Has the Opry Lowered its Membership Standards?
Josh Turner is among my favorite contemporary radio artists and I cheered his invitation to join the Grand Ole Opry. It seemed to me that his induction was more or less inevitable after the success of Your Man and its descendent singles, but in the time leading up to and now succeeding his Opry invitation, I found myself wondering if he is truly deserving of Opry membership at this point in his career.
Let’s summarize Turner’s career accomplishments. Debut album Long Black Train was really notable only for its strong traditional sound and the success of the title track. Your Man met with surprising commercial success and spawned three hit singles, including two number one hits. However, most of the album consisted of lightweight filler material and none of the three hits are as substantive as “Long Black Train.” “Firecracker,” lead single from Turner’s third studio album, is climbing the charts and looks to be Turner’s fifth hit. Nonetheless, it has a ditty flavor that makes me question how artistically significant Everything is Fine will be.
Turner has garnered a few high-profile award nominations but has not yet recorded a significant win. Most importantly, it is likely that his awards nominations and a significant proportion of his commercial success are due to his ability to consolidate the support of the genre’s traditional and neo-traditional fans, as Turner is one of the few radio artists of note that adheres to a traditional country sound. I think that fans like me, who love traditional country music and dislike the pop and rock direction that much of the genre has taken, have a tendency to overrate artists like Josh Turner. When I review traditional-sounding albums, I always have to force myself to move beyond my aural enjoyment of the experience and critically examine the lyrics and the artistry of the album itself. I continually ask myself how the album would hold up if more radio artists were recording traditional material, and I often conclude that the album is not nearly as good in absolute terms as it is relative to most radio material.
The Opry membership is aging and the Opry obviously needs to continually induct young artists if the institution is to sustain itself. Furthermore, the Opry must induct artists who are commercially successful in order to maintain audience interest. Nonetheless, the Opry has strongly resisted inducting superstars who record music without traditional roots and/or fail to show appreciation for the history and tradition of country music and the Grand Ole Opry. The result is that the Grand Ole Opry has had to forge a compromise between commercial success and musical integrity and in recent years has shown a tendency to induct young artists before they have proven their commercial endurance or validated their commitment to traditional material.
Dierks Bentley joined the Opry in 2005 and is the Opry’s newest contemporary member. At the time of his induction, he had released three studio albums and five hit singles, including one number one. Immediately after his Opry induction, Bentley embarked on an impressive run of three consecutive number ones and his current streak of five consecutive top ten hits. His fourth studio album was a commercial disappointment but nonetheless a strong artistic offering with clear traditional roots.
Terri Clark was inducted in 2004 and is the Opry’s most glaring mistake in recent memory. “Girls Lie Too” hit number one shortly after her induction, but since that time Terri has not placed a song inside the top twenty. She has attempted to climb back into radio contention with songs like “Dirty Girl” that bear no relationship to traditional material or even quality music.
Trace Adkins joined the Opry in August 2003 after four studio albums and eight top ten hits. His music had been a rather schizophrenic mixed-bag, with songs like “Every Light in the House is On” and “I’m Tryin’” showing strong traditional roots but “Chrome” and “I Left Something Turned On at Home” showing a penchant for rocking and somewhat risqué novelty tunes. Since his Opry induction, Adkins has continued to include traditional material on his albums but, with only a few exceptions, his single releases have taken a decided stylistic turn. I have to wonder whether the Opry would have extended an invitation if they knew that his career would be defined by “Honky Tonk Badonkadonk.”
Of these artists, only Dierks Bentley is an unimpeachable choice, as he has continued to record material with traditional roots and, despite the failure of Long Trip Alone, appears to possess commercial longevity. Trace Adkins’ post-Opry membership days have brought great commercial success based on material that many Opry members can’t be thrilled about, while Terri Clark has completely fallen off of the commercial map and has been artistically inconsistent.
Would Josh Turner, Dierks Bentley, Terri Clark and Trace Adkins have passed Opry muster in a more traditional radio climate? I don’t think so. Assuming continued success, I think both Turner and Bentley would have merited consideration later in their careers, but both of their inductions were premature in an absolute frame of reference. Turner’s music in particular just hasn’t been compelling enough to merit inclusion in a fraternity with the likes of George Jones, Loretta Lynn, Connie Smith and Tom T. Hall.
Of course, Opry management can only work within the confines of the radio climate, and Turner is perhaps radio’s only traditional standout. He possess class and has demonstrated commitment to the Opry, two characteristics that are highly valued by the Opry family.
