1483: "100 Years of the Grand Ole Opry"
Interesting Things with JC #1483: "100 Years of the Grand Ole Opry" – A fiddler in a small Nashville studio started something bigger than he knew. A kitchen radio show grew into a Saturday night tradition that stuck with folks through moves, floods, and change, still carried forward by that old circle of wood. This episode is dedicated to long time listener Justin! Thank you for suggesting today’s topic.
Curriculum - Episode Anchor
Episode Title: 100 Years of the Grand Ole Opry
Episode Number: 1483
Host: JC
Audience: Grades 9–12, college intro, homeschool, lifelong learners
Subject Area: U.S. History, Music History, Media Studies, Cultural Studies
Lesson Overview
Learners will be able to:
• Define the origins and early structure of the WSM Barn Dance and its transition into the Grand Ole Opry.
• Compare early American radio broadcasting practices with modern live music dissemination.
• Analyze the cultural significance of figures like George D. Hay, Uncle Jimmy Thompson, DeFord Bailey, and Minnie Pearl.
• Explain how place, technology, and tradition shaped the Opry across its 100-year history.
Key Vocabulary
• Broadcast (BRAWD-kast) — The WSM Barn Dance broadcast reached rural farm families through a single radio speaker.
• String Band (STRING band) — A musical group using stringed instruments; string bands were central acts on early Opry programs.
• Announcer (uh-NOUN-ser) — George D. Hay served as announcer and shaped the identity of the early show.
• Auditorium (aw-di-TOHR-ee-um) — The Ryman Auditorium became the Opry's iconic home beginning in 1943.
• Floodplain (FLUHD-plane) — The 2010 flood damaged the Opry House, demonstrating the vulnerability of Nashville’s surrounding floodplains.
Narrative Core
Open: On November 28, 1925, 77-year-old fiddler Uncle Jimmy Thompson played live from WSM’s Studio C as announcer George D. Hay launched the WSM Barn Dance.
Info: Hay, who branded himself the “Solemn Old Judge,” filled the show with small-town music traditions, featuring performers such as the Crook Brothers, Uncle Dave Macon, and DeFord Bailey.
Details: In 1927, after following a grand opera program on NBC, Hay joked that if that was “grand opera,” then his must be the “Grand Ole Opry”—a name that became permanent. As the show grew, it moved into larger venues, eventually settling into the Ryman Auditorium in 1943.
Reflection: The Opry became the national stage for artists like Roy Acuff, Minnie Pearl, Hank Williams, and Patsy Cline. Even after moving to the new Opry House in 1974 and surviving a devastating 2010 flood, the show never missed a broadcast, preserving tradition while adapting to change.
Closing: These are interesting things, with JC.
A brightly lit stage façade styled like a traditional barn features the words “GRAND OLE OPRY” centered on a large digital screen. Warm orange and red vertical lights illuminate the wooden beams and structure. Along the lower front beam, text reads “650 WSM,” “GRAND OLE OPRY,” and “OPRY.COM #OPRY.” Above the stage, bold white lettering across the top of the image says, “100 YEARS OF THE GRAND OLE OPRY,” with a smaller line reading “INTERESTING THINGS WITH JC #1482.” The overall design highlights the iconic look of the Grand Ole Opry in celebration of its centennial.
Transcript
On November 28, 1925, in Studio C of WSM in Nashville, a 77 year old fiddler named Uncle Jimmy Thompson rosined his bow, an announcer named George D. Hay leaned into the microphone, and the WSM Barn Dance went out over the air for the first time.
Hay had worked at stations in Chicago and Memphis, but he knew the pull of small town music. He called himself the Solemn Old Judge and packed the show with string bands, harmonica players, and banjo pickers. Listeners heard the Crook Brothers, Uncle Dave Macon, and a young harmonica player named DeFord Bailey, one of the first Black stars of country radio. For farm families across the South and Midwest, this was live hometown music arriving through a single speaker in the kitchen.
Two years later, in December 1927, the Barn Dance followed a program of grand opera on NBC. Hay opened his show with a joke that stuck. If the last program was grand opera, he said, then this one must be the Grand Ole Opry. The new name never left.
As the audience grew, the show outgrew Studio C. It moved into theaters across Nashville, finally settling into Ryman Auditorium in 1943. The Ryman was hot in summer, cold in winter, and short on dressing rooms, but it gave the Opry a wooden stage and pew seats. From that room the rest of America met Roy Acuff, Minnie Pearl with her price tag hat, Hank Williams, Patsy Cline, and others.
In 1974 the Opry left downtown for a custom built Grand Ole Opry House near the new Opryland park. A flood in 2010 put several feet of water on that stage, but the show never missed its Saturday night broadcast. Crews dried the famous circle of original Ryman floorboards and set it back in place at center stage.
Tonight, November 28, 2025, that same show turns 100 years old. It is still on WSM, still called the Grand Ole Opry, and still sending live country music out to anyone who cares to listen. This episode is dedicated to long time listener Justin! Thank you for suggesting today’s topic.
