So, what did everyone think of last weeks show? Surprised that there was very little comment.
Moving ahead, last week Bill Anderson gave an interview to Rolling Stone. I thought I would share the question he was asked concerning the current Grand Ole Opry shows, and his response:
Question: Since the pandemic began, the reaction from the Grand Ole Opry has been so inspiring. As a longtime Opry member it must be really gratifying for you, even if you can’t all be there together with an audience.
Bill's response: It’s been very inspiring. I feel like the Opry’s in awfully good hands right now with [vice president and executive producer] Dan Rogers and [director of talent scheduling and logistics] Gina Keltner. They’ve done a brilliant job. I did the very first one of the shows with no audience on March 14th, and they were still kind of feeling their way along with it. My band was actually out there with me, and Connie Smith and Jeannie Seely were hosting segments, too. Although I told Seely, “You know, it’s not unusual for me to play to empty seats. I’ve been doing it for 50 years.” [Laughs] But, the Opry figured out a wonderful way to keep that remarkable string alive, 4,931 shows, I think it is. Another thing that’s been so good about it, well, it’s bad and it’s good — nobody’s on the road. So, a lot of the artists that are not available to do the Opry very often — Garth, Brad Paisley, Vince, Keith Urban — they’re in town and wanting to pick so they can go out and do the Opry and get that out of their system and still keep the Opry going.
_______________________________________________________________________
Looking ahead to this week, one of those artists who I am sure Bill was referring to will be making her first Grand Ole Opry appearance since 2017. Yes, Reba McEntire will be performing on Saturday night, along with Opry member Vince Gill. Reba's last appearance was in conjunction with the 40th anniversary of her Opry debut in 1977. I think we are all in agreement that we enjoy Reba and wish she was at the Opry more often.
One more comment from Bill's interview. After naming a couple of the artists who are not available to do the Opry often, he finished the sentence with, "they're in town and wanting to pick so they can go out and do the Opry and get that out of their system and still keep the Opry going."
I sincerely hope that he meant getting picking out of their system and not the Opry out of their system!! I am sure he did!!
And now 25 years ago, Saturday July 15, 1995:
1st show
6:30: Grandpa Jones (host); Skeeter Davis
6:45: Jeannie Seely (host); Stu Phillips
7:00: Jack Greene (host); Wilma Lee Cooper; Hank Locklin; Mike Snider; Jeanne Pruett
7:30: Jimmy C Newman (host); Bill Carlisle; Charlie Walker; Del Reeves
8:00: Porter Wagoner (host); Billy Walker; Connie Smith; Opry Square Dance Band; The Melvin Sloan Dancers
8:30: Hank Snow (host); Jan Howard; Roy Drusky; Ricky Skaggs
2nd show
9:30: Porter Wagoner (host); Brother Oswald; Del Reeves; Mac Yasuda
10:00: Billy Walker (host); Wilma Lee Cooper
10:15: Grandpa Jones (host); Ray Pillow
10:30: Jeanne Pruett (host); Shotgun Red
10:45: Jeannie Seely (host); Hank Locklin; Opry Square Dance Band; The Melvin Sloan Dancers
11:00: Hank Snow (host); Charlie Walker; Roy Drusky; Jan Howard
11:30: Ricky Skaggs (host); Mike Snider; Whitstein Brothers
One might not be familiar with Mac Yasuda, who was on the 2nd show that night. Mac played country music at an early age and fell in love with the style. He organized a band in Japan dedicated to country music. As his audiences grew, Mac was being asked more and more about where they too could get the type of guitars he was playing. He soon began dealing in musical instruments and was a leader in collecting vintage guitar instruments, especially guitars made by Gibson. He later grew his own collection to include banjos as well as costumes worn on stage by such icons as Hank Snow and Porter Wagoner.
50 years ago, Saturday July 18, 1970:
1st show
6:30: Roy Drusky (host); Jack Barlow; Norro Wilson
6:45: Del Reeves (host); Lonzo and Oscar; Penny DeHaven
7:00: Osborne Brothers (host); Ray Pillow; Del Wood; Wilma Burgess
7:30: Roy Acuff (host); Willis Brothers; Stu Phillips; Crook Brothers; Johnny Carver
8:00: Lester Flatt (host); Jimmy C Newman; Joe and Rose Lee Maphis; Merle Travis
8:30: Bill Anderson (host); Stringbean; Charlie Walker; Fruit Jar Drinkers
2nd show
9:30: Del Reeves (host); Willis Brothers; Lonzo and Oscar; Penny DeHaven
10:00: Stu Phillips (host); Wilma Burgess; Norro Wilson
10:15: Ray Pillow (host); Stringbean; Jack Barlow
10:30: Lester Flatt (host); Billy Troy
10:45: Roy Acuff (host); Del Wood; Crook Brothers
11:00: Jimmy C Newman (host); Charlie Walker; Johnny Carver; Fruit Jar Drinkers; Sam McGee
11:30: Bill Anderson (host); Merle Travis; Louie Roberts
____________________________________________________________________
56 years ago, Saturday July 18, 1964, Connie Smith made her debut on the Grand Ole Opry.
