Article in The Boot
As I understand it, there was no problem with Roy Acuff."Hank Williams, Roy Acuff, Eddy Arnold and Minnie Pearl are just a few of the greats I’ve had the opportunity to meet and work with throughout the many years I’ve been a part of the Grand Ole Opry," he says. "All those people were such great entertainers, and wonderful people to be around. I am very grateful to have known them. They are all greatly missed."

From the same article:"I had a standing invitation to join the Opry since 1967, but they had a requirement that you had to play 26 Saturdays per year, and those were the best days where you could draw and make your money out on the road," Pride recalls to Country Stars Central. "You weren’t making that much when I was starting out. I made about a nickel a single from RCA, and $100 to $200 for a gig on the road. At that time, it was an economical thing for me, and I didn’t argue with it."