Behind the Grand Ole Opry Curtain: Tales of Romance and Tragedy

The Grand Ole Opry has been home to the greatest legends of country music for over eighty years, and in that time it has seen some of conutry music's most dramatic stories unfold. We'll hear of the great love stories ranging from Johnny Cash and June Carter in the 1960s to Garth Brooks and Trisha Yearwood, who married in 2005. We'll get the truth of the tragedies that led to the loss of three stars all in the same month, starting the rumor of the "Opry Curse." We'll learn how after being stabbed, shot, and maimed, Trace Adkins calls his early honky-tonk years "combat country," and we'll find inspiration from DeFord Bailey, an African American harmonica player in 1927 crippled by childhood polio who rose to fame as one of the first Opry stars. Our hearts will break for Willie Nelson, who lost his only son on Christmas Day, and soar for Amy Grant and Vince Gill, who found true love. Based on over 150 firsthand interviews with the stars of The Grand Ole Opry, these are stories that tell the heart of country--the lives that are lived and inspire the songs we love.

Customer Reviews:

Such interesting stories about favorite singers

By Armchair Interviews - October 19, 2008

The Grand Ole Opry has been home to the greatest legends of country music for over eighty years, and in that time it has seen some of country music's most dramatic stories unfold. A beautiful volume based on over 150 firsthand interviews with the stars of The Grand Ole Opry, these are stories that tell the heart of country--the lives that are lived and inspire the songs we love.

The book opens with how Johnny and June Carter Cash began their musical careers. The battle Johnny waged with drugs, their rise to stardom, how Johnny proposed and how they died within months of one another is just the highlights of their story. They may be gone, but their music will always be a part of country music.

The story of how Willie Nelson's only son died on Christmas Day is heartbreaking, and it is surreal how Grandpa Jones found his good friend Stringbean (David Akeman) and his wife murdered one morning. Hee Haw was just never the same without him.

The interviews... read more

Interesting Book

By L. Logan - October 5, 2009

I learned alot about the Opry from this book. Its filled more with tragedy than romance. Have a box of kleenex's ready!

Pay attention to the people behind the curtain

By Mahlon Christensen - June 8, 2009

Expertly written by Robert K. Oermann, Behind The Opry Curtain is basically a collection of biographical sketches of various members of the Grand Ole Opry cast. Somewhere in each story the author relates the important role the Opry played in that particular artist's career development. If you're a long-time Country music fan, you may have heard many of these stories before, but it's still nice to have them all together in one volume. For new fans of the genre hoping to discover more about the Opry or it's stars, this book provides the perfect starting point.