Here is the running order from that night:
7:30: Luzianne
Bill Anderson (host): Po' Folks
The Browns: Wayward Wind
Gordon Terry: Wild Honey
Del Wood: Mocking Bird
Bill Anderson: Five Little Fingers
Connie Smith: I Can Stand It
Jimmy Gately: (?)
The Browns: Then I'll Stop Loving You
Bill Anderson: Still
8:00: Martha White
Jimmy Newman (host): Alligator Man
Jean Shepard: Two Little Boys
Carl Butler: I'm Hanging Up the Phone
Crazy Elmer: Comedy
Crook Brothers: Mississippi Sawyer
Jimmy Newman: Summer Skies and Silver Sands
Jean Shepard: Second Fiddle
Carl Butler: Don't Let Me Cross Over
Jimmy Newman: A Fallen Star
8:30: Stephens
Leroy Van Dyke (host): Your Money
Marion Worth: You Took Him Off My Hands
Sonny James: Ask Marie
Bill Carlisle: Shanghai Rooster
Leroy Van Dyke: Auctioneer
Stan Hitchcock: Looking Through a Teardrop
Marion Worth: Crazy Arms
Sonny James: The Minute Your Gone
Leroy Van Dyke: Walk on By
9:00: Pet Milk
Roy Acuff (host): Sunshine Special
Billy Grammer: Detroit City
George Hamilton IV: Abilene
Brother Oswald: Roll On, Buddy, Roll On
Roy Acuff: The Great Speckled Bird
June Stearns: (?)
Bill Grammer: Beautiful Isle of Somewhere
Fruit Jar Drinkers: Mississippi Sawyer
George Hamilton IV (?)
9:30: Kellogg's
Hank Snow (host): Ninety Miles an Hour (Down a Dead End Street)
Carter Family: Wildwood Flower
Roy Drusky: Pick of the Week
Willis Brothers: Gonna Buy Me a Jukebox
June Carter: Comedy
Roy Drusky: Yesterday
Hank Snow: Caribbean
10:00: Schick
Jimmy Newman (host): Bayou Talk
The Browns: Yesterday's Gone
Jean Shepard: Hillbilly Fever
Jimmy Newman: The Mover
10:15: SSS Tonic
Sonny James (host): Jenny Lou
Marion Worth: The Hands You're Holding Now
Bill Carlisle: No Help Wanted
Sonny James: Ask Marie
10:30: Harvey's
Leroy Van Dyke (host): All the Boys are Talking
Del Wood: Pony Boy
George Hamilton IV: Three Steps to the Phone
Leroy Van Dyke: Dim Dark Corner
10:45: Newport
Roy Acuff (host): Wabash Cannonball
Crook Brothers: New Five Cents
Carl Butler: (?)
Roy Acuff: Lights in the Valley
Howdy and Jimmy: Jesse Polka
11:00: Coca Cola
Hank Snow (host): I'm Movin' On
The Browns: The 3 Bells
Billy Grammer: (?)
June Carter: (?)
Hank Snow: (?)
Fruit Jar Drinkers: (?)
Carter Family: Foggy Mountain Top
Billy Grammer: (?)
Hank Snow: Jimmy Rodgers Melody
11:30: Lava
Roy Drusky (host): Peel Me a Nanner
Willis Brothers: Private Lee
George Hamilton IV: (?)
Crazy Elmer: (?)
Roy Drusky: Another
Connie Smith: (?)
Willis Brothers: Big Daddy
George Hamilton IV: (?)
Roy Drusky: (?)
Only 5 artists who appeared that night are still living: Bill Anderson, Connie Smith, Leroy Van Dyke, June Stearns and Stan Hitchcock.
One final note before finishing this week. I want to offer a personal apology to my readers as I am sure a few of you have seen some of the spam comments that have been appearing under the comment section. I have been checking and working each day to weed those out and to report the offenders. Let's just say most of those are coming from a foreign address. Again, my apologies for anyone offended.
There you have it for this week. Thanks for reading and commenting and I hope everyone enjoys the Opry this Saturday night. It shapes up as one of the better shows.
