Sturgill Simpson on Playing The Grand Ole Opry
Tomorrow night (Friday 8/23), up-and-coming country music star Sturgill Simpson will be making his debut on the hallowed Grand Ole Opry stage. Introducing him will be Marty Stuart, who says about the event, “Walking out onto the stage of the Grand Ole Opry for the first time is a milestone in any artist’s career. I’ll be cheering for Sturgill Simpson when he makes his debut…have no doubt that it will be a memorable night. I’ll pass along the same words to him that Minnie Pearl often said to new artists before their first appearance on the Opry: ‘Just go out there and love them, and they’ll love you back.'”
But Sturgill’s Opry debut may have an even greater personal significance. To explain, here is Sturgill Simpson on his Opry debut, in his own words.
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I credit my 82 yr. old Grandfather Dood Fraley more than anyone on Earth for, among many other things, my musical education. He’s the greatest man I’ve ever known…Period.
He used to sit me on the couch next to him when I was a child and make me watch Hee-Haw and TNN and tell me which performers were good and which ones were a joke or just holding the guitar as a prop. He spent his entire childhood growing up in Eastern Kentucky so poor it can’t be put into words. They had one radio in the coal camp that every one would gather around every Saturday night and listen to The Grand Ole Opry. He always talked about how The Opry was like magic coming out of that box. I know what it feels like hearing Bill Monroe for the first time on a cd player but it’s tough to imagine what it must have been like hearing that voice blast out of a radio in the 40’s as a nine year old boy. Anyway, he’s been really sick lately so when I got the news he was the first person I called…his words summed it up better than I ever could.
He told me, “That’s it bud..that’s the biggest honor in Country music..that’s what you’ve been working so hard for all these years whether you knew it or not. If you never sing or record another note, you ain’t gotta prove nothing else to nobody after that. Don’t worry about what they’re doing now, just go do it your way and I’ll be right there with ya.”
I made my album for him and no one else and it got me “here”…It aint much but “here” is a place I can go to sleep at night feeling pretty ok with. There is really nothing I can say that captures how proud I feel knowing he lived to see this and that he’ll be standing backstage watching his grandson step into that circle just like every single damn one of the heroes he raised me on has before me. There’s not a whole hell of a lot in this world I take seriously, least of all myself. But this I do,..The Opry is a living testament to the heritage of American Country Music and that’s about as serious as anything can be.
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You can listen to Sturgill Simpson’s Opry debut on WSM Online between 7 PM and 9:15 PM Central Friday (8-23).
Purchase Sturgill’s latest album High Top Mountain.
UPDATE (8/23): Sturgill played “Water I A Well” and “Life Ain’t Fair & The World Is Mean” on the Opry. For those that missed it, it will be archived in about a week or so here: http://www.wsmonline.com/watch-listen/opry/
Here’s a few pictures:
Picture from backstage:
Sturgill Simpson Tour Dates:
Sept. 1 – Rosemary Beach – Rosemary Beach, FL
Sept. 4 – The Altamont – Asheville, NC
Sept. 5 – Scenic City Roots – Chattanooga, TN
Sept. 6 – The New Vintage – Louisville
Sept. 7 – Barley’s Tap Room – Knoxville, TN
Sept. 8 – Eddie’s Attic – Atlanta
Sept. 9 – Georgia Theatre, Rooftop Series – Athens, GA
Sept. 11 – The Evening Muse – Charlotte
Sept. 12 – The Pour House Music Hall – Raleigh, NC
Sept. 19 – Americana Music Festival – Nashville
Sept. 21 – The Groove – Nashville
Sept. 26 – Red Dirt Dance Hall – Tulsa, OK
Sept. 27 – Wormy Dog Saloon – Oklahoma City
Sept. 28 – The Foundry – Dallas
Oct. 1 – The Western – Scottsdale, AZ
Oct. 3 – The Griffin – San Diego
Oct. 3 – The Hotel Cafe – Los Angeles
Oct. 5 – Hardly Strictly Bluegrass Festival – San Francisco
Oct. 30 – Music City Roots – Nashville
August 22, 2013 @ 5:52 pm
No doubt that everyone in attendance will get a treat tomorrow night. It’s fitting that Marty Stuart will be introducing him. I can’t think of anyone better.
August 22, 2013 @ 6:14 pm
I’ll be listening and supporting Sturgill along the way. He’s by far my favorite current artist in country music right now and I’m happy to see him going in such an amazing direction. Thank you, Trigger, for introducing me to his music. Cheers.
August 22, 2013 @ 6:26 pm
That’s a powerful statement, and powerful music.
August 22, 2013 @ 6:58 pm
Great stuff!! I’d like to meet Sturgill one of these days. Hard to top this guy right now. In my opinion one of the best out there is quite a few years..
