Difference between revisions of "Grand Ole Opry" - New World Encyclopedia
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The '''''Grand Ole Opry''''' is a weekly Saturday night [[country music]] [[radio programming|radio program]] broadcast live on [[WSM (AM)|WSM]] radio in [[Nashville, Tennessee|Nashville]], [[Tennessee]], and televised on [[Great American Country]] network. It is the oldest continuous radio program in the [[United States]], having been broadcast on WSM since November 28, 1925. | The '''''Grand Ole Opry''''' is a weekly Saturday night [[country music]] [[radio programming|radio program]] broadcast live on [[WSM (AM)|WSM]] radio in [[Nashville, Tennessee|Nashville]], [[Tennessee]], and televised on [[Great American Country]] network. It is the oldest continuous radio program in the [[United States]], having been broadcast on WSM since November 28, 1925. | ||
==History== | ==History== | ||
| − | === | + | ===Foundations=== |
The Grand Ole Opry started out as the ''WSM Barn Dance'' in the new fifth floor radio station studio of the National Life & Accident Insurance Company in downtown [[Nashville]]. The featured performer on the first show was Uncle Jimmy Thompson, a fiddler who was then 77 years old. The announcer was program director [[George D. Hay]], known on the air as "The Solemn Old Judge." He was only 30 at the time and was not a [[judge]], but was an enterprising pioneer who launched the ''Barn Dance'' as a spin-off similarly-named radio show out of [[WLS (AM)|WLS]] Radio in [[Chicago]]. Some of the bands regularly featured on the show during its early days included the Possum Hunters, the Fruit Jar Drinkers, the Crook Brothers and the Gully Jumpers. In 1926, [[Uncle Dave Macon]], a Tennessee [[banjo]] player who had recorded several songs and toured the vaudeville circuit, became its first real star. | The Grand Ole Opry started out as the ''WSM Barn Dance'' in the new fifth floor radio station studio of the National Life & Accident Insurance Company in downtown [[Nashville]]. The featured performer on the first show was Uncle Jimmy Thompson, a fiddler who was then 77 years old. The announcer was program director [[George D. Hay]], known on the air as "The Solemn Old Judge." He was only 30 at the time and was not a [[judge]], but was an enterprising pioneer who launched the ''Barn Dance'' as a spin-off similarly-named radio show out of [[WLS (AM)|WLS]] Radio in [[Chicago]]. Some of the bands regularly featured on the show during its early days included the Possum Hunters, the Fruit Jar Drinkers, the Crook Brothers and the Gully Jumpers. In 1926, [[Uncle Dave Macon]], a Tennessee [[banjo]] player who had recorded several songs and toured the vaudeville circuit, became its first real star. | ||
The name ''Grand Ole Opry'' came about in December, 1927. The ''Barn Dance'' followed NBC Radio Network's ''Music Appreciation Hour'', which consisted of [[classical music]] and selections from grand [[opera]]. Their final piece that night featured a musical interpretation of an onrushing railroad locomotive. In response to this Judge Hay introduced the man he dubbed the ''Harmonica Wizard''—[[DeFord Bailey]] who played his classic train song "The Pan American Blues." After Bailey's performance. Hay commented, "For the past hour, we have been listening to music taken largely from Grand Opera. From now on we will present the 'Grand Ole Opry.'" The name stuck and has been used for the program since then. | The name ''Grand Ole Opry'' came about in December, 1927. The ''Barn Dance'' followed NBC Radio Network's ''Music Appreciation Hour'', which consisted of [[classical music]] and selections from grand [[opera]]. Their final piece that night featured a musical interpretation of an onrushing railroad locomotive. In response to this Judge Hay introduced the man he dubbed the ''Harmonica Wizard''—[[DeFord Bailey]] who played his classic train song "The Pan American Blues." After Bailey's performance. Hay commented, "For the past hour, we have been listening to music taken largely from Grand Opera. From now on we will present the 'Grand Ole Opry.'" The name stuck and has been used for the program since then. | ||
