Community Forums

williejo · 04-19-2007, 02:28 PM

We are part of the older set who lived in the country and grew up on country music. No it ain"t for everyone and not the point. For you who are still below 65 just remmber if you are
lucky you will be a grey hair someday. The news from Nashville Grand Ole Opry is that the
manager Peter Fisher has told old star's and opery members that some are to old and he does not want any Gray Hairs on stage OR IN THE AUDIENCE. this was reported in AARP newpaper this week. Well never again will we visit the Opry or Nashville with this kind of person in charge. Just venting and probley not important to many but makes me mad.

williejo · 04-19-2007, 02:28 PM

We are part of the older set who lived in the country and grew up on country music. No it ain"t for everyone and not the point. For you who are still below 65 just remmber if you are
lucky you will be a grey hair someday. The news from Nashville Grand Ole Opry is that the
manager Peter Fisher has told old star's and opery members that some are to old and he does not want any Gray Hairs on stage OR IN THE AUDIENCE. this was reported in AARP newpaper this week. Well never again will we visit the Opry or Nashville with this kind of person in charge. Just venting and probley not important to many but makes me mad.

Don (W5IT) · 04-19-2007, 02:42 PM

Sounds like he wants to move away from the roots it was built on....

Also the "New Country" is noting but "Pop" or "Easy rock". It is not "Traditional" country. I don't listen to the "New" stuff......

williejo · 04-19-2007, 02:57 PM

You sound like my kind of people. The story was about a $20 million lawsuit against the owner and general manager of the opry by Sonewall Jackson as he was told he was too old and too country. He was a darn good singer and age does not change what he did for country music. George Jones and Merle have more music in their little finger than half of what they are turning out today. I guess that why Branson is so popular today . We have gone to Nashville for the Opry as we spent a lot of time in Tenn. Now will find a new dig where they play music not the junk I hear on radio today. See ya on the road.

TXiceman · 04-19-2007, 04:36 PM

<BLOCKQUOTE class="ip-ubbcode-quote"><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-title">quote:</div><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-content">Originally posted by Don (W5IT):
Sounds like he wants to move away from the roots it was built on....

Also the "New Country" is noting but "Pop" or "Easy rock". It is not "Traditional" country. I don't listen to the "New" stuff...... </div></BLOCKQUOTE>

I do not listen to the "new Country". Luckily Houston has a station called "Country Legends" and they play the old standards, Patsy Cline, Wilie, Eddy Arnold, Hank Williams ( and I do not mean JR.), Ernest Tubb, and so on. The music I grew up on.

Ken

RustyJC · 04-20-2007, 03:43 AM

<BLOCKQUOTE class="ip-ubbcode-quote"><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-title">quote:</div><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-content">Originally posted by williejo:
The news from Nashville Grand Ole Opry is that the
manager Peter Fisher has told old star's and opery members that some are to old and he does not want any Gray Hairs on stage OR IN THE AUDIENCE. </div></BLOCKQUOTE>
Yep, we saw that report. Having visited the Opry any number of times in the past, we'll be happy to accommodate Mr. Fisher's wishes in the future - he won't be seeing us or our money!

Rusty

rebelsbeach · 04-20-2007, 03:53 AM

I've searched the AARP site and Googled everything I can think of.

Can someone provide a link?

SideRoads · 04-20-2007, 04:03 AM

Can't figure out if it's a trend or just our generation?

Are our institutions imploding?, NASCAR, OPRY,
wow, next it could be our: schools, postal system, government, banking system, medical institutions, values, culture, freedom!

What next? poisoning of our fish, cats, dogs!!!

I still remember double dip cones for a $.5, gas wars at $.17 a gallon. A loaf of bread at $.20 cents and my mom saying someday, a loaf of bread would be a $1.

Naw!!!!!

Oh, yea, use to sell peanuts on the streets of Savannah $.10 a bag to help buy milk and that cheap loaf of bread for 6 brothers and one sister, while Dad was overseas. Now, I occasionally buy a cup of jumbo boiled peanuts for $4. Insanity!

