Old Crow Medicine Show Invited to be Grand Ole Opry Members
For the first time in the last half decade, the Grand Ole Opry is poised to induct a traditionally-leaning country music act into its distinct and coveted roster of permanent members. Opry member Marty Stuart surprised Old Crow Medicine Show at their show at the Ohio Theater in Cleveland tonight (8-16) with an invitation to join the storied institution during Old Crow’s scheduled performance. Their induction will take place September 17th.
Formed in 1998, Old Crow Medicine Show’s history is strongly tied to the Grand Ole Opry and some of its most important members. The band was discovered by Doc Watson’s daughter when busking on the same street Doc Watson used to play in Boone, NC. That led to them participating in the annual MerleFest music festival in the spring of 2000. At MerleFest, a woman from the Opry named Sally Wilson saw the band perform and invited them to participate in outdoor events in the Opry plaza throughout the summer. The band then found favor with Marty Stuart, who took them under his wing as a mentor. Old Crow Medicine Show made their Grand Ole Opry debut in January of 2001 at a Ryman Auditorium show.
In 2004 the band released their breakout album O.C.M.S produced by David Rawlings, and became one of the premiere string band acts in independent country music. With big songs like “Tell It To Me,” and the now gold-certified “Wagon Wheel,” Old Crow Medicine Show was one of the first string band acts to find fans outside of traditional country circles. “Wagon Wheel” has gone on to become a #1 hit for Darius Rucker, and Old Crow Medicine Show is often named as a precursor and major influence to bands like Mumford & Sons and The Lumineers that have brought massive commercial success to the string band concept.
The Opry’s Old Crow invitation ends a string of invitations and inductions of present-day country pop stars that have angered some traditionalist fans. Rascal Flatts, Keith Urban, and Darius Rucker were the Opry’s last three inductees. The last traditional country star to be inducted was Charlie Daniels in 2008. With this move, the Opry appears to be recognizing Old Crow’s influence, their recent success, and their ability to bridge differences in taste with their enthusiastic and creatively deft show.
August 17, 2013 @ 12:16 am
Great article but I think it was Doc Watson’s daughter, not Doc Boggs.
August 17, 2013 @ 8:27 am
Sorry, brain can get sketchy at 1 AM. Apparently I am still human.
August 27, 2013 @ 8:05 am
and a prick…
August 17, 2013 @ 12:42 am
right on,good for them.
August 17, 2013 @ 3:06 am
It just shows what a bunch of douche bags the Opry is. The fact that they put Old Crow in AFTER Rucker, like an afterthought. “Oh my, he didn’t write that wagon wheel song?” Fuck them. Old Crow should have boycotted.
August 17, 2013 @ 8:31 am
I don’t see any correlation between the Rucker induction and Old Crow Medicine Show. I really don’t. This was not because of Wagon Wheel or because of Rucker. I believe it is because Old Corw Medicine Show has a long history with the Opry and deserves the induction. Christ, can we not be happy anymore when good things happen to good country music? I’ve had my mild criticisms of Old Crow over the years, and you won’t find any harsher critic of the Opry than Saving Country Music. But dammit, this is a step in the right direction, so let’s be happy, if only for the moment.
August 17, 2013 @ 12:49 pm
I was there for the Rascal Flatts induction and I really do not see how they are considered country. We still don’t have Hank Sr. in the Grand Ole Opry. We need to get away from Nash POP and get back to real hard hitting country like Marty said. Only true country artists should be inducted into it. Just because a song is played on country radio doesn’t make it country. They only play most of the music on country radio because is isn’t pop rock enough to be played on Top 40 radio.
August 17, 2013 @ 8:01 pm
Whole heartedly agreed! I’m not a huge fan of OCMS but I would contentedly listen to them over the crap they pipe/hype on FM pop cuntry radio. GREAT NEWS!
August 18, 2013 @ 5:38 am
Sorry, just a knee jerk reaction from living here in the belly of the beast. I guess time will tell if they are headed in the right direction.
August 17, 2013 @ 9:54 am
To be fair OCMS didn’t really write Wagon Wheel either
August 17, 2013 @ 12:22 pm
And Willie Nelson only wrote half of “Red Headed Stranger.” I’ve criticized OCMS myself for semi ripping off Dylan, and for using put-on Southern inflected voices in some of their singing. But this is a much better choice than Taylor Swift or Luke Bryan or Jason Aldean or God forbid who else the Opry could’ve chosen. Of course there’s other people more worthy of this distinction than OCMS, but there’s also a lot that could have been much worse. This is a victory for the good guys.
August 17, 2013 @ 1:26 pm
Absolutely. OCMS is a whole lot more deserving than a lot of the recent inductees
August 17, 2013 @ 4:41 pm
Hey Trigger,
I noticed you comment on OCMS’s “put-on Southern inflected voices” on past articles about them. I was wondering where specifically they do that? I know Willie Watson has a very unique twang in his singing, but he has been pretty cosistent with that sound throughout their career and even in his solo work. I was just wondering about it thats all.
Love OCMS, glad they are getting this kind of attention. Hope this is a first of many better moves that the Opry and other Nashville groups make. This has been delightful news today.
