Mark, Jeezus H! Thank YOU. A wonderful story. Sums it up very nicely. I doubt that any of us "nurds" have anything against the "spangled suits", 'cause that includes both Hanks, Ernest, Little Jimmie, Porter, Faron, Merle(!!), Loretta, Dolly......and these folks also sang and played their hearts out. 'Course the Opry Management were trying to keep the ratings up as the times changed and wanted to attract the younger audiences (who are now the old farts). It's just a fact of life.

For years, Sam and Kirk McGee, The Crook Brothers, Curley Fox, Mother Maybelle and several more of the "old timers" would get little spots on the "modern" (60s) Opry, and of course many in the audience didn't know who the hell they were. It's the same today. In between Garth Brooks, Vince Gill,Ricky Skaggs, Shania Twain etc. (who are all superbly talented people) you still get Skeeter (who can barely sing anymore) Jean Shepherd, Little Jimmie, Hank Thompson, Charlie Walker, George Jones, Stonewall Jackson etc. These are now the "old timers", who get NOT ONE BIT of radio airplay, and are reduced (sort of) to playing triple bills at rural County Fairs. Lots of them come to Canada, and even though they only draw one tenth of the audience they would have thirty years ago.....you should SEE the response from that audience! They remember.

For the last 25 years Kitty Wells has come twice a year to Ontario. Not to Toronto (a city of over five million) but 40 miles out of town to some road house bar. The folks still call her "Miss Kitty" and she always ends with "It Wasn't God Who Made Honky Tonk Angels". Her Hubby Johnny Wright, would still get some knowing applause when he'd sing some old "Johnny and Jack" (Jack Anglin was killed in a plane crash 35 years ago) songs.

If anyone thinks it's silly to think of this as "traditional" music, I can understand your point, but I see a direct line from Fiddlin' John Carson, Sid Harkreader, Gid Tanner, and Arthur Smith, through Bradley Kinkaid, Hank Snow, on up to Molly O'Day, Loretta etc.

If anyone thinks that "digging around the roots" of this music ain't a ton of fun, they're wrong. Mick said it's "almost Primal". Yeah, that's a good way of stating it. Old music has gotten me through a lot of difficult times. I can remember finishing up a night in a bar, having sung "Danny Boy" three times, and "Coulda Been The Whiskey", then going back to my room and putting on Maybelle, Sarah and A.P. singing "The Hills of Home" and thinkin' "Yup, that's the stuff I love"!

Rick