Posted on 09/29/2010 12:59:20 PM PDT by SmithL
NASHVILLE — The Grand Ole Opry has ended its itinerant ways and returned home.
A host of country music's enduring legends joined some of today's biggest names on stage Tuesday night to kick off the "Country Comes Home" celebration. They began with a stirring rendition of "Will The Circle Be Unbroken?" as the curtain rose at the Opry house for the first time since the May flood damaged the building.
The nation's longest running live radio program never missed a beat, moving around town to venues such as the Ryman Auditorium and War Memorial Auditorium, as laborers worked feverishly for 5½ months to repair the Opry house, . . .
(Excerpt) Read more at knoxville.com ...
I saw a brief video of what they had accomplished. The circle of wood flooring saved from the original stage and inlaid on the new one was a nice touch.
I wish them all the best success.
Imagine of the G.O.O. had been in New Orleans. Five eyars later and they’re still waiting for Uncle Sam to come in and do everything for them.
I understand the reasons why National Life made the move, but I'll never forgive them for moving it out of the Ryman in the first place.
The old Ryman had much better acoustics than the sterile new location off McGavock Pike. Particularly on the radio (WSM), the Ryman sounded very live...the new Opry House, not so much.
I’ve always wondered, what’s an “opry”?
I saw the show last night but fell asleep before the last half hour when they invited my “boyfriend” Blake Shelton to be the newest member of the Opry....needless to say, it’s being rerun on GAC right now and I’m watching it yet again to be sure and see that......I’ve been to the Opry when it was at the Ryman and then again when it moved to the Opry House and I sat here with tears last night at all the old stars coming out to bring the Opry back home.....I’m a huge country music fan and this is pure heaven!!!!!!
It’s a spoof on how the city folks think Hillbillies would pronounce “Opera”.
Let me know when they move back to the Ryman and go back to country instead of warmed over rock. Until then, no interest here.
Southern way of saying Opera....get it? Grand Old Opera! LOL.....we here in Alabama knows exactly what it means! Roll Tide
You are wise.
Back to the Ryman!
Quoting from the Solemn Old Judge (George D. Hay, Opry announcer) on the first program: ...from here on out for the next three hours, we will present nothing but realism. It will be down to earth for the 'earthy'.
Amen brother.
In the late 60's when NLT was looking to make the move, Paul Hemphill, a noted author and researcher on all things involving country music and Nashville, predicted that when the GOO switched to the new, sterile, plastic locale (then adjoining a theme park), it was taking the first steps toward irrelevancy.
I'm not certain that leaving the Ryman was the curse. But it certainly didn't help. The new place was just "too nice" and it just didn't feel right to sit in the plush seats in air-conditioned comfort and see Grandpa Jones, the Fruit Jar Drinkers and other genuine country stars perform.
and did it all without the governments help. I dont think Mr. Obama said one damn word about this flood. Sickening!!
“You are going to experience one hour of maize ... that’s what we call ‘corn’.”
I was able to see the Opry back when it was at the Ryman. It was fantastic. After one of the shows, a buddy and I wandered backstage to check it out. That was decades ago, but I’ll never forget it.
I remember sitting there on those hard assed pews fanning for all it was worth - man it was HOT..........but I was sitting in the Mother Church of Country Music and it was worth it.....then years (decades?) later went to the new Opry House and loved it......had a friend with me from NYC who had never really listened to country music and fell in love with it that night.....what I loved so much about last night was when they invited Blake Shelton to join the Opry....I had just been wondering before the start of the show why he wasn’t a member.....last night was great....until they had that a$$hole from the WH welcoming them back - as if he cared since he NEVER, EVER mentioned the floods in Nashville....guess TN is too white for him!
To bring politics into this (of course...this is FR, after all), I think the intersection of DUmmies and KOSkiddies and those who have been to Opry (Ryman or otherwise) forms the empty set.
Don't get me wrong, I love Country music for its intrinsic value. But, on another level, I also like it because liberals tend to hate it and all that it stands for.
On his iPod, I seriously doubt that the current tenant of the White House has much in the way of Bill Monroe, Roy Acuff, Hank Thompson, Patsy Cline, Marty Robbins...
There are a few loony libs who love old time country. I have friends in Kansas City who were hopped up about Obama and who play butt-kickin’ old time country and honky-tonk music. If you are inclined, check out The Wilders on youtube, in particular the fiddle player, Betse Ellis. She is a loony liberal, doesn’t wear it on her sleeve however. And she is a hell of a fiddle player. I also know a lot of hard core conservatives in the music arena.
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