Saturday night at the brand new Grand Ole Opry house where President The Grand Ole Opry ixon attended and even played at the grand opening; be- low Roy Acuff, a 37-year veteran of Ain't Po' No MO' the Opry takes a last look from the stage "The old may turned off the radio of Ryman Audi- and said torium, where the final performance 'Where did all the old songs go?' —"What is Truth" by Johnny Cash was given Friday. Copyright 2969 by HALM of Oath, 111c. Photos by Ken PeiL —The weahinstoa Post "Come and lay down by my side Till the early morning light. door had to pack its own picnic lunch. All I'rn asking i3 your time. But they got by, the song continued, by patching the cracks of their shack Help me make it through the with love. night." Winding up, Anderson leaned to- —"Hein Me Make I. Through the Night by Eris KrIstofferson, ward the microphone. "Everybody C.opyrIght 1970 by Combine Music Corp. here tonight is pa' folks," he told the VIP audience. The crowd wabooed By Jeannette Smyth and applauded. NASHVIIIt Whisperin' Bill An- In Oshkosh B'Gosh Overalls or mink derson and his band, The Po' Boys, stoles, "pa" is a state of mind. stepped out on the stage for some pickin' and singin' Saturday night A down-home President Nixon was "He came here claiming he was a to arrive later on to play the piano, po' boy," Roy Acuff, the King of spin Acuff's trademark yo-yo, tell Country music, told the crowd jam- some pretty good jokes. Meanwhile, ming the brand-new, red-swagged $15 four governors, including Alabama's million Grand Ole Opry House. "But George Wallace, two senators, 13 con- I don't think so." gressmen, Nashville's insurance mil- lionaires who own the Grand Ole Opry It's been a long time since either and its new $28-million Opryland Whisperin' Bill or most of the 4,400 amusement park, were among the in- opening night audience were poor vited guests opening night, along with folks. Country music is big business "virtually every known candidate for and, for many, good politics. governor of Tennessee," as one of the "There's a whole lot of people look- millionaires put it. ing down their noses at me," sang In the balcony sat the fans who'd Whisperin' Bill Anderson. He sang a brought tickets months ago: a denim song about poor folks living in a rich Mafia of freaky fans, blue-collar cou- folks' world, about being so poor ples in slacks on bus tours, knit-suit- when he grew up that the wolf at the ed young men and their bouffanted day. sates, people who work and vote and They like Lawrence Welk. buy $350 million worth of country They like to travel. They have visited records every year. Niagara Falls and Glacier National Park in Jasper, Canada, in their cam- Wallace and his wife, Cornelia (who ier trailer. They came to Opryland on sang with Roy Acuff in the late a bus tour from their home in Sheboy- 1950s), held court in front row seats, gan, Wisc. he in a powder (blue knit suit and yel- About the President's Nashville visit, low shirt, she in lime green feathers. Leroy, who works in a paint-sprayer "I just love you to death, Governor factory, says, "I think he's trying to Wallace," one of the women with In- get back to the people. He's trying to stamatics said. "Can I kiss you?" get back something that's wrong, that the people think he's wrong. I still "I want to shake hands with the think he's wrong." next President of the United States," Howard Thomas, a logger from a fat man said. Greensboro, Ga., declared he'd voted The ancient Crook Brothers, who Republican since 1942. "I've never started out with the Opry in 1925, are voted Democratic. The Democrats have warming up the audience. They dedi- never run anything but what we con- cate their harmonica-fiddle-piano-gui- sider white trash for President." tar instrumental "Amazing Grace" to "He's got more character than any- Wallace. body I've ever seen, said Betty Jo ebb, on the same bus tour as the See ()PRY, B2, Col. 1 Thomases. "Im just a little old Geor- gia girl but that's what I think. I think it's tacky to attack the President of the United States." The President is yo-yoing. The pretty young thing in the usher outfit says glowingly, "God, he's human isn't OPRY, From B/ het" Later, with President Nixon sitting In a box, stage left, the fat comedian It is late Friday night, getting on to Jerry Glower, in a yellow suit, said Saturday morning, and the Grand Ole "Folks