heard lately. He moved around the stage and was very engaged with the audience. But, and I am sorry to say this, he sounded just horrible. He was completely out of tune and sang like he had a frog in his throat. Now, I will say, that he apologized to the audience for how he sounded and he said he had laryngitis. (I know that he always jokes at the Opry about having it, but tonight he was serious about it). He only sang a couple of songs. I know it has got to be tough being 89 years old, but God bless this national treasure as he keeps performing.

Even though he sounded bad, the crowd loved him. It looked like he received a standing ovation, although you could only see parts of the crowd. They were very loud with their laughs and generous with their applause. You could tell that they enjoyed having him back in West Virginia.

All in all, it was a very good show and if you did not get a chance to see it, you can go to the Wheeling Jamboree website and they have video on demand and you can watch it when you want.

And, finally, Happy Easter to all of you and I hope you get the chance to enjoy the day with your families.

Grand Ole Opry Line-Up 4/2 & 4/3

This weekend, the Grand Ole Opry returns to one show on Saturday night after having two Saturday night shows the past several weeks. Then, next week, they return to two shows on Saturday. I know it is the night before Easter, but usually that is one night that draws good crowds to both shows.

Here are the line-ups:
Friday April 2
7:00: John Conlee(host); Bobby Osborne & The Rocky Top X-Press; Lee Brice
7:30: Riders In The Sky(host); Jean Shepard; Del McCoury Band
INTERMISSION
8:15: Mike Snider(host); Jan Howard; Jack Greene; Holly Williams
8:45: Vince Gill(host); The Whites; The Time Jumpers

Saturday April 3
7:00: John Conlee(host); Jimmy C. Newman; Lee Brice
7:30: Mike Snider(host); Jean Shepard; Restless Heart
8:00: Riders In The Sky(host)l Stonewall Jackson; Holly Williams; Opry Square Dancers
8:30: Vince Gill(host); The Whites; Connie Smith

The Opry website does not list an intermission for Saturday night, but I am sure with one show there will be one. Also, they have Charlie Daniels listed for Saturday night, but that is a misprint. And, a few of the Opry regulars are missing. Jimmy Dickens is actually doing a personal appearance on Saturday night at the Wheeling Jamboree with Jim Ed Brown and Jeannie Seely. Bill Anderson is touring in Canada.

Also on the Opry website, you will notice that they have updated their artists scheduled to appear for upcoming shows. They have added a boat load of names, but they names are mostly of the Opry regulars that usually appear most weekends. Unfortunately, most of the big name artists continue to be missing in action. But, we do have appearances by Vince Gill, Lorrie Morgan, Joe Diffie and Ricky Skaggs to continue to look forward to. Let's hope for more.

Next weekend, I am planning to be in Nashville on Saturday for both shows.

Top 10 Country Artists Who Should Be in the Grand Ole Opry

Sometimes you see an article that just makes you shake your head. I found such an article today while doing some research. The article was titled "Top 10 Country Artists Who Should Be in the Grand Ole Opry", and was written by an individual named Kathleen Dougherty, dated May 18, 2009 and distributed by Associated Content. The article is as follows:

The Grand Ole Opry has long been the premier place for country musicians. Some of the most famous musicians who have played at the Opry, though, are not members of it. The members of the Opry are chosen based on their music and enduring success. According to the Grand Ole Opry website, "There's no magic formula, no secret code that grants access to one of the most coveted invitations in all of music."

In my opinion (the opinion of the writer, not me), there are some significant artists over the past few generations who have been overlooked. Here is my pick for the top ten country music stars who should be inducted into the Grand Ole Opry.

Shania Twain-Shania Twain was one of the first of many successful crossover artists. Her 1997 album "Come on Over" is still the best selling country album ever produced. This album is also the best selling album for a female. She also has 5 Gammy awards to her name as well as numerous other recognitions and awards.

