The Steel Guitar Forum

The Tennessean paper announced this morning that the Grand Ole Opry is starting a new Thursday night Opry show in 2009. It will be classic country music only. It will feature the classic stars doing their hits, and new stars doing only the classics.

The story is available at tennessean.com

It is on the front page.

I think it is a great idea.

Well I guess that means that Fri and saturday will be less of the old..

Joe,
I believe you read between the lines the same as I did.

Wouldn't it be great to see the classic stars doing the new stars hits too?

Do you really want Tater or Bill Anderson doing the new (rock) country? I don't think so.

When people go to see the traditional country singers, they go to hear the songs that made them famous. It's sort of like it used to be with Roy Acuff, they would all be griping about "I guess he is going to do Wabash Cannonball again", but if he didn't do it they would be complaining he didn't do his signature song.

When I work with George Hamiltion IV, he gets a nice reception for the songs on his show but when he does "Abilene" it's different and the audience gets into it and sort of what they came to hear.

Ask Gregg about George IV since he worked for him at one time.

This may also be a way to have some who are still hanging on after many years of loyalty work more.. ..It is pretty apparent that no one can go on forever and with the many new members being inducted the many who have lasted through the years are leaving us slowly but surely..And some are pushed aside and work the Opry very little..It would be nice if they also bring in more regional artist.It would be nice also if they would allow the musicians such as Weldon,Lloyd Spider,Leon and Joe Edwards the staffers of the past (who are still as good as they ever were) to work those nights..And if they still allow some of the old members to continue on Fri and Saturday...Of course we all know whats truly happening ,but look at the good side...some musicians will get more work one way or the other..And tourist do come to town for more than a fri and a Sat.Its one more night of the Opry,can that be a bad thing? However I'm afraid it's just a Fisher way of trying to camouflage an out the door for those he wants off the big nites.

Theresa Galbraith wrote:Wouldn't it be great to see the classic stars doing the new stars hits too?

Uhhh, no...not really.

Not trying to be mean here, but what's gonna happen as the "classic"(Is that synonymous with "old?") stars pass on? Will the Thursday night Opry be shut down?
And isn't Bill Anderson still writing hits?

Jack,
Yes, Gregg worked with George. I've met him many times.

Don't ya think the same could be said, if the new didn't do their hits? I just wanted to throw it out there. It goes both ways.

Bill is still writing and he has been known to "try" to sing the new stuff.

I think this Thursday night classic-country show is a great idea, without any reservations whatsoever. How can an Opry night every week devoted to this great music be bad? I don't understand.

As far as what they should play - my guess is that they will play what their audiences want to hear. If the classic country lovers on this forum are representative, they'll get straightforward feedback about that.

As younger country music singers and players get older, some of them will become "classic" to new generations - perhaps even some of the ones you don't like. Consider the idea that in 20 years, Ricky Skaggs, Vince Gill, Alan Jackson, George Strait, and many others down the line will be the "old folks". Their music will become, if it hasn't already, part of the "classic country" canon. I think it's a great idea to establish a continuing venue for this. The issue of the population aging and dying of natural causes, with new generations being born to take their places, isn't going away any time soon (I hope). It is utterly pointless to stand in its way.

You can look at it as half-empty if you want. But lots of retired people can do things on a Thursday night more easily. Younger people who work all week tend to have more difficulty with that. I think there's a good argument to be made for this arrangement.

Why not look at it like a Plus?

Theresa even though we don't always see eye to eye, on this one I agree with you. For years on here people have been whining about the music on the Opry. Now they get a chance to hear what they want on Thursday nights and they want to whine about that. I think it could be just the ticket.

This glass is more than half full. I applaud the move. It means the Opry has listened and heard that there IS still an audience for the classics and they are willing to provide it. No, it doesn't have to be on Saturday night. In fact, let's face it, the demographic for audiences tends to parallel that of the artists themselves (so, for instance, Linda Ronstadt and I are growing old together, though she's barely aware of it ) But what this really means is that the audience for older, classic country artists has a large percentage of retirees in it who can go out and do things on a weeknight that many of us younger, workin' stiffs reserve for weekends. (Gimme a break; I won't be able to call myself 'younger' much longer, okay?). So if I were running their business (glad I'm not; I'd been skewered by y'all by now), this is probably exactly the way I would arrange things.