who used to make fun of me for Opry's last performance in the 84-year- being country — H0000000IEI — I old former tabernacle they've broad- maid. "It's sort of like home to the of cast from for 31 years is coming to a wish they could see me now." In a close. Tonight, the Grand Ole Gospel pointed joke, he added "Governor Time follows the Opry, making a four- (Wallace), if any trouble starts, I'm on hour marathon into a six or seven-hour one. your side." The American flag at stage right is Country music became a potent cul- spotlighted. The Oprty audience-3,000 tural force In America when radio be- people who visit the Coke stand in the gan in 1920. Radio has made a Mc- hack, or step outside the old fire trap Luhanesque global village of a widely for a cigarette when the Victorian scattered rural population which has pews begin to press the flesh too been listening to the Grand Ole Opry sternly—is a quiet one. Sometimes for three generations. they clap a little to the bluegrass Some 35 million people listen to rhythm. Sometimes they sing along softly. country music. Ninety per cent of it is They are recorded in Nashville, where four ma- tired; the average Opry fan drives 400 or 500 miles to Nashville jor and 18 independent recording stud- from Ohio, Indiana, Illinois and Texas. have the corner on the multi-mil- ios The Rev. Jimmy Snow is jumping. lion-dollar market. many of you would like to go The culture and values which coun- back to the simple things," he shouts. try music represents are broadcast at "Do you want to go back to the sim- Might over 12 "clear" radio channels to plicity of the gospel?" nearly 60 per cent of the United States Behind him on the stage are Johnny land area. WSM-radio, founded in 1925 Cash, Johnnys wife, June Carter Cash, by Nashville's National Life and Acci- her mother, Maybelle Carter, scores of .41.41,ent ,.. Insurance Co., broadcasts on gospel singers including Hank Snow, channel 650 with a powerful 50,- "Pastor Jimmy's" father, glittering in a 400 watt beam. The station is seeking sequinned rose satin suit and toupee. 'permission from the Federal Commu- Johnny Cash is scratching his chin. • nications Commission to quadruple Pastor Jimmy asks the audience to that wattage. stand up for Jesus and for America. Some do. "Say it with me out loud, and • Leroy and Ethel DeStnith vote the mean it," says Pastor Jimmy. "Be sin- Democratic ticket, and they would cere. 'Jesus, I am a sinner.' Let me have voted for McGovern in the last hear you say it. I cannot say it myself. election if something hadn't prevented 'I stand in your presence to come into them from getting to the polls that your heart.' " The crowd murmurs. tion that the Ryman was ending as it "Can I hear you say it nice and loud?' began—with evangelism. It was built. says Pastor Jimmy softly. "I love you, starting in 1889, by a formerly wicked Jesus." Cumberland River boat captain named The evening had started at 7 p.m. Tom Ryman, who had been converted Friday with the Grand Ole Opry stars by a Georgia preachers tent-meeting singin' and pickin', with breaks in the sermon on motherhood and wanted to entertainment for veteran announcer build the evangelist a tabernacle. Grant Turner to read advertisements A "Confederate Balcony" was added for Odom Sausage, Kroger Stores, In 1897 for a confederate soldiers reun- Schlitz and Beechnut Chewing To- ion. A stage was built over the pulpit bacco, the sponsors who buy each half- at the turn of the century, a stage on hour of time. Some stars have been which the touring Nijinsky, Caruso, sponsored by the same company for so Billy Sunday, Carrie Nation, Tyrone many years they put the name on their Power, Doris Day and Alma Gluck ap- stationery — "Very sincerely, Lester peared over the years. After four Flatt, Sponsored by Martha White moves in 14 years to accommodate an Foods Inc." ever-burgeoning audience, the Grand Hundreds of fans were turned away Ole Opry moved to the Ryman Audito- and some stood in the rain outside rium in 1943. When WSM bought the leaning through the old Gothic win- dows to see the show. Ryman in 1963, they changed its name Herbert Hinkle, a dour Mothofce- to the Grand Ole Opry House. nica, W. Va., livestocu farmer, drove 12 It is listed in the National Register of Historic Places, but WSM president hours to visit the Opry for the first Irving Waugh caused a minor furor time.