Even if Turner’s career begins to sputter, he would probably not be the least deserving Opry member. In addition to the recent additions mentioned above, Holly Dunn has not had much success since her induction in 1989, though she did have more pre-induction success than Turner. Clint Black’s post-induction career pales in comparison to his pre-induction career, but the sum of his career accomplishments is much greater than Turner’s at this point. Extending Opry invitations early in an artist’s career is not exactly a new practice, but in a climate that is unfriendly to traditional country music, it is an increasingly dangerous one that tends to reward artists whose artistic and commercial accomplishments are overstated by their traditional sound.
I don’t foresee Turner abandoning traditional material, but it is possible that his career commercial accomplishments could be rather limited. Perhaps more importantly, the fact that Turner is one of the only traditional voices on radio does not mean that he performs traditional country exceptionally well. I’d like to see him make a strong top-to-bottom studio album and release more substantive singles before I’m willing to suggest that his ability is commensurate with that of other Opry members. Nonetheless, I welcome his Opry invitation and wish him continued success.
If you enjoyed this article, be sure to subscribe to our feed or receive updates via email.
Popular Stuff
Sponsor
In an attempt to discover and highlight the best music every month, We'll be publishing a list of the best songs released throughout that period. Here's Brady Vercher's picks for October.
For the second episode of The 9513 Country Music Podcast, your host Kelly Dearmore caught up with two seemingly different artists in Sarah Borges and Trent Willmon. Take a listen.
Free Music Downloads: If you’ve only recently come to country music, or have never delved past the genre’s surface and it’s most famous names, you may not have heard of Tom Russell. That’s a shame, and The 9513’s Free Music series is here to help set you down the right path.
Martina McBride - “Ride” Catchy, but a little low on cogency–not to mention originality. And it essentially resolves into the same kind of positive “message song” that has defined so much of McBride’s recent work.
Richie McDonald - “How Do I Just Stop” So gloriously simple and unequivocally lackluster that people of every political persuasion should rejoice in the opportunity to come together and have a hearty laugh at its expense.
Donnie Vondra - “If I Didn’t Love You” Combinining a golden trifecta of country music—steel guitar, fiddle and a strong, twangy vocal—"If I Didn't Love You" pulls together a sweet, toe-tapping ditty reminiscent of Marty Raybon-era Shenandoah.
Lance Miller - “Bacon Frying” A charming country song that is beautiful for its simplicity, a musical remnant from a time when songwriters understood that often the best thing to do is just get out of the song’s way.
John Rich - “Another You” For a guy who is supposed to be a genius songwriter, John Rich sure does seem to be running out of ideas. 
George Ducas - “Walk Through This World” Ducas banks on the success of recent artists’ pleasantly bland lyrics and agreeable instrumentation for his first release with WhiteStar Nashville.
In this exclusive interview for The 9513, Little Big Town’s Jimi Westbrook talks about life with the band, as well as A Place to Land, the group’s current album, which has charted in the top 10 of Billboard’s Top Country Albums chart on two separate occasions
Forgotten Artists: Cal Smith - When the Florida Sunshine Opry (Eustis, FL) booked its first “name” (non-local) act back in 1999, the act they chose was Cal Smith. No wonder, since Cal is an excellent singer, musician, storyteller and showman. | View more artists featured in Paul W. Dennis' recurring "Forgotten Artists" feature »
Tagged In This Article
Clint Black // Dierks Bentley // Grand Ole Opry // Josh Turner // Terri Clark // Trace Adkins
Current Discussion
- Jim Malec: Mike--I do agree with you about some of those nitpicky lyrical points, but I don't feel like they really undermine ...
- Kelly: Sorry, Matt. I see what you mean, but I still dont get how not only the American Recordings, but ...
- Mike Parker: Not liking Hank Jr. is perfectly okay with me. I think he recorded some really great material, but it's ...
- Hollerin' Ben: "However, if you think that Garth’s music is a perversion of the country form, as Baron and Robbie Fulks implied, ...
- Matt C.: Kelly: I said the American Recordings don’t change my assessment of Cash’s career and legacy. As opposed to a ...
- Brady Vercher: Adkins is differentiating between discussing politics in an environment where he considers it ok to do so (his book, a ...
- Leeann Ward: PS. I don't like Hank Jr. though! Am I not a country fan? I agree with Razor X that there's ...
- Kelly: Matt C - You dont think that the 4 albums that make up The American Recordings, had a tremendous impact ...