Toby Keith-Toby Keith has had a lot of commercial success since his debut in 1993. His hit "Should've Been A Cowboy" was the most popular country music song of the 1990's for radio play, with an estimated 50 million plays from 1993-1999. 40 singles have charted over the years, including 18 singles making the number one spot and 17 other top ten hits.

Dixie Chicks-The Dixie Chicks have the title of highest-grossing female band, having sold more than 30.5 million albums. They have won 13 Grammy Awards, including an Album of the Year award in 2007 for their album "Taking the Long Way."

Rascal Flatts-Having 6 studio albums under their belt in only 9 years, Rascal Flatts has not had an album that has not at least hit double platinum. From those 6 albums, there have been 24 top-40 country hits, including 10 that attained the number one status.

Faith Hill-In her career, Faith Hill has sold over 35 million albums. On top of this she has had 8 number one hits, 3 number one albums. She has been given honors from the Grammy's, Country Music Association and even the People's Choice Awards.

Leann Rimes-Leann Rimes has had cross over success since she started her career at the age of 13 with the song "Blue." reminiscent of the vocal style of Patsy Cline. She has won numerous awards including Grammys, AMA and CMA awards. Her music continues to evolve and she has an exciting career to this day.

Tim McGraw-With over forty million in sales, Tim McGraw is one of the most versatile and successful modern country musicians around. He is married to Faith Hill and together they have produced some of the most well known duets. He has won three Grammys, CMA, AMA and People's Choice awards.

David Allan Coe-From ballads to humorous songs, this beloved singer/songwriter reached the peak of his fame in the 1980's. However, he continues to write and perform to this day with nearly 300 original songs to his credit. I think he is one of hte most underrated and underappreciated country artists of the day.

Johnny Cash-For as many times as Johnny Cash has performed on the Grand Ole Opry, it is suprising that he is not a member of it. He is one of the most enduring singers and even after his death he still has a vast following. There is no music fan around who is not familiar with this artist and it is an omission that should be rectified.

Willie Nelson-The singer/songwriter began his career in 1956 and continues to this day. He has some of the most well known hits throughout the decades and is famous for not only his music but his political beliefs. Willie Nelson was once a part of the Grand Ole Opry but is no more. I think he should be.

Now for a few of my comments and opinions.
First, I have nothing against any of these artists. I like most of them and all of them are talented. And, while I do not know the writer of this article, Kathleen Dougherty, she just does not come across very well with some of the comments that she writes.

Let's look at a couple:
>Johnny Cash has been dead for a number of years. All Grand Ole Opry members are living. He also was once a member of the Opry and left on his own. He was even asked by Roy Acuff in the 1980's to be a member again, but he turned it down. But, like I said, he is deceased.
>Shania Twain one of the first successful crossover artists? Gee, did this author ever here of Eddy Arnold or Glen Campbell, or Patsy Cline. There were many crossover artists long before Shania came along. Oh, and I don't think she has ever appeared on the Opry.
>At least Faith Hill, Tim McGraw, Leann Rimes and the Dixie Chicks have appeared on the Opry. But, I don't think there is any interest in any of those joining. And, do you think that the Dixie Chicks would fit the profile of what an Opry member should be? And, speaking of the Dixie Chicks, I still remember watching Opry Live the night they announced that Porter Wagoner and Bill Carlisle had been elected to the Country Music Hall of Fame. The facial expression on Porter's face was priceless!!
>Willie Nelson I could see as an Opry member. But, I think he has only appeared on the Opry once in the last 20 years. Again, I would ask him, but I don't think there is any interest by him in returning, although he does write some funny stories about the Opry in his book.
>David Allan Coe? Nice song writer and I have seen him in concert, and he is good. But, what a foul mouth and I am sure that would go over well.

Finally, Rascal Flatts. They actually have appeared on the Opry a few times and have been well received. I could actually see them as members at some point. They live in Nashville and seem to have a respect for country music and the Opry.

