September 2, 2019 - Nashville
The Grand Ole Opry
Of course, if you visit Nashville, you have to visit the Grand Old Opry.  We did not have tickets to the show but we did go on a tour of the facility.
 
It's on the outskirts of town.
   
Yeah, this must be the place.
 
The Grand Ole Opry is a regular live country-music radio broadcast originating from Nashville, Tennessee, on WSM, held between two and five nights per week, depending on the time of year. It was founded on November 28, 1925, by George D. Hay as the WSM Barn Dance, taking its current name in 1927.  It is the longest-running radio broadcast in U.S. history.
 
Dedicated to honoring country music and its history, the Opry showcases a mix of famous singers and contemporary chart-toppers performing country, bluegrass, Americana, folk, and gospel music as well as comedic performances and skits.
 
The Opry moved to its most famous former home, the Ryman Auditorium, in 1943.  Since 1974, the show has been broadcast from the Grand Ole Opry House here, east of downtown Nashville
 
Membership in the Opry remains one of country music's crowning achievements.  Just over 225 acts have been members of the Grand Ole Opry out of the thousands of acts that have existed during the history of country music. At present (2024), about 75 acts are members.  As Tina Benitez-Evans wrote in American Songwriter, "Membership in the Grand Ole Opry is one of the highest achievements within the country music community."  Members have to perform at least 12 shows a year in order to maintain their membership and artists offered membership are expected to display their dedication to the Opry with frequent attendance.
   

We toured through the backstage where they have lots of dressing rooms and such.

Then we moved out onto the main stage.
   
Looking out over the seating.
   
Imagine how many great artists have performed here!
   
Looking down at the stage.
   

A life-sized statue of Minnie Pearl sits on a pew alongside a statue of Roy Acuff.

I have heard of Minnie Pearl.  I think I remember seeing her on Hee-Haw as a kid.   Minnie Pearl was an American comedian who appeared at the Grand Ole Opry for more than 50 years (1940–1991) and on the television show Hee Haw from 1969 to 1991.  Pearl's comedy was gentle satire of rural Southern culture, often called "hillbilly" culture. She lived in the fictional town of Grinders Switch. Pearl always dressed in frilly "down home" dresses and wore a hat with a price tag hanging from it, displaying the $1.98 price. Her signature greeting to her audience was an elongated "Howdy! I'm just so proud to be here!" delivered in a hearty holler.

Showing how little I know about Country Music, I did not know who Roy Acuff was.  It turns out that the country music singer, fiddler, and promoter was known as the "King of Country Music"!  Acuff (1903 – 1992) is often credited with moving the genre from its early string band and "hoedown" format to the singer-based format that helped make it internationally successful. In 1952, Hank Williams told Ralph Gleason, "He's the biggest singer this music ever knew. You booked him and you didn't worry about crowds. For drawing power in the South, it was Roy Acuff, then God."
   
The great Ronald Reagan standing with Roy Acuff, who was a frequent presence at the Opry.
   
Lynnette belts it out at the Grand Old Opry!
   
 
   
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