The Grascals will perform on the Opry and host the Midnite Jamboree on Saturday, May 17, 2008. Photo by Joe Hardwick.

Nashville, Tenn. — The Grand Ole Opry lineup this week is pretty slim on the Bluegrass side of things. The Del McCoury Band, Bobby Osborne and Marty Stuart will make appearances on Friday night. The Grascals are the lone Bluegrass act on Saturdays shows.

In addition to their Opry appearance on Saturday evening, The Grascals will be hosting the Midnite Jamboree at Ernest Tubb’s Record Shop immediately following the Opry broadcast on WSM 650 AM.

Friday, May 16

• Del McCoury Band — 8:30 - 9:00
• Bobby Osborne & The Rocky Top X-Press — 9:00 - 9:30
• Marty Stuart — 9:30 - 10:00

Saturday, May 17

• The Grascals — 8:30 - 9:00 & 11:00 - 11:30

The Grand Ole Opry is broadcast live on WSM 650 AM radio, online at www.WSMonline.com and on XM Satellite Radio (XM 11). All listed times are central time.

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Justin Townes Earle made his Opry Debut May 2, 2008. (Left to right: Pete Fisher, VP and GM, Grand Ole Opry, Vince Gill, Cory Yount, Justin Townes Earle, Josh Hedley and George Hamilton IV.) Photo by Billy Kingsley. Courtesy of the © Grand Ole Opry, 2008

Justin Townes Earle was honored to make his Grand Ole Opry debut Friday, May 2nd. His performance was quite well received and will soon be streaming in the WSM archives at http://www.wsmonline.com/onair/archives.shtml.

With Justin Townes Earle’s pedigree comes mixed blessings. As the son of legendary singer/songwriter Steve Earle, high expectations are the name of the game; but he’s shown that he is up to the task, crafting stark portraits with elements of acoustic blues and folk. After a misspent youth in bluegrass/ragtime combo The Swindlers and the louder, more rocking The Distributors, the 25-year-old cleaned up his act, dropped his self-destructive habits and began to focus on songcraft. With inspirations as diverse as Townes Van Zandt (he was named in honor of the elder Earle’s hero), The Replacements, Ray Charles and The Pogues, Justin forged his own brand of American roots music.

The Good Life is produced by RS Field, who has made his mark on critically acclaimed albums by Billy Joe Shaver, Sonny Landreth, Webb Wilder and Buddy Guy. Recording is underway at House of David studios, the legendary room that has hosted sessions with George Jones, Yo La Tengo, Elvis Presley, Neil Young and countless others. Joining Earle in the studio are a cast of all-star players including longtime cohort Cory Yountes (Bobby Bare, Jr) on banjo and mandolin, pedal steel player master Pete Finney (Dixie Chicks, Patty Loveless), bassist Bryn Davies (Patty Griffin, Guy Clark), drummer Bryan Owings (Buddy Miller, Shelby Lynne), keyboardist Skylar Wilson and fiddle player Josh Hedley.

Earle kicked off his North American touring with a plethora of critically acclaimed shows in Austin at SXSW, earning kudos from outlets like Austin Chronicle, Time Out Chicago, CMT.com and others for his spot-on, warm performances of the songs on “The Good Life”. He is scheduled to appear on NPR’s Morning Edition in April, while continuing his non-stop road work.

Justin Townes Earle on tour
Jun 2 — One Longfellow Square - Portland, ME
Jun 3 — The Iron Horse - Northampton, MA
Jun 4 — Joe’s Pub - New York, NY
Jun 5 — Ashland Coffee & Tea - Richmond, VA
Jun 6 — The Birchmere - Alexandria, VA
Jun 7 — The Showroom - Spartansburg, SC
Jun 12 — Knucklehead’s - Kansas City, MO
Jun 13 — Blue Door - Oklahoma City, OK
Jun 14 — The Loft - Dallas, TX
Jun 15 — Stubb’s - Austin, TX
Jun 16 — Warehouse - Houston, TX
Jun 18 — Hi-Tone - Memphis, TN
Jun 19 — Workplay Theater - Birmingham, AL
Jun 20 — World Grotto - Knoxville, TN
Jun 21 — Smith’s Olde Bar - Atlanta, GA
Jun 22 — 3rd and Lindsley - Nashville, TN
Jun 25 — The Strutting Duck - Auburn, AL
Jun 26 — The Hummingbird - Macon, GA
Jun 27 — Arrowmount School of Arts and Crafts - Gatlinburg, TN

