The Grand Ole Opry has been home to the greatest legends of country music for over 80 years and in that time it has seen some of country music's most dramatic stories unfold. There are great love stories ranging from Johnny Cash and June Carter in the 1960s to Garth Brooks and Trisha Yearwood, who married in 2005. Tragedies that led to the loss of Patsy Cline, Jack Anglin and Texas Ruby all in the same month, starting the rumour of the 'Opry Curse'; the heartbreaking source of hit songs like Reba McEntire's 'I'm a Survivor' and hear how after being stabbed, shot and maimed, Trace Adkins called his early honky-tonk years 'combat country'. There is 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 break for Willie Nelson, who lost his only son on Christmas Day, and soar for Amy Grant and Vince Gill, who found true love.

Author Biography

Dubbed 'the dean of Nashville's entertainment journalist,' Robert K. Oermann writes two weekly columns for Music Row magazine and has been published in more than 100 other national periodicals. His seven books to date include the award-winning Finding Her Voice and A Century of Country. He has penned liner notes for more than 100 albums and boxed-set productions, and has scripted and/or directed television specials and docmentaries for CMT, CBS, PBS, the BBC, TBS, TNN and others. He is the chairman of the country committee for the Grammy Awards and serves on the Hall of Fame and awards committees for the Country Music Association (CMA).