Welcome to the first weekend in November and what should be a good weekend at the Grand Ole Opry House as the Friday Night Opry returns. Also, on Saturday night, the Grand Ole Opry expands back to a two hour show, with the final hour televised on Circle TV and their various social media outlets. The shows both nights will start at 7:00, which means that the televised portion will be pushed back one hour.
Sadly, at least looking at the schedule for this week, the Circle TV portion is going to be scripted much like GAC was, with a limited number of artists, bigger names, and slanted toward non-members. This week the televised hour will feature Opry member Craig Morgan and guest artists Justin Moore and Brantley Gilbert.
As to who else is listed on the schedule for this weekend, the Friday Night Opry, Grand Ole Opry members Bill Anderson, Connie Smith, Larry Gatlin & The Gatlin Brothers and Dailey & Vincent are listed. Guest artists Jimmie Allen, Henry Cho and Jordan Davis are also scheduled.
Saturday night, in addition to Craig Morgan, Opry members Jeannie Seely and John Conlee are scheduled to appear. Along with Justin Moore and Brantley Gilbert, Henry Cho is back for a 2nd night, along with Suzy Bogguss.
At this point, the Opry has not posted the actual schedule and I will update as it becomes available.
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And now from 50 years ago, Saturday November 7, 1970:
1st show
6:30: Mrs. Grissoms
Billy Grammer (host): Detroit City
Sammi Smith: He's Everywhere
The 4 Guys: Don't It Make You Want to Go Home
Billy Grammer: There's Power In the Blood
6:45: Rudy's
Roy Drusky (host): All My Hard Times
Ray Pillow: I'm Going Out & Burn Some Bridges
The 4 Guys: My Special Angel
Roy Drusky: Alone With You
7:00: Luzianne
Jim Ed Brown (host): Pop A Top
Earl Scruggs Revue: Flint Hill Special
Willis Brothers: San Antonio Rose
John Potter: Bright Lights & Country Music
Jim Ed Brown: Morning
Earl Scruggs Revue: Paul & Silas
Willis Brothers: Bob
Jim Ed Brown: Mexican Joe
7:30: Standard Candy
Roy Acuff (host): Wabash Cannonball
George Morgan: I Wouldn't Have You Any Other Way
Ernie Ashworth: Lips, Start Talking
Crook Brothers: Black Mountain Rag
Roy Acuff: The Last Letter
George Morgan: For the Good Times
8:00: Martha White
Lester Flatt (host): John Henry
Hank Locklin: Send Me the Pillow You Dream On
Stringbean: Mountain Dew
Stu Phillips: Juanita Jones
Lester Flatt: Nine Pound Hammer
Hank Locklin: Before the Next Teardrop Falls
Stringbean: Battle of New Orleans
Stu Phillips: Green, Green Grass of Home
8:30: Stephens
Tex Ritter (host): Take Him Fishin'
Glaser Brothers: Tennessee Girl & The Tennessee Square
Bill Carlisle: Worried Man Blues
Fruit Jar Drinkers: Old Joe Clark
Tex Ritter: The Streets of Laredo
Bill Carlisle: Is Zat You Myrtle
Glaser Brothers: All That Keeps You Going
Tex Ritter: Have I Stayed Away Too Long
2nd show
9:30: Kellogg's
Billy Grammer (host): Gotta Travel On
Willis Brothers: Pretty Diamonds
Jim Ed Brown: Morning
Ray Pillow: Free Born Man
Billy Grammer: Jesus Is a Soul Man
Jim Ed Brown: Baby, I Tried
Ray Pillow: I'm Going Out & Burn Some Bridges
10:00: Fender
Roy Drusky (host): Long, Long Texas Road
Earl Scruggs Revue: Blue Ridge Mountains
Roy Drusky: Second Hand Rose
Earl Scruggs Revue: Instrumental
10:15: Union 76
Roy Acuff (host): Little Pal
Ernie Ashworth: Talk Back Trembling Lips
The 4 Guys: Get Together/Let the Sun Shine In
Roy Acuff: The Great Speckled Bird
10:30: Trailblazer
Lester Flatt (host): I've Been Walking
Stringbean: Lonesome Road Blues
Sammi Smith: He's Everywhere
Lester Flatt: The Sunny Side of the Mountain
10:45: Beechnut
Tex Ritter (host): Wayward Wind
George Morgan: I Wouldn't Have You Any Other Way
Crook Brothers: Ida Red
Tex Ritter: High Noon
11:00: Coca Cola
Glaser Brothers (host): The Last Thing on My Mind
Stu Phillips: For the Good Times
Fruit Jar Drinkers: Cacklin' Hen
Stu Phillips: You Win Again/Release Me
Sam McGee: Victory Rag
Stu Phillips: Me & Bobby McGee
11:30: Lava
Marty Robbins (host): Singing the Blues
Bill Carlisle: Little Liza Jane/Rainbow at Midnight
Don Winters: Chime Bells
Marty Robbins: Bouquet of Roses/I Could Never Be Ashamed of You/Lovesick Blues/Don't Worry/Big Boss Man/What Is Life Without Love/El Paso
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Looking back at a couple of different dates, it was on Saturday November 6, 1993 that Grand Ole Opry member David Houston made his final appearance on the Grand Ole Opry.
