Grand Ole Opry Museum - History Museums on Waymarking.com

“You’ve been up in the clouds with grand opera; now get down to earth with us in a shindig of grand ole opry!”

With those words in 1927, George Dewey Hay—known to listeners as “The Solemn Old Judge”—officially christened the show that would become radio’s longest-running musical program.

Grand Ole Opry actually began as The WSM Barn Dance in November of 1925, as a one-hour showcase for rural music. By the 1930s, the show had expanded to four hours and station WSM/Nashville had expanded to 50,000 watts, making the show a Saturday night musical tradition in nearly 30 states. In 1939, the Grand Ole Opry began an affiliation with NBC that lasted until 1957.

Many country music legends debuted and became regulars on Grand Ole Opry, including singers Ernest Tubb, Hank Williams and Patsy Cline and comedians Minnie Pearl and Archie Campbell. Pearl, with her trademark greeting of “How-deee!” and a $1.98 price tag dangling from her hat, was an Opry regular for over 50 years.

Grand Ole Opry is still heard every week on WSM, presenting the best in country music from the past and present.
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The Grand Ole Opry Museum is located at Opry Mills, adjacent to the Grand Ole Opry House in Nashville, Tennessee. Visitors to the Museum will see hundreds of artifact related to the Opry and its many stars. Visitors will see the Steamboat whistle used by Judge Hay to start each Opry Show, along with Minnie Pearls hat with the dangling $1.98 price tag along with Roy Acuff’s yoyo’s and fiddles. You will even get a look at the purple race car driven by Marty Robbins along with the spangled nudie suits worn by Little Jimmy Dickens. Admission to the Grand Ole Opry Museum is Free.

The Grand Ole Opry Museum is an outstanding museum and a must see for any country music fan.

Theme: Cultural History Street Address: 2804 Opryland Dr. Nashville, TN 37214 Gift Shop: yes Hours of Operation: Daily from 9:00 a.m. - 5:00 p.m. Cost: 18.00 (listed in local currency) Museum Size: Small Food Court: Not Listed Relevant Web Site: Not listed

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Date Logged Log User Rating   08/26/2011 gob1g10 visited it 09/28/2004 tgoodrum visited it 09/07/2000 KDubs visited it

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