A Grand Ole Opry Gift

Click Here to Listen to an Audio Clip of "A Very Special
Grand Ole Opry Birthday Greeting"
Family has always been very special to me, and the way I feel about family compares to how I feel about my Christian family even today.  My first year working on the Grand Ole Opry with Charlie Louvin would be the first time I had missed celebrating my sister’s birthday with her.  Ramona would turn 18 in October, and I wanted to give her something memorable even though I was on a tight budget.  As the special day approached, I came up with the perfect plan.  Armed with a cassette recorder, I enlisted the help of some of the stars of the Grand Ole Opry to wish Ramona a special happy 18th birthday.  Since Roy Acuff was one of Ramona’s very favorites, I started with him.  “Wow!” I thought, “This would be enough if I didn’t get anyone else.”  But there in the dressing room sat Brother Oswald, another one of our family favorites.  He wished her happy birthday and let out his famous laugh.  This was getting better by the minute.  My boss, Charlie Louvin added his birthday greeting to this growing list of legends.  More stars sent salutations - Bill Monroe, Porter Wagoner, Kirk McGee (who died three days later), Jennie Sealy, plus many more.  A very special birthday wish came from Grandpa Jones.  I proudly explained to him that my parents named Ramona after his wife, “Fiddling Ramona Jones,” which seemed to please him.  Finally, the personalized birthday greeting was almost complete, and that night we were opening for the Roy Clark Show.  Mr. Roy Clark very graciously added his birthday greeting as well.  The audio “card” was complete.  This is one of my fondest memories of my time on the Grand Ole Opry.  Alene has been working on updating our website, and we’ve included an audio clip of “Ramona’s Grand Ole Opry Happy Birthday Greeting.”  Take a moment and browse through the web pages.  Let us know what you think.  www.derwinhinson.com