Grand Ole Opry

The Grand Ole Opry is a weekly Saturday night country music radio program broadcast live on WSM Radio in Nashville, Tennessee. It is the oldest continuous radio program in the United States, having been broadcast on WSM since November 28, 1925. It is also televised and promotes live performances both in Nashville and on the road.

Impact and economics

In many ways, the artists and repertoire of the Opry defined American country music. Hundreds of performers have entertained as cast members through the years, including new stars, superstars and legends. Being made a member of the Grand Ole Opry is to be identified as a member of the elite of country music. Many linked the stripping of Hank Williams' Opry membership in 1952 to his death soon afterward.

Related Topics:
Hank Williams - 1952

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

The quality of the program has waxed and waned over the years. In the mid-1960s management decided to enforce strictly the requirement that members had to perform on at least twenty-six shows a year in order to keep their membership active. This imposed a tremendous financial hardship on members who made much of their income from touring and could not afford to be in or near Nashville every other weekend. This was aggravated by the fact that the Opry's appearance fee paid to the artist was essentially a token ($44 at the time).

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

The Opry management was so certain in its belief that only someone who could truthfully bill themselves as a "Member of the Grand Ole Opry" could be considered to be a major country music star that it felt this rule could be enforced; however, by this point many country music artists were so established that this was really no longer true. The quality of the Opry suffered in the years following, and by the late 1970s and early 1980s the Opry was regarded by many country music fans as sort of a musical equivalent of a sports "old-timers' game," where only former stars were to be seen. Over time, this problem was largely corrected by a reduced attendance requirement and special exceptions.

Related Topics:
1970s - 1980s

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

Another controversy that raged for years was over allowable instrumentation, especially the use of drums and electrically amplified instruments. Some purists were appalled at the prospect; traditionally a string bass provided the rhythm component in country music and percussion instruments were generally little used. Electric amplification was regarded as the province of rock and roll, anathema to many country fans, especially older ones. These restrictions chafed many artists, such as Waylon Jennings, who were popular with the newer and younger fans. These restrictions were largely eliminated over time, alienating many older and traditionalist fans, but probably saving the Opry long-term as a viable ongoing enterprise.

Related Topics:
Drum - Rock and roll - Waylon Jennings

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

Management has been very conscious of the need to enforce its trademark on the term Grand Ole Opry and limit use to members of the Opry and products associated with or licensed by it. However, it lost a legal case against the owners of a small, now-defunct Nashville record label calling itself Opry Records. The record company's attorneys successfully argued that WSM's management indeed owned the rights to the words Grand Ole Opry, but only in that order and combination, and no more owned the word Opry in isolation than they owned Grand or Ole.

Related Topics:
Trademark - Attorney

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

This has made the management wary about the issue of licensing and trademarks. It has also allowed a plethora of small-time country music shows to label themselves as Oprys of one sort or another, such as the Bell Witch Opry; Ozark Opry, etc. (Much the same thing happened when the Coca-Cola company failed to trademark the term "cola.")

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

In September 2004, it was announced that the Grand Ole Opry had contracted for the first time with a "presenting sponsor" and would henceforth be known as "the Grand Ole Opry presented by Cracker Barrel." Cracker Barrel, a long-time Opry sponsor headquartered in nearby Lebanon, Tennessee, is a chain of country-themed restaurants and gift shops whose market overlaps with that of the Opry to a great extent.

Related Topics:
September 2004 - Cracker Barrel - Lebanon, Tennessee

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~