Grand Ole Opry

Though a staple of radio since its infancy, the Grand Ole Opry had never been presented on TV as a regular series until 1955. That's when ABC (long before The Nashville Network and Country Music Television were even thought of) began showing live Saturday night performances from the Grand Ole Opry. Dozens of country music performers of the day from Carl Smith and Webb Pierce to Kitty Wells and June Carter took the famous stage, performing their biggest hits. The "Grand Ole Opry" lasted just one year on ABC, but films from the series were rerun endlessly on local TV stations and later, PBS. It wouldn't be until the 1980s and its appearance on The Nashville Network that the "Grand Ole Opry" would become a long-term success.