The way she wrote this article, it sounded more like she was trying to get these artists elected to the Hall of Fame. Maybe someone should tell her that there is more to being an Opry member than by having a bunch of hit records or a bunch of awards. While there are many country stars who should be members of the Opry, I think she missed the boat on most of her choices.

April Opry Highlights

This week the month of April begins. As I do each month, I want to review the historical events that took place during this month in the Opry's history and pass along some Opry information.

Only 2 of the Opry's current members joined in April:
>Diamond Rio became members of the Grand Ole Opry on April 18, 1998 (12 years).
>Ray Pillow, one of the Opry's legends joined on April 30, 1966 (44 years). And I might add, Ray sounds as good as ever.

The following Opry members will celebrate birthday's in April:
>Emmylou Harris was born on April 2, 1947 (63 years old).
>Steve Gatlin, of the Gatlin Brothers, was born on April 4, 1951 (59 years old).
>Hal Ketchum was born on April 9, 1953 (57 years old).
>Vince Gill was born on April 12, 1957 (53 years old).
>Loretta Lynn was born on April 14, 1935 (75 years old).
>Roy Clark was born on April 15, 1933 (77 years old).

Looking at the birthdays, I cannot believe that Roy Clark will be 77. He always looks so young while watching the reruns of Hee Haw on Sunday nights. Emmylou Harris still has one of the sweetest voices around and it just seem's like yesterday that Vince Gill was one of the rising stars in country music. It just shows that time doesn't stand still.

The following important events in Grand Ole Opry history took place in April:
>April 17, 1926, Uncle Dave Macon became a Barn Dance regular. At the time he was 55 years old and was the Opry's first nationally known performer. He remained an Opry regular until his death in 1952, at the age of 81.
>April 26, 1947, Roy Acuff returned to the Opry, after leaving the show the previous year in a salary dispute. At the time he had left, he was the host of the nationally broadcast portion, sponsored by Prince Albert. However, when he returned, Red Foley continued as the host of that portion of the Opry and Roy became the host of the Royal Crown Cola Show.
>April 1, 1967, the Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum opened on Music Row in Nashville.
> April 6, 1968, a curfew in Nashville that was imposed following the assassination of Rev. Martin Luther King, forced the Opry to cancel that night's live performance for the first, and only time in it's history. WSM aired a tape of a previous show that night. Roy Acuff, Sam and Kirk McGee and several other Opry members performed an afternoon show at a nearby hall for the out of town fans who came to Nashville expecting to see an Opry show that night. Also on this date, Bud Wendell took over as the Opry's manager.
>April 12-15, 1972, the first Fan Fair took place in Nashville. It was held at the Municipal Auditorium. Later, it was moved to the Tennessee State Fairgrounds, and is now held in downtown Nashville, as part of CMA Music Fest.
>April 13, 1985, the Grand Ole Opry was aired for the first time as a weekly show on TNN, The Nashville Network. The show was called, "Grand Ole Opry Live", and continued on TNN until 2001. Roy Acuff hosted that first show, but, as a trivia question, who can tell me who else was on that show with Roy?

The Opry didn't keep real good records in its earlier days, but it was in April 1946 that Red Foley took over as host of the Opry's Prince Albert Show, and it was in April 1958 that Don Gibson became a member of the Opry.

Finally, in 2004, just a few years back, the Opry was held on the same dates as this coming weekend, Friday April 2 and Saturday April 3. I know that it is not that long ago, but I wanted to repost that line-up from that weekend.

Friday April 2, 2004
7:30: Porter Wagoner(host); Mel McDaniel; Mike Snider; Joni Harms; Jim Ed Brown
8:00: Bill Anderson(host); Jeff Bates; Jesse McReynolds & The Virginia Boys; Connie Smith
8:30: Hal Ketchum(host); Charlie Walker; Riders In The Sky; Doyle Lawson & Quicksilver
9:00: Lorrie Morgan(host); Jack Greene; Jean Shepard; Del McCoury Band
9:30: John Conlee(host); The Whites; Julie Roberts; Osborne Brothers