These are interesting things, with JC.
Student Worksheet
What role did George D. Hay play in shaping the identity of the early Grand Ole Opry?
Why was DeFord Bailey a significant figure in the history of country radio?
Describe why the Ryman Auditorium became an important venue for the Opry.
How did the Opry maintain continuity during the 2010 flood?
Creative Prompt: Design a modern radio program inspired by the early Barn Dance. What would you include and why?
Teacher Guide
Estimated Time: 45–60 minutes
Pre-Teaching Vocabulary Strategy:
Introduce key terms using Frayer models and short listening clips of string band music to contextualize early Opry sounds.
Anticipated Misconceptions:
• Students may assume country music was always homogenized; emphasize its multiracial roots, including DeFord Bailey.
• Students may think radio reached all Americans equally; discuss rural access and the significance of clear-channel stations like WSM.
Discussion Prompts:
• How did radio shape American cultural identity in the 1920s–1950s?
• What makes a performance space (like the Ryman) culturally meaningful?
• How do traditions survive technological and environmental changes?
Differentiation Strategies:
• ESL: Provide vocabulary sheets with images of instruments.
• IEP: Offer guided notes with scaffolded timelines.
• Gifted: Invite research on early American broadcasting regulations or acoustics of live music venues.
Extension Activities:
• Compare the Opry’s evolution to other long-running broadcast programs.
• Analyze audio recordings of early Opry performances for instrumentation and style.
Cross-Curricular Connections:
• Physics: Sound resonance in wooden auditoriums.
• Sociology: Community identity through shared media.
• American History: 20th-century rural life and technological change.
Quiz
Q1. In what year did the WSM Barn Dance first air?
A. 1919
B. 1925
C. 1931
D. 1943
Answer: B
Q2. Who gave the Grand Ole Opry its name?
A. Roy Acuff
B. Minnie Pearl
C. George D. Hay
D. Uncle Dave Macon
Answer: C
Q3. Which early performer was one of the first Black stars of country radio?
A. Hank Williams
B. DeFord Bailey
C. Patsy Cline
D. The Crook Brothers
Answer: B
Q4. What year did the Opry move into the Ryman Auditorium?
A. 1927
B. 1939
C. 1943
D. 1974
Answer: C
Q5. What natural disaster damaged the Opry House in 2010?
A. Tornado
B. Earthquake
C. Fire
D. Flood
Answer: D
Assessment
Explain how the Grand Ole Opry both changed and stayed the same over its 100-year history.
Analyze the impact of radio on rural American life in the 1920s and 1930s.
3–2–1 Rubric:
• 3: Accurate, complete, thoughtful; includes specific details from the episode.
• 2: Partially accurate; missing key examples or clarity.
• 1: Inaccurate or vague; limited reference to episode content.
Standards Alignment
Common Core (ELA):
• CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RI.9-10.2 – Students determine central ideas of the episode’s historical narrative.
• CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RI.11-12.3 – Analyze how individuals (Hay, Bailey) shaped historical events in early broadcasting.
• CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.SL.9-10.4 – Present information clearly through discussion of radio history.
C3 Framework (Social Studies):
• D2.His.1.9-12 – Evaluate historical events related to early American mass media.
• D2.Civ.14.9-12 – Examine institutions (radio stations, performance venues) and their civic influence.
CTE Arts, Media, and Entertainment:
• AMES 2.0 – Understand the history and evolution of media arts including radio.
• AMES 5.0 – Analyze how technology influences production and distribution.
ISTE Standards (Digital Age Learning):
• ISTE 3a – Students evaluate sources and historical media technologies.
• ISTE 6a – Students examine creative communication across evolving media platforms.
International Equivalents
UK National Curriculum (History):
• KS4 History: Historical Enquiry – Analyze causes, changes, and significance in cultural history.
IB MYP Individuals & Societies:
• MYP Criterion A (Knowing & Understanding) – Demonstrate knowledge of historical developments in media.
Cambridge IGCSE History:
• IGCSE History AO1 – Recall, select, and communicate historical knowledge regarding 20th-century cultural developments.
Show Notes
This episode explores the 100-year evolution of the Grand Ole Opry, beginning with its humble 1925 broadcast from WSM’s Studio C and tracing its growth into a defining institution of American music culture. Students learn how figures such as George D. Hay, DeFord Bailey, Minnie Pearl, Roy Acuff, and others shaped the show’s identity, and how performance spaces like the Ryman Auditorium and the modern Opry House contributed to its legacy. The episode provides a rich case study for understanding the intersection of technology, culture, and storytelling, offering teachers an opportunity to link media history with broader conversations about American society, tradition, and innovation.
References:
Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum. (n.d.). DeFord Bailey. https://countrymusichalloffame.org/hall-of-fame/deford-bailey/
Grand Ole Opry. (n.d.). History of the Opry. https://www.opry.com/history
WSM Radio. (n.d.). WSM heritage and broadcast history. https://wsmradio.com/about
