Followers

Grand Ole Opry

The Grand Ole Opry is a weekly country music stage concert in Nashville, Tennessee that has presented the biggest stars of that genre since 1925. It is also among the longest-running broadcasts in history since its beginnings as a one-hour radio "barn dance" on WSM-AM. Dedicated to honoring country music and its history, the Opry showcases a mix of legends and contemporary chart-toppers performing country, bluegrass, folk, gospel, and comedic performances and skits. Considered an American icon, it attracts hundreds of thousands of visitors from around the world and millions of radio and Internet listeners. The Opry, today part of the American landscape, is "the show that made country music famous" and has been called the "home of American music" and "country’s most famous stage."



The Grand Ole Opry is broadcast live on WSM-AM at 7 p.m. Central Time on Saturday nights. A similar program, the Friday Night Opry, airs live on Friday nights. From March through December, the Tuesday Night Opry is also aired live. A Wednesday Night Opry program was scheduled to debut in summer, 2010, but those plans were abandoned after the 2010 flooding.

The six-foot circle of dark, oak wood in the Opry House stage, that you can see at the end of the video above, is shiny but clearly well worn. Cut from the stage of the Opry's famous former home, the Ryman Auditorium, this circle gives newcomers and veterans alike the opportunity to sing on the same spot that once supported Uncle Dave Macon, Ernest Tubb, Patsy Cline, and others.
"That circle is the most magical thing when you're a performer," says Brad Paisley, "to stand there and get to sing on those same boards that probably still contain dust from Hank Williams' boots." Many things about the Opry have changed over the years - its members, the sound of its music, even its home. But there's always that oak-solid center to remind every singer or musician who steps inside that they take part in something much larger than themselves, that wherever they go they have a connection to the legends and the giants who came before them.... read more about Opry history.

Visit the Grand Ole Opry web page to see what's happening at the heart of Country Music.

The Grand Ole Opry promotes the music of everyone from senior citizens to hotshot youngsters. This multi-generational approach has served the show well for more than 80 years. It is one reason why the Opry can say with pride that it is "The Show That Made Country Music Famous."
Here is a video of Johnny Cash, with his wife, June Carter, and several generations of family, singing "Will the Circle be Unbroken?", a classic of the Opry which has been covered by almost everyone who has been part of the country music scene. 

No comments:

Post a Comment