Where are our heroes, Audie Murphy, John Wayne, Roy Rogers, Smiley Burnette, Gene Autry, Elafago Baca (bet you don't remember that one), Zorro ( oh yea, didn't he go through a messy divorce), Tiptoe'n, through the tulips (wow, survived that one), Who's next, oh, yea some kind of Dog (my favorite new hero, hope someone cleans up after both of them).

Oh, Well, GONE FISHN', I think!

The positive side, is all I have to do is listen to an interview of one of our young troops on the News, on rare occasions. To know, all is not lost, yet!!!!!!!

And, to see each of my four sons serving our country, also, to know all is not lost, yet.

But, things are a changn', faster than I like.

$1 for a loaf of Bread, Naw, not in my lifetime.

Still Trying to figure out how we traveled in our first RV with 4 boys, No cellphone, No laptop, No internet, with canvas water bags on the front of the car (just in case), No Coachnet, No Satellite TV (****, culture shock), No 24 hour news casts ( what did we do for information to survive), Wow, NO DVD player, NO VCR, A trip down memory lane. Did we have AC back then?, NO memory.

RustyJC · 04-20-2007, 04:19 AM

Bob,

Here's a link to Wikipedia that Googled up. You'll find a bunch if you Google "Stonewall Jackson Opry age discrimination". An excerpt from the Wikipedia cite reads:
<BLOCKQUOTE class="ip-ubbcode-quote"><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-title">quote:</div><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-content">In 2006, Jackson sued the Grand Ole Opry for $10 million claiming age discrimination. While being a member of the Opry for over fifty years, Jackson believed that management was sidelining him in favor of younger artists. In his court filing, Jackson claims Opry general manager Pete Fisher stated he didn't "want any gray hairs on that stage or in the audience, and before I'm done there won't be any." Fisher is also alleged to have told Jackson that he was "too old and too country." </div></BLOCKQUOTE>

Rusty

rebelsbeach · 04-20-2007, 04:34 AM

Thanks Rusty....

Toterman (David) · 04-20-2007, 05:32 AM

I guess we will cross Nashville off our stop list. We stopped last summer and took in the Opry. Now its off to Branson !!

David

rebelsbeach · 04-20-2007, 06:38 AM

Not so fast David....

HERE is another "take" on this story and looking further I found even more...

Stonewall Jackson VS. The Opry: Whose Side Are You On?
February 10th, 2007 by Brody Vercher

More news has popped up on the Stonewall Jackson and Opry lawsuit. The article basically reiterates all the complaints that Jackson had a while back and explains the other side of the story.

Jackson's Accusations
Jackson said he approached Fisher on several occasions and was told things like, ˜I don't want any gray hairs on that stage or in the audience, and before I'm done there won't be any' and ˜You're too old and too country.'

Jackson further alleged in his lawsuit that the reduction in appearances violated the Opry's union contract with The American Federation of Television and Radio Artists. He also said it breached a long-standing agreement between the Opry and its stars that in exchange for performing at least 26 times a year _ even during the height of their careers when they could make much more money playing tour dates _ they could always remain an Opry member.

"”"”"”"”"”"”"”"”-

Gaylord's Stance
˜Jackson, like other Opry members, is an independent performer, free to accept or decline offers from the Opry to perform on its stage, free to appear elsewhere at any time, and free to earn whatever compensation he can from whatever source,' Gaylord stated.

Furthermore, the company said Opry members no longer have to perform 26 times a year to maintain their membership, and haven't for a long time.

Like Jackson, Gaylord Entertainment is free to determine the best mix of performers for any given show and is ˜not required to invite Jackson or anyone else to perform at any certain show or for any number of performances,' the company said.

I can see where Jackson would have a problem with the Opry if the allegations he is making are true, but I don't think he has much of case against the Opry. As Matt pointed out a while back, the Opry still has many artists perform that are around the same age as Jackson, so it'll be hard to prove that they were being discriminatory.

Toterman (David) · 04-20-2007, 07:03 AM

My hair is turning pretty Grey, so I guess they don't want me.

David

RustyJC · 04-20-2007, 07:09 AM

As in most of these cases, there are three sides to the story - Jackson's allegation, Gaylord Corp's rebuttal, and the truth. To me, the crux of the matter is Peter Fisher's statement. If he made it as alleged, then the situation is pretty clear. If not, then it's a tempest in a teapot.

Rusty