I think Josh Turner is going to be around for a long, long time and I can think of no other artist today who is more suited to be an Opry member. As much as I love classic country music and the great stars whose music defines what country music really is, like George Jones, Merle Haggard, Loretta Lynn, and so many others… These artists are not going to be on the Grand Ol Opry forever. We are losing legends like Porter Wagoner and Johnny Cash all too frequently and let’s face it…. those that remain, don’t sound like they did when they were in their prime.

The music industry is putting out stuff they call country music, but how many songs have you heard lately that sound like Hank Williams Sr singing ‘Cold Cold Heart’ or Marty Robbins singing ‘El Paso’? So how is the Opry going to continue to survive if all of their members are too old to carry a tune, or have to meet the specifications of singing music with the original classic country sound, that never gets played on the radio? All we can do is hope that artists like Josh Turner, Dierks Bentley, Mark Chesnutt, Blake Shelton, George Strait, Alan Jackson, Randy Travis and a few others can help bring back true sound of country music. And the only way that is going to happen is if enough fans who recognize what that sound is, demand real country music and refuse to buy anything but the real thing.

When I called the Opry’s latest induction practices “dangerous,” I meant that in the future, especially radio takes a traditionalist turn (and it’s been turning in that direction ever since my gloom and doom article of several months ago) we might wonder, from both the perspective of both talent and accomplishments, why Josh was inducted.

With regard to the examples that you cite, Mel Tillis is a very deserving inductee and his vocal ability has not deteroirated nearly as much as that of some Opry veterans. Regarding Garth Brooks, there was and still is a tremendous opportunity cost for him to perform at the Opry. Nevertheless, he still managed to appear with some regularity and has a standing offer with the Opry to appear any time that they request. Most of the contemporary superstars who are Opry members appear only a few times a year because they sacrifice so much by playing the Opry instead of an arena. Josh has appeared over 100 times since his debut, which is very impressive despite the fact that he can’t draw crowds like Martina, Alan Jackson or Brad Paisley. That I question whether Josh Turner deserves induction does not mean that I question his committment to the Opry.

Now artists don’t need the promotional push of the Opry so much. It seems to be more of a way for them to connect with the past and the tradition they wish to honor. The perfect example would be Garth Brooks. He certainly didn’t need any promotional help the Opry could afford (quite the other way around at the time). It was something he felt a connection to and something he wanted to attain.

The CMT/GAC point is an interesting one because the Opry has always had competition, rather fierce competition at times. I think it just illustrates the move of the institution from promotional outlet to something deeper.

interesting facts about Nelson and Milsap, esp. Nelson.

I do agree with you in regards to the Opry’s past. Natrually when it was one of the only shows in town it had a much larger commercial impact. Nowadays I would argue that CMT and GAC are much more important gatekeepers to commercial success, but the Opry doesn’t need to serve that role to still remain incredibly relevant to country music. Like you had said, it can serve as external validation to new traditionalists, which would in turn, I would argue, help keep the genre alive and distinct.

on a somewhat un-related note, I can’t believe Trace Adkins performed Honky-Tonk Badonkadonk on the Grand Ole Opry. wow. shut my mouth and slap my grandama, he is a class act aint he?

I agree with most of what you said but don’t agree that the Opry is only about the music. First and foremost, while the Opry doesn’t necessarily award cookie-cutter pop music, almost all of its members have been very friendly with the Nashville establishment. The Opry has always demanded that its members kowtow to the history and tradition of the institution and artists have to show significant committment to and appreciation of the Opry before induction will be considered. The Opry has also always demanded excellent behavior of its members and most members are prototypical “class acts.” These criteria do exclude a lot of good artists, including one you mentioned (Willie Nelson).

Furthermore, the Opry was much more cognizant of the commercial success of its members in the Opry’s Golden Years when there was a good correlation between Opry membership and stardom. Of course, at that time it was easier for the best-selling acts to be Opry members because 1. Opry membership was prerequisite to stardom for most and 2. There was less concern about crossover and pop-country.

Making music that is immediately commercially relevant (Keith Urban, Rascal Flatts, and so on whose music caters strongly to current trends in sound and style of mainstream pop music) offers its own rewards. But if the genre as a whole focuses entirely on commercial relevance then we have lost one of the twin pillars (the tradition or folk pillar) and we would be left with a popular music devoid of tradition or weightiness.

The Opry can serve as one of the institutions that values and gives recognition to the music per se. The Opry can help further stars who are investing in country music’s future by paying homage to its past. Olivia Newton John, Ronnie Milsap, John Denver, Eddie Rabbit, Bryan White, and Restless Heart were all acts that had much commercial success in the country market in their time (and any number of them may be members of the opry for all I know), but they aren’t artists who participated in country music’s traditions and so now that they are no longer commercially relevant, their importance to country music’s future is nonexistant.

The prestige that the Opry can serve is as a much needed counterbalance to the short-sighted, self defeating attitude of “sell the most records to the most people period” attitude that is natural in a form a popular music. The Opry is there for times when Willie releases “Red Headed Stranger” but John Denver wins album of the year and Olivia Newton John wins country femal vocalist awards.

The problem with flavor of the month, mass appealing, mass marketed pop country is that its disposable. Country music, to remain a distinct genre that is actually still alive (as opposed to genres like big band or ragtime which may still have practicioners, but are closed to innovation) country music must not put all of its eggs into a disposable basket and the Opry is uniquely positioned to work against the forces in the country music industry that would kill the golden goose that has given us so much for so long.