Is the Grand Ole Opry doomed?

Richard Plummer · Post by **Richard Plummer** » 26 Feb 2001 6:03 am

I wonder if the Opry is on its last gasps.I notice that with the Change in the meaning of TNN from Nashville Network to the national network,and the gaylord has obviously sold out its soul and the souls of Nashville to big wigs in New York city,who dont give a hoot about tradition or this city.Their only concern is money and if it isnt making money they will try to axe it.
There are other questionable things that they as an orginization have done,and the interests of Nashville,and its musicians are not foremost on their minds in my humble opinion.They need to remember what made Nashville,Tennessee and what will keep it going in the future.I have had several well known musicians<one being> Joe Edwards tell me that if the Opry goes,so goes about 30 percent of the businesses that depend on music for livlyhood.Take for example the tour companies like Walker Tours.Will they not suffer or go out of business.I think there will be a good possiblilty of it.
Gaylord needs to remember that it was music that made this town long before there was the Tennessee Titans and a Opry mills mega mall.
Am I off center here?I would like input on this from all that would care to respond to this posting.Richard

Steel tryin · Post by **Steel tryin** » 26 Feb 2001 7:45 am

I'm not sure about the Opry. But, if
you saw any of the Grammy Awards it sure
looked to me like the WHOLE WORLD could be
coming to an end.

Bobbe Seymour · Post by **Bobbe Seymour** » 26 Feb 2001 8:08 am

A lot of agreement here Richard!! Bobbe

Donny Hinson · Post by **Donny Hinson** » 26 Feb 2001 8:58 am

I think the Opry will go on, but the televised portion may not last much longer. Right now, there are stars that we connect with, and that got their start on, the Opry (for the most part). Once all the "Old Legends" are gone (another decade or so?), the NCS acts will be able to carry on via videos and CMT, and big concerts.

Let's face it, the Opry did an awful lot for folks like Kitty, Ernest, George, Tammy, Webb, Faron, and the like. But, I don't think it helps the newer acts (Garth, Shania, LeAnn, etc.) nearly as much. These newer acts have the other venues (videos, CMT, and big concerts) to keep them going that the older stars don't have.

However, as long as the Opry draws a good live audience, the live show will probably continue.

(But remember, all this is just M.H.O.).

Rick Collins · Post by **Rick Collins** » 26 Feb 2001 9:19 am

I've been to the Opry. It should remain in it's format as a live radio broadcast and a special segment should be expanded to regular TV broadcast.

I would like to see a wide spectrum of country music, bluegrass, traditional and modern country, and western continue to be the mainstay of it's programing.

Nashville, for such a long time, has been the Mecca for country music. Those performers who have prospered from it, in my opinion, should use some of their resources to form a core group as purveyors of this great national heritage.

Rick

Tony Palmer · Post by **Tony Palmer** » 26 Feb 2001 9:30 am

Can someone fill me in.......why has the Opry moved back to the Ryman?
I know Opryland is long gone to make way for a shopping center...is that to be the fate of the (new)Opry building also...is that why they moved?

John Rickard · Post by **John Rickard** » 26 Feb 2001 11:29 am

If you happend to listen to the "Country Countdown" on the radio this week then "You know the end is in sight". The top ten songs I heard last night all sounded like they belonged on movie trailers as backgroung music, there were not any songs that had any country chord progessions, instruments, harmonies,etc. Now believe me I'm not a tunnel vision musician, I like it all (almost), but last night it hit me hard. It seems that the Nashville producers (wimps) hear one song that "works" and they all do the same dance (like Lemmings, right off the cliff!). Remember a few months back when someone used a sitar bar on the steel? It was very cool, until we heard it on every song for 3 months. "Business Lemmings"! Sorry for going off, but this is a sad state of affairs. Our future is in the hands of "Non-Musicians", you know, people that know whats better for us.
JR

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Slide It On Over

Mark Tomeo · Post by **Mark Tomeo** » 26 Feb 2001 12:56 pm

I thought TNN now stands for "television no one needs."