Yup, this glass is more than half full and all y'all who've been pissin' and moanin' about the Opry shutting out the classic artists, should oughta think about starting a 'thank-you-letter campaign' to the Opry right about now. Your wish has been granted.

Yes, thats what I would like to see. Bill Anderson singing "Swing Batta Batta Swing". Then we could have Jewel on Saturday night. What a great idea. How about Kelly Pickler doing an off key version of "Crazy". They could get a guy with a clown suit and a hook.

Kevin, you may have an idea for a country gong show.

How about the Classic Country Artists and Music going back to Friday & Saturday nights at the Ryman Auditorium for a real "Grand Ole Opry". I bet they would fill the place !

This would be a great idea. The New Country Gong Show. First you can have Rascall Fats come out and pretend that they are a country band with a super big vocal pitch correcter on stage. GONG!!!!, they get the clown. Then you can have Carrie Underwear come out and pretend she is country. She'll really be singing blues of course. GONG!!!!, she gets the clown. Then you can have Kid Rock come out and pretend that he can really sing, wearing that stupid gangsta hat that he wears. He'll get about one verse in and GONG!!!, he gets the clown. You could even have a steel player playing Air Steel Guitar on the side in back of a cardboard steel guitar just for effect. The clown would have to be a member of the American Academy Of Counrty Music.

OK, I'm with you "serious" posters. It is great that somebody listened, and is gonna do this. Also true that, as the music moves on, today's superstars are gonna need somewhere to play.
But I wonder how many tickets this thing's gonna sell? The "older" crowd, on a fixed income, buying gasoline to get there? Ticket prices? Can they support it?
I hope this thing starts with a bang, and keeps going. And that there'll always be enough audience members to sustain it.

Of course Thursday night in the worse of the three nights and for that reason not near the amount of people will attend as would on Fri or Sat.
Just another ploy to try to satisfy the real country listeners.
I say country on Fri and Sat nights and put this new crap on Thursday. Then see how many turn out for Rascal Flatts, Carrie and the rest of the no-talents.

Dennis

I just hate how they've ruined the Opry! Connie Smith, Gene Watson, The Timejumpers, Marty Stuart... Why don't they have some real country music instead of this crap!

Sometimes I don't know what "Opry" some of you are talking about.

Not that it will convince anybody that already knows for sure that the Opry's ruined beyond recognition, but here's the actual lineup of this weeks Opry (almost all classic traditional country and bluegrass).


FRIDAY NIGHT

8-8:30 Jeannie Seely, Jimmy C. Newman, Michael Cleveland & Flamekeeper

8:30–9 Jim Ed Brown, Jesse McReynolds & The Virginia Boys, Rebecca Lynn Howard

9–9:30 Jean Shepard, The Whites, The Time Jumpers

9:30-10 Marty Stuart, Connie Smith, Gene Watson

SATURDAY NIGHT

7-7:30 Jimmy C. Newman, Connie Smith, Jennifer Hanson

7:30-8 Jeannie Seely, Bobby Osborne & The Rocky Top X-Press, Suzy Bogguss

8-8:30 Jean Shepard, Jan Howard, The Isaacs, Opry Square Dancers

8:30-9 Jim Ed Brown, The Whites, The Time Jumpers

SECOND SHOW: 9:30-10 Jimmy C. Newman, Connie Smith, Jennifer Hanson

10-10:30 Jeannie Seely, Bobby Osborne & The Rocky Top X-Press, Suzy Bogguss

10:30-11 Jean Shepard, Jesse McReynolds & The Virginia Boys, The Isaacs, Opry Square Dancers

11-11:30 Jim Ed Brown, The Whites, The Time Jumpers

Please don't confuse us with the facts, Pete. We're on a roll...

Pete,
I salute you sir!
Jimbeaux,
You always crack me up!

I saw that line up, in the on-line Tennessean, and I had to look at it twice. Must be a lot of people on the road this time of year.

Who are the "Timejumpers"

Jack, they are a collection of some of the finest and most note worthy western swing and country players in the world. This includes some of the Opry musicians and Ranger Doug from Riders In The Sky. They play for the love of the music. Mostly western swing. If you ever get to Nashville look them up. They are incredible. On a given night you can see some Nashvilles biggest stars and musicians sitting in the audience watching them. Most of the time they play in a medium sized club in Nashville. Scotty Moore was sitting a couple of tables away from me. They are an inspiration.