- Sam G.: That Raconteurs' track may be the coolest thing I've heard all year. Brendon Benson sounded very like John Cowan of ...
- Leeann Ward: Ben, I like all of those people that you mention, but like Garth too. I agree with Jim in ...
24 Comments
RSS for comments on this post | Trackback URI for this post
October 8, 2007 at 11:26 am Permalink
I think that if you approach the Opry for what it is - a three-hour radio show - their recent inductees make sense, as they balance out the veteran acts. I don’t think anticipation of future commercial success is their criteria, but rather that the artist will be committed to regular appearances. Pam Tillis was inducted after her radio run was over, and her dad, inducted earlier this year, after his Branson run freed up his schedule.
I disagree that Terri Clark was a mistake. Her music is aggressive but still quite traditional. “Dirty Girl” sucked, yes, but it was still similar in arrangement to her earlier hits. Her last studio album, “Life Goes On”, was pretty traditional through and through.
Sure, her radio days may be behind her, but given that Opry appearances consist of performing 2-3 songs, she has a rich catalog of hits to fall back on that audiences will recognize.
Turner’s early induction isn’t unprecedented, either. If anything, his wait of nearly four years after his breakthrough hit is quite long for a new traditionalist. Look at the history:
Clint Black (January 1991): Less than two years after his first single went to radio.
Garth Brooks (October 1990): Eighteen months after his first single went to radio, only weeks after he released “Friends in Low Places.”
Holly Dunn (October 1989): Three years after her first hit, “Daddy’s Hands.”
Alan Jackson (June 1991): Eighteen months after his first hit, “Here in the Real World”, went to radio.
Alison Krauss (July 1993): Two full years before she received any mainstream success, her only exposure having been in bluegrass music up to that point.
Patty Loveless (June 1988): After only one hit single, “If My Heart Had Windows”, which had peaked at #10 shortly before her induction.
Martina McBride (October 1995): She’d only had three top ten hits by that point, and one platinum album on the strength of a popular song that radio didn’t fully embrace (”Independence Day”, not unlike “Long Black Train”)
Lorrie Morgan (June 1984): Amazingly, five full years before she’d even have a hit! Dad was a member, though!
Brad Paisley (Febrary 2001): Exactly two years after his first single, “Who Needs Pictures”, went to radio.
Ricky Van Shelton (June 1988): About a year after his breakthrough hit, “Crime of Passion.”
Ricky Skaggs (May 1982): A few short months after scoring his first top twenty hits, though he was well-known as a member of Emmylou Harris’ Hot Band (and inducted ten years BEFORE she would be!)
Randy Travis (December 1986): His breakthrough hit, “1982″, had hit the top ten in the early months of that year.
October 8, 2007 at 11:33 am Permalink
Josh’s new record has a couple of clunkers, but it also has some stuff that’s gonna knock your socks off.
October 8, 2007 at 2:24 pm Permalink
Kevin: I conceded in the article that inducting artists early in their careers is not a new practice. My argument was that this practice is becoming dangerous. Furthermore, I don’t think that the time elapsed between an artist’s first hit and their Opry induction ought to be the primary metric used to assess membership standards (this confusion is my fault as I relied too heavily on this statistic in my analysis). Josh is not out of stead with a lot of Opry members in terms of what he has commercially accomplished at the time of induction, but I do think that he is in a distant second-tier when it comes to quality. If it was 1970, I don’t think that he’d be joining the Opry at this point in his career.
I also didn’t mean to imply that the Opry is necessarily looking for future commercial success. Rather, there needs to be a sliding standard. Mel Tillis is no longer commercially viable but posted impressive, Hall of Fame credentials during his heyday. However, when an artist is inducted only a few years into their career, induction needs to carry some expectation of continued quality and success precisely because this is a lifetime honor and Josh may still be performing on the Opry stage when he’s 80 years old. If Josh’s run of success stopped today, I question whether the audience of 2057 would have any interest in seeing Josh Turner play the Grand Ole Opry. He certainly wouldn’t be near the level of most elderly Opry regulars.
Chris: Good. I look forward to it. My primary reservation about Josh has been that his interpretive range is rather limited. I’ve never heard him record a real heartbreaker and I think that the Live at the Ryman album revealed some deficiencies in interpreting some lyrically traditional material.