Born and raised in Bossier City, Louisiana, David Houston, whose lineage included Sam Houston and General Robert E. Lee, became a regular on The Louisiana Hayride as a teenager.
David was one of the earliest artists with National Recording Corporation in Atlanta, Georgia. In 1963, he rose to national stardom with "Mountain of Love"; the song, which was different from the tune made famous by composer Harold Dorman, Johnny Rivers, and Charley Pride, rose to number two on Billboard's Hot Country Singles chart. Another song, "Livin' in a House Full of Love" (1965), did just as well.
In 1966, Houston recorded his breakthrough secular smash, "Almost Persuaded." This song, which is unrelated to the Philip Paul Bliss hymn of the same title, is the tale of a married man managing to resist a temptress he meets in a tavern. Houston's recording of it quickly rocketed to number one that August, eventually spending nine weeks atop Billboard's Hot Country Singles chart. For 46 years, no song equaled or bettered Houston's feat until Taylor Swift matched the nine-week record of "Almost Persuaded" on December 15, 2012, with "We Are Never Ever Getting Back Together."
David was awarded 2 Grammy Awards for Best Country & Western Recording and Best Country & Western Performance, Male in 1967 for "Almost Persuaded".
"Almost Persuaded" began a string of top five Houston singles through 1973, including six more number ones: "With One Exception" and "You Mean the World to Me" (1967); "Have a Little Faith" and "Already It's Heaven" (1968); "Baby, Baby (I Know You're a Lady)" (1970); and 1967's "My Elusive Dreams" duet with Tammy Wynette. In later years, Houston dueted with Barbara Mandrell on several of her early hits, most notably 1970's "After Closing Time" and 1972's "I Love You, I Love You". His last Top 10 country hit came in 1974 with "Can't You Feel It", though he continued making records until 1989.
As mentioned, David made his last appearance on the Grand Ole Opry on November 6, 1993; later in the month he suffered a ruptured brain aneurism and remained in a coma for five days until his death on November 30, at the age of 57.
Here is the running order from Saturday November 6, 1993:
1st show
6:30: GHS Strings
Del Reeves (host); Bells of Southern Bell
The Whites: Pins & Needles
Del Reeves: A Dozen Pair of Boots
6:45: Country Music Hall of Fame
Grandpa Jones (host): What'll I Do with the Baby-O
The 4 Guys: How Married Are You Mary Ann
Bill Carlisle: Knothole
Grandpa Jones: Little Old Log Cabin By the Stream
7:00: Shoney's
Jimmy C Newman (host): Diggy Liggy Lo
Jeannie Seely: Don't Touch Me
Charlie Walker: Pick Me Up on Your Way Down
Jean Shepard: Why Don't You Haul Off and Love Me/Second Fiddle
David Houston: My Elusive Dreams
Jimmy C Newman; Cajun's Dream/Alligator Man
7:30: Standard Candy
Billy Monroe (host): Why Did You Wander
Skeeter Davis: The End of the World
Hank Locklin: Please Help Me I'm Falling
Brother Phelps: Let Go, Baby/Playing House
Bill Monroe: Walk Softly on My Hear/Bluegrass Breakdown
8:00: Martha White
Bill Anderson (host); Southern Fried
Brother Oswald: Mountain Dew
Jack Greene: Statue of a Fool
Connie Smith: Once a Day
Opry Square Dance Band and The Melvin Sloan Dancers: Golden Slippers
Bill Anderson: Still
8:30: Kraft
Jim Ed Brown (host); Looking Back to See
Charlie Louvin: Think I'll Go Somewhere and Cry Myself to Sleep
Jan Howard: Oh, Lonesome Me
Mike Snider: Soldier's Joy/Angeline the Baker/Old Molly Hare
Jim Ed Brown: The 3 Bells
2nd show
Dollar General
Grandpa Jones (host): Apple Jack
Stonewall Jackson: Old Chunk of Coal
Wilma Lee Cooper: Wreck on the Highway
Billy Walker: A Million and One
The Whites: Doing It By the Book
Ray Pillow: Someone Had to Teach You
Grandpa Jones: My Little Old Home Down in New Orleans
10:00: Little Debbie
Bill Monroe (host): Love, Come Home
Roy Drusky: Homesick
Bill Monroe: Just a Little Talk with Jesus/Old Dangerfield
10:15: Tennessee Pride/Sunbeam
Bill Anderson (host): Family Reunion
Mike Snider: Snuff Dipper