| − | |||
As audiences to the live show increased, National Life & Accident Insurance's radio venue became too small to accommodate the hordes of fans. They built a larger studio, but it was still not large enough. The ''Opry'' then moved into then-[[suburb]]an Hillsboro Theatre, then to the Dixie Tabernacle in East Nashville and then to the [http://www.tpac.org/facilities/warmemorial.asp War Memorial Auditorium], a downtown venue adjacent to the State Capitol. A twenty-five cent admission began to be charged, in part an effort to curb the large crowds, but to no avail. | As audiences to the live show increased, National Life & Accident Insurance's radio venue became too small to accommodate the hordes of fans. They built a larger studio, but it was still not large enough. The ''Opry'' then moved into then-[[suburb]]an Hillsboro Theatre, then to the Dixie Tabernacle in East Nashville and then to the [http://www.tpac.org/facilities/warmemorial.asp War Memorial Auditorium], a downtown venue adjacent to the State Capitol. A twenty-five cent admission began to be charged, in part an effort to curb the large crowds, but to no avail. | ||
===The Ryman years=== | ===The Ryman years=== | ||
| + | [[Image:Rymanauditorium1.jpg|thumb|250px|Ryman Auditorium in Nashiville, the home of the original Grand Ole Opry.]] | ||
In 1943, the ''Opry'' moved to the [[Ryman Auditorium]]. During the next decade, the Opry became the Mecca of country music performers. Country music greats from [[Roy Acuff]] to [[Kitty Wells]], [[Bill Monroe]] and his Blue Grass Boys, [[Hank Williams]] (Senior), [[Ernest Tubb]], and a host of others performed there regularly, and many younger stars first hit the big time on its stage. | In 1943, the ''Opry'' moved to the [[Ryman Auditorium]]. During the next decade, the Opry became the Mecca of country music performers. Country music greats from [[Roy Acuff]] to [[Kitty Wells]], [[Bill Monroe]] and his Blue Grass Boys, [[Hank Williams]] (Senior), [[Ernest Tubb]], and a host of others performed there regularly, and many younger stars first hit the big time on its stage. | ||
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===New home in 'Opryland'=== | ===New home in 'Opryland'=== | ||
| − | The Ryman was home to the Opry until 1974, when the show moved to the 4,400-seat Grand Ole Opry House, located several miles to the east of downtown Nashville on a former farm in the Pennington Bend of the [[Cumberland River]]. An adjacent [[amusement park|theme park]], called [[Opryland USA]], preceded the new Opry House by two years. Due to sagging attendance, the park was shuttered and demolished after the 1997 season by the Opry's current owner, [[Gaylord Entertainment Company]]. The theme park was replaced by the [[Opry Mills]] Mall. An adjacent [[hotel]], the [[Gaylord Opryland Resort & Convention Center]], is the largest non-[[gambling]] hotel in [[North America]] and is the site of dozens of conventions annually. | + | The Ryman was home to the Opry until 1974, when the show moved to the 4,400-seat Grand Ole Opry House, located several miles to the east of downtown Nashville on a former farm in the Pennington Bend of the [[Cumberland River]]. An adjacent [[amusement park|theme park]], called [[Opryland USA]], preceded the new Opry House by two years. After National Life Insurance another company with no interest in the entertainment industry, Gaylord Broadcasting Company of Oklahoma City stepped in and purchased the entire Opryland property, including the Grand Ole Orpy in 1982. Gaylord launched The Nashville Network (TNN) and began broadcasting ''Grand Ole Opry Live'' live from Opryland in 1983. |
| + | |||
| + | Due to sagging attendance, the park was shuttered and demolished after the 1997 season by the Opry's current owner, [[Gaylord Entertainment Company]]. The theme park was replaced by the [[Opry Mills]] Mall. An adjacent [[hotel]], the [[Gaylord Opryland Resort & Convention Center]], is the largest non-[[gambling]] hotel in [[North America]] and is the site of dozens of conventions annually. | ||