Moving ahead, last week Bill Anderson gave an interview to Rolling Stone. I thought I would share the question he was asked concerning the current Grand Ole Opry shows, and his response:
Question: Since the pandemic began, the reaction from the Grand Ole Opry has been so inspiring. As a longtime Opry member it must be really gratifying for you, even if you can’t all be there together with an audience.
Bill's response: It’s been very inspiring. I feel like the Opry’s in awfully good hands right now with [vice president and executive producer] Dan Rogers and [director of talent scheduling and logistics] Gina Keltner. They’ve done a brilliant job. I did the very first one of the shows with no audience on March 14th, and they were still kind of feeling their way along with it. My band was actually out there with me, and Connie Smith and Jeannie Seely were hosting segments, too. Although I told Seely, “You know, it’s not unusual for me to play to empty seats. I’ve been doing it for 50 years.” [Laughs] But, the Opry figured out a wonderful way to keep that remarkable string alive, 4,931 shows, I think it is. Another thing that’s been so good about it, well, it’s bad and it’s good — nobody’s on the road. So, a lot of the artists that are not available to do the Opry very often — Garth, Brad Paisley, Vince, Keith Urban — they’re in town and wanting to pick so they can go out and do the Opry and get that out of their system and still keep the Opry going.
_______________________________________________________________________
Looking ahead to this week, one of those artists who I am sure Bill was referring to will be making her first Grand Ole Opry appearance since 2017. Yes, Reba McEntire will be performing on Saturday night, along with Opry member Vince Gill. Reba's last appearance was in conjunction with the 40th anniversary of her Opry debut in 1977. I think we are all in agreement that we enjoy Reba and wish she was at the Opry more often.
One more comment from Bill's interview. After naming a couple of the artists who are not available to do the Opry often, he finished the sentence with, "they're in town and wanting to pick so they can go out and do the Opry and get that out of their system and still keep the Opry going."
I sincerely hope that he meant getting picking out of their system and not the Opry out of their system!! I am sure he did!!
And now 25 years ago, Saturday July 15, 1995:
1st show
6:30: Grandpa Jones (host); Skeeter Davis
6:45: Jeannie Seely (host); Stu Phillips
7:00: Jack Greene (host); Wilma Lee Cooper; Hank Locklin; Mike Snider; Jeanne Pruett
7:30: Jimmy C Newman (host); Bill Carlisle; Charlie Walker; Del Reeves
8:00: Porter Wagoner (host); Billy Walker; Connie Smith; Opry Square Dance Band; The Melvin Sloan Dancers
8:30: Hank Snow (host); Jan Howard; Roy Drusky; Ricky Skaggs
2nd show
9:30: Porter Wagoner (host); Brother Oswald; Del Reeves; Mac Yasuda
10:00: Billy Walker (host); Wilma Lee Cooper
10:15: Grandpa Jones (host); Ray Pillow
10:30: Jeanne Pruett (host); Shotgun Red
10:45: Jeannie Seely (host); Hank Locklin; Opry Square Dance Band; The Melvin Sloan Dancers
11:00: Hank Snow (host); Charlie Walker; Roy Drusky; Jan Howard
11:30: Ricky Skaggs (host); Mike Snider; Whitstein Brothers
One might not be familiar with Mac Yasuda, who was on the 2nd show that night. Mac played country music at an early age and fell in love with the style. He organized a band in Japan dedicated to country music. As his audiences grew, Mac was being asked more and more about where they too could get the type of guitars he was playing. He soon began dealing in musical instruments and was a leader in collecting vintage guitar instruments, especially guitars made by Gibson. He later grew his own collection to include banjos as well as costumes worn on stage by such icons as Hank Snow and Porter Wagoner.
50 years ago, Saturday July 18, 1970:
1st show
6:30: Roy Drusky (host); Jack Barlow; Norro Wilson
6:45: Del Reeves (host); Lonzo and Oscar; Penny DeHaven
7:00: Osborne Brothers (host); Ray Pillow; Del Wood; Wilma Burgess
7:30: Roy Acuff (host); Willis Brothers; Stu Phillips; Crook Brothers; Johnny Carver
8:00: Lester Flatt (host); Jimmy C Newman; Joe and Rose Lee Maphis; Merle Travis
8:30: Bill Anderson (host); Stringbean; Charlie Walker; Fruit Jar Drinkers
2nd show
9:30: Del Reeves (host); Willis Brothers; Lonzo and Oscar; Penny DeHaven
10:00: Stu Phillips (host); Wilma Burgess; Norro Wilson
10:15: Ray Pillow (host); Stringbean; Jack Barlow
10:30: Lester Flatt (host); Billy Troy
10:45: Roy Acuff (host); Del Wood; Crook Brothers
11:00: Jimmy C Newman (host); Charlie Walker; Johnny Carver; Fruit Jar Drinkers; Sam McGee
11:30: Bill Anderson (host); Merle Travis; Louie Roberts
____________________________________________________________________
56 years ago, Saturday July 18, 1964, Connie Smith made her debut on the Grand Ole Opry.
