I had the opportunity to visit with Sonya Isaacs prior to her and her family entertaining and inspiring the congregation at our Church By The Lake on July 5th. Larry Gatlin will visit us on September 27th. It’s free, and all are invited.
Jamey Johnson and I have been friends, fellow Opry artists, and songwriting buddies since his earliest days in Nashville, and it was fun to help him celebrate his 51st birthday onstage July 14th. Someone told me later that he called it, “my favorite night ever at the Opry.”
I couldn’t get the grin off my face during the Sony-BMI breakfast when I was presented with 12 Millionaire Awards, signifying twelve of my songs having been publicly performed over a million times each. What a great way to start the day, and the food was pretty darned good too! Left to right on stage were BMI reps Mason Hunter, Clay Bradley, and Leslie Roberts.
There’s nothing quite like the feeling of walking onto that Grand Ole Opry stage and welcoming the crowd to our portion of the show….even after having done it for 65-years! After a few songs, including a duet with Mary Lou Turner, Lorrie Morgan came onstage and, on behalf of the Opry, presented me with a beautiful gold ring with diamond and blue sapphire inserts, the symbol of 65-years of togetherness. It was a serious and special moment, but Lorrie and I got to cutting up and laughing about my putting the ring on her finger instead of mine. Before the night was over, fans were telling us we should work up a full comedy routine and take it on the road! Lorrie is one of my favorite people and dearest friends.
photos by Chris Hallo, Opry staff photographer.
When the show was over, about 300 of my closest friends, fans, and family members gathered in Studio A behind the Opry stage for the cutting of my 65th anniversary cake and some down-home visiting. I greeted everyone, telling them how thankful I was that they were there, then welcomed eight members of my family (L to R) : Granddaughter Greta, Granddaughter Rachel, Daughter Terri, Granddaughter Sophie, Son Jamey, Grandson Gabe, Daughter-In-Law Beth, and Daughter Jenni. My behind-the-scenes family, who took care of so many celebration details, was there too: (L. to R.) Publicist Rachael Nichols, Publicist Scott Adkins, Manager Lee Willard, and Webmaster Stephanie Orr-Buttrey, without whom so much planning and organizing would not have gotten done. And, last but not least, the night provided a reunion of three ladies who have combined to work in my office for a total of close to 65 years themselves (L. to R.): my current Administrative Assistant, Judy Price, and former Assistants Cathy Allen (formerly Cox) and Kathy Gaddy. What a night it was…I can’t wait to do it again in 65 more years!!!
