Steve Wariner celebrates 20 years as Grand Ole Opry Member

Grand Ole Opry Vice President and General Manager Pete Fisher (l) presents country music legend Steve Wariner (r) with a plaque commemorating his 20th anniversary as an Opry member after his performance. Credit: Chris Hollo/Hollo Photographics for the Grand Ole Opry.

This past Saturday (May 14), four-time GRAMMY and CMA Award winner Steve Wariner celebrated his 20th anniversary as a member of the Grand Ole Opry. Pete Fisher, Grand Ole Opry Vice President and General Manager, presented Wariner with a special plaque during the singer/songwriter’s performance. Country Music Hall of Fame member Bill Anderson, who inducted Wariner into the Grand Ole Opry 20 years ago, also was on hand to pay tribute to his longtime friend.

“Wow! I can't believe I've been an Opry member for 20 years,” said Wariner. “It's still one of the greatest honors of my career. I remember my first time on the Opry in 1973 as a member of Dottie West's band back at the Ryman as if it was just yesterday.  It seemed like an impossible dream back then that I would be asked to join…but it happened a few years later! Dreams can come true. Glad to call the Grand Ole Opry my home!"

Earlier in the evening, the Opry threw a backstage party for the ACM Award winner, complete with a special cake decorated with an illustration of Wariner’s red telecaster guitar.

The country music legend is currently in the studio working on a new album to be released later this year.  His next concert performance will be at City Winery in Nashville on June 11 at 8:00 PM during CMA Music Festival. The show will be filmed for a future project. Tickets can be purchased at https://t.e2ma.net/click/gm3ps/s73h3d/ge5tyh.

The Kentucky native, Steve Wariner, has achieved 14 No. 1 songs and more than 30 Top Ten hits, including such classics as “Holes in the Floor of Heaven,” “Life’s Highway,” “The Weekend,” “I’m Already Taken,” “I Got Dreams,” “Small Town Girl,” “Two Teardrops,” “Some Fools Never Learn,” “Lynda,” and more. An award-winning songwriter, Wariner has also composed songs for Clint Black (“Nothin’ But the Taillights”), Garth Brooks (“Longneck Bottle”), Bryan White (“One Small Miracle”), and Keith Urban (“Where the Blacktop Ends”), as well as artists such as Country Music Hall of Fame members Alabama, Kenny Rogers, The Statler Brothers, Conway Twitty, and Don Williams; pop music icon Peter Tork (of The Monkees); R&B singer Ruben Studdard; bluegrass music’s Del McCoury Band, and many more. Revered for his guitar talent, he was given the rare status of C.G. P. (Certified Guitar Player) by his mentor Chet Atkins. He is also a member of the Kentucky Music Hall of Fame.  For more information, visit www.SteveWariner.com.

Remembering a Kentucky country music pioneer

Velma Williams Smith

Often times in country music, we only think of legendary singers and not much on the musicians, especially with females.  One of those legendary performers was Velma Williams Smith.  She was born in 1927 and raised at Epley Station in Logan County, Kentucky.

Bill Monroe discovered Velma and her sister, Mildred, in 1941 when they appeared on WHOP out of Hopkinsville.  They were invited to play on the Grand Ole Opry and soon Velma began playing in the bands with Ernest Tubb, Carl Smith, Porter Waggoner, and Roy Acuff.  She was the first female to play a solo on the portion of the Grand Ole Opry broadcast nationally on NBC radio network.

During 1950s through the 1970s, Velma Williams Smith was the only female member of the RCA Studio B "A-Team" of studio musicians.  She would play the guitar licks on albums for fellow Kentuckian, Skeeter Davis ("The End of the World"), as well as Eddy Arnold ("Make the World Go Away"), Willie Nelson, Waylon Jennings, Hank Snow, Jim Reeves, Dottie West, and more.  She played on Hank Locklin's hit, "Please Help Me, I'm Falling," that landed number one on the Billboard country singles chart for 14 weeks.  According to the Musicians Hall of Fame, she was the first female rhythm guitar player to play on records cut in Nashville.

The late Patsy Cline recorded one of Smith's songs, "Shoes," that was co-written with Hank Cochran.

In 2014, Velma was inducted into the Musician's Hall of Fame in Nashville alongside Barbara Mandrell, Jimmy Capps, Peter Frampton, Randy Bachman, Stevie Ray Vaughn, Buddy Guy, Will Lee, Mike Curb and Roy Orbison. Now that is some pretty good company to be inducted with.

Velma Williams Smith passed away in 2014 at the age of 87 in Madison, Tennessee.

Partnering for a Cure

Sometimes the smallest things can bring back a good memory or push you to do something for someone.  I recently got married and in the process of moving things over to my husband's house, I came across one particular guitar that I've hung onto for several years.  It isn't just any ordinary guitar.  Instead, it is one worth thousands, of dollars turned into a search for a cancer cure.  This simple black guitar was full of autographs from both new acts and legendary artists in the field of country music.  WFKY hosted its first St. Jude Children's Research Hospital radio-thon and those that pledged to become a Partner in Hope were put into a drawing.  During their St. Jude Acoustic Jam, the guitar was given away.  Needless to say, I was extremely surprise to have won it.  I made sure to keep it in a special place so it wouldn't get damaged.

As I opened up the case, I began thinking about those here in my hometown that have lost loved ones to cancer.  In the last year, our high schools lost several teens due to cancer.  This was unheard of really when I was walking through those same halls many years ago.  Then I sit and recall hearing the news that one of my nephews had a classmate that was diagnosed with leukemia.  I went to high school with his mom.  Seeing and hearing her stories of how cancer doesn't just affect the patient, but it affects the whole family and close friends around them.  My high school friend has had to make sacrifices from working any hours that she can, on top of household chores, running errands, paying bills, things that we consider "normal" alongside going to doctor visits and caring for her other son.  Her son still faces more treatments, more blood draws, more tests, and other obstacles.  However, thankfully with St. Jude Children's Research Hospital, they share their research with other hospitals, including University of Kentucky.  There is still hope for a cure and better treatments than before.

Today, WFKY is hosting their annual St. Jude Children's Research Hospital radio-thon.  Please consider donating to help find a cure for a multitude of childhood cancers and illnesses.  The research they do is shared with hospitals around the United States, including ones here in Kentucky.  Furthermore, patients that are at St. Jude don't have to worry about paying for their medical care there.  Here is the link if you would like to donate today.