A story that's been brewing for a couple of months, raising the ire of some members of my family. Veteran country singer Stonewall Jackson has filed suit against the Grand Ole Opry with several allegations about reduced appearances at the music shrine based on age, and the artist was also told by Opry management about wanting "no gray hairs on stage or in the audience" and my personal favourite "you're too old and too country" (!!!!)
The bottom line is that the Opry needs to find a balance between the old and the new, both in terms of the artists and also the audience members, but that scenario doesn't seem likely if Opry management is as crass as alleged in the exchanges with Jackson. Count me as one who can't really stand "modern" country music (there are some exceptions to that, Dwight Yoakam especially, but he also was told he was too "old-fashioned" before he got signed), so it seems as if the Opry is finally falling in line with much of the music being produced in Nashville in its aim for a much younger audience. (Didn't we go through this same kind of crappy dilemma with the Urban Cowboy craze?)
Would've been nice to visit the place when I would have more time when I was older, but since that doesn't seem likely to happen now, I guess it's off to CBGB's in Las Vegas for me. Heh.
At any rate, some links for further reading:
BRIEF SUMMARY, CHECK THE EXCELLENT DEKERIVERS COMMENTS ON APRIL 23RD
A BALANCED ARTICLE
THE AP/WASHINGTON TIMES STORY
SOME COMMENTS TO THE AP STORY ON ANOTHER SITE
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