Little Jimmy Dickens and Trace Adkins on the stage of the Grand Ole Opry. Copyright Grand Ole Opry® Photo by Chris Hollo, Hollo Photographics.
Oct. 1, 2008 — Little Jimmy Dickens has a remarkable achievement on the radar: Next month he’ll celebrate a whopping six decades since he first became a member of the Grand Ole Opry.
That feat will be recognized Nov. 1 with an Opry Signature Show featuring Brad Paisley, Trace Adkins, George Jones and others.
"Jimmy Dickens is uniquely and forever tied to the Grand Ole Opry," Pete Fisher, Opry Vice President and General Manager, says. "He is one of the most beloved and respected people in the history of not only the Opry, but all of country music, and we are thrilled to celebrate this landmark anniversary with him."
Little Jimmy made his first appearance on the Opry in March 1948 and became a full-time member that November. He resigned from the program in 1957 when he went to work for a rival radio show, but he returned in 1975 and has been an important presence ever since. Brad put him to work on several of his videos and in some of his recorded "Kung Pao" album cuts, and Little Jimmy comically climbed a step ladder to officially invite Trace to join the Opry in 2003.
Opry Live airs every Saturday night on GAC at 9 p.m. ET. October is Opry Month
and in coming weeks, the show will feature such acts as Kenny Rogers, Lorrie Morgan, Josh Turner, Wynonna and Craig Morgan, who becomes the Opry’s newest member on Oct. 25.