Saturday April 3, 2004
First Show
6:30: John Conlee(host); Hal Ketchum; Doyle Lawson & Quicksilver
7:00: Riders In The Sky(host); Jimmy C. Newman; Osborne Brothers; Radney Foster
7:30: Lorrie Morgan(host); Billy Walker; Jean Shepard; Joni Harms
8:00: Porter Wagoner(host); Mike Snider; Jeff Bates; Opry Square Dance Band/Opry Square Dancers
8:30: Bill Anderson(host); Connie Smith; Del McCoury Band

Second Show
9:30: Lorrie Morgan(host); Mel McDaniel; Doyle Lawson & Quicksilver; Jim Ed Brown
10:00: Porter Wagoner(host); Jan Howard; Jimmy C. Newman; Radney Foster
10:30: John Conlee(host); Connie Smith; Hal Ketchum; Opry Square Dance Band/Opry Square Dancers
11:00: Bill Anderson(host); Billy Walker; Jean Shepard; Del McCoury Band
11:30: Mike Snider(host); Jack Greene; Joni Harms; Jeff Bates

The Opry was not televised live that weekend, and overall it was a pretty decent line-up. Hope all of you enjoyed that look back in history.

Tuesday Night Opry 3/30 & Opry Country Classics 4/1

Here is the line-up for the Tuesday Night Opry March 30:
7:00: Jimmy C. Newman; Jason Michael Carroll
7:30: Jean Shepard; Eric Church
INTERMISSION
8:15: The Whites; Randy Houser
8:45: Jimmy Dickens Darryl Worley

Here is the line-up for Opry Country Classics, Thursday April 1:
The show is being advertised as a fun April Fool's Day edition of the show featuring a dose of laughs with your classics.
Host: Larry Gatlin
Spotlight Artist: Ray Stevens
Jeff Bates
Jim Ed Brown
Helen Cornelius
Jack Greene
Opry Square Dancers
Mike Snider
The Wrights

I know this will be a funny and a pretty good show with Ray Stevens. Other than Mike Snider, I don't know how funny the others will be, but it should be a good show. If they were going for humor, I would have loved to have seen Jean Shepard and Jimmy Dickens as part of the show. They both are known for some pretty good jokes on the Opry.

Quality of Weekly Grand Ole Opry Line-Ups

I think that everyone has noticed that over the past several months the quality of the line-ups for the Friday and Saturday night Opry shows have really decreased in quality. While there has been the occasional good show, on most weekends, the shows have just not been as good as they could be. And, if you look at the Opry website and the list of upcoming artists that are scheduled to appear, it is a pretty skinny list.

I know that we are now in an era where the shows are only 2 hours in length and there are only 10-15 artists per show. But, there has to be more than the same 7 or 8 veteran Opry members, one or two "name" Opry members and several no-name, or non-star performers appearing each week. Last night's line-up was another example. I originally had tickets to the show, but at $54 for a prime seat, I just did not have the urge to go. I called and changed my tickets to another show. The Friday night line-up was just not worth $54. While tonight's shows are better, with Charlie Daniels and John Anderson, you have to ask the question, where are most of the Opry members?

I know that this has been discussed before, but the majority of the stars are missing in action. Also, the Opry seems to have lost the ability to book big name, non-Opry members. I think the lost of the television contract has had a big affect on the booking. In the past, management was always able to dangle the opportunity to be on television when trying to book a big name act. Now, there is really nothing to offer except the opportunity to be on the Opry, and that doesn't seem to be enough any longer.

They key is to put pressure on the Opry members to fulfill their 10 appearances per year requirement. I would give the healthy and active Opry members 1 year to do that. I would recommend to Peter Fisher that he have a talk with each Opry member and their managers, and find out if these entertainers really want to be Opry members or not. Maybe they have not been asked this question before, and maybe some of them just no longer want to be Opry members, that they have moved on with their careers. If you remember your Opry history, many Opry members in the past left the Opry on their own and moved on. Recently, only Holly Dunn has given up her Opry membership. If they don't want to be Opry members,then drop them. If they do, then set up times when they will appear. At this point, while 10 is the ideal number, I would be willing to take just about anything from a few of them.

