Larry Gatlin

Larry Gatlin was singing in Las Vegas in 1971 when country great Dottie West discovered the young entertainer, encouraged his career development, and even paid for his plain ticket to Nashville. Dottie would be proud today to look over the resume of the fellow she nurtured nearly four decades ago. That resume includes songwriter (Johnny Cash and Kris Kristofferson, among others, have recorded his songs) hit singer (“Broken Lady,” “I Just Wish You Were Someone I Love,” “Houston,” “All The Gold In California”), actor, author, and quintessential host.

Jim Ed Brown

Jim Ed Brown has the career distinction of topping the charts as a member of a trio, a duo, and as a solo artist. He also has one of the smoothest singing voices ever put on record. One of five children of a struggling Arkansas lumberman and his wife, Jim Ed and family gathered around the family’s battery-powered radio to listen to the Grand Ole Opry on Saturday nights. Inspired by what they heard, Jim Ed and his older sister Maxine would harmonize together. They began appearing on local radio while Jim Ed was still in high school.

By his second year in college, Jim Edward (as he was credited) and Maxine were regulars on the Barnyard Frolic on Little Rock radio station KLRA. Their first hit, “Looking Back to See,” became a No. 8 country hit in 1954. The next year, younger sister Bonnie joined them, and they became the Browns, scoring another Top 10 hit with “Here Today and Gone Tomorrow.” The group signed with RCA in 1956 and quickly notched two Top 5 hits, “I Take the Chance” and “I Heard the Bluebird Sing.” After a two-year stint in the service, Jim Ed joined his sisters again, and in 1959 they hit with the “The Three Bells,” topping the country chart for 10 weeks and the pop charts for four weeks. Follow-up singles “The Old Lamplighter” and “Scarlet Ribbons” were pop-country hits as well.

The Browns joined the Opry in 1963, but by the mid-’60s, Bonnie and Maxine decided to retire. Jim Ed went solo and scored hits throughout the next two decades. His 1966 smash, “Pop a Top,” hit No. 3. Beginning in 1975, Jim Ed co-hosted the syndicated weekly television series Nashville on the Road for six seasons. He also teamed with Helen Cornelius to become one of country music’s most successful duos. The pair topped the charts with “I Don’t Want To Have to Marry You” in 1976, and were named CMA Vocal Duo of the Year in 1977. In 1983, Jim Ed became host of You Can Be a Star, a country music talent search on The Nashville Network. In 1994, he and his wife Becky co-hosted TNN’s travel show Going Our Way.

Today, Jim Ed remains the smooth-voiced crowd pleaser, and from time to time Opry audiences witness a truly magical moment, when Bonnie and Maxine reunite with Jim Ed on stage and the Browns are once again together in the spotlight.

Jeannie Seely

Jeannie Seely’s mother has said that Jeannie was just four when she learned to stretch up, tune the knob on her family’s big console radio to 650 WSM and keep it there. Jeannie Seely is still on the dial at 650 WSM—performing regularly on the stage of the Grand Ole Opry.

By age 11, she was performing on a weekly radio show in nearby Meadville and a few years later turned up on TV in Erie, Pennsylvania.

A recording contract with Monument Records gave Jeannie her first hit in 1966 with the bluesy Hank Cochran tune “Don’t Touch Me,” which went to the top of the charts and earned her a Grammy Award. One year later, the singer who became famous as “Miss Country Soul” fulfilled her childhood dream by becoming a member of the Opry cast.

Other hits followed—“I’ll Love You More (Than You Need),” “Can I Sleep in Your Arms,” and “Lucky Ladies.” Jeannie briefly worked as duet partner of Porter Wagoner and had a successful touring and recording partnership with fellow Opry member Jack Greene, including the Top 10 single “Wish I Didn’t Have to Miss You.” Jeannie is also a successful songwriter, with songs cut by Dottie West, Faron Young, Connie Smith, Willie Nelson, and Ray Price. Just one of her memorable songs is “Leavin’ and Sayin’ Goodbye,” a 1973 hit for Young.

Gene Watson

Gene Watson is a singer in country music’s grand tradition. He has remained true to his Texas music roots for the better part of 30 years and is a standard bearer for honest, traditional country music. After years of honing his craft around Texas, Watson emerged on the country music scene in June 1975. “Love in the Hot Afternoon” was the first single to kick it off and quickly ignited a firestorm of national hits: “Where Love Begins,” “Paper Rosie,” “Should I Come Home (Or Should I Go Crazy),” “Nothing Sure Looked Good on You,” “Fourteen Carat Mind,” and “Farewell Party,” which was released in 1979 and quickly became his signature song and soon allowed him to name his band after the tragic ballad.

A parade of Top Ten entries followed during the early ‘80s, including “Speak Softly (You’re Talking to My Heart)” and “You’re Out Doing What I’m Here Doing Without.” Watson never gave up his classical country style, even as he continued to record music throughout the years.

In September 2007, he released IN A PERFECT WORLD to great critical acclaim. The Associated Press noted “Like a well-aged whiskey, Gene Watson has gained smoothness yet maintained his visceral bite ...Watson can make contemporary songs sound like timeless classics. He’s never sounded better, which is saying something.” The Philadelphia Inquirer stated “IN A PERFECT WORLD is a stunning reminder of why the Texan is considered one of country’s all time great balladeers.”

In 2009, Gene Watson played one of the final shows on Brad Paisley’s “Paisley Party” tour. Fellow Opry member Paisley said to the crowd, “The last time we played here in Memphis I got the worst review I think I’ve ever gotten. I remember it saying, among other things, that I was no Gene Watson. I certainly agree with that. That gave me an idea. In the spirit of giving everyone their money’s worth, I asked Gene if he would join the show. There’s nothing like kicking off the final leg of the ‘Paisley Party’ with the one and only Gene Watson singing his amazing ‘Farewell Party.’” Currently, Watson is working on the follow-up album to his much lauded 2007 release.

Chuck Mead

He’s been known as the co-founder of the three-time Grammy nominated BR549, the honky-tonk heroes that almost single-handedly lit and carried the blowtorch for the mid-‘90s alternative country explosion. He’s been hailed as ‘The Hillbilly Renaissance Man’ for his subsequent successes as a songwriter, performer, producer and musical theater director. He’s been a hit on stage at the Grand Ole Opry and on the Opry’s new show, Opry Country Classics, where he’s wowed crowds with performances of standards by legends such as Hank Williams and Johnny Cash. Now after more than a decade as one of the most uncompromising and consistent talents in Nashville, Chuck Mead has emerged in 2009 with the most anticipated role of his entire career: Solo Artist.