Bill Anderson: Deck of Cards
10:30: Piccadilly
Jim Ed Brown (host): Morning Comes Too Early
Jean Shepard: Bouquet of Roses
Jim Ed Brown: A Child is Born
10:45: Opry Book
The 4 Guys (host): In the Middle of the Night
Jimmy C Newman: Thibodeaux & His Cajun Band
Opry Square Dance Band and The Melvin Sloan Dancers: Liberty
The 4 Guys: May You Find Yourself in Heaven
11:00: Coca Cola
Charlie Walker (host): A Way to Free Myself
Connie Smith: The Deepening Snow
David Houston: Living In a House Full of Love
Nashville Bluegrass Band: On Again; Off Again/I've Got a Newborn Soul
Charlie Walker: Smoke; Smoke; Smoke
11:30: General Jackson
Jack Greene (host): You Love Takes Good Care of Me
Jan Howard: Rock Me Back to Little Rock/Evil on Your Mind
Charlie Louvin: I Don't Love You Anymore
Johnny Russell: Got No Reason Now for Going Home
Martha Carson and Jack Greene: Satisfied
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The final line-up is from Saturday November 7, 1998, which was the night that Jimmy Dickens was recognized upon his 50th anniversary as a member of the Grand Ole Opry. While it was celebrated as his 50th anniversary as a member of the Opry, Jimmy actually left for 17 years, so he was actually shy of that mark. Regardless, it was a great night of celebration for Jimmy.
Here is the running order from that night:
1st show
6:30: GHS Strings
Jimmy C Newman (host): Cajun's Dream
Skeeter Davis: Silver Threads & Golden Needles
Jimmy C Newman: Jambalaya
6:45: Kodak
Jack Greene (host): Highway to the Sky
Bill Carlisle: Too Old to Cut the Mustard
7:00: Shoney's
Porter Wagoner (host): Company's Comin'
Porter Wagoner and Brother Oswald: Mansion on the Hill
The Whites: If It Ain't Love
Billy Grammer: Legend in My Time
Leroy Van Dyke: Walk on By
Christie Lynn: Chains/The Last Thing on My Mind
7:30: Standard Candy
Jimmy Dickens (host): Out Behind the Barn
Jeanne Pruett: Satin Sheets
Bobby Bare: Detroit City
Jimmy Dean: Drinking From My Saucer
8:00: Martha White
Bill Anderson (host): No Fair Falling in Love
Charlie Louvin: In the Cross
Del Reeves: The Bells of Southern Bell
Sweet Adelines: Who Will Buy
Opry Square Dance Band and The Melvin Sloan Singers: Cherokee Shuffle
Bill Anderson: Po Folks
8:30: Physician's Mutual
Johnny Russell (host): Truck Driving Man
Charlie Walker: There's A Star Spangled Banner Waving Somewhere
The 4 Guys: In My Tennessee Mountain Home
Lari White: You Can't Go Home Again
Stu Phillips: Only God
Johnny Russell: Act Naturally
2nd show
9:30: Opry Book
Porter Wagoner (host): Dooley
Billy Walker: Funny How Time Slips Away
Jan Howard: Oh, Lonesome Me
Billy Grammer: Unknown Soldier
Leroy Van Dyke: Auctioneer
Porter Wagoner: Green, Green Grass of Home
Porter Wagoner and Christie Lynn: Milwaukee, Here I Come
10:00: Lincoln Mercury
Jimmy C Newman (host): La Cajun Band
Skeeter Davis: I Can Call Jesus Anytime
Jimmy C Newman: Cochon De Lait/Texa-Cajun
10:15: Banquet
Jimmy Dickens (host): Take an Old Cold Tater
Bobby Bare: Marie Laveau
Jimmy Dickens: Another Bridge to Burn
10:30: Epiphone Guitar
Bill Anderson (host): Did She Mention My Name
Sweet Adelines: Who Will Buy
Bill Anderson: The Paper
10:45: Joggin' In A Jug
Charlie Walker (host): San Antonio Rose
Jeanne Pruett: Temporarily Yours
Opry Square Dance Band and The Melvin Sloan Dancers: Durang's Hornpipe
Charlie Walker: There's A Star Spangled Banner Waving Somewhere
11:00: Coca Cola
The 4 Guys (host): Walking With My Baby by the San Francisco Bay
Lari White: Take Me/You Can't Go Home Again
Jack Greene: Over There
Stu Phillips: The Great El Tigre
The 4 Guys: Amazing Grace
11:30: Opry Book
Johnny Russell (host): Folsom Prison Blues
Del Reeves: You Comb Her Hair/Hound Dog
The Whites: Doing It By the Book
It was a big night for Jimmy as he was featured on the televised portion that night. Bobby Bare appeared on both shows, at Jimmy's invitation, while his good friend Jimmy Dean appeared on the first show. Backstage that night were Waylon Jennings, Carl Smith and Garth Brooks.