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This weekends Grand Ole Opry lineup will feature some great Bluegrass music on all 3 shows. The Del McCoury Band will play on all shows Friday and Saturday. Also among the artists currently scheduled to perform are Jesse McReynolds, Marty Stuart, Bobby Osborne, Vince Gill and The Whites. Should be a pretty good weekend for Bluegrass on the Opry. Times are listed below.

Friday, May 9

Del McCoury Band — 8:00 - 8:30
Jesse McReynolds and the Virginia Boys — 8:30 - 9:00
The Whites — 9:00 - 9:30
Bobby Osborne & The Rocky Top X-Press — 9:30 - 10:00

Saturday, May 10

The Whites — 6:30 - 7:00
Del McCoury Band — 6:30 - 7:00 & 10:30 - 11:00
Marty Stuart — 8:00 - 8:30 & 10:00 - 10:30
Vince Gill — 8:30 - 9:00 & 10:30 - 11:00

The Grand Ole Opry is broadcast live on WSM 650 AM radio, online at www.WSMonline.com and on XM Satellite Radio (XM 11). All listed times are central time.

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The Steeldrivers

This weeks Grand Ole Opry while short on quanity will feature 2 strong Bluegrass Bands, Mountain Heart and The Steeldrivers.

Mountain Heart will play sets both Friday and Saturday night. Their latest release, “Road That Never Ends” on Rural Rhythm Records is currently at # 11 on Roots Music Report’s Bluegrass charts.

Saturday night, The Steeldrivers will be performing material off of their self-titled debut, on Rounder, that is garnering critical acclaim and has launched the seasoned group of Nashville session musicians and songwriters into an in-demand act for the 2008 festival season.

Friday, May 2

• Mountain Heart — 9:00 - 9:30

Saturday, May 3

• The Steeldrivers — 7:00 - 8:00
• Mountain Heart — 8:30 - 9:00 & 11:00 - 11:30

The Grand Ole Opry is broadcast live on WSM 650 AM radio, online at www.WSMonline.com and on XM Satellite Radio (XM 11). All listed times are central time.

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Kathy Mattea “COAL” (Captain Potato Records)

This weekend’s lineup for the Friday and Saturday night Grand Ole Opry features a heaping helping of Bluegrass Music.

Dailey and Vincent, who have had a meteoric rise to the top of the Bluegrass Charts, will make an appearance on the Friday night Opry. Bobby Osborne and Rocky Top X-Press, The Whites and Jesse McReynolds & the Virginia Boys are also scheduled to perform.

Friday’s show will see Kathy Mattea grace the stage of the Opry. Mattea’s recent release “COAL” is garnering critical acclaim not only for the excellent musical offerings but also for bringing the environmental impact of coal mining to the public eye.

Saturday’s Grand Ole Opry will feature 2 sets of music from The Infamous Stringdusters who are gearing up for their 2nd release for Sugar Hill Records, titled “The Infamous Stringdusters” that hits the store shelves on June 10.

The Saturday night will also see The Whites, Elizabeth Cook and The Grascals, all of who are playing on the early and late shows.

Friday, April 25

• The Whites — 8:00 - 8:30
• Bobby Osborne and the Rocky Top X-Press — 8:00 - 8:30
• Dailey & Vincent — 8:30 - 9:00
• Jesse McReynolds & The Virginia Boys — 9:00 - 9:30
• Kathy Mattea — 9:30 - 10:00

Saturday, April 26

• The Infamous Stringdusters — 7:00 - 8:00 & 10:00 - 10:30
• The Whites — 8:30-9:00 & 11:00 - 11:30
• Elizabeth Cook — 8:30-9:00 & 11:00 - 11:30
• The Grascals — 8:30-9:00 & 11:00 - 11:30

The Grand Ole Opry is broadcast live on WSM 650 AM radio, online at www.WSMonline.com and on XM Satellite Radio (XM 11). All listed times are central time.

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