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The Grand Ole Opry: The Making of an American Icon
Author(s): Colin Escott (Author), Vince Gill (Contributor)
- Publisher: Center Street
- Publication Date: November 1, 2006
- Language: English
- Print length: 272 pages
- ISBN-10: 1931722862
- ISBN-13: 9781931722865
Book Description
This official guide chronicles the story of the birthplace of country music as told by the people who were there. Escott presents the official inside history of the home of country music, offering fans an exclusive look into the heart and soul of country music. Full color, and packed with photos from the Opry Archives covering 80 years of history.
Editorial Reviews
From Booklist
Escott’s overview of the long-running -Saturday-night performance showcase takes the form of oral history. The preponderance of the text consists of statements by Grand Ole Opry producers, sponsors, and stars, with the older comments drawn from old books and newspaper stories and the newer from Escott’s interviews. Chronology, from the 1925 first broadcast–an hour of fiddling by 77-year-old Uncle Jimmy Thompson–to last year’s star-smothered eightieth anniversary show, is strictly observed, and the program’s development from being open to any musicians who showed up to being a series of discretely sponsored segments to being a flagship surrounded by satellite shows on Friday and the wee hours of Sunday to its present telecast presentation is clearly traced. That it was the brainchild of an insurance executive, and that some of country’s biggest names haven’t been and aren’t members of the permanent ensemble (why they’re not is never addressed), may surprise many. With decade-by-decade lists of the Opry‘s members and scads of performance photos, it’s a honey of a book for every American library. Ray Olson
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved
About the Author
Colin Escott lives near Nashville, Tennessee.