August 22, 2013 @ 7:31 pm
This guy is outstanding and everytime I read a quote from him he seems so real… as much as I don’t respect the opry these days I am still happy for him.
August 22, 2013 @ 8:01 pm
Good for you Sturgill, give ’em Hell, buddy!
August 22, 2013 @ 9:48 pm
Good job! Maybe you could put some sense into the ears of pop country fans. I have to listen to pop country crap at work all the time, and now the people at work are getting into Colt 4. I can’t stand that SOB. Give em Hell with that tried and true outlaw sound! maybe all of Nashville will listen and realize that real country is still there. Pop country stars are fake they are nothing but Nashville puppets using their guitar as a ‘prop’. God I hate pop country with a passion. The only modern signer out there any who sings about agriculture and issues with the government and means it is John Mellencamp and he isn’t even country. Check out Rain on the Scarecrow. That song kicks every pop country songs’ ass by a long shot in my opinion. Hell Mellencamp was even in the FFA! He was born in a town called Seymore, IN. not too far from were I live.
July 15, 2014 @ 12:43 pm
scarecrow was like 1984. hardly “modern singer” Jesus man there’s a lot of great music out there. why spend so much time hating on crap when you can love the good stuff. the inter webs have many options
August 23, 2013 @ 4:00 am
Glad to see this and especially the Marty introduction. Hopefully he’ll be back regularly while FGL is a ‘where are they now’. Please Sturgill come up to the NYC area on a tour!
August 23, 2013 @ 5:46 am
I just went to his website and had a listen. Very nice voice. His water in the well song is fantastic. I wish it was on the radio, easily one of the best songs I’ve heard in a while. I know some people compare his voice to Waylon’s and I can see why. He should blow away the crowd tonight.
August 23, 2013 @ 6:22 am
Some good news, thanks a lot.
August 23, 2013 @ 6:41 am
Outstanding news !
I’m sure he will knock ’em dead !
August 23, 2013 @ 8:52 am
He’s also playing at Hardly Strictly bluegrass. with Patty Griffin, Robert Earl Keen, Devil Makes Three, Vince Gill, Bonnie Raitt.
http://www.jambands.com/news/2013/08/21/hardly-strictly-bluegrass-festival-confirms-additional-acts
Hopefully things will keep picking up.
August 23, 2013 @ 12:29 pm
How do these Opry gigs work? Does Sturgill and his band get to play a set or do they just call him onto stage to play a song or two with the house band?
If it is a real gig I may make the time to try and tune in.
August 23, 2013 @ 1:20 pm
He will get two songs with likely his other guitarist and the opry band.
Most times on the opry each person gets two songs only time its deferent is some older acts like Jean Sheapard do 1 song and some big names like Trace Adkins, Charlie Daniels, OCMS might get 3 songs.
August 23, 2013 @ 2:13 pm
This is awesome for real country music! I’m happy for him.
August 23, 2013 @ 4:15 pm
Sturgill killed at by Gram InterNational a couple years ago; unfortunately he can’t make it this year as he’ll be somewhere else on the road, Kentucky I believe.
August 23, 2013 @ 5:22 pm
Sturgill Simpson just finished his set and it was great. his voice is so smooth. This young man could be bound for greatness if those nashville pop anti-christ of country music idiots will give him a chance. He is hands down better than FGL, Aldean,church, Bryan, hayes.. any of the current males. You can really relate to him… not in the way country girls relate to luke bryan.. I mean half of bryan’s songs are far from what happens in life. This Sturgill kid gets it. I’m officially sold.
August 23, 2013 @ 5:27 pm
Nice job Sturgill…such an authentic and geniune sound.
August 23, 2013 @ 5:45 pm
I thought Sturgill did an excellent job. For the folks who couldn’t tune in, he played “Water In A Well” and “Life Ain’t Fair and the World Is Mean.” Someone I know 😉 tried to record it but his sound setting were not set right so it sounds like Sturgill is in a submarine. The Opry is pretty notorious for stamping out any unauthorized recordings and re-broadcasts, but if any Opry-sanctioned media from the event surfaces, well post it above.
August 23, 2013 @ 6:41 pm
The show will be archived in about a week or so here:
http://www.wsmonline.com/watch-listen/opry/
August 23, 2013 @ 10:17 pm
What happened to sturgill’s lead guitarist?
August 24, 2013 @ 12:05 am
I’m not sure. I loosely broached the subject about it when I saw Sturgill at Pickathon a couple of weeks ago. I believe he’s got a new player lined up that’s going to be joining the band soon.
August 26, 2013 @ 11:39 am
In the picture taken from backstage, is that Cuzin Kenny Vaughan playing with him? It looks like it is.