For the first time in 2024, Carrie Underwood is on the schedule at the Grand Ole Opry this weekend. She will be appearing on Saturday night, which will be a two-show night. I know it sounds like a broken record, but we really can't say enough about Carrie and her support of the Opry.
Joining Carrie for both shows will be Opry members Gary Mule Deer and, making it two weekends in a row, Vince Gill. Also on the schedule is Hall of Fame member Connie Smith and Dailey & Vincent.
Guesting will be Opry NextStage artist Nate Smith and making their Opry debut, Josiah & The Bonnevilles.
While the focus will be on Saturday night, let's not forget the Friday Night Opry where Vince and Gary Mule will be making it a two-show weekend. Joining that duo will be Jeannie Seely, John Conlee and Bill Anderson. Guesting on Friday are Drew Parker, Marcus King and Ellie Holcomb.
Friday April 12
7:00: Jeannie Seely, Drew Parker, John Conlee, Marcus King
Intermission
8:15: Bill Anderson, Ellie Holcomb, Gary Mule Deer, Vince Gill
Saturday April 13
1st show
7:00
Opry Square Dancers
Dailey & Vincent
Connie Smith
Josiah & The Bonnevilles
Gary Mule Deer
Vince Gill
Nate Smith
Carrie Underwood
2nd show
9:30
Opry Square Dancers
Dailey & Vincent
Connie Smith
Carrie Underwood
Josiah & The Bonnevilles
Nate Smith
Gary Mule Deer
Vince Gill
Three very nice shows again this weekend and nice to see five Opry members on each show.
Josiah and the Bonnevilles, who are making their Grand Ole Opry debut on Saturday night, is a musical project led by singer-songwriter Josiah Leming. Josiah was born in Morristown, Tennessee and as a child, Josiah was fascinated by music and began playing the piano and guitar at a young age.
Josiah's musical talents became evident to his family and friends, and he began performing as a teenager catching the attention of music industry professionals. In 2010, he formed Josiah and the Bonnevilles, which presented a unique blend of Folk, Americana, and Country that draws from his roots as a true Appalachian artist, embracing honesty and putting life's realities into his songwriting.
In 2015, Josiah and the Bonnevilles released its debut album, On Trial. The album was praised for its raw, vulnerable lyrics and its combination of acoustic and electric instruments that underpinned the storytelling. The band went on tour in support of the album with the artist LP, performing at various venues across the United States and Europe. Since the release of On Trial, Josiah and the Bonnevilles have continued to make music and tour, gaining a devoted fan base along the way. Josiah remains grounded and focused on his music.
Now from 50 years ago, Saturday April 13, 1974:
1st show
6:30: Stonewall Jackson (host): Willis Brothers
6:45: Charlie Louvin (host): Ernie Ashworth, Justin Tubb
7:00: Roy Acuff (host): Billy Walker, Minnie Pearl, Jim & Jesse, Wilma Lee Cooper
7:30: Tom T. Hall (host): David Houston, Osborne Brothers, Crook Brothers, Tennessee Travelers
8:00: Lester Flatt (host): Del Reeves, Jimmy C Newman, Kenny Ingram
8:30: Hank Snow (host): Jean Shepard, The 4 Guys, Fruit Jar Drinkers, Stu Phillips
2nd show
9:30: Tom T. Hall (host): Willis Brothers, Osborne Brothers, Justin Tubb, Ernie Ashworth
10:00: Billy Walker (host): Stonewall Jackson, Charlie Louvin
10:15: Roy Acuff (host): Wilma Lee Cooper, Stu Phillips
10:30: Lester Flatt (host): Del Reeves, Charlie Nixon
10:45: David Houston (host): Jim & Jesse, Crook Brothers, Tennessee Travelers
11:00: Hank Snow (host): Jimmy C Newman, The 4 Guys, Fruit Jar Drinkers, Sam McGee
11:30: Marty Robbins (host): Jean Shepard, Ray Pillow
A couple of notes: Stoney Cooper was sick, thus Wilma Lee appeared as a solo act with their daughter Carol. Grandpa Jones was scheduled for both shows but cancelled, while Ray Pillow appeared on only the late show. He was scheduled for the first show but missed it.
Also, Tom T. Hall appeared on both shows. It had been reported in various places that Tom T., along with Bobby Bare, had quite the Opry when it moved from the Ryman to the new Grand Ole Opry House. While Bobby did quit, Tom T. did appear after the move with the show on this particular night. It would be his first and only Saturday night appearance at the Opry House before quitting the show. He would make a final Friday night appearance in June.
When Tom T. left the Opry he wrote management a letter. Tom T wrote "In the letter I said that I was quitting because of the limited musical instrumentation allowed at the Opry. There were no drums allowed, with the exception of a snare, and there was just a small spinet piano on stage for our performances. A full set of drums and a grand piano were basic to the Nashville Sound that people were raving about for years. It had always bothered me a little that we couldn't use this sound in the Opry although entire recording careers featured it."
