By: Ali Elizabeth Turner
The Grand Ol’ Opry has a tap root in Athens, and that came as a result of the music of the Delmore Brothers. Most of you know that they have their very own museum in McCandless Hall on the campus of Athens State University that shows their pioneering work in country music, and every year we honor them at the Fiddlers’ Convention.
The Opry just turned 100, and to say that the musical birthday party that was thrown on Wednesday night in its favor was stellar just doesn’t do it justice. There were classic country artists, crossover artists, young ones, old ones, black ones, brown ones, Native Americans and at least one Kiwi. There was more than one that was disabled icon, and the tribute to stroke survivor Randy Travis flat broke me up. Carrie Underwood sang two of Randy’s songs, and timed the ending by walking down into the audience so he could sing, with his own voice, one word: “Amen.” People were on their feet, people were cryin,’ and people were praisin’ God.
What makes Randy’s two syllable declaration of faith (after having suffered a debilitating stroke in 2013) all the more poignant is that Artificial Intelligence has been used to help him release a new album. In 2023, Nashville, was confronted with the prospect of figuring out how to manage something with the potential for crazy evil like AI. Warner Music Nashville and the country community decided that they would use AI for good. Their goal? Making it “so Randy Travis could sing again.” How did they do it? They found someone by the name of James Dupre with a voice similar to Randy’s, and who recorded the album. Then they painstakingly combed through Randy’s albums to find comparable words and layered them over the new recording. The result is something that Randy says, “By God’s grace and the support of family, friends, fellow artists and fans, I’m able to create the music I so dearly love…Many thanks to my wonderful team and the best fans in the world for putting me back in the saddle again! I’ve enjoyed every moment of it.”
On to “the Circle.” When the Opry was at the Ryman, the stage was wooden. When the Opry moved into its new and current home in 1974, an eight-foot piece of the Ryman stage was cut into a six-foot circle and installed on the new stage. Now, every member of the Opry stands in it when they perform, and they are invited into it when they are chosen to become a member. What makes an old wooden circle so special? Some say it’s the scuff marks. What are the scuff marks? The lives of those who are uncommonly vulnerable about their history, and many of whom have rebuilt their lives by grace. And, please don’t forget that the songs that come from “the scuffs” so often point both the singers and the listeners to Someone who toted a wooden cross, died on it, and gave a new song and a new life to anyone who would will receive them.
March 21, 2025