[[Image:Grandoldopryhousewinter.jpg|thumb|left|Grand Ole Opry, December '06]] | [[Image:Grandoldopryhousewinter.jpg|thumb|left|Grand Ole Opry, December '06]] | ||
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==Impact and economics == | ==Impact and economics == | ||
| − | In many ways, the artists and repertoire of the ''Opry'' defined American country music. Hundreds of performers have entertained as cast members through the years, including new stars, superstars and legends. Being made a member of the ''Grand Ole Opry'' is to be identified as a member of the elite of country music. | + | In many ways, the artists and repertoire of the ''Opry'' defined American country music. Hundreds of performers have entertained as cast members through the years, including new stars, superstars and legends. Being made a member of the ''Grand Ole Opry'' is to be identified as a member of the elite of country music. |
| − | [[Image:Grand ole opry 1999.jpg|thumb|300px|Right|June Carter Cash playing at the Grand Ole Opry. July, 1999.]] The quality of the program has waxed and waned over the years. In the mid-1960s management decided to enforce strictly the requirement that members had to perform on at least twenty-six shows a year in order to keep their membership active. This imposed a tremendous financial hardship on members who made much of their income from touring and could not afford to be in or near Nashville every other weekend. This was aggravated by the fact that the ''Opry's'' appearance fee paid to the artist was essentially a token ($44 at the time). | + | |
| − | + | [[Image:Grand ole opry 1999.jpg|thumb|300px|Right|June Carter Cash playing at the Grand Ole Opry. July, 1999.]] The quality of the Opry program has waxed and waned over the years. In the mid-1960s management decided to enforce strictly the requirement that members had to perform on at least twenty-six shows a year in order to keep their membership active. This imposed a tremendous financial hardship on members who made much of their income from touring and could not afford to be in or near Nashville every other weekend. This was aggravated by the fact that the ''Opry's'' appearance fee paid to the artist was essentially a token ($44 at the time). | |
| − | Another controversy that raged for years was over allowable instrumentation, especially the use of [[drum]]s and electrically amplified instruments. Some purists were appalled at the prospect | + | |
| − | Management has been very conscious of the need to enforce its [[trademark]] on the term ''Grand Ole Opry'' and limit use to members of the ''Opry'' and products associated with or licensed by it. However, it lost a legal case against the owners of a small, now-defunct Nashville record label calling itself ''Opry Records''. The record company's [[attorney]]s successfully argued that WSM's management indeed owned the rights to the words ''Grand Ole Opry'', but only in that order and combination, and no more owned the word ''Opry'' in isolation than they owned ''Grand'' or ''Ole''. | + | The quality of the ''Opry'' suffered in the years following, and by the late 1970s and early 1980s the ''Opry'' was regarded by many country music fans as sort of a musical equivalent of a sports "old-timers' game," where only former stars were to be seen. Over time, this problem was largely corrected by a reduced attendance requirement for performers and various special exceptions. |
| − | This has | + | |
| + | Another controversy that raged for years was over allowable instrumentation, especially the use of [[drum]]s and electrically amplified instruments. Some purists were appalled at the prospect, as traditionally a string bass and guitar provided the rhythm component in country music and purely percussion instruments were little used. Electric amplification was regarded as the province of [[rock and roll music|rock and roll]], anathema to many country fans, especially older ones. These restrictions chafed many artists who were popular with the newer and younger fans and largely eliminated over time. The new policy alineated many older and traditionalist fans, but probably saved the ''Opry'' long-term as a viable ongoing enterprise. | ||