Tom T. wrote that he mailed the letter and more or less forgot about it and that he considered it a courtesy to tell them that he would not be back. He wrote that other performers who decided not to pick at the Opry anymore simply did not show up. It was that simple. What Tom T. did not count on was his letter being released to the press, who wrote that he quit the Opry "because I could not use strings or brass." Tom T. thought that was odd because at the time he didn't use strings or brass. He also noted that, while he did not release the letter to the media, someone did, implying it came from the Opry. He wrote that the papers never did print his letter, which he felt was done with courtesy and was very gentlemanly. He finished by writing "the music was not, of course, the real reason I quit the Opry. It was a combination of things that somehow did not fit into my view of what the Opry should be. On the one hand, it had become very modern in appearance, and on the other, it seemed stuck in another era. I never asked the Opry to change its policy for me. I didn't have any arguments with any of the Opry people. There were no debates, no meetings, and no exchange of mail. I have remained friends with all of the people who work in and operate the place."
As we all know, Ernest Tubb ran into Tom T. a few years later and told him he needed to come back to the Opry. He did. When he did return, he was a pretty good member until the 1990s when he decided that he had done all her could do there.
Finally, April 13, 1985, was a very special night at the Grand Ole Opry as TNN (The Nashville Network), televised a portion of the Opry for the first time. The 7:00 and 7:30 segments of the Opry were televised that first week, with, of course, Roy Acuff hosting the first 30 minutes. Beginning the following week, only the 7:00 segment was televised, eventually switching to the 7:30 segment.
Here is the running order from Saturday April 13, 1985:
1st show
6:30: Bonanza
Stonewall Jackson (host): Muddy Water
Skeeter Davis: The End Of The World
Stonewall Jackson: The Rounder Called Cotton-Eyed Joe
6:45: Rudy's
Charlie Walker (host): Right Or Wrong
Wilma Lee Cooper: Bury Me Beneath The Willow
Charlie Walker: Don't Squeeze My Sharmon
Joe Edwards: Ida Red
7:00: Shoney's
Roy Acuff (host): Wabash Cannonball
The 4 Guys: Shenandoah
Connie Smith: Once A Day
Minnie Pearl: Comedy/Jealous Hearted Me
Roy Acuff: I Saw The Light
7:30: Standard Candy
Porter Wagoner (host): Y'all Come
Dottie West: Nothing Like A Woman To Take Another Woman Off Your Mind/A Lesson In Leavin'/Here Comes My Baby
Jack Greene: Looking Back Is Easier
Crook Brothers and The Melvin Sloan Dancers: Eighth Of January
Porter Wagoner: Everything I've Always Wanted
8:00: Martha White
Bill Monroe (host): My Rose Of Old Kentucky/Blue Moon Of Kentucky
Ray Pillow: The Days When You Were Still In Love With Me
Jeannie Seely: (?)
Ed Bruce: When You Fall In Love, Everything's A Waltz/Giving Up Was Easy
Bill Monroe: Little Joe/Wheel Hoss
8:30: Music Valley Drive
Hank Snow (host): Forever +1; Forever +2
Jan Howard: Why Lady Why
Osborne Brothers: Rocky Top
George Hamilton IV: Forever Young
Bill Carlisle: Elvira
Hank Snow: Nevertheless
2nd show
9:30: Dollar General
Porter Wagoner (host): On A Highway Headed South
Dottie West: It's High Time/Blue Fiddle, Play The Blue Fiddle Waltz
The 4 Guys: Give Me Just One More Chance/So Near, Yet So Far Away
The Right Combination: Woke Up In Love
Porter Wagoner: Everything I've Always Wanted
10:00: Little Debbie
Charlie Walker (host): San Antonio Rose
Lorrie Morgan: Crazy
Charlie Walker: My Shoes Keep Walking Back To You
10:15: Sunbeam
Jack Greene (host): Walkin' On New Grass
Skeeter Davis: I Ain't Never
Jack Greene: Statue Of A Fool
10:30: Martha White
Roy Acuff (host): Sunshine Special
Wilma Lee Cooper: A Daisy A Day
Roy Acuff: That's The Man I'm Looking For/I'll Fly Away
10:45: Beechnut
Bill Monroe (host): The Old, Old House
Connie Smith: Walkin' After Midnight
Crook Brothers and The Stoney Mountain Cloggers: Sally Goodin
Blake Williams: Bluegrass Breakdown
11:00: Coca Cola
Hank Snow (host): Down The Trail Of Aching Hearts
Jan Howard: My Babys Got Good Timin'
George Hamilton IV: Abilene
Ed Bruce: When You Fall In Love, Everything's A Waltz/Giving Up Was Easy
Hank Snow: There's A Fool Such As I
11:30: Quincy's
Osborne Brothers (host): Listening To The Rain
Ray Pillow: You're One Memory That I'd Like To Make Again
Jeannie Seely: Tell Me Again
Bill Carlisle: No Help Wanted
Osborne Brothers: Nobody's Darling But Mine/Katy Hill
Going back and watching some of those early TNN shows you will notice, at times, the lack of practice and timing. Numerous times, the segment before the televised one would run over and Keith Bilbrey would kill time, and then there were times when the televised segment would run over but would be cut off. And it was obvious that some were just not ready for television. It should also be noted that in the beginning, the televised segments would be only Opry members. Over time, that would change.
There you have it for this week. As Always, thanks for reading and commenting and I hope everyone enjoys the Grand Ole Opry this weekend. It promises to be a good one. Take care and be safe.