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Opry Happenings |
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| TCB welcomes JD and his new column Opry Happenings. Like us he's a fan of real country music has graciously said yes to the request made of him to share Opry highlights and news with us every week! | |
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Nov 18/19
This week and next, the Opry
is doing double shows on
Friday as well as the usual
Saturday shows.
The Friday show "featured"
Miranda Lambert, "HOT" off
the CMA show, but her
performance left no
"burning" desire to rush out
and get her cd titled
Kerosene, unless it is for
burning this offending acid
flashback to nights at the
Filmore. While we are
offering opinions, another
guest was actor/singer John
Corbett, who should devote
more time to being a better
actor.
Now for what was good and
country. Mel McDaniel sang
Help Me Make It Through The
Night and Stand Up, both
songs are on his cd,
Reloaded, which provides
updated versions of some of
his best known hits.
A definite high point was
the performance by Doyle
Lawson & Quicksilver, two
songs plus an encore. Add to
that, Ghost Riders In The
Sky and Riding Down The
Canyon performed by the 2005
WMA Entertainers of the
Year, Riders In The Sky,
the Osborne Brothers doing
Bluegrass Melodies and Rocky
Top, Jesse McReynolds & the
Virginia Boys, Stoney
Mountain West Virginia, The
Whites doing Blue Letters
and Keep On The Sunny Side
and top that off with Del
McCoury triple song set, you
have one heck of a show.
***
Saturdays program had one change. Miranda couldn't make the show. She was under the weather .... or maybe she was "burned out" after her Friday performance.
Mike Snider openned the show
with his string band and
then brought out Mel
McDaniel. Mel did Louisiana
Saturday Night and Stand Up.
Then the "Rolls Royce" of
female singers, Connie Smith
sang The Hurtin's All Over
and Run Away Little Tears.
Mike closed the segment with
Fire On The
Mountain.
The televised portion was
hosted by Vince Gill who did
Oklahoma Dust In My Blood
and then introduced Carrie
Underwood (American Idol
winner) who sang Wasted...
well the song she sang was
Wasted... well maybe she was
and the song was and the
whole segment was, because
she was followed by the
actor/country singer
wannabe, John Corbett and
then Carrie again requesting
that "Jesus Take The Wheel".
Well Vince took the wheel
and did Pocket Full Of Gold
and If You Ever Have Forever
In Mind.
Unfortunately, our senses
were assulted again, this
time by Rascal Flatts doing
Fast Cars and Freedom (one
of my favorite country
songs) and a horrid song
titled Skin(?) and then Love
You Out Loud (very loud).
Then the surprise of the
audio abuse hour, Vince
invited Jon Randall out to
sing Whiskey Lullaby.
That was wonderful. Yes.
Back to the real Opry. Jim
Ed Brown openned with
Southern Lovin'. He then
brought out one of my
favorite young ladies,
Elizabeth Cook. She did Kiss
Me Again. Next up was Del
McCoury and his band doing
Don't Our Love Look Natural
Layin' There and followed
that with Untamed. Jim Ed
was joined by Helen
Cornelius for the closing
number, I Don't Want To Have
To Marry You.
Porter Wagoner openned his
segment with Eli Stubbs And
His Funky Grass Band. His
first guest was Billy Walker
who did Funny How Time Slips
Away and Cross The Brazos At
Waco. The Whites picked it
up with Hangin' Around and
Swing Down Chariot. Porter
closed with a song he hasn't
done in a long while (and it
showed), Old Cowboy Hat.
The filler segment, recorded
Friday night, was hosted by
Riders In The Sky who
openned with Wah-hoo. Jesse
McReynolds & the Virginia
Boys did That Was Before I
Met You and Bluegrass
Melodies. Ackkkkk, John
Corbett (again) sang two too
many songs and the Riders
closed with Woody's Roundup
and You've Got A Friend In
Me.
***
This Friday's show will have Jimmy C. Newman, Mel McDaniel, Erika Jo, Jimmy Dickens, Jean Shepard, Larry Stephenson Band, Mike Snider, Jace Everett, Riders In The Sky, Porter Wagoner, Jeannie Seely, Catherine Britt, Bill Anderson, Jesse McReynolds & The Virginia Boys and T. Graham Brown.
On Saturday the program
schedule looks like this.
Jimmy Dickens, Osborne
Brothers, Danielle Peck,
Mike Snider, Jan Howard, Mel
McDaniel, Restless Heart,
Hal Ketchum, Jean Shepard,
Shannon Brown, Porter
Wagoner, Billy Walker,
Jeannie Seely, the
Cherryholmes, Bill Anderson,
Jack
Greene and Marty Stuart.
As always, I'll save a seat
for you. Have a Happy
Thanksgiving.
Nov 11/12
Great American Country and
the Grand Ole Opry have
signed a multi-year
agreement which extends
GAC's broadcast rights of
its highest rated program,
"Grand Ole Opry Live." The
agreement provides for an
increased number of new Opry
Live shows every year. The
new pact also opens the door
for the development of plans
for several new Opry-related
programs going forward.
***
There are unconfirmed reports that Gaylord/Opry management is cutting 20 union musicians from performance spots and that Opry members are being forced to fire band members from their backup bands. Here at TCB, we'll try and keep you in the know.
***
This is the big week in New York with an Opry performance on Monday at Carnegie Hall, the CMA Awards on Tuesday at Madison Square Garden. The Opry show will be shown on GAC next year but can be heard on WSMonline and Sirius radio. The Awards show will be on CBS exclusively.
Meanwhile back in Nashville
the Tuesday Opry from the
Ryman will feature
7:00-7:30 Porter Wagoner,
Rebecca Lynn Howard, Riders
In The Sky, Trent Willmon,
Jim Ed Brown, Terri Clark,
John Conlee and The Isaacs.
***
Friday's program featured Lane Brody doing her tribute to Veterans, Thanks For What You Did, Jamey Johnson performing his song The Dollar and Alabama Sky. Then an artist that is 87 years young and been an Opry member for 45 years, Hank Locklin who sang Send Me The Pillow You Dream On. Mark Chesnutt made a visit to the Opry and did It's A Little To Late and then a Roger Miller penned song, You Can't Do Me This Way And Get By With It.
Like every week, the solid
performances by The Whites,
Mike Snider, Mel McDaniel,
Jimmy Dickens, Jean Shepard
and the Osbornes, lay down
the meat and potatoes of the
real Opry experience.
During an interview, The
Whites were asked if they
knew what songs they would
sing. They said that they
didn't know until they
actually got out there in
the wings and saw what the
others were doing. The Opry
is supposed to be a variety
show and that means what
they do should compliment
what the others have done
and will do. The Opry is not
about your latest hit or a
showcase. AMEN
***
The Grand Ole Opry got underway Saturday with Little Jimmy Dickens. He sang Take An Old Cold Tater And Wait. Did a darn good job for someone in pain. I understand he had a small accident at home that resulted in a stiff neck. Evidently he was splashing on some toilet water .... and the lid fell down and hit him. The Whites were his first guests and they did Pins & Needles and Keep On The Sunny Side. Josh Turner was next on the stage and did his hit, Long Black Train and a song that is, in my opinion, a great country song, Your Man. Jimmy closed the segment with Just Another Bridge To Burn.
Mike Snider and his string
band hosted the next segment
and after his openning
number brought out Jan
Howard who dedicated, Wind
Beneath My Wings, to the
Veterans. Cajun Country and
Jimmy C. Newman did Diggy
Liggy Lo and then Shelly
Fairchild did Ready To Fall
and Mississippi's Cryin'.
Jim Ed Brown openned his
segment with Pop-A-Top and
then invited Mel McDaniel to
the stage. Mel had the Ryman
audience on their feet with
Stand Up. Jean Shepard sang
Tired Of Playin' Second
Fiddle, then Alison Brown
and her band did a couple of
numbers. Her jazz flavored
bluegrass doesn't do much
for me. Jim Ed closed with
his classic song, Three
Bells.
Jeannie Seely was the next
host and after her song,
What A Way To Live, she
brought out Billy Walker and
he sang Jesus Walks In. T.
Graham Brown was next up and
he did Tell It Like It Is
and Hell And High Water.
Jeannie closed her portion
with a Willie Nelson song,
Healing Hands Of Time.