| + | |||
| + | Management has been very conscious of the need to enforce its [[trademark]] on the term ''Grand Ole Opry'' and limit use to members of the ''Opry'' and products associated with or licensed by it. However, it lost a legal case against the owners of a small, now-defunct Nashville record label calling itself ''Opry Records''. The record company's [[attorney]]s successfully argued that WSM's management indeed owned the rights to the words ''Grand Ole Opry'', but only in that order and combination, and no more owned the word ''Opry'' in isolation than they owned ''Grand'' or ''Ole''. This has allowed a plethora of small-time country music shows to label themselves as ''Oprys'' of one sort or another. | ||
| + | |||
In September 2004, it was announced that the ''Grand Ole Opry'' had contracted for the first time with a "presenting sponsor" and would henceforth be known as "the ''Grand Ole Opry'' presented by [[Cracker Barrel]]." Cracker Barrel, a long-time Opry sponsor headquartered in nearby [[Lebanon, Tennessee|Lebanon]], [[Tennessee]], is a chain of country-themed restaurants and gift shops whose market overlaps with that of the ''Opry'' to a great extent. | In September 2004, it was announced that the ''Grand Ole Opry'' had contracted for the first time with a "presenting sponsor" and would henceforth be known as "the ''Grand Ole Opry'' presented by [[Cracker Barrel]]." Cracker Barrel, a long-time Opry sponsor headquartered in nearby [[Lebanon, Tennessee|Lebanon]], [[Tennessee]], is a chain of country-themed restaurants and gift shops whose market overlaps with that of the ''Opry'' to a great extent. | ||
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==Grand Ole Opry Members== | ==Grand Ole Opry Members== | ||
| − | + | ''(Partial list of both current and former members)'' | |
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*Roy Acuff | *Roy Acuff | ||
*Trace Adkins | *Trace Adkins | ||
| + | *Eddy Arnold | ||
*David "Stringbean" Akeman | *David "Stringbean" Akeman | ||
*Bill Anderson | *Bill Anderson | ||
| + | *DeFord Bailey | ||
| + | *Bobby Bare | ||
*Clint Black | *Clint Black | ||
| + | *Carl and Pearl Butler | ||
*Boxcar Willie | *Boxcar Willie | ||
*Garth Brooks | *Garth Brooks | ||
*Archie Campbell | *Archie Campbell | ||
| + | *Johnny Cash | ||
| + | *June Carter Cash | ||
*Patsy Cline | *Patsy Cline | ||
*Wilma Lee and Stoney Cooper | *Wilma Lee and Stoney Cooper | ||
*Cowboy Copas | *Cowboy Copas | ||
*Skeeter Davis | *Skeeter Davis | ||
| + | *The Everly Brothers | ||
*Lester Flatt & Earl Scruggs | *Lester Flatt & Earl Scruggs | ||
| + | *Red Foley | ||
| + | *Lefty Frizzell | ||
*Larry Gatlin | *Larry Gatlin | ||
*Don Gibson | *Don Gibson | ||
*Vince Gill | *Vince Gill | ||
*Jack Greene | *Jack Greene | ||
| − | Tom T. Hall | + | *Tom T. Hall |
*George Hamilton IV | *George Hamilton IV | ||
*Emmylou Harris | *Emmylou Harris | ||
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*Alan Jackson | *Alan Jackson | ||
*Stonewall Jackson | *Stonewall Jackson | ||
| + | *Norma Jean | ||
*George Jones | *George Jones | ||
*Grandpa Jones | *Grandpa Jones | ||
| + | *The Jordanaires | ||
| + | *Pee Wee King | ||
*Alison Krauss | *Alison Krauss | ||
*Little Jimmy Dickens | *Little Jimmy Dickens | ||
*Hank Locklin | *Hank Locklin | ||
| + | *Lonzo and Oscar | ||
*Charlie Louvin | *Charlie Louvin | ||
| + | *Ira Louvin | ||
*Patty Loveless | *Patty Loveless | ||
*Bob Luman | *Bob Luman | ||
*Loretta Lynn | *Loretta Lynn | ||
*Uncle Dave Macon | *Uncle Dave Macon | ||
| + | *Rose Maddox | ||
*Barbara Mandrell | *Barbara Mandrell | ||
| − | Martina McBride | + | *Martina McBride |
