A friend of mine just passed this "final solution" on to me.

(Acuff, Tubb, Monroe, the Crook Brothers, Sam & Kirk McGee, Dr. Humphrey Bate,
Jimmy Dickens, Wilma Lee Cooper, Bill Carlisle, and Uncle Dave Macon must be
glad they're dead...)


RANDOM RUMINATIONS

by Tandy Rice
Past President, CMA
President, Top Billing Inc.

SO WEVE BEEN BURNED! WHAT HAVE WE LEARNED?

It was Garth Brooks who recently said, "A wise man often changes his mind. A
fool never does!"

I don't want to be categorized as a fool, although my feet are often accused of
being buried in rock-solid, stubborn concrete when it comes to principles and
ideas I hold dear. But I want to devote this month's column to the April's Fool
in all of us to challenge one another to re-think a few things.

I made the statement last month that Jeanne Pruitt's recent
resignation/retirement from The Grand Ole Opry was exciting, challenging, and
potentially portended a new day at the Opry if the folks in charge seized the
opportunity to enact new ground rules. You see, Pruett's move makes such good
sense that it suggests a win/win scenario for both the Opry and a certain
segment of its membership. One of the prime reasons she made this dramatic move
was to "make way for a younger, more dynamic act."

I would like to suggest that the Opry enact an automatic retirement date tied
directly to age, say 65. At that age, very few artists have anything "going for
him or her" and their ability to be a contributing member of the Opry is
substantially reduced. In other words, regardless of their previous
accomplishments, they no longer "put fannies in seats" or excite those who are
there. Its a hard fact of life to come to terms with if you are an artist. Its
just as hard to be on stage and realize that the applause is no longer yours,
but rather for someone else who is younger and getting airplay.

It seems to me that a cutoff should be in place across the board at that age and
a dignifiedfarewell for all should take place. A giant cake and a thank you
send-off evening would be good. It might even be fitting to pension these folks
as a way of thanking them for their contributions made "during the good years."

I hope somebody out there at the Opry is reading this and wheels are starting to
turn. As things stand now, an Opry member can stay as long as they can
physically make it to the mike, regardless of the muffled whisper that comes out
when they try to sing. I expect more for my entertainment dollar than that; and
the Opry's Old Guard deserves a more dignified shake or exit plan than is
currently before them!

How do you feel about the items above?
Mail me your thoughts at: PO Box 121089, Nashville, TN 37212.
Let's set up a dialogue. I want to know if your passions match mine!

LET'S SHOOT JIMMY DICKENS ON THE OPRY STAGE NEXT SATURDAY NIGHT!!!

BILL KNOWLTON, "Bluegrass Ramble," Sundays: 9 p.m.to Midnight, WCNY (91.3)
Syracuse, WUNY (89.5) Utica, WJNY (90.9) Watertown NY, and www.wcny.org on the
web. Since 1973!


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