Ricky Littleton · Post by **Ricky Littleton** » 26 Feb 2001 1:43 pm

As much as I have always said "country music" re-invents itself every so often, I am concerned that the "yuppie-ism" and pop drive now hasn't bled down country's natural resilience to a point of no return.

Don't know where it's all going, but I sure know I don't like who the he$$ is driving.

just my $0.02 worth.

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Emmons LeGrande - 8x4
Session 400 Ltd
Alesis Microverb
Dan-Echo, E-Bow

Quesney Gibbs · Post by **Quesney Gibbs** » 26 Feb 2001 3:11 pm

All the greats that were on the Opry for years are slowy dieing out. That's the nature of things but as long as I can find some musicians who remember Ray Price, Ernest Tubb, The Hag and others of that era I still love to play. Also Texas Swing is still alive in the band I play with. I get a chance to use the hell out of my C6th and I love it. We do a lot of Johnny Bush and I'll bet most musicians in Nashville don't know who he is but I sure do. Green Snakes anyone?

John Sims · Post by **John Sims** » 26 Feb 2001 3:53 pm

Neil Flanz sent me this and I couldn't have written it better...

Dear Friends;
It is with this letter that we, the Fans Of Real Music (FORM),
officially denounce and protest the selection of Steely Dan "Two Against
Nature" as the Grammy Award's Record Of The Year.

We, the loving fans of Eminem, Madonna, Brittany Spears, Coolio, N'sync,
Christina Aguilara, The Backstreet Boys, Dr. Dre, Metallica, Limp
Biscuit, Snoop Doggy Dog and The Deftones urge you
to boycott ALL music that utilizes ANY
of the following musical elements:

Melody, harmony, phrasing, dynamics, arrangement, good
intonation, tonality, modulation, improvisation, real instrumentation,
more than two
sections and lyrics we don't understand.

We also ask you not to listen to any music that DOES NOT contain
acceptable subject matter. Acceptable subject matter would include ONLY
the following:

Death, gang rape, mayhem, gender changing, bigotry,
masturbation, public defecation, penile implants, John Rocker, and
school bombings.

We are profoundly convinced that Mr. Dan is either a communist or an
agent of Napster as his covert actions against the Great Recording
Industry are
obviously an attempt to take food out of the mouths of our country's
most loved artists.

We urge you to not purchase or see any music that is "jazz based" or has
"jazz influence" as it undermines the purpose of music in America.

We ask you to write your local representative as Steely Dan's attempts
to destroy the Great Recording Industry can not go unnoticed.

Now for the good stuff.

Please forward this email to 15 of your closest friends and you will
receive:

A) A $20 gift certificate to Tower Records will
pop up on your screen!

B) A FREE automatic Napster download of Milli
Vannelli singing "My Funny Valentine"

C) Advance jpeg files from Hustler's upcoming
spread on "The Dixie Chicks"

If you'd like more info on our organization, please visit our website http://www.FORM.com

Please check out our new "Fun for the whole family section"!!

Sincerely;

Cire Nivlob
President and co-founder, Fans Of Great Music

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Regards,

John

Steelin' is a way of life!

My PSG website-Carter SD-12-U, 8p/5k, Nashville 1000

Dennis Scoville · Post by **Dennis Scoville** » 26 Feb 2001 4:33 pm

Is the Opry doomed? Of course, we all are. Any Hemingway fans out there?

"...all stories, if continued far enough, end in death, and he is no true-story teller who would keep that from you."

But as lives go the Opry's had a great ride.

Craig Stock · Post by **Craig Stock** » 26 Feb 2001 7:34 pm

The funny thing is in the paper today they said that the TNN's XFL having an impressive opening rating, has continued to plummet drastically each week to the point where any other Network would cancel the Show.

I think alot of the problem with music is there is too over-saturation in all media, we get whatever we want, whenever today. Sound-bite programming, instant gratification, and Napster. A whole generation of kids are growing up thinking that they don't need to pay for it, and why should they, they can still do it, so they believe it's legal. I know many college kids who don't buy CD's anymore, they just download the songs they like and that's it. Most of it is disposable anyway, but they don't care, they didn't pay for it and they can always send it to the recycle bin.