Hosting next was Porter
Wagoner who openned with a
Bob Wills song, Take Me Back
To Tulsa. His first guest
was Jesse McReynolds & the
Virginia Boys and they did
Ashes Of Love. Andy Griggs
was next up, doing You Won't
Ever Be Lonely and If
Heaven. Terri Clark came out
next and did Girls Lie Too
and She Didn't Have Time.
The filler segment, recorded
Friday night was hosted by
Jim Ed Brown who openned
with I Heard The Bluebird
Sing. Chely Wright did C'est
La Vie and The Bumper Of My
SUV. An artist we don't see
that often was up next,
Tracy Byrd. He did, Don't
Take Her She's All I Got and
Someone To Give My Love To.
Jim Ed closed out the
program with Morning.
***
Coming up on Friday, the 18th, the Opry welcomes Del McCoury, Porter Wagoner, Riders In The Sky, Darryl Worley, Miranda Lambert and Doyle Lawson & Quicksilver, among others, to the stage at the Ryman.
For the Grand Ole Opry on
Saturday, you can expect to
see Del McCoury, Carrie
Underwood, John Corbett,
Rascal Flatts, Connie Smith,
Jim Ed Brown and Miranda
Lambert along with others of
the Opry cast.
As always your seats will be
right down front. I may be a
little late as I will also
have to visit with folks at
the Western Music
Association awards. Just
save me a seat.
Nov 4/5
I have no idea what happened
on Friday. The Opry had
started and then during
commercials between first
and second segment, it was
just like someone turned off
the microphones. The
stream was still there but
it was streaming air. I sent
off an email to the Opry
management, but I know it
will come back saying, we
had no problem, you were the
only person we heard from.
For all I know, they may
have found out the problem,
but after sitting for 45
minutes and hearing nothing,
I decided to do something
else. I guess I'll have to
listen to the show when it
gets into the archives.
***
The Grand Ole Opry from the Ryman got underway with Jimmy Dickens singing Family Reunion. His first guest was Julie Roberts. The best way to describe her is, she is a female Gomer. She has a talking voice and then this singing voice. I never cared for Jim Nabors singing and don't care for Roberts. But for those of you that do, she sang Down Home and Break Down Here. Next up was Jesse McReynolds & the Virginia Boys doing El Comanchero, a Spanish flavored bluegrass instrumental. Connie Smith was Jimmy's next guest and she sang Ain't Had No Lovin', a Dallas Frazier song recorded by Connie in 1966, and Once A Day. Jimmy closed the segment with one of
my favorite songs, Life
Turned Her That Way.
Jeannie Seely was the next
host and after she sang What
A Way To Live, introduced
Jimmy C Newman & Cajun
Country. They did two songs,
Colinda and Big Mamu. Next
up was Paulette Carlson. You
might remember Paulette from
her days with Highway 101.
She retired to Montana with
her husband to raise their
daughter. In 2004 she wrote
a song for her brother and
all the
other guys and gals who
served in Vietnam. She sang
that song for us, Thank You
Vets and she also sang
Whiskey, If You Were A
Woman. She will have a cd
out soon titled, It's About
Time.
Jeannie closed the segment
with To Far Gone.
Our next host was Jim Ed
Brown who sang Southern
Lovin'. His first guests
were the Osborne Brothers
doing Lonesome Feeling and
Rocky Top. Next up was Suzy
Boggus who did Outbound
Plane, a 1992 top ten hit,
and Somewhere Between from
1989. Jim Ed was joined by
Helen Cornelius for the
closing number, Leavin' It
Up To You.
Porter Wagoner hosted the
next segment and started off
with an old Wayne Raney
song, Why Don't You Haul Off
And Love Me. His guests
included Riders In The Sky,
who did Rawhide and Cool
Water, and Jeff Bates who
sang Long Slow Kisses and No
Shame. Porter and Pam Gadd
closed the segment with
Golden Ring.
The final segment was hosted
by Ricky Skaggs & Kentucky
Thunder and they openned
with Black Eyed Suzy. Jack
Greene was up next with his
most requested song, Statue
Of A Fool. Then Ricky
introduced The Whites who
sang Hangin' Around and Doin'
It By The Book. Ricky
followed that with Mothers
Not Dead and then Bluegrass
Breakdown.
The filler segment from the
Friday show was hosted by
Mike Snider and his string
band and after his openning
number, he introduced Jan
Howard. She sang a 1983 Anne
Murray hit, Somebody's
Always Sayin' Goodbye. Billy
Walker was next and did his
#3, 1972 hit, Sing Me A Love
Song To Baby. Daryle
Singletary was next and did
Amen Kind Of Love and his
big hit, That's Why I Sing
This Way. Mike and the boys
closed the segment with Fire
On The Mountain.
A great Opry show.
***
The Tuesday Opry on the 8th will feature Porter Wagoner, Catherine Britt, Mel McDaniel, Restless Heart, Bill Anderson, The Crabb Family, Jimmy Dickens and Buddy Jewell.
The Friday Opry has
scheduled appearances by
Carolyn Dawn Johnson, Mark
Chesnutt, Jamey Johnson,
Luke Stricklin, Chely
Wright, Bill Anderson, The
Whites and Tracy Byrd.
The Grand Ole Opry on
Saturday will include Alison
Brown Band, Shelly
Fairchild, Josh Turner, T.
Graham Brown, Andy Griggs,
Billy Walker and Jesse
McReynolds.
As always, I'll be right
there and I'll hold a seat
just for you.
Oct 28/29
Beginning tonight, November
1st, the Grand Ole Opry will
move to the Ryman Auditorium
in downtown Nashville for a
four-month run - November
through February.
During this four month run,
special guests will include
Elvis Costello, Gillian
Welch, Buddy Miller, The
Isaacs, the Cherryholmes,
the Bellamy Brothers, Aaron
Tippin, Trace Adkins, Joni
Harms and the Grascals.
Also there will be the Opry
show at Carnegie Hall in New
York on Nov 14th.
***
Fridays show included visits by Restless Heart, Blue Highway, Emerson Drive and Alecia Nugent. Everyone of them were outstanding except for Emerson Drive, they were just loud. I'm sorry, but that's the way they appear to me. Alecia did two songs, God Knows What and Breakin' New Ground. Blue Highway, who also appeared at the IBMA Awards, did two great numbers also, Nothing But A Whippoorwill and Sunday. Restless Heart went back a few years and did Tender Lie and Dancy's Dream.
The regulars never let the
audience down. The Whites
did Move It On Over, Billy
Walker sang Smoky Places,
Charlie Louvin and his band
did New Dreams and Sunshine,
while Bill Anderson
really searched out a few
old songs, How Married Are
You MaryAnn and Proof That
You Snore. Jesse McReynolds
and the Virginia Boys also
added their touch to the
show with Ashes Of
Love and The Night Runner.
Yes sir, another fine Friday
show.
***
Saturday, Jimmy Dickens openned doing Sleep At The Foot Of The Bed. His first guest was Mike Snider who introduced two fiddling brothers, John (15) and James (13) Abrams who knocked
the socks of the audience.
Next up was John Anderson.
He is sounding great and
sang I Just Came Home To
Count The Memories and
Swingin'. Jimmy closed the
segment with Mountain Dew.
The tv portion was up next,
hosted by Jeannie Seely, and
as expected it was loud and
much of it was CROCK
(country + rock), sorry, I
stole that from a radio
station. The segment started
with Brad Paisley doing I'll
Take You Back and then
Wynonna came out and did a
rock concert sounding song
called Attitude. If I wanted
rock, I'd watch the Country
Music Awards. Jeannie Seely
got to do a song next, What
A Way To Live. The best part
of this segment was next,
the IBMA Entertainer of the
Year, the Cherryholmes. This
family group includes mom,
dad and four kids(13-21) who
spend about 300 days on the
road. They did a song called
Coastline and then
Brand New Heartache.
Woooooohoooo! Ok, so now Wy
comes back out and does two
songs that both get standing
ovations (hmmm, was it the
songs or her singing?). I
Can Only Imagine and How
Great Thou Art. Then she did
Love Can Build A Bridge (no
ovation, hmmm). Brad was
back for three more of his
songs and then Jeannie Seely
closed the segment with a
Faron Young song, Leavin'
And Sayin' Goodbye.