Thanks for the post Trig.
August 17, 2013 @ 11:36 pm
You hear it in certain songs. It is not that the singing is bad or even inappropriate to the songs. It’s just that I prefer for folks to sing with the voice God gave them, and sometimes they sing trying to sound especially old, Southern, or poor.
August 19, 2013 @ 1:57 pm
Hey Trigger,
If you are referencing the song, “Red Headed Stranger,” Willie Nelson did not write half of that. Carl Stutz and Edith Lindeman wrote “Red Headed Stranger,” which was recorded many years beforehand by Eddy Arnold.
August 19, 2013 @ 2:06 pm
While Bob Dylan did write the chorus and the melody of Wagon Wheel, it was thrown away as an unused song and outtake. Ketch Secor of OCMS heard it, wrote verses, and actually made it a complete song. So I think he deserves a lot more credit, because without him, the song would have never really been heard.
August 20, 2013 @ 10:16 am
Wagon wheel is 223 words (not counting repeated choruses) and Bob dylan wrote a grand total of 8 of them, granted they are the hook; but Old Crow took an unrecorded hook, and turned it into a great song, and they paid Dylan for it anyway (not like he needs the money)
granted, I get sick of the song some times, but I have always found this criticism of it spurious.
August 20, 2013 @ 10:10 am
Darius Rucker was inducted before he covered Wagon Wheel.
August 20, 2013 @ 10:29 am
Good point.
August 17, 2013 @ 6:27 am
I’m happy that the powers that be of the Grand Ole Opry have cleared their minds and chosen a band that truly deserves to be a member of the “club”. I am concerned going forward though because the pool of current possible inductees is very murky. The day that someone like Luke Bryan or Taylor Swift would even be considered ( I think I just threw up in my mouth a little bit just thinking that) would be a day that lightning would strike the Ryman and the Opry Theater at Opryland. There are still many talented artists from days gone by that are deserving of an invitation. I know they need to find artists to carry the tradition forward, then they should look to Kellie Pickler.
August 17, 2013 @ 11:40 pm
I think two really sensible picks that could keep all parties happy, and two names that deserve it would be Kellie Pickler and Elizabeth Cook. Let’s also point out it has been a pretty good while since they inducted a female.
August 18, 2013 @ 6:41 am
I agree Trigger, Elizabeth Cook would also be a great choice. They have been neglecting the women of late. For some reason I have a feeling that Miranda’s name may be in the mix soon. Especially since her husband is a member now.
August 17, 2013 @ 6:28 am
Im glad to see OCMS get in. Definitely shocked. Darius Rucker & Rascall Flatts were inducted within 3-4 years of Charlie Daniels’ induction. Hard to take the Opry serious anymore.
August 17, 2013 @ 7:37 am
Looks like Darius Rucker is a gateway to the Opry. Good for OCMS! The Opry might not mean much to us folks that keep score, but is does result in record sales.
August 17, 2013 @ 8:40 am
This is awesome news. I’m so happy for OCMS!
August 17, 2013 @ 9:26 am
Good choice!
Aren’t the Oak Ridge Boys more traditional or are you only referring to solo acts? The Oaks became members in 2011.
August 17, 2013 @ 9:28 am
I was there for the show last night front and center. It was really cool to see their reactions, they seem genuinely appreciative and humbled by the moment. Of course, the show was fantastic. I had never seen them before, and they are quite the spectacle live.
If you click on my name, you can be put through to my blog, I have a video of the invitation and a few pictures on there.
August 17, 2013 @ 12:25 pm
Thanks for sharing Josh!
Here’s the blog folks: http://www.keepitcountrykids.blogspot.com/2013/08/old-crow-medicine-show-invited-to-join.html
August 18, 2013 @ 2:31 pm
Saw Willie the only time I went. It was at Opryland and it was his first time in years. The Opry really is special, despite their huge flaws. Namely: no Hank Sr, ignoring Willie, and waiting until 2008 for Charlie Daniels. No member can hold any of their jocks.
August 19, 2013 @ 7:23 am
Absolute Greatness ! Thrills me to death.Everything else aside. this is a GOOD thing. My opry induction wet dream would be semi frequent guest Dale Watson but most likely a pipe dream. So I’ll take it and be happy about it. Congrats boys well deserved.
August 19, 2013 @ 9:02 am
Congrats to the OCMS, but I think this is just part of the new trend that the Opry has aquired. It seems before the 2000’s an artist had to pay their dues and have a lengthy career before becoming a member, oh and being a country artist too. Rascall Flats, Darius Rucker, Carrie Underwood what the fuck? Apparently its who you know and not what you know, it’s just a matter of time before the vets are no longer welcome to perform and just like country radio will consist of 100% pop garbage.
August 23, 2013 @ 5:00 am
Old time string band Old Crow Medicine Show were taken by surprise last Friday night at The Ohio Theatre at PlayhouseSquare in Cleveland, OH when they were invited to become members of the Grand Ole Opry. They will formally be inducted into the Opry on Tuesday, September 17th.
Source:http://www.nashville.com/music/2013/08/old-crow-medicine-show-invited-to-join-the-opry/