Title:  Behind the Grand Ole Opry Curtain

Author:  Robert K. Oermann

Any of its members will tell you, the Grand ole Opry is not a place—it’s a family.  And like all families, those who perform on the Opry stage have celebrated and suffered, experienced heart-wrenching tragedy and exhilarating triumphs.  They have embraced joy when their members found love and happiness, and they have grieved together for those they have lost.

We’ll her of stars who overcame tremendous adversity throughout the history of the Opry.  From Deford Bailey who rose to stardom despite being struck with polio during the epidemic of the early 1900’s through the devastating loss of Patsy Cline and five other Opry personalities in the same month, which prompted rumors of “The Opry Curse,” to the controversial romance between country star Vince Gill and Christian star Amy Grant.  These are stories that tell the heart of country–the lives lived that inspire that inspire the songs we love.