*Del McCoury | *Del McCoury | ||
*Reba McEntire | *Reba McEntire | ||
*Jim & Jesse McReynolds | *Jim & Jesse McReynolds | ||
*Ronnie Milsap | *Ronnie Milsap | ||
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*Bill Monroe | *Bill Monroe | ||
*George Morgan | *George Morgan | ||
*Lorrie Morgan | *Lorrie Morgan | ||
| + | *Willie Nelson | ||
*Jimmy C. Newman | *Jimmy C. Newman | ||
*Osborne Brothers | *Osborne Brothers | ||
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*Johnny Paycheck | *Johnny Paycheck | ||
*Minnie Pearl | *Minnie Pearl | ||
| + | *Webb Pierce | ||
| + | *Ray Price | ||
*Charley Pride | *Charley Pride | ||
*Jeanne Pruett | *Jeanne Pruett | ||
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*Jim Reeves | *Jim Reeves | ||
*Riders in the Sky | *Riders in the Sky | ||
| − | Tex Ritter | + | *Tex Ritter |
*Marty Robbins | *Marty Robbins | ||
*Jeannie Seely | *Jeannie Seely | ||
*Jean Shepard | *Jean Shepard | ||
*Ricky Skaggs | *Ricky Skaggs | ||
| + | *Carl Smith | ||
*Connie Smith | *Connie Smith | ||
*Hank Snow | *Hank Snow | ||
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*Marty Stuart | *Marty Stuart | ||
*Pam Tillis | *Pam Tillis | ||
| + | *B. J. Thomas | ||
| + | *Hank Thompson | ||
*Randy Travis | *Randy Travis | ||
*Travis Tritt | *Travis Tritt | ||
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*The Whites | *The Whites | ||
*The Wilburn Brothers | *The Wilburn Brothers | ||
| + | *Don Williams | ||
*Hank Williams | *Hank Williams | ||
| − | * | + | *Tammy Wynette |
*Trisha Yearwood | *Trisha Yearwood | ||
| + | *Faron Young | ||
==See also== | ==See also== | ||
Revision as of 01:56, 2 April 2007
The Grand Ole Opry is a weekly Saturday night country music radio program broadcast live on WSM radio in Nashville, Tennessee, and televised on Great American Country network. It is the oldest continuous radio program in the United States, having been broadcast on WSM since November 28, 1925.
History
Foundations
The Grand Ole Opry started out as the WSM Barn Dance in the new fifth floor radio station studio of the National Life & Accident Insurance Company in downtown Nashville. The featured performer on the first show was Uncle Jimmy Thompson, a fiddler who was then 77 years old. The announcer was program director George D. Hay, known on the air as "The Solemn Old Judge." He was only 30 at the time and was not a judge, but was an enterprising pioneer who launched the Barn Dance as a spin-off similarly-named radio show out of WLS Radio in Chicago. Some of the bands regularly featured on the show during its early days included the Possum Hunters, the Fruit Jar Drinkers, the Crook Brothers and the Gully Jumpers. In 1926, Uncle Dave Macon, a Tennessee banjo player who had recorded several songs and toured the vaudeville circuit, became its first real star.
The name Grand Ole Opry came about in December, 1927. The Barn Dance followed NBC Radio Network's Music Appreciation Hour, which consisted of classical music and selections from grand opera. Their final piece that night featured a musical interpretation of an onrushing railroad locomotive. In response to this Judge Hay introduced the man he dubbed the Harmonica Wizard—DeFord Bailey who played his classic train song "The Pan American Blues." After Bailey's performance. Hay commented, "For the past hour, we have been listening to music taken largely from Grand Opera. From now on we will present the 'Grand Ole Opry.'" The name stuck and has been used for the program since then.
As audiences to the live show increased, National Life & Accident Insurance's radio venue became too small to accommodate the hordes of fans. They built a larger studio, but it was still not large enough. The Opry then moved into then-suburban Hillsboro Theatre, then to the Dixie Tabernacle in East Nashville and then to the War Memorial Auditorium, a downtown venue adjacent to the State Capitol. A twenty-five cent admission began to be charged, in part an effort to curb the large crowds, but to no avail.