There you have it for this week. As always, thanks for reading and commenting and I hope everyone enjoys the Opry this weekend. It will be good to have two nights of shows back.
The final line-up is from Saturday November 7, 1998, which was the night that Jimmy Dickens was recognized upon his 50th anniversary as a member of the Grand Ole Opry. While it was celebrated as his 50th anniversary as a member of the Opry, Jimmy actually left for 17 years, so he was actually shy of that mark. Regardless, it was a great night of celebration for Jimmy.
Here is the running order from that night:
1st show
6:30: GHS Strings
Jimmy C Newman (host): Cajun's Dream
Skeeter Davis: Silver Threads & Golden Needles
Jimmy C Newman: Jambalaya
6:45: Kodak
Jack Greene (host): Highway to the Sky
Bill Carlisle: Too Old to Cut the Mustard
7:00: Shoney's
Porter Wagoner (host): Company's Comin'
Porter Wagoner and Brother Oswald: Mansion on the Hill
The Whites: If It Ain't Love
Billy Grammer: Legend in My Time
Leroy Van Dyke: Walk on By
Christie Lynn: Chains/The Last Thing on My Mind
7:30: Standard Candy
Jimmy Dickens (host): Out Behind the Barn
Jeanne Pruett: Satin Sheets
Bobby Bare: Detroit City
Jimmy Dean: Drinking From My Saucer
8:00: Martha White
Bill Anderson (host): No Fair Falling in Love
Charlie Louvin: In the Cross
Del Reeves: The Bells of Southern Bell
Sweet Adelines: Who Will Buy
Opry Square Dance Band and The Melvin Sloan Singers: Cherokee Shuffle
Bill Anderson: Po Folks
8:30: Physician's Mutual
Johnny Russell (host): Truck Driving Man
Charlie Walker: There's A Star Spangled Banner Waving Somewhere
The 4 Guys: In My Tennessee Mountain Home
Lari White: You Can't Go Home Again
Stu Phillips: Only God
Johnny Russell: Act Naturally
2nd show
9:30: Opry Book
Porter Wagoner (host): Dooley
Billy Walker: Funny How Time Slips Away
Jan Howard: Oh, Lonesome Me
Billy Grammer: Unknown Soldier
Leroy Van Dyke: Auctioneer
Porter Wagoner: Green, Green Grass of Home
Porter Wagoner and Christie Lynn: Milwaukee, Here I Come
10:00: Lincoln Mercury
Jimmy C Newman (host): La Cajun Band
Skeeter Davis: I Can Call Jesus Anytime
Jimmy C Newman: Cochon De Lait/Texa-Cajun
10:15: Banquet
Jimmy Dickens (host): Take an Old Cold Tater
Bobby Bare: Marie Laveau
Jimmy Dickens: Another Bridge to Burn
10:30: Epiphone Guitar
Bill Anderson (host): Did She Mention My Name
Sweet Adelines: Who Will Buy
Bill Anderson: The Paper
10:45: Joggin' In A Jug
Charlie Walker (host): San Antonio Rose
Jeanne Pruett: Temporarily Yours
Opry Square Dance Band and The Melvin Sloan Dancers: Durang's Hornpipe
Charlie Walker: There's A Star Spangled Banner Waving Somewhere
11:00: Coca Cola
The 4 Guys (host): Walking With My Baby by the San Francisco Bay
Lari White: Take Me/You Can't Go Home Again
Jack Greene: Over There
Stu Phillips: The Great El Tigre
The 4 Guys: Amazing Grace
11:30: Opry Book
Johnny Russell (host): Folsom Prison Blues
Del Reeves: You Comb Her Hair/Hound Dog
The Whites: Doing It By the Book
It was a big night for Jimmy as he was featured on the televised portion that night. Bobby Bare appeared on both shows, at Jimmy's invitation, while his good friend Jimmy Dean appeared on the first show. Backstage that night were Waylon Jennings, Carl Smith and Garth Brooks.
There you have it for this week. As always, thanks for reading and commenting and I hope everyone enjoys the Opry this weekend. It will be good to have two nights of shows back.