Porter Wagoner was our next
host and after Night Train
To Nashville, Porter
introduced the 2005 Grand
Master Fiddling Champion,
Roberta Rast from Idaho. She
also had won the honors back
in 1992. She fiddled a tune
for the Opry audience. Jimmy
C. Newman was next up, doing
Louisiana Cajun Band. John
Conlee sang I Don't Remember
Loving You and then his
tribute to military
families, They Also Serve.
Bill Anderson hosted the
last segment and openned
with Get A Little Dirt On
Your Hands. The Whites were
his first guests and they
dedicated Making Believe to
Kitty Wells & Johnny Wright
who were celebrating their
68th wedding anniversary.
Next up was the IBMA Female
Vocalist of the Year (6th)
Rhonda Vincent & the Rage
and she showed everyone why
she was the winner. Bill
Anderson closed with Corner
Of My Life.
The filler segment, recorded
Friday night featured Jim Ed
Brown & Helen Cornelius and
they started the segment
doing Lying In Love With
You. The Osborne Brothers
rendered Big Spike Hammer
and Rocky Top for us and
this was followed by Mandy
Barnett doing A Legend In My
Time and then Break My Mind.
Jim Ed & Helen closed with
You Don't Bring Me Flowers.
All in all, not a bad show
when you listen with
headphones.
***
This weekend the scheduled line-up includes the Peasall Sisters, Danielle Peck, Catherine Britt, Rhonda Vincent and Daryle Singletary as well as many of the Opry regulars on Friday, Nov 4.
On the Saturday, Nov 5
shows, Julie Roberts,
Paulette Carlson, Suzy
Bogguss, Riders In The Sky,
Jeff Bates and Ricky Skaggs
as well as many of your Opry
favorites.
On next Tuesdays Opry, the
show will feature
performances by Porter
Wagoner, Catherine Britt,
Mel McDaniel, Restless
Heart, Bill Anderson, The
Crabb Family, Jimmy Dickens
and Buddy Jewell.
As always, I'll save you a
seat right down front. Don't
be late.
Oct 21/22
We were all duped! We were
mislead by the Opry
management and their media
hype of this weeks televised
Opry performance. Here are
portions of the news release
from the Opry webpage.
The "80th Anniversary
Signature Series, Timeless
Opry,"is" set for Sat., Oct.
22. The evening’s entire
hour-long Grand Ole Opry
Live show on GAC: Great
American Country will
feature Martina McBride
performing classic country
songs from her upcoming
album Timeless, in stores
Oct. 18, while other Opry
members and guest artists
will also perform some of
their all-time favorite
country classics throughout
the evening."
“This is a first for the
Opry,” says Opry
vice-president and general
manager Pete Fisher.
“Showcasing Martina’s
extraordinary talent and
these classic songs for a
full hour is a perfect fit
for a special Grand Ole Opry
performance. Like the Opry,
which has a rich history yet
is very much about what is
happening in country music
today, Martina’s incredible
new album is both current
and timeless.”
Martina and her record
company must be feeling
pretty good about
themselves. She only sang
two songs with special
guests, Lynn Anderson and
Ray Price. The rest of the
nine songs she performed
from her new cd, which has
18 tracks, were highlighted
with pictures of the
original artist on the
Opry's big screens. Ok, lets
do a little math. Nine songs
at about four minutes apiece
comes out to 36 minutes.
That leaves 24 minutes for
other things. The other
things included commercials
and a "GAC Spotlight" on
Martina, talking about the
making of the cd, her hero's
in country music, and three
songs by the Opry house band
that were not seen on TV.
Let's not forget a segment
towards the end of the show
where several of Martina's
fans in the audience asked
questions and then her
closing song, Independence
Day.
Shame on Pete Fisher and the
Opry management and their
handlers at Gaylord
headquarters. This was not
about the Opry or the music
of the Opry. This was a
glorified, televised, cd
release party. Unlike the
the hour that was devoted to
the Louvin Brothers tribute
cd, Livin', Lovin', Losin',
in Dec 2003, where many of
the artists appearing on the
cd did thirteen of the
sixteen songs. That program
was more about the music
than about the artists or
the cd. This evenings
program was
more about Martina and her
cd, which I will not buy,
thanks to the flood of cd
ads during the program.
Ok, now that I have that out
of the way, let's look at
what was good about the
Friday and Saturday shows.
***
The Friday show included guest appearances buy Tim O'Brien, a singer/songwriter who did two songs, Look Down That Lonesome Road, from his Fiddlers Green cd and Hold On from his Cornbread Nation cd. The Wrights were also guests, doing Every Humble Knee Must Bow and On
The Rocks, a song from their
Down This Road cd. Restless
Heart guested in the last
segment on Friday doing Fast
Movin' Train and I'll Still
Be Loving You.
The Opry regulars, Porter
Wagoner, The Whites, George
Hamilton IV, Mike Snider,
Jean Shepard, Jimmy Dickens,
Jeannie Seely, Bill Anderson
and Connie Smith all were
great as always, making the
Friday show well worth
taking the time to listen.
***
The first segment of the Saturday Opry openned with Jimmy Dickens doing Take An Old Cold Tater And Wait. The Whites were the next act on the stage, doing Making Believe and Swing Down Sweet Chariot. Jimmy Wayne was Mr Dickens next guest and he sang Stay Gone and I
Love You This Much. Jimmy
Dickens closed with Mountain
Dew.
The only thing I will say
about the televised segment
is, to bad the people never
heard the Opry staff band
doing Last Dance, Panhandle
Rag and Buckaroo. Also just
for my own peace of mind,
after the duet of Ray Price
and Martina, the Opry
audience rewarded Ray with a
standing ovation. I did not
see any other such displays
during the one hour segment.
Porter Wagoner openned his
segment with Funky Grass
Band. His first guest was
Jean Shepard who did a 1966
song of hers, Many Happy
Hangovers To You. Jimmy C.
Newman and Cajun Country did
Wish I Was In Louisiana,
then Porter brought out The
Wrights. They did the same
songs from Friday night's
show. Porter closed with
I'll Go Down Swinging.
Mike Snider got to host the
best segment of the night
that included Jim Ed and his
sisters, Maxine and Bonnie
doing three songs recorded
by them in late 1959, The
Old Lamplighter, Scarlet
Ribbons and the Three Bells.
That was great and it sure
sounded like the audience
loved it. Then Mike
introduced the real star of
tonight's show, Ray Price.
Ray sang You Just Don't Love
Me Anymore and then his 1973
#1 song, Your The Best Thing
That Ever Happened To Me.
WOW, now that's
"timeless". After order was
restored and the applause
died down, Mike Snider
closed the segment with Fire
On The Mountain.
The filler segment, recorded
Friday night, had John
Conlee as host. He opened
with Only In It For The
Love. His first guest was
Jesse McReynolds and the
Virginia Boys who did an old
Delmore Brothers song, Blues
Stay Away From Me. Next up
was Jack Greene doing Statue
Of A Fool and then Buddy
Jewell doing, Help Pour Out
The Rain and Times Like
These. Conlee closed the
show with They Also Served.
Thanks to Jim Ed & The
Browns and Mr. Ray Price for
making this a wonderful
show.
***
The Tuesday Opry will include appearances by Rhonda Vincent, The Grascals, Doyle Lawson & Quicksilver, Del McCoury, Jesse McReynolds and Jimmy Dickens.
This weeks Friday program
includes Osborne Brothers,
John Conlee, Alecia Nugent,
Restless Heart, Lorrie
Morgan and Blue Highway.
Saturday's program will
include performances by
Rhonda Vincent, Wynonna,
John Anderson, Cherryholmes,
Brad Paisley, Jim Ed Brown
and The Whites.
If it's bluegrass you like,
it sure looks like a great
week to listen to the Opry.
As always I'll be right down
front and I'll save a seat
just for you.
Oct 14/15
What Opry member gets a
whole hour on stage?
Well on this weekends early
Opry show, Martina McBride
is the only scheduled opry
member. This Saturdays
televised portion is another
of the Opry's 80th
Anniversary Signature shows.
The Opry's website says,
"Country classics ring out
from special guests and Opry
members, including Martina
McBride performing some of
her all-time favorites found
on her new release,
Timeless."
Well, if her cd tracklist is
the program guide, it should
be an interesting show. The
first five tracks on the cd
are You Win Again, I'll Be
There, I Can't Stop Loving
You, (I Never Promised You
A) Rose Garden and Today I
Started Loving You Again and
there are still thirteen
more to go.