The publicity of losing members would not be that good. But, the Opry has been through this before and has survived. Besides, replacing some of the members with those who want to be a part of the Opry may not be so bad. At least the fans buying tickets can expect to see a good quality line-up each week.

And it can be done without cutting the appearances of the veteran Opry members who are there each week. It can be done by not booking unknown or local artists. These week was another example of scrambling to fill out the line-up. And, we end up with Matt Kennon and Jamie O'Neal.

I know that it seems like I have been on this topic of Opry members being at the Opry a lot lately. But, I just think it is important. We have lost so many of the great legends over the past decade, and who knows how long Jimmy Dickens, the last of his generation, will be with us. Except for a few, the younger members have not stepped up to fill the void as these great artists have passed away. Now is the time, before it is too late.

Grand Ole Opry Line-Up 3/26 & 3/27--Updated

They have updated this weekend's Grand Ole Opry line-ups. Del McCoury has cancelled out for all 3 shows this weekend, with Dale Ann Bradley added in their place. Also, Matt Kennon has been added for Friday night to fill the empty slow in the 7:30 slot and Jamie O'Neal was added to fill the slot available in the 8:15 segment. The line-up listed below has been updated.


The Grand Ole Opry has announced its line-ups for this weekend's shows. I originally had tickets for this weekend's shows and was planning to go down to Nashville for the shows. But, after the line-ups were announced, I called the Opry ticket office and had my tickets changed to a later date. (It's always a good thing to know a few folks at the Opry ticket office in order to make last minute changes). To be honest, the Friday night line-up is pretty weak, and at $54.00 per ticket, I want to see more than 11 acts. While the Saturday night line-up is better with Charlie Daniels and John Anderson, it is still not particuarly strong. Originally, Marty Stuart was to be on this weekend, and he is not, and there was some thought that Vince Gill might be on, but that didn't take place.

I don't want to beat a dead horse, but this continues to be an issue at the Opry. The line-ups have got to get stronger, especially at the ticket prices that are being charged. At this point, it really doesn't matter if they are Opry members or not, there has to be some established stars there.

Last weeks shows were pretty good and did have some great artists, such as Trace Adkins, Vince Gill, Pam Tillis, John Conlee, Marty Stuart and Ricky Skaggs. But, that has to be sustained each week. Let's all hope that they can improve upon things. Oh, and in talking to the ticket office this morning, if I had wanted another ticket for Saturday night's first show, I could have had the middle section, Row A. Not good if prime tickets like that are available 3 days before the show.

Now, here are this weekend's line-ups:
Friday March 26
7:00: Jeannie Seely(host); The Whites; Dale Ann Bradley
7:30: Jimmy Dickens(host); Jesse McReynolds & The Virginia Boys; Matt Kennon
INTERMISSION
8:15: Riders In The Sky(host); Jan Howard; Jimmy C. Newman; Jamie O'Neal
8:45: Mike Snider(host); Jack Greene; The Quebe Sisters Band

Saturday March 27
First Show
7:00: Jimmy Dickens(host); Jimmy C. Newman; John Anderson
7:30: Mike Snider(host); The Whites; Jordyn Shellhart
8:00: Jeannie Seely(host); Connie Smith; Dale Ann Bradley; Opry Square Dancers
8:30: Jim Ed Brown(host); Jean Shepard; Bar D Wranglers; Charlie Daniels Band

Second Show
9:30: Jimmy Dickens(host); Bobby Osborne & The Rocky Top X-Press; John Anderson
10:00: Mike Snider(host); Jordyn Shellhart; Charlie Daniels Band
10:30: Jim Ed Brown(host); Jack Greene; Alison Brown; Opry Square Dancers
11:00: Jean Shepard(host); Connie Smith; Dale Ann Bradley