What was the announcer’s name at the Grand Ole Opry?
When it comes to the Grand Ole Opry and country music, the Q & A Lady is the first to admit she hasn’t seen and done it all. She’s equally quick, however, to add that she’s been lucky to see and do quite a little bit, and she’s happy to share her country insight with readers each week. She knows her Con Hunley from her John Conlee and her “Your Cheatin’ Heart” from her “Achy Breaky Heart.” If you have a question about country music you’d like to submit for her to consider answering, you’re welcome to do so here. Or you can just drop by each week to read her responses to other inquiries from across the country and around the globe. You just might learn a fun fact or two along the way.
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What was the announcer’s name at the Grand Ole Opry? He was in “Coal Miner’s Daughter.”
Thanks,
Glenn Martin
Garden City, MI
Dear Glenn,
The Opry has had some storied announcers through its history, but none made a deeper impact than the fellow you’re thinking of, Grant Turner. Turner became renowned as the “Dean of Grand Ole Opry announcers,” and his voice became as much a part of the Opry for radio listeners as many of the vocalists they’d hear each week. He was a 47-year Opry vet and was inducted into the Country Music Hall of Fame in 1981. Turner had a smooth, down-home style and was recognized by thousands of Opry pre-show guests as he sat on stage and played records by artists set to appear on that night’s shows. He died on a Saturday in October 1991, just six hours after having performed his regular gig on the Friday Night Opry. I love to listen to old clips of him on 650 AM-WSM and always watch out for him and his part in “Coal Miner’s Daughter.” He looks like he is having the time of his life in that scene, and I believe he was. A lot of us around the Opry are fortunate to be able to say the same, Glenn!
Thanks for asking,
The Q & A Lady
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