October 8, 2007 at 6:39 pm Permalink
I am not sure that there has ever been a set standard for Opry membership. Stonewall Jackson and Carl Smith became members before having a recording contract. Boxcar Willie never did have a top ten hit and many of other acts have had only marginal success as recording artists. Then there are the acts such as Mike Snider who are extraordinary performers but aren’t signed to any label
While hit records are the current coin of the realm, the fact is, for most artists, hit records come and go, and when they are gone,they usually are gone for good. Even Rascall Flatts, Tim McGraw and Kenny Chesney are unlikely to be dominant chart acts for more than another five or so years , yet there will be people wanting to see them for another 25 or 30 years
I have no problem with any of the recent Opry inductees - they are what will keep the Opry going.
October 8, 2007 at 7:24 pm Permalink
Josh Turner is a perfect candidate for the Opry. If anything, the Opry is setting a high standard by letting him in.
Josh’s albums have been very good thus far. He is simply the best of both worlds. He will appeal to the younger crowds and older crowds. Quite simply, a perfect choice!
October 8, 2007 at 9:34 pm Permalink
I guess it’s just the provocative question in the headline - “Has the Opry Lowered its Membership Standards?” - doesn’t seem to match what’s happened here, as Turner is consistent with the standards that have been used all along. So if your main point is that it’s becoming dangerous, I think this all comes down to a matter of opinion on Turner’s overall talent and worthiness for the Opry.
I have no idea what audiences are going to want to hear 50 years from now, assuming Turner is still alive and able to perform in his seventies, but I personally think that he’s worthy of induction based on what he’s done so far, especially since he’s of the traditionalist bent that the Opry tends to favor.
If one doesn’t share the same lofty opinion of his talent, then I can understand why they don’t think he should be in the Opry at this point.
October 9, 2007 at 3:15 am Permalink
Hey, anything to get people reading.
I posed the article as a question because I’m really not sure if Turner deserves to be in the Opry. I certainly don’t oppose it. The problem is that the last several years have been desperate times for fans of traditional country and I think that it’s caused us to overrate those traditionalists that are out there.
October 9, 2007 at 7:59 am Permalink
Just my two cents, but I was happy to see Turner invited to join the Opry. The Opry is, and really always has been, in the precarious position of needing, at this point desperately, to inject new blood into the mix while still maintaining their core audience. Turner is a perfect choice for this. As were most of the other recent members. I understand your point about maintaining quality, but there is no way the Opry could build this type of clause into its conditions for membership. Audiences vary and what might be accepted for quality in 2057 might not be what we would have called quality now. In 2057 the people in the audience watching Turner will be watching him do songs from his first 5 years, just as we sit in the audience and listen to Jimmy Dickens do songs from 1957.
And just to nit-pick a little :) Bentley only has three albums (Long Trip Alone being the third) and only had two out at the time of his joining.
Also keep in mind that a large percentage of people don’t go to the Opry to see any one particular artists, most go for the experience of the Opry.
October 9, 2007 at 8:55 am Permalink
Semi-related: why should the Opry only induct traditionalists in the first place?
October 9, 2007 at 9:41 am Permalink
Part of the requirements for membership include:
Generally speaking it’s easier to argue that traditionalists have that connection to country music’s history whereas a lot of other mainstream acts do not. With that said I don’t think it’s limited to only traditional country music singers since the list of members includes bluegrass and Americana artists as well. That connection to the history of the genre is what makes the Opry special and keeps it from turning into a Who’s Who of mainstream hit-makers.
October 9, 2007 at 9:53 am Permalink
It’s also why the Opry can’t make stars anymore.
October 9, 2007 at 11:30 am Permalink
Josh had that big appearance in 2001 singing Long Black Train when nobody knew who he was or ever heard that song & they loved it & gave him standing ovations. Josh strives to maintain the traditional country music & that is what the opry needs.Josh will be one of the opry members they can always count on to keep playing & making appearances.Joshhas already played on the opry numerous times charming Opry audiences with that captivating voice.
October 9, 2007 at 11:56 am Permalink
Chris N: “It’s also why the Opry can’t make stars anymore.”
While I agree that the Opry doesn’t make stars anymore, I don’t think it’s emphasis on traditional music is totally to blame. Radio might be the only thing out there that is making stars - but look at the stars they are producing. That line of discussion leads more towards the “what’s Country” discussion, so I will leave it there.
