Grand Ole Opry

  No visit to the country music capital of America would be complete without taking in a show at the number one Nashville attraction - the Grand Ole Opry. We had been to the Ryman Auditorium, in which the Opry had performed until 1974, but wanted to see the larger "new" venue specifically built for the Opry. Without a car to use, it was necessary for us to take the #34 MTA bus to the Opey Mills Mall, nine miles east of downtown. The first thing we did was to take a one hour back stage tour. While the "new" Opry is technologically advanced over the Ryman Auditorium, to us, it did not provide the same friendly atmosphere. Sure, the pews came with comfortable cushions, but the place felt sterile, while the Ryman felt like an old friend. On the positive side, the back stage area was much bigger and had more dressing rooms. And there are no "bad" seats in the audience area, as there are multiple large screen t.v.'s throughout the hall. Our tour included going on stage to where the six foot diameter circle, made of wood taken from part of the Ryman stage, was placed. This symbolizes that the "...circle remains unbroken." While on stage, our tour group sang "You are my sunshine", thus making it possible for us to claim we had "performed" at the Grand Ole Opry.

  Following this, we attended a wonderful two and a half hour performance, during which we saw such country legends as Connie Smith, Bill Anderson, the Swon Brothers, Ricky Skaggs, and Tracy Lawrence, along with the Irish folk group, Altan. There were some surprises during the show, i.e. staff walking across the stage, behind the artists, in the middle of the performance (it seemed like Grand Central Station), and some adult language (interestingly, earlier artist contracts, e.g. Jerry Lee Lewis, specifically prohibited profanity). In addition, some of the performers tried to distract the announcer by playing tricks on him, while he read commercial messages. We had no preconceived notion of what it would be like to be in the audience during a live radio show. What a wonderful time we had!

Looking at the Grand Ole Opry building from the Opry Mills Mall.

The entrance used by artists performing that day, takes them past a bronze statue tribute to Minnie Pearl.

Studio A, a separate performance venue within the building, was used for the Hee Haw show.

Rita, our tour guide, introduces us to the back stage dressing room area.

Grand Ole Opry members have their own mail boxes for fan mail.

The "Into the Circle" dressing room is used by artists performing for the first time at the Opry.

Performers who have served in the military, use the "The Stars and Strips" dressing room.

There is even a dressing room for guest artists, e.g. President Richard Nixon.

One special dressing room is dedicated to Minnie Pearl.

The Family Room is a place where performers and their families can gather prior to going on stage.

The center stage "Circle" was made from wood taken from part of the Ryman stage. Notice that the "Circle" wood is oriented 90 degrees to the rest of the stage in order to help it stand out. This is where we stood when our tour group sang "You Are My Sunshine" as our Grand Ole Opry "performance."

The Grand Ole Opry organization built this house for country legend Roy Acuff, who was so thoroughly devoted to the Opry that he would spend 24/7 of his day here doing things for the Opry organization and fellow artists.

Here we are on stage for "our performance."

Legend Connie Smith performing during our show. Notice the on stage large t.v. Screen so that everyone can see her "...up close and personal."

The Swon Brothers were a big hit. They stayed after the show to autograph their new album at the Gift Shop.

Singer-songwriter Ricky Skaggs has been a Member of the Grand Ole Opry since 1982.

The Irish folk group Altan opened their performance singing in Gaelic, which was very special for Lori. American Bluegrass music owes its roots to Irish folk music.