Will The Circle Be Unbroken?

November 28, 2023

A Tuesday Newsday Classic Updated

It was called the Golden Age of Radio and one of the best known programs was first produced on November 28, 1925. In fact, that program is still heard every week as a live stream on the internet and is the longest running radio broadcast in US history.

WSM  radio called the program a ‘barn dance.’ The name we all know it by: The Grand Ole Opry.

From the Infallible Wikipedia:

“The phrase ‘Grand Ole Opry’ was first uttered on the air on December 10, 1927.  At the time, Barn Dance followed the NBC Red Network’s Music Appreciation Hour, a program of classical music and selections from grand opera presented by classical conductor Walter Damrosch. On that particular night, Damrosch had remarked that ‘there is no place in the classics for realism.’ In response, Opry presenter George Hay said:

‘Friends, the program which just came to a close was devoted to the classics. Doctor Damrosch told us that there is no place in the classics for realism. However, from here on out for the next three hours, we will present nothing but realism. It will be down to earth for the earthy.’

Hay then introduced DeFord Bailey, the man he had dubbed the ‘Harmonica Wizard’, saying:

‘For the past hour, we have been listening to music taken largely from Grand Opera. From now on, we will present the Grand Ole Opry.’

Bailey then stepped up to the mike to play ‘The Pan-American Blues,’ his song inspired by the Pan-American, a premier L&N Railroad passenger train.”

The Opry’s popularity soared and soon it outgrew its original locale. It moved a half dozen times over the next two decades – to larger and larger facilities – before finding a home in the 3,000 seat Ryman Auditorium in 1943.

Then, in 1956, a new medium entered the equation and once a month, for the next few years, the Opry was broadcast on television. This exposure had the effect of even more people wanting to attend an in-person performance.

In the 1960’s it was determined that the Ryman – old and falling into disrepair – was no longer adequate. Additionally, Nashville’s central core suffered from urban decay and the show’s owners made the decision to build a new facility on farmland east of town. The 4,400 seat facility opened in June 1974 and, despite catastrophic flooding of the Cumberland River in May 2010, continues as the home of the Grand Ole Opry.

One interesting thing is that a circle was cut from the floor of the Ryman Theater and installed in the center of the new Opry stage. When our family visited Nashville in March 2013 we toured the facility and stood in the famous ‘circle.’ Later that evening we attended a show which featured Craig Morgan as that night’s main act. I was surprised, however, by the number of long time Opry acts which were still being performed including a ‘Minnie Pearl’ impersonator and also Little Jimmy Dickens who, until he died in 2015, was the oldest Opry member.

One thing I learned when visiting the Grand Ole’ Opry and the Country Music Hall of Fame is that the Opry has a ‘theme’ song. One might assume it would be a twangy sort of tune from the 1930’s. Instead it is a gospel song which was adapted by the Nitty Gritty Dirt Band in 1972. The idea behind it was to honor those Country Singers of previous decades and to bridge the gap from these pioneers to a new generation. “Will the Circle Be Unbroken?” is now a staple of the Grand Ole Opry and sung following the induction of new members into the Opry ranks.

November 28, 2023 – Over the years of writing this blog if I’ve learned one thing, it’s that certain topics seem to rise to the top and coincide with monumental life events. When I posted this on Tuesday, November 28, 2017, it was with the knowledge that my mother was not long for this earth. Two days later she passed, giving personal significance to this song and the concept of the unbroken circle of life.

 A few links:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Grand_Ole_Opry

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_Grand_Ole_Opry_members

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Will_the_Circle_be_Unbroken_(Nitty_Gritty_Dirt_Band_album)