You got some rather nice duty to do don't you Bill?

Yes, I do Wally, you know 1975 marks the fifty birthday of
the oldest continuos radio show in the history of American
radio. It was in November of 1925 that an old bearded fiddle
player named Uncle Jimmy Tompson came into the studio of
WSM. And he fiddled and as they say now he fiddled the
taters off the vine. And there was an announcer there named
George D. Hay. George D. Hay was called "The Solemn Old
Judge" and just prior to Uncle Jimmy Tompson coming on the
air there had been a program of classical music on the
air "Grand Opera" and George D. Hay ways a little upset
because the conductor at the Grand Opera said that there is
no place in the Classics for realism.

And when he came on with Uncle Jimmy Tompson, he
said, "Ladies and Gentlemen you have heard Grand Opera
without realism, now you are going to hear something
real 'The Grand Ole Opry'." And he gave it a name and it's fifty years old in 1975.

Shall we wish it happy birthday?

I think we should I think we should be the first people in the
world. This is like being the first person to wish somebody a
Merry Christmas, you know a way ahead of time, because
the birthday is not actually until the month of November. But
one of the reasons that we got this program tonight is so that
all of usway over here thousands of miles away on the other
side of the world, can send birthday greetings back to the
Grand Ole Opry.

And is everybody in good voice? Can you'll sing in the key of
G? Alright to the Grand Ole Opry here we go.

Happy Birthday to you
Happy Birthday to you
Happy Birthday Grand Ole Opry
Happy Birthday to you...