As for myself, I can remember the days when there was some mystery to music, "What do the guys look like" (only one or two pictures on the album cover and really no TV or Print pictues). Today they are on TV Magazines, Internet, Movies, Radio, Etc, telling you everything you wanted to know and everything that you didn't want. No wonder no one has a career today, we quickly get overloaded on them. If they just worried about good songs, it would be a different story. As for me I listen to the stuff from the 60'and 70's, and new stuff I hear about on the Forum and in No 'Depression Magazine'.

Sorry for the rant, just my opinion.

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Regards, Craig

Jody Sanders · Post by **Jody Sanders** » 26 Feb 2001 9:43 pm

YES. Jody.

Andy Alford · Post by **Andy Alford** » 27 Feb 2001 4:31 am

If the Opry does not move back to traditional country music other venues will be the places of expressing traditional country music.The present Opry is light years behind the shows of the past,and yet is a nice popular mix of soft rock,rock,and country.If we want a traditional country show where can we go?

Richard Plummer · Post by **Richard Plummer** » 27 Feb 2001 4:57 am

Tony.The Opry is leaving the Ryman I believe this week it will be back to the regular place.It was only there temporarily .It sure was nice hearing the wonderful accustics.There is no place like the Ryman

Craig A Davidson · Post by **Craig A Davidson** » 27 Feb 2001 10:44 am

Way to go Neil! It is so very true. Couldn't have said it better.

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Frank · Post by **Frank** » 27 Feb 2001 9:34 pm

Hi Folks, let me stick my 2 bits worth in here too.I saw the changes just like most of you did. A good show would come on TNN, and in 2 months the Goldfarb gang would copie it, and run the whole mess in the ground. I think most of the older performers saw the handwriting on the wall and fled to Branson ,
the Carolinas or Texas where they could keep some of the money they made.

And something else, i grew up in the 40`s 50`s and 60`s when you could hear Ernest Tubb,Hank Snow,Hawkshaw Hawkins, Johnny and Jack. Lefty, Eddy, Bill Monroe,Webb,Mac,
Slim Whitman , Elton Britt and a whole bunch more,each with their own distinct style and
sound. Sorry Hank, who can forget that steel. But today these new kids all sound alike, except Garth with that break in
his voice.I can`t tell them apart without a program.Oh well, so much for mt 2 bits.

Thanks for listing. Frank

Frank · Post by **Frank** » 27 Feb 2001 9:38 pm

Man, I need to start using spell check.

George Crowder · Post by **George Crowder** » 28 Feb 2001 6:10 am

With all of the changes on TNN I rarely watch it anymore (except on Saturday nights). They should have renamed it The Nothing Network.

Keith DeLong · Post by **Keith DeLong** » 3 Mar 2001 7:13 am

Over a year ago, before TNN changed over, I sent an email to Country.com entitled"TNN--The Nothing Network?", I complained about the lack of live music and the dearth of Dukes of Hazzard reruns and infomercials and truck pulls. I got a reply, acknowledging my letter, but no explanation or apology; at which point I said to myself, There She Goes!
Sometimes there's no joy in being right. As far as seeing the Opry live, there's nothing like it, and the magic is still there. I've been to Nashville three times, and if I go again, I would make sure I got to the Opry. Don't despair--everything goes in cycles, and the good music will return. Many artists are going back to a simpler, less overproduced sound in their recordings, hopefully that's a good sign.

SmallCap · Post by **SmallCap** » 7 Mar 2001 12:27 pm

Does anybody know when Justin Tubb first played "Whats Wrong With The Way We're Doin' It Now"? - It fits so perfectly in this 2001 thread.

So let's don't make it different - let's just make it better

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Jagiella SE-10 3x4 honey
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Joe Casey · Post by **Joe Casey** » 13 Mar 2001 7:03 pm

Myron,That's something I have said many times.Maybe because I did some 20 years in the Springfield area makes us think alike.Have I ever met you?You wouldn't be the fiddle player Mel labbe I met in Meriden Conn.at a jamboree are you?

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CJC