I am looking forward to what
the management does with
this. They could look like
true supporters of the
history of the Opry or they
could look like shameless
hacks of the one artists
record label, promoting her
cd to the extreme. I guess
we'll all see.
***
So how did the Anniversary shows go? On Friday the first of two shows was really very good.
Special guests included John
Michael Montgomery doing The
Grundy County Auction, Lee
Greenwood doing his very
moving God Bless The U.S.A.
and Alison Krauss doing a
great gospel song, Blessed
Jesus, Hold My Hand. Other
artists included the
"Complicated" girl, Carolyn
Dawn Johnson and Robbie
Fulks doing Dressed In
Black, a song about Johnny
Cash.
Opry regulars rounded out
the show with many wonderful
songs like The Osbornes,
Pathway Of Tear Drops, Jan
Howard singing Rock Me Back
To Little Rock, Charlie
Walker doing Silver Dew On
The Bluegrass Tonight, Jesse
McReynolds & the Virginia
Boys with More Pretty Girls
Than One, Connie Smith
singing I Never Once Stopped
Loving You and Bill Anderson
and one of his great songs,
the Golden Guitar.
In my mind, the Friday show,
was a wonderful program.
Well worth checking out the
Opry archives for a second
listen.
***
The show of shows, the Birthday show on Saturday, got underway with Jimmy Dickens and his classic, Sleep At The Foot Of The Bed. Jimmy's first guest was his favorite female artist, Connie Smith. She offered up, Once A Day and her inspirational song from her cd with Sharon White and Barbara Fairchild, Fight On. Jimmy C. Newman was next up and did Louisiana Cajun Band and Jambalaya. Jimmy Dickens closed the segment with a Harlan Howard song, I Leaned Over Backwards For You.
The televised portion opened
with Travis Tritt doing a
song from his Honky Tonk
History cd, What Say You.
Segment host, Steve Wariner
got to do two songs, Baby
I'm Yours and Two Tear
Drops. The next guest was
Diamond Rio who did,
Beautiful Mess and their
inspirational contribution,
In God We Still Trust, that
brought the Opry audience to
their feet. Tritt returned
to the stage for three more
songs, Ten Feet Tall &
Bulletproof, Where Corn
Don't Grow and
T-R-O-U=B-L-E. Next up was a
special segment that
included Jimmy Dickens, Bill
Anderson, Porter Wagoner and
Garth Brooks. The four
performed May The Bird Of
Paradise Fly Up Your Nose,
Bright Lights and Country
Music, Green Grass Of Home
and Ya'll Come. Next Garth
sang with Steve Wariner on
Long Neck Bottle and Some
Fools Never Learn. As the
cake was wheeled out on the
stage, the entire cast came
on stage and sang Happy
Birthday.
If you attended the Birthday
Bash to hear Garth sing some
of his songs, you might have
felt cheated, but I think it
was great that Garth was
there and his appearance
wasn't about him, it was
about the Opry. Way To Go
Garth!
The next segment was hosted
by Porter Wagoner who
started it off with Highway
Headed South. The great
Charlie Louvin was the first
guest and he did When I Stop
Dreamin'. Jeannie Seely sang
Sentimental Journey. The
Whites were next, doing
Swing Down Sweet Chariot.
Porter and Pam Gadd closed
the segment with a duet,
Golden Ring.
Bill Anderson opened his
segment with Wild Weekend
and then introduced Josh
Turner. Josh did his big
hit, Long Black Train and a
new song that should be a
hit for him, Just To Be Your
Man. Ralph Stanley was next
doing two songs, Man Of
Constant Sorrow and Oh
Death. Bill closed the
segment with a song he
recorded with Roy Acuff
called, I Wonder If God
Likes Country Music.
The filler segment recorded
Friday, featured George
Hamilton IV as host. After
doing Break My Mind, George
introduced Jesse McReynolds
& the Virginia Boys who did
Okeechobee Wind and Sittin
On Top Of The World. Robbie
Fulks sang Georgia Hard and
Let's Kill Saturday Night.
George closed the segment
with We Will Meet Again and
dedicated it to the Opry
Stars that have gone on.
During the televised portion
a statue of Minnie Pearl was
unvailed. The statue will
eventually be set up in her
hometown of Centerville, TN.
Minnie once said the reason
she wore that famous hat of
hers so you could tell her
apart from Dolly Parton.
I think this was a wonderful
Birthday bash.
***
The line up for this Fridays show includes visits from Tim O'Brien, The Wrights, Erika Jo, Restless Heart and Buddy Jewell as well as many of the Opry favorites.
The Saturday show will
feature Martina McBride,
Jimmy Wayne, The Wrights and
the one and only Ray Price.
Also Jim Ed and his sisters
will be doing a few of the
songs that we all love.
The show on the 25th has
scheduled Porter Wagoner,
Doyle Lawson & Quicksilver,
Jesse McReynolds & The
Virginia Boys, The Grascals,
Bill Anderson, Rhonda
Vincent, Jimmy Dickens and
Del McCoury Band. Looks like
a bluegrass kind of night.
As always we'll be right
there and we'll have a seat
just for you.
Oct 7/8 Happy Birthday Grand Ole Opry.
The two
shows (6:30 & 9:30 PM Central), on
Friday, will include Jeannie Seely,
Jimmy C. Newman, Robbie Fulks, Jimmy
Dickens, Osborne Brothers, Carolyn
Dawn Johnson, Mike Snider, Jan
Howard, Charlie Walker, John Michael
Montgomery, Porter Wagoner, George
Hamilton IV, Connie Smith, Lee
Greenwood, Bill Anderson, Jesse
McReynolds & The Virginia Boys,
Alison Krauss, Jack Greene and Billy
Grammer.
The two
shows on Saturday (6:30 & 9:30 PM
Central), will include performances
by Jimmy Dickens, Connie Smith,
Jimmy C. Newman, Steve Wariner,
Travis Tritt, Garth Brooks, Diamond
Rio, Porter Wagoner, Charlie Louvin,
Jeannie Seely, The Whites, Bill
Anderson, Josh Turner, Ralph
Stanley, Billy Grammer, Stu Phillips
and Jack Greene.
I don't
know about you, but my question is -
Where is Jones, Pride, Kitty Wells,
Hank Locklin, Carl Smith and even
Alan Jackson? This is the birthday?
If I was a member of this cast, I
think I would go out of my way to at
least be there on stage, even if all
I did was sing background or play as
a band member, but I could be wrong.
***
The Friday show on the 7th, included an appearance by Dale Watson who did two songs from his newest cd, already released overseas, My Heart Is Yours and Heeah (Don't Play Round Here). The first is a solid traditional ballad and the second is a fun kind of song based on growing up in a small town. You remember that one old person that never seemed to want kids playing anywhere near their house. Also on the show was Trent Willmon doing his song that takes as long to type out the title as it does to sing it, Dixie Rose Deluxe's Honky Tonk Feed Store Gun Shop Used Car Beer Bait Bar-B-Que Barber Shop Laundermat. His other song has been picked up by a motel chain as
their
advertising song, Home Sweet Holiday
Inn. New artist Matt Jenkins who's
first cd will be out next year, did
a great two step song, titled, I'd
Rather You Lied and a second song,
More To The Story. Great audience
response was his reward.
Other
notable performances by Riders In
The Sky who dedicated This Ain't The
Same Old Range in memory of the
recent passing of western music
artist, Sean Blackburn. Jesse
McReynolds and the Virginia Boys
invited Bobby Osborne to join them
doing It's Mighty Dark To Travel.
***
Due to a major technical problem somewhere in Tennessee, WSM's on-line stream (and many other Tenn. streams) were down for almost three hours. But I did have the option of listening to the second show, which was better anyways.
The
filler segment left over from Friday
was hosted by Mike Snider and his
string band. The Whites did Hangin'
Around and Doing It By The Book. T.
Graham Brown sang his Hell And High
Water and Use The Blues. Mike closed
the segment with Fire On The
Mountain.
The
second show got underway with Jimmy
Dickens doing Me And My Big Loud
Mouth. Connie Smith was his first
guest and she did Ribbon Of Darkness
and Where Is The Love Meant For Me.
Jamey Johnson is up next. He did his
current charting song, Dollar and
then a Vern Gosdin song, Was It Just
The Wine. Not bad. Jimmy Dickens
closed the segment with We Could.
