Grand Ole Opry stars pause for a minute of silence in honor of their fellow entertainers on March 9, 1963
Photo by: Les Leverett
The Grand Ole Opry will recognize the 50th anniversary of the tragedy that took the lives of Opry members Patsy Cline, Cowboy Copas, and Hawkshaw Hawkins during its first Tuesday Night Opry of the season Tues., March 5. On that date in 1963, a small plane carrying the three Opry stars plus Randy Hughes, the plane’s pilot who also served as Cline’s manager, crashed near Camden, Tenn, leaving no survivors. The three Opry members will be remembered with performances of their hit records by Opry and Country Music Hall of Fame member Jean Shepard, who was married to Hawkins at the time of his death; Mandy Barnett; Terri Clark; John Conlee; and Chuck Mead & His Grassy Knoll Boys.
On March 9, 1963 during the first Opry performance following the tragedy, Opry Manager Ott Devine addressed the crowd following a minute of silence in honor of the Opry stars. “…They would want us to keep smiling and recall the happier occasions,” Devine said. “I feel that I can speak for all them when I say, let’s continue in the tradition of the Grand Ole Opry.”
Among others on the first Tuesday Night Opry of the year are Academy of Country Music Award nominees Florida Georgia Line and Opry group Riders In The Sky.
Artists scheduled to appear at the Opry later in the month include Alan Jackson, Easton Corbin, Ricky Skaggs, Thomas Rhett, and Ralph Stanley. Academy of Country Music Award nominee Kacey Musgraves is set to make her Opry debut March 30.
Tuesday Night Opry performances will continue through Dec. 10. Wednesday Night Opry shows are set to return for a three-month run beginning in June, and weekend shows are held every week of the year. To plan an Opry visit, call (800) SEE-OPRY or log on to opry.com.