The Ryman years
In 1943, the Opry moved to the Ryman Auditorium. During the next decade, the Opry became the Mecca of country music performers. Country music greats from Roy Acuff to Kitty Wells, Bill Monroe and his Blue Grass Boys, Hank Williams (Senior), Ernest Tubb, and a host of others performed there regularly, and many younger stars first hit the big time on its stage.
On October 2, 1954, a teenage Elvis Presley made his first (and only) performance there. Although the public reacted politely to his revolutionary brand of rockabilly music, he was never invited back. Years later, Garth Brooks commented in a television interview that one of the greatest thrills of playing the Opry was that he got to play on the same stage Elvis had.
Regular members of the Opry during this time constituted a veritable Who's Who of country music, including such stars—in addition to those named above—as Bill Anderson, Johnny Cash, Patsy Cline, Tennessee Ernie Ford, George Jones, Loretta Lynn, Glen Campbell, Dolly Parton, Marty Robbins, Dottie West, Porter Wagoner, and Tammy Wynette.
New home in 'Opryland'
The Ryman was home to the Opry until 1974, when the show moved to the 4,400-seat Grand Ole Opry House, located several miles to the east of downtown Nashville on a former farm in the Pennington Bend of the Cumberland River. An adjacent theme park, called Opryland USA, preceded the new Opry House by two years. After National Life Insurance another company with no interest in the entertainment industry, Gaylord Broadcasting Company of Oklahoma City stepped in and purchased the entire Opryland property, including the Grand Ole Orpy in 1982. Gaylord launched The Nashville Network (TNN) and began broadcasting Grand Ole Opry Live live from Opryland in 1983.
Due to sagging attendance, the park was shuttered and demolished after the 1997 season by the Opry's current owner, Gaylord Entertainment Company. The theme park was replaced by the Opry Mills Mall. An adjacent hotel, the Gaylord Opryland Resort & Convention Center, is the largest non-gambling hotel in North America and is the site of dozens of conventions annually.
In 1997, CBS signed a five-year contract with the Opry to be the television broadcast home of the event, to air on The Nashville Network, as part of its acquisition of TNN and CMT from Gaylord Entertainment (which owns the Opry). The contract specifically carried a five-year requirement that TNN would be the broadcast home from October 1, 1997 until September 30, 2002. However, Gaylord become very unhappy with the CBS-owned MTV Networks after TNN was shut down and replaced with an adult-oriented channel (now known as Spike TV) in 2000, and MTV moved the Opry to CMT in 2001. Alleging a breach of contract, Gaylord eventually moved the Opry to CMT's rival, GAC, in 2003.
The Opry continues to operate successfully today, with hundreds of thousands of fans traveling from around the world to Nashville to see the music and comedy on the Opry in person.
Impact and economics
In many ways, the artists and repertoire of the Opry defined American country music. Hundreds of performers have entertained as cast members through the years, including new stars, superstars and legends. Being made a member of the Grand Ole Opry is to be identified as a member of the elite of country music.
The quality of the Opry program has waxed and waned over the years. In the mid-1960s management decided to enforce strictly the requirement that members had to perform on at least twenty-six shows a year in order to keep their membership active. This imposed a tremendous financial hardship on members who made much of their income from touring and could not afford to be in or near Nashville every other weekend. This was aggravated by the fact that the Opry's appearance fee paid to the artist was essentially a token ($44 at the time).
The quality of the Opry suffered in the years following, and by the late 1970s and early 1980s the Opry was regarded by many country music fans as sort of a musical equivalent of a sports "old-timers' game," where only former stars were to be seen. Over time, this problem was largely corrected by a reduced attendance requirement for performers and various special exceptions.
Another controversy that raged for years was over allowable instrumentation, especially the use of drums and electrically amplified instruments. Some purists were appalled at the prospect, as traditionally a string bass and guitar provided the rhythm component in country music and purely percussion instruments were little used. Electric amplification was regarded as the province of rock and roll, anathema to many country fans, especially older ones. These restrictions chafed many artists who were popular with the newer and younger fans and largely eliminated over time. The new policy alineated many older and traditionalist fans, but probably saved the Opry long-term as a viable ongoing enterprise.