But Chris’s question does bring up another question: What is the Opry’s role today? In the beginning it was a means of entertainment that reached out to folks who didn’t hear themselves represented on the airwaves. In the mid-Forties with the advent of the “star-system” thee was more emphasis on the individual. As the reach of the Opry grew and more spotlights were put on individual performers, they started making stars. But also keep in mind that many of the Opry stars weren’t just appearing at the Opry shows, WSM had their talent bureau that gave extra incentive to join since it’s influence worked behind the scenes as well. Now, the town is overflowing with booking agents, publicists and management, so do they even need the Opry in the traditional sense?
October 9, 2007 at 5:55 pm Permalink
Chris: I agree with Eric. True, the Opry doesn’t make stars anymore, but it’s not because of their traditionalist bent. It’s because the days of every Southern family spending Saturday night on the porch listening to the Opry are over, and I don’t think that you’d see a significant increase in the Opry’s popularity even if they had regular appearances by Rascal Flatts, Kenny Chesney and Tim McGraw.
Eric: The Opry is surprisingly relevant today and I can’t think of any non-talk radio program with more reach and influence. The radio program itself will begin syndication on satellite radio this month, so its reach is actually increasing, at least relative to the last decade or so. However, I think that it’s primary contemprary importance: 1. A Nashville and American institution and tourist attraction 2. External validation for new traditionalist artists 3. Forging a connection between current artists and the genre’s history (I think that’s there’s a pretty good correlation between artists who “give a damn” about the Opry and those that make good music, let alone those that make traditional music)
October 9, 2007 at 6:30 pm Permalink
Yeah, that’s true. I just think the Opry is always in danger of becoming a de facto pension plan for elderly singers (sorry, Stonewall Jackson), which is never what it was intended to be.
October 9, 2007 at 6:37 pm Permalink
Country music by its nature has one foot in folk (or tradition based music) and the other in pop (commercially driven music).
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.
October 10, 2007 at 1:28 am Permalink
Ben: FYI, of the artists you mentioned, only Milsap is an Opry member.
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.
October 10, 2007 at 10:00 am Permalink
Matt,
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?
October 11, 2007 at 7:23 am Permalink
I think the fact that the Opry isn’t a star maker brings up an interesting point that we see members join now more out of personal reasons that out of professional reasons. That has always been there to some degree, I suppose. I interviewed Charlie Louvin recently and he told me that when he and Ira joined in 1955, it was because they would be able to promote their shows to a large audience that at that time, rarely bought records. He also noted it was a badge of honor to join the Opry cast at that time, although they had to give up more lucrative gigs to do so.
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.
October 11, 2007 at 7:50 am Permalink
The torchbearer of country music’s heritage!
October 16, 2007 at 8:29 pm Permalink
Why such a negative headline and relate it to Josh? It seems like everything that i’ve seen written by you has a negative twist to it in regards to Josh Turner. I thought “Has the Opry Lowered its Membership Standards?” when I was sitting in the Opry audience listing to an older Mel Tillis. I kept thinking why in the world didn’t they induct him when he was much younger, and had a better voice. Why wait to an entertainer is older? If I were a singer, I don’t know if i’d want to play the Opry if I had to wait 10 years or so before they would induct me. I also don’t blame the Opry for not inducting a superstar type singer who will not honor the Opry but maybe once a year. I’d like to thank Kevin for pointing out how fast others were inducted. I have been waiting ever since I first heard “Long Black Train” on radio back in 2003 for Josh to get more recognition from the Opry and country radio. I’ve questioned how long they would make him wait to be inducted. Did you see the tears in his eyes? Also “Long Black Train” I believe only reached #13 on the charts (never a #1 on country radio) and it is my favorite song. I don’t see how inducting someone like Josh could be dangerous being he is the type that will continue to play the Opry. I’d call inducting someone like Garth dangerous being he doesn’t show up.
October 16, 2007 at 10:29 pm Permalink
Well, I say at the start of the article that Josh is one of my favorite contemporary artist. It’s true that I haven’t exactly raved about him on this site, although I did give a thumbs-up to his latest single. However, I can’t give a great review to any of his albums because he hasn’t made a great album. The point of this article, and a lot of what I’ve written for the site, is that I think that Josh has benefits greatly from the scarcity of traditional voices on radio. So does George Strait. I think that’s important to consider when evaluating their accomplishments and talent.
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.
October 28, 2007 at 10:29 am Permalink
I wonder if the timing of this was meant to help promote his new album and maybe give it an extra boost of publicity? Take a little, give a little?
April 25, 2008 at 5:21 pm Permalink
I know I am a little late in commenting on this, but I just ran across this site today.
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.
Leave a Comment