And we'll think back to the CMA Awards of 1997 when RH was there.
Okay, maybe he wasn't exactly inside watching the show, but he made it as far as the Red Carpet with some pretty