Here is the running order from that night:
7:30: Luzianne
Bill Anderson (host): Po' Folks
The Browns: Wayward Wind
Gordon Terry: Wild Honey
Del Wood: Mocking Bird
Bill Anderson: Five Little Fingers
Connie Smith: I Can Stand It
Jimmy Gately: (?)
The Browns: Then I'll Stop Loving You
Bill Anderson: Still
8:00: Martha White
Jimmy Newman (host): Alligator Man
Jean Shepard: Two Little Boys
Carl Butler: I'm Hanging Up the Phone
Crazy Elmer: Comedy
Crook Brothers: Mississippi Sawyer
Jimmy Newman: Summer Skies and Silver Sands
Jean Shepard: Second Fiddle
Carl Butler: Don't Let Me Cross Over
Jimmy Newman: A Fallen Star
8:30: Stephens
Leroy Van Dyke (host): Your Money
Marion Worth: You Took Him Off My Hands
Sonny James: Ask Marie
Bill Carlisle: Shanghai Rooster
Leroy Van Dyke: Auctioneer
Stan Hitchcock: Looking Through a Teardrop
Marion Worth: Crazy Arms
Sonny James: The Minute Your Gone
Leroy Van Dyke: Walk on By
9:00: Pet Milk
Roy Acuff (host): Sunshine Special
Billy Grammer: Detroit City
George Hamilton IV: Abilene
Brother Oswald: Roll On, Buddy, Roll On
Roy Acuff: The Great Speckled Bird
June Stearns: (?)
Bill Grammer: Beautiful Isle of Somewhere
Fruit Jar Drinkers: Mississippi Sawyer
George Hamilton IV (?)
9:30: Kellogg's
Hank Snow (host): Ninety Miles an Hour (Down a Dead End Street)
Carter Family: Wildwood Flower
Roy Drusky: Pick of the Week
Willis Brothers: Gonna Buy Me a Jukebox
June Carter: Comedy
Roy Drusky: Yesterday
Hank Snow: Caribbean
10:00: Schick
Jimmy Newman (host): Bayou Talk
The Browns: Yesterday's Gone
Jean Shepard: Hillbilly Fever
Jimmy Newman: The Mover
10:15: SSS Tonic
Sonny James (host): Jenny Lou
Marion Worth: The Hands You're Holding Now
Bill Carlisle: No Help Wanted
Sonny James: Ask Marie
10:30: Harvey's
Leroy Van Dyke (host): All the Boys are Talking
Del Wood: Pony Boy
George Hamilton IV: Three Steps to the Phone
Leroy Van Dyke: Dim Dark Corner
10:45: Newport
Roy Acuff (host): Wabash Cannonball
Crook Brothers: New Five Cents
Carl Butler: (?)
Roy Acuff: Lights in the Valley
Howdy and Jimmy: Jesse Polka
11:00: Coca Cola
Hank Snow (host): I'm Movin' On
The Browns: The 3 Bells
Billy Grammer: (?)
June Carter: (?)
Hank Snow: (?)
Fruit Jar Drinkers: (?)
Carter Family: Foggy Mountain Top
Billy Grammer: (?)
Hank Snow: Jimmy Rodgers Melody
11:30: Lava
Roy Drusky (host): Peel Me a Nanner
Willis Brothers: Private Lee
George Hamilton IV: (?)
Crazy Elmer: (?)
Roy Drusky: Another
Connie Smith: (?)
Willis Brothers: Big Daddy
George Hamilton IV: (?)
Roy Drusky: (?)
Only 5 artists who appeared that night are still living: Bill Anderson, Connie Smith, Leroy Van Dyke, June Stearns and Stan Hitchcock.
One final note before finishing this week. I want to offer a personal apology to my readers as I am sure a few of you have seen some of the spam comments that have been appearing under the comment section. I have been checking and working each day to weed those out and to report the offenders. Let's just say most of those are coming from a foreign address. Again, my apologies for anyone offended.
There you have it for this week. Thanks for reading and commenting and I hope everyone enjoys the Opry this Saturday night. It shapes up as one of the better shows.