Porter
Wagoner hosted the second portion,
opening with Wake Up Jacob. Hank
Locklin was his first guest. Hank
sang Send Me The Pillow You Dream
On. Outstanding. Then, at Porters
request and with the audience's
approval, Hank sang Please Help Me
I'm Falling. I'm glad there were
technical problems with the first
show. Next up was Catherine Britt
who sang her current real country
song, Is This Where We Say Goodbye.
She followed that with Angel Band.
Del McCoury and his band did Never
Grow Up Boy and a solid, foot
stompin' bluegrass instrumental,
Seventh Heaven. Porter closed with
Haul Off And Love Me.
John
Conlee is the next host and after
opening with Old School, he brings
out Jesse McReynolds & the Virginia
Boys along with Bobby Osborne and
they do Little Cabin Home. Carolyn
Dawn Johnson was next and after her
two songs, Conlee closed with a
short medley of Before
My Time
and She's Still Everything.
George
Hamilton IV started his segment with
Abilene. Jean Shepard did Only A
Phone Call Away and the Kitty Wells
classic, It Wasn't God Who Made
Honky Tonk Angels. Darryl Worley did
two songs, one of which was his
moving ballad, I Miss My Friend.
George Hamilton closed with a
medley, Using My Bible For A Roadmap
and Build Me A Cabin.
Jeannie
Seely got to host the last segment
and started out with What A Way To
Live. Billy Walker did his classic
hit, Cross The Brazos At Waco and
followed that with, Jesus Walks In.
Hanna-McEuen did their lovely song,
Ocean and then did Fool Around.
Seely closed out with What's Going
On In Your World.
Like I
said, great show. Hope you'll be
able to listen to the Birthday show,
Saturday. I understand there will be
cake. Bring your own silverware and
I'll have a seat for you right down
front.
Sep 16/17 On the Tuesday Opry on the 27th, a special show. Country Reaches Out: An Opry Benefit for the American Red Cross. The show will run from 7 - 10 pm Central time on WSM, WSIX and another Nashville radio station and also will be on tv starting at 9 pm eastern on GAC and the sister networks DIY Network and FINE LIVING.
Scheduled to be
on this special show are Porter Wagoner,
Riders In The Sky, Bill Anderson, Jimmy
Dickens, LeAnn Rimes, Marty Stuart, Terri
Clark, Craig Morgan, Julie Roberts, Billy
Currington, Keith Urban, Alison Krauss,
Jimmy C. Newman, Alan Jackson.
Plan on
listening in on WSM online at
http://players.eonstreams.com/FastAim/Player/Player.php?PlayerID=308
***
The Friday Opry featured performances by Chely Wright (C'est laVie and Single White female), Ryan Shupe & The Rubber Band (Dream Big and Rainbow Connection/I Play The Banjo), The Peasall Sisters (Rushing Around and Log Town) and Roy Clark (Alabama Jubilee and I Would Crawl All The Way To The River). Oops, I almost forgot Lane Turner who did All My Friends Are Gonna Be Strangers and Always Wanting More.
The Opry
regulars were fantastic as always, providing
the solid country music that the Opry
symbolizes.
Point to ponder:
After Chely Wright finished Single White
Female, Porter Wagoner sang I've Enjoyed As
Much Of This As I Can Stand..... hmmmmm. My
thoughts exactly.
***
The Saturday
Opry got underway with Jimmy Dickens doing
Family Reunion. Jimmy's first guest was
Jimmy C. Newman who did Louisiana Cajun Band
and then Diggy Liggy Lo. Then we were
treated to the lovely voice of Mandy Barnett
who did Smile and Hurt. Jimmy closed the
segment with Mountain Dew.
The next portion
was hosted by Roy Clark and opened with
Rhonda Vincent & The Rage doing Ghost Of A
Chance. Roy got to show off his guitar work
on two instrumentals and then the song he
did on the Friday show, I Would Crawl All
The Way To The River. Roy's next guest was
Billy Dean who did a fine job on a John
Denver classic, Thank God I'm A Country Boy.
Billy then did a new song, Let Them Be
Little. Rhonda Vincent came back for another
number, The Heart Breakin' Old Achin' Blues.
Next up was George Canyon who did One Good
Friend and Who Would You Be. Not bad so far.
Well it gets better. Loretta Lynn was the
next guest and she owned that stage. She
started out with You Ain't Woman Enough To
Take My Man and after a standing ovation
followed that with Portland, Oregon. She
wasn't done yet. She did Coal Miners
Daughter and then Don't Come Home Drinkin'
With Lovin' On Your Mind. She was great and
the audience rewarded her with another
standing ovation. Roy closed out the show
with a great song, Love Takes Two.
Porter Wagoner
was our next host and started out his
segment with Company's Coming. Billy Walker
treated us to Fool Such As I and The Whites
followed him with Hangin' Around. Keni
Thomas, did Not Me, a song dedicated to the
real heros in our military. He followed that
with Gloryland.
Jeannie Seely
hosted the next segment and opened with You
Don't Need Me But You Will. Jim Ed Brown was
her first guest and he and the Jims did
Three Bells. Dan Seals was up next and he
started out with Bop. The eyes rolled and we
all thought he would do All That Glitters,
but he did a new song Just You And Me. Nice.
Then we had a real suprise as they
introduced Ned Beatty, yep, the actor, but
that wasn't the surprise. He sang..... yep,
he was in Nashville to record a gospel cd
and he did Lay Down My Burden. Jeannie
closed out the segment with the song that
brought her to the Opry, Don't Touch Me.
The filler
segment recorded Friday night was hosted by
Charlie Walker who opened with Find A Way To
Free Myself From You. Connie Smith who did
Cincinnati, Ohio and Are You Ever Coming
Home. That was followed by Restless Heart
doing We're All In The Same Boat Now and The
Bluest Eyes In Texas. Charlie closed the
show with Pick Me Up On Your Way Down.
Not a bad show.
Don't forget, if you want to listen to any
of the past few shows, just click on the
"Archives" link at the top of the page.
***
Coming up on the
Friday Opry Bobby Pinson, Trick Pony, Mark
Wills, Gene Watson and T. Graham Brown will
join the Opry regulars for a wonderful show.
On Saturday the
Opry will feature performances by Susan
Haynes, Vince Gill, Mark Wills, Kathy Mattea,
Gretchen Wilson, J.D. Crowe & The New South,
Bobby Pinson and Gene Watson. They will be
joined by many of your favorite Opry stars.
Please don't
forget about the Tuesday Opry next week and
the special for the American Red Cross.
I'll keep a few extra seats open for y'all
to join me.
Sep 2/3
Yesterday, Sep
1st, the Grand Ole Opry, along with Great
American Country (GAC) television announced
plans to host Country Reaches Out: An Opry
Benefit for the American Red Cross to assist
with hurricane relief. The event, to be held
at the Grand Ole Opry House on Sept 27th,
will begin at 8 p.m. ET. GAC will broadcast
live from the event starting at 9 p.m. ET.
In addition to
the live GAC broadcast, the Opry event will
be simulcast on GAC sister networks DIY
Network and FINE LIVING. The show will also
be heard in its entirety on 650 WSM AM,
Sirius Satellite Radio, and opry.com.
Among the
growing list of artists scheduled to appear
are Alan Jackson, Keith Urban, Alison
Krauss, Craig Morgan, Marty Stuart, Julie
Roberts, and Billy Currington.
*** The Friday Opry welcomed guests David Ball, Rebecca Lynn Howard, Emerson Drive, John Berry, The Wrights and Josh Turner. David Ball did Private Malone and his new song, To Much Blood In My Alcohol Level. Emerson Drive did two new songs, Lucky Man and I Had My Moments. John Berry did two songs from his 2000 cd, Greatest Hits, She's Taken A Shine and Your Love Amazes Me. The Wrights did Leave A Light On and On The Rocks from their Down This Road cd. Josh Turner did Long Black Train and a song from his new project to be out in November, Just To Be Your Man. Rebecca Lynn Howard did Forgive and her version of an Emmylou Harris song, Two More Bottles Of Wine.
The Opry
regulars rounded out the show but the best
segment was the last half hour used as a
filler segment on Saturdays show.
*** The Grand Ole Opry got underway Saturday with Jimmy Dickens doing Me And My Big Loud Mouth. Jimmy's first guests were the Whites. They did a song recorded by Porter Wagoner and Skeeter Davis that was co-written buy Bud Auge, Jimmy Dickens, John Reinfeld & Mel Tillis, A Violet And A Rose. They followed that with Keep On The Sunny Side. The next guest on
the segment was
Dale Ann Bradley & Coon Creek. Dale Ann did
Mary Rocked The Rock and In Despair. Jimmy
closed his segment doing I Love Lucy Brown.
The Riders In
The Sky were our next hosts and they opened
with Woody's Round-up. The Riders first
guest was a black lab named Opry that was in
the wings. Opry didn't yodel or even howl.
It was announced that in the audience were
four bus loads of twins, in town for a twins
reunion and a bus load of evacuees from
Louisiana (now that's some Opry fans). Jimmy
C. Newman made
them feel right at home doing Louisiana
Cajun Band and Diggy Liggy Lo. Up next was
Mark Collie, whom we haven't heard much from
since 1999. He did Even The Man In The Moon
Was Crying and Wild Flower. The Riders ended
with the classic western song, Tumbling
Tumbleweeds and
Happy Trails.
Mike Snider was
hosting the next segment as he often does,
forgot to mention the titles of the
instrumentals he and his string band did.
Billy Walker was mikes first guest and did a
1985 song he recorded, Coffee Brown Eyes.
Jean Shepard came out next and did Everytime
I Think Of You. Emerson Drive was welcomed
to the stage and repeated their songs from
Fridays show, Lucky Man and I Had My
Moments.
Porter Wagoner
opened his portion of the show with a Roy
Acuff classic, Fireball Mail. Porter's first
guest was Mel McDaniels. Mel did Louisiana
Saturday Night and Stand Up. The Wrights
were back tonight and sang Hard Time and On
The Rocks. Next Porter introduced Pam Gadd
who is part of the Wagoneers and she sing
Virginia Man.
John Conlee was
our next host and after doing Lady Lay Down,
he introduced Rebecca Lynn Howard and she
did the same songs as last night. Marty
Stuart and the Superlatives did two gospel
songs for us, Noah's Ark and The Unseen
Hand. That was wonderful with the close
harmonies you expect on southern gospel.
Conlee closed the show with Rose Colored
Glasses.
The filler
portion from last night got underway with
the Riders In The Sky doing How The Yodel
Was Born. Dr. Ralph Stanley and the Clinch
Mountain Boys did Little Maggie and another
song, then the Crabb Family came on. They
did The Lion, The Lamb, The King and then
Through The Fire. The Riders closed with
Riding Down The Canyon and Happy Trails.
*** The Tuesday Opry on 6 September will feature Porter Wagoner, Todd Snider, Elizabeth Cook, Buddy Miller, Bill Anderson, Jim Lauderdale, Jimmy Dickens and Radney Foster.
On the 9th of
September, scheduled guests The Greencards,
Dean Miller and the Legacy Five Quartet will
join many of the Opry regulars.
The special
guests scheduled for the Grand ole Opry on
the 10th will include Mountain Heart,
Catherine Britt and David Lee Murphy.
Coming up later
during September will be visits by Loretta
Lynn, Rhonda Vincent and Roy Clark on the
17th, Trick Pony on the 23rd, and Gretchen
Wilson, Vince Gill and Bobby Pinson on the
24th. Make your plans now and don't forget
about the special Country Reaches Out on the
27th. As always I'll hold a seat just for
you.
Aug 26/27
The list of
nominees has been announced by the IBMA for
the 16th Annual International Bluegrass
Music Awards, to be hosted by bluegrass
favorites Alison Krauss and Ricky Skaggs and
scheduled for October 27th at the Ryman
Auditorium in Nashville, Tenn.
Artists favored with the most nominations include Alison Krauss & Union Station, Blue Highway, Rhonda Vincent & The Rage and Doyle Lawson & Quicksilver.
Five time Female
Vocalist, Rhonda Vincent will be vying for
that same title for a sixth time.
That is my
birthday, that sure would be a fantastic
birthday present (hint-hint)
***
The Friday show brought Ray Scott back again doing his great song, My Kind Of Music, a really fun song. Kevin Sharp came to the Opry with two songs, I Will Stay and Nobody Knows. Can you believe that Buddy Jewell is still putting out music. So many folks said he was to old and to country to last. Dang country music fans. We always confuse those record company folks. Marty Stuart also made the Friday show doing The Weight (a fine country song) and then playing Pops Staple's guitar, Marty and the Superlatives did an old gospel song, Somebody Saved Me.
Again, as
always, the regular Opry cast did their part
to make the Friday show another great Opry
performance.
***
The Saturday Grand Ole Opry opened with Little Jimmy Dickens doing Family Reunion. His first guest was Connie Smith singing two songs for us, Just Let Me Know and I Never Stopped Loving You. Jimmy C. Newman and Cajun Country did Jambalaya and then Jeannie Seely sang Sentimental Journey. Jimmy Dickens closed his segment with Mountain Dew.
Hal Ketchum
hosted the one hour television segment,
opening with Small Town Saturday Night. His
first guest was Jimmy Wayne, who did I Love
You This Much and Stay Gone. Ray Scott got
to make his first debut on the tv portion,
doing My Kind Of Music and You're Gone
Either Way. Hal Ketchum returned for another
number, Past The Point Of Rescue. Next up
was Alison Brown and
her band doing
two songs that she didn't identify. Suzy
Boguss made an appearance and did three
numbers for us, I Still Miss Someone, Your
In Heaven and Drive South. Hal closed the
show with Long Way Down.
Porter Wagoner
started out his segment doing Dooley. The
Osbornes only did one number, but when your
big hit is the Tennessee state song and the
Volunteers fight song, one song is all you
need and Rocky Top always pleases the
audience. The Osbornes were followed by Jean
Shepard doing another Tennessee state song,
Tennessee Waltz. John Conlee was the next
artist to visit the stage. John did a song
for the crazy people, I Don't Remember
Loving You. He also did his latest song
dedicated to the military family, They Also
Serve. Porter closed doing an old gospel
song, You Got To Walk That Valley.
Bill Anderson
hosted the last regular segment of the first
show and opened with Did She Mention My
Name. Bill's first guests were the Whites
who did one of their old songs, Hangin
Around. Mel McDaniel was next and did Stand
Up. Mandy Barnett sang, boy, did she sing.
She did Sweet Memories and Crazy. Bill
closed the show with his new song about a
dad and a son, Him And Me.
The filler
segment from Friday night was outstanding.
Hosted by the Riders In The Sky who sang
Ride Cowboy Ride. Then Ranger Doug
introduced the Chapmans, winners of the 2001
Emerging Artist of the Year award from the
IBMA, who did two numbers, Ode To The Simple
Man and The Love We Had. Then the Riders
introduced the star of this segment, Ray
Price. Ray showed he hasn't lost a thing
over the years, doing The Night Life and
Your The Best Thing That Ever Happened To
Me. For his efforts he was rewarded with a
standing ovation that seemed to go on for
five minutes. Then Ray did Crazy Arms and
Heartaches By The Number.
What a
performance. After the applause died down
the Riders did a wonderful western song,
Blue Shadows On The Trail and closed with
Happy Trails.
A great show and
all great stars.
***
We have some more great stars gracing the Opry stage this week.
On Friday, David
Ball, Rebecca Lynn Howard, Emerson Drive,
John Berry, The Wrights and Josh Turner will
join the opry cast.
On Saturday,
scheduled guests include Dale Ann Bradley &
Coon Creek, Mark Collie, Emerson Drive and
The Wrights. And the acts that will be heard
on the filler segment will be the Riders In
The Sky, Ralph Stanley and The Crabb Family.
As always, I'll
save you a seat right down front.
Aug 19/20
On Fridays show
guest David Lee Murphy performed two songs.
Mama's Last was from his 2004 release, Tryin'
To Get There, and the other, Scatter The
Ashes, a song he wrote that was recorded by
Chris Ledoux. 3 Fox Drive made their Opry
debut and did two songs from their debut cd,
Listen To The Music (title song), yes it's
the Doobie Brothers song, and This Little
House Of Mime. They sounded pretty good,
using banjo and fiddle and tight harmonies.
T.G. Shepard visited also on Friday night
and he did I Loved 'em Every One and Slow
Burn. I almost forgot to include Sherrie
Austin who did God's Gift To Women and When
The Right One Comes Along.
In a thirty
minute segment that must have bugged the
soundman, The Riders In The Sky, Jesse
McReynolds & the Virginia Boys and Rebecca
Lynn Howard performed without drums. Yes,
even Rebecca seemed caught up in the spirit,
doing two gospel songs, Workin' On The
Building and
Can't Nobody Do
Me Like Jesus.
As usual, the
Friday performance, seems to be the better
show, with more traditional sounding music,
and outstanding performances by the Opry
regulars. Of course, there are those nights
when it all goes to heck and you swear that
Pete Fisher and the soundman are out to
destroy
country music.
But I could be wrong.
***
The Saturday show opened with Mike Snider and his string band doing some wonderful instrumental favorites, Snowshoes and the Yellow Barber (?) Okay, maybe not well known favorites. Mike's first guests were The Whites who did San Antonio Rose and Doing It By The Book. David Lee Murphy was the next guest and tonight he did Loco and Dust On The Bottle. Mike and his band closed the segment with their arrangement of Ashokan Farwell, a song from the PBS special Civil War. What a lovely combination of fiddles, banjo and harmonica.
Jeannie Seely
hosted the next segment and started it off
with a song with a great title, Burning That
Old Memory With A Brand New Flame. Jeannie
introduced The Osborne Brothers next and
they did Windy City and Rocky Top. Catherine
Britt was the next guest and she did two
wonderful songs, Is This Where We Both Say
Goodbye, a song she recorded with Sir Elton
John and the she did Angel Band. Jeannie
closed the segment doing a duet with her
bass player, Danny Davis, Today I Started
Loving You Again.
The next segment
openned the cowboy way with Riders In The
Sky doing the story of Pecos Bill. Jimmy C.
Newman and Cajun Country were the first
guests and they did Louisiana Cajun Band and
Colinda. Lane Turner was the next guest,
doing Your Gone and Always Wanting More.
Then Ranger Doug attempted to bring the
segment to a close with that famous western
classic, Cattle Call, but the rest of the
Riders, who may have been smokin' tumbleweed
between acts, proceeded to bring all manner
of farm animal sound effects into the song.
It was extremely funny.
Porter Wagoner
openned his segment by singing They All Go
Native On A Saturday Night. First up was Jan
Howard to do Rock Me Back To Little Rock.
Billy Walker did Ain't It Funny How Time
Slips Away. T. Graham Brown came out to do
Wine Into Water and Darlene. Porter closed
doing I Thought I Heard You Call My Name.
Little Jimmy
Dickens opened his segment singing Mountain
Dew, a song written by a dead uncle of his.
Seems the uncle died of whiskey and women.
He could no longer get either one so he just
laid down and died. That's a joke son. Dan
Seals happened to be the first guest and he
sang Bop and Everything That Glitters Is Not
Gold. The Crabb Family was in the house and
it was a powerful, powerful performance.
They did My Redeemer Lives and then they did
a medley that included Can't Nobody Do Me
Like Jesus, I'll Fly Away and Power In The
Blood Of The Lamb. Can I get an Amen? Jimmy
Dickens closed the segment singing Another
Bridge To Burn.
The filler
segment from Fridays show included Jeannie
Seely doing You Don't Need Me But You Will.
Mel McDaniel was up next, doing Louisiana
Saturday Night and Stand Up. Jeannie brought
out Daryle Singletary. His two songs were
Redneckin' and I Let Her Lie. Jeannie had
him do one more and he chose that new song
of his, Real Estate Hands. Jeannie closed
with her version of a Willie Nelson song,
Healing Hands Of Time.
***
On Friday, Aug 26, the guests will be Ray Scott (My Kind Of Music), Kevin Sharp, Buddy Jewell, Marty Stuart, The Chapmans and Ray Price.
The regulars
include Porter Wagoner, Jimmy C. Newman,
Jeannie Seely, Jim Ed Brown, Jean Shepard,
Jimmy Dickens, Jack Greene, Bill Anderson,
Connie Smith and Riders In The Sky.
The Saturday
Grand Ole Opry will feature Jimmy Wayne, Ray
Scott, Alison Brown Band w/ Joe Craven, Suzy
Boguss and Mandy Barnett with many of your
Opry favorites.
Next Tuesday,
Aug 30th, the Opry will feature Porter
Wagoner, Julie Roberts, Rhonda Vincent, Bill
Anderson, Del McCoury Band, Dierks Bentley,
Gene Watson and Trace Adkins
I sure hope you
can tune in for one of these great shows,
and as always, I'll hold a seat just for
you.
Aug 12/13 Did you know that Jack Greene carried a song around with him for over seven years before it was ever recorded. He didn't think it would be accepted by his fans. The song? Statue Of A Fool.
The Friday Opry,
featured Jim Lauderdale, Daryle Singletary,
the first return visit in five years by
Karen Peck & New River, Elizabeth Cook and
the first visit by Ralph Stanley since his
heart surgery. Jim Lauderdale did two
bluegrass songs, Zacchaeus and I Feel Like
Singing Today and Daryle Singletary did
Rockin In The Country and then Old Violin.
Karen Peck & New River have had great
success on the gospel charts over the years
and brought that spirit to the Opry stage
with Bend In The River Of Life and Four Days
Late. Outstanding performance. Lovely and
talented Elizabeth Cook sang Cupid Better
Take Better Aim and Before I Go That Far. Dr
Ralph Stanley sounded great and did Nine
Pound Hammer and his song from the Oh
Brother movie, Oh Death.
Other highlights
included Porter Wagoner doing Green Green
Grass Of Home, Jim Ed Brown and Helen
Cornelius doing Fools and Mr Jimmy Dickens
doing Life Turned Her That Way. A great
show I'm glad I didn't miss, but if you did,
go to the WSM achives at
http://www.wsmonline.com/page.asp?SID=1&Page=248
and click on the Friday Opry for Aug 12th.
***
Saturday's Grand Ole Opry opened with Jimmy Dickens singing Geraldine. Jimmy's first guests were The Whites who did It Should Have Been Easy and Just As Long As You Love Me. Next, Jimmy introduced BR549's frontman Chuck Mead as a solo act. Chuck did Reno County Girl and a Webb Pierce classic, There Stands The Glass. Jimmy closed the segment singing I Love Lucy Brown.
Mike Snider was
the next host and he and his string band did
a wonderful instrumental version of Dixie.
Mike wanted his next guests jacket, but
Billy Walker wasn't about to give it up.
Billy did You Gave Me A Mountain. Jimmy C.
Newman was up next and after a few words
about the loss of Cajun fiddler and very
close friend Rufus Thibodeaux, Jimmy C. did
Big Mammu. Shelly Fairchild was Mike's next
guest doing two of her songs that are on her
cd, Ride, Ready To Fall and Kiss Me. Don't
know if I'd rush out to buy the cd. Mike
closed the segment with his song, that I'm
sure upsets the animal rights groups, Puttin
On The Dog.
Jim Ed Brown
opened his segment doing Pop-A-Top. Jim Ed's
first guest was Connie Smith who let us
know, The Keys In The Mail Box. Then Connie
did the Harlan Howard penned song, Deepening
Snow. Up next was J.D.Crowe & New South.
They did Mississippi Raft and Lefty's Old
Guitar. Jim Ed was joined by Helen Cornelius
for the closing song of the segment, their
1976 hit, I Don't Want To Have To Marry You.
Porter Wagoner
started his segment with Ole Slew-Foot. His
first guest was Jean Shepard who did
Tennessee Waltz. She was followed by Jesse
McReynolds and The Virginia Boys doing
Before I Met You. Up next was returned GI,
Luke Stricklin. He wrote a few songs while
he was stationed in Baghdad to answer
questions from home, Things I Miss and
American, By Gods Amazing Grace. Porter
didn't have enough time for a closing
number.
Bill Anderson
hosted the last segment and started it off
with Wild Weekend. Bill had the ladies on
his segment, Jeannie Seely who did
Sentimental Journey and Lorrie Morgan, who
did Do You Still Wanna Buy Me That Drink and
One Of A Kind. Bill closed with the Golden
Guitar.
The leftover
segment from Fridays show was hosted by
Ricky Skaggs and he got it started with Sis
Draper from his New Strings cd. Ricky
brought out his extended family, The Whites,
who did San Antonio Rose and Doing It By The
Book. John Conlee was the next guest and he
did Rockin With You and his current song,
They Also Serve. Ricky closed out the show
with Sally Jo.
Not a bad
program. Don't forget, if you missed the
show, visit the WSM archives and click on
Grand Ole Opry for 8/13.
***
On Tuesday the 16th, the Tuesday Opry will present Porter Wagoner, Hal Ketchum, Riders In The Sky, Larry Stewart, Mel McDaniel, Chely Wright, Bill Anderson and the Del McCoury Band.
The Friday Opry
cast will include 3 Fox Drive, Jimmy
Dickens, Porter Wagoner, Susan Haynes, David
Lee Murphy and many of your Opry favorites.
Saturday's Grand
Ole Opry will include special appearances by
the Crabb Family, Catherine Britt, David Lee
Murphy (first show only) and T. Graham Brown
as well as many of the Opry regulars.
As always, I'll
have a seat right down front, just for you.
Aug 5/6
"Susan
Haynes performed her current single,
"Crooked Little Heart," on the Opry
stage last week to an enthusiastic
crowd. Susan's cool country style and
sly sense of humor have made her an Opry
favorite with over five performances in
the last month" from GACTV.com
No I didn't say that. I shouldn't even
repeat it! I can't write such fluff and
lie about it. "made her an Opry
favorite"?? OUTRAGEOUS! Yes, Susan was
on the Opry 5 times in the last month
and she did the same two songs every
time, Crooked Little Heart and Drinkin
In My Sunday Dress. If these are the
best songs off her unreleased cd, then,
in my opinion, it should be used for
target practice, or should remain
unreleased.
***
The Friday Opry featured John Cowan, Steve Azar, Lauren Lucas and Jimmy Wayne. Cowan had auditioned as a bassist and vocalist for New Grass Revival in 1974, and together with Sam Bush and later bandmates Béla Fleck and Pat Flynn, were well known during the 80's bluegrass revival. After nearly twenty years rocking it up, it appears he has come home to his country roots. He did two songs on Friday, one which I thought was outstanding was, Jesus Gave Me Water. Azar sounded much the same as he has since he first appeared. I don't think I'll be adding any of his music to my collection. Lauren Lucas is another Nashville pretty face. She does have a few good songs on her unreleased cd, Carolina Kind. The title song is not bad. On the Opry, she did two other songs from the cd, You Still Aren't Out Of Arkansas and A Train Without A Whistle. I won't be rushing out for her cd. Jimmy Wayne was the last of the "special guests" and he did a new song, What Makes You Happy and then I Love You This Much.
Without a
doubt, it was the regulars that carried
the Friday Opry with wonderful songs
like the Whites, You Put The Blue In Me
and Hangin Around, Abilene by George
Hamilton IV, Cherokee Maiden by Charlie
Walker, Jim Ed Brown's Bar Room Pals And
Goodtime Gals and the crazy but lovable
Riders In The Sky.
***
The Saturday Grand Ole Opry was opened by Little Jimmy Dickens (or Willie Nelson after taxes) doing his classic May The Bird Of Paradise Fly Up Your Nose. The Whites, who never let us down, did Pins & Needles and Keep On The Sunny Side. Junior Brown, who did the narrations in the Dukes Of Hazzard movie, did Gimme A Little Old Fashioned Love. I still think one of his best songs is My Baby Don't Dance To Anything But Ernest Tubb.
The
televised portion got underway with
Rodney Crowell doing She's Crazy For
Leaving. Host Steve Wariner was up next
and did Linda and Burning Down The Road
House. Next up was Josh Turner, and yes,
he did Long Black Train, but he also did
his new single that is out to
radio, Your
Man. If you haven't heard it, you will
like it. It's a good'un. That song will
be on his new cd due out sometime next
year. Rodney Crowell was back and did
Making Memories Out Of Us. T. Graham
Brown was the next artist and he started
with Hell And High Water, a 1986 hit,
and then did Use The Blues. I know it's
not country, but dang it, it makes me
smile and makes my feet move. The next
guest was Gene Watson. Gene has a new cd
out, Then & Now, and did one song from
it, I Catch Myself. He also did Fourteen
Karat Mind and Farewell Party. Steve was
back to close the show, doing She Thinks
I Am and Honky Tonk Work Of Art, both
songs from his new cd, This Real Life.
Porter
Wagoner hosted next and opened with
Company's Comin'. Jimmy C. Newman was
next and did a song that he is credited
with bringing out of Louisiana, Diggy
Liggy Lo. George Hamilton IV and V did
We Will Meet Again. The Riders In The
Sky rode in next and sang about How The
Yodel Was Born and then did Boots &
Saddles. Porter closed out the segment
with Hold On.
Bill
Anderson did Walk Out Backwards and then
got Jim Ed Brown out to do Pop A Top and
the Three Bells. Mike Snider was the
next guest, but Mike introduced two
younguns, Jesse and Taylor Baker from
Martinsville, Indiana. These kids, one
on banjo and other on mandolin set a
fire with Daybreak In Dixie and after a
thunderous round of applause, they did
Train 45. These kids are hot. I wish I
could find more info on them, but I had
no luck. Bill closed his segment doing
Still.
The filler
segment from Friday night was hosted by
Ricky Skaggs and after doing Uncle Penn,
brought out Billy Walker to do He And He
Alone. Jack Greene sang This One Belongs
To Me. Mark Wills did two songs, before
Ricky got to close the show with Black
Eyed Suzie.
A great
show.
***
On the Aug 9th Tuesday Opry, the guests will be Porter Wagoner, The Grascals, Jeannie Seely, Eddy Raven, Bill Anderson, Buddy Jewell, Jimmy Dickens and Dierks Bentley.
Friday's
show on the 12th will have Jim
Lauderdale, Daryle Singletary, Karen
Peck & New River and Ralph Stanley as
well as many of your favorite Opry
stars.
The Grand
Ole Opry on Saturday the 13th will
welcome newcomers Chuck Mead and Luke
Strickland, who actually recorded his
current song in Baghdad. Other guests
include Jim Ed Brown with Helen
Cornelius, Connie Smith, J.D. Crowe &
The New South and many others.
As always,
there will be a seat right down front,
just for you. See you there.
Jul 29/30
The Country
Music Hall of Fame and Museum's film
archive has exclusively partnered with
two production companies to release
episodes of the country music series
Town Hall Party and Ozark Jubilee. The
archive also includes the Johnny Cash
Christmas shows as well as performances
from many other country legends. LSL
Productions and Tremolo Productions hope
to incorporate the footage into DVDs,
video-on-demand, streaming and
podcasting.
*** A number of country artists who participated in the CMA Music Festival this year will be featured in a two-hour special on ABC on Tuesday (Aug. 2). Performers include Dierks Bentley, Big & Rich with Cowboy Troy, Sara Evans, Alan Jackson, Miranda Lambert, Jo Dee Messina, Dolly Parton, Rascal Flatts, Earl Scruggs, Ricky Skaggs, Sugarland, Keith Urban, Gretchen Wilson, Lee Ann Womack, Wynonna and Trisha Yearwood. Rodney Carrington and Montgomery Gentry will also appear in the two-hour special. *** The Friday Opry included several memorable performances this week. During the first segment, that included Porter Wagoner, Mel McDaniel, Billy Walker and (two song) Susan Haynes, Billy Walker performed a song written by Grandpa Jones, Falling Leaves. Later during the segment that included Jim Ed Brown and Connie Smith, Jim Ed introduced a native of Poughkeepsie, New York, Claire Lynch. Some of Lynch's songs have been covered by Stephanie Davis ("Moonlighter"), Patty Loveless ("Some Morning Soon") and Kathy Mattea ("Hills of Alabam'"). Her music is a blend of popular and bluegrass. She did two songs, Movin On My Mind and I'm Goin' Up.
The next
segment, hosted by Jimmy Dickens,
included The Whites and The Wrights. The
Wrights, Alan Jackson's nephew, Adam
Wright and his wife Shannon, did two
songs, a George Jones classic, The Race
Is On and then one of their own songs,
Know All Along. The Wrights will also
appear on Saturdays show with AJ.
The next
segment, hosted by Bill Anderson, had to
be the most wonderful of the night. It
started out with Bill and Jan Howard
doing a duet that reached #4 in 1971,
Dis-Satisfied. But without a doubt, the
group from the Vanderbilt Kennedy Music
Camp were the stars. This is a group of
kids and adults with Williams Syndrome,
a common genetic disorder that leads to | |