Management has been very conscious of the need to enforce its trademark on the term Grand Ole Opry and limit use to members of the Opry and products associated with or licensed by it. However, it lost a legal case against the owners of a small, now-defunct Nashville record label calling itself Opry Records. The record company's attorneys successfully argued that WSM's management indeed owned the rights to the words Grand Ole Opry, but only in that order and combination, and no more owned the word Opry in isolation than they owned Grand or Ole. This has allowed a plethora of small-time country music shows to label themselves as Oprys of one sort or another.
In September 2004, it was announced that the Grand Ole Opry had contracted for the first time with a "presenting sponsor" and would henceforth be known as "the Grand Ole Opry presented by Cracker Barrel." Cracker Barrel, a long-time Opry sponsor headquartered in nearby Lebanon, Tennessee, is a chain of country-themed restaurants and gift shops whose market overlaps with that of the Opry to a great extent.
Grand Ole Opry Members
(Partial list of both current and former members)
- Roy Acuff
- Trace Adkins
- Eddy Arnold
- David "Stringbean" Akeman
- Bill Anderson
- DeFord Bailey
- Bobby Bare
- Clint Black
- Carl and Pearl Butler
- Boxcar Willie
- Garth Brooks
- Archie Campbell
- Johnny Cash
- June Carter Cash
- Patsy Cline
- Wilma Lee and Stoney Cooper
- Cowboy Copas
- Skeeter Davis
- The Everly Brothers
- Lester Flatt & Earl Scruggs
- Red Foley
- Lefty Frizzell
- Larry Gatlin
- Don Gibson
- Vince Gill
- Jack Greene
- Tom T. Hall
- George Hamilton IV
- Emmylou Harris
- Hawkshaw Hawkins
- David Houston
- Jan Howard
- Alan Jackson
- Stonewall Jackson
- Norma Jean
- George Jones
- Grandpa Jones
- The Jordanaires
- Pee Wee King
- Alison Krauss
- Little Jimmy Dickens
- Hank Locklin
- Lonzo and Oscar
- Charlie Louvin
- Ira Louvin
- Patty Loveless
- Bob Luman
- Loretta Lynn
- Uncle Dave Macon
- Rose Maddox
- Barbara Mandrell
- Martina McBride
- Del McCoury
- Reba McEntire
- Jim & Jesse McReynolds
- Ronnie Milsap
- Bill Monroe
- George Morgan
- Lorrie Morgan
- Willie Nelson
- Jimmy C. Newman
- Osborne Brothers
- Brad Paisley
- Dolly Parton
- Johnny Paycheck
- Minnie Pearl
- Webb Pierce
- Ray Price
- Charley Pride
- Jeanne Pruett
- Del Reeves
- Jim Reeves
- Riders in the Sky
- Tex Ritter
- Marty Robbins
- Jeannie Seely
- Jean Shepard
- Ricky Skaggs
- Carl Smith
- Connie Smith
- Hank Snow
- Ralph Stanley
- Marty Stuart
- Pam Tillis
- B. J. Thomas
- Hank Thompson
- Randy Travis
- Travis Tritt
- Ernest Tubb
- Justin Tubb
- Porter Wagoner
- Kitty Wells
- Dottie West
- The Whites
- The Wilburn Brothers
- Don Williams
- Hank Williams
- Tammy Wynette
- Trisha Yearwood
- Faron Young
See also
- Country Music Association
- Country Music Hall of Fame
ReferencesISBN links support NWE through referral fees
- Hay, George D. A Story of the Grand Ole Opry. 1945.
- Wolfe, Charles K. A Good-Natured Riot: The Birth of the Grand Ole Opry. Nashville: Country Music Foundation Press, 1999. ISBN 0-8265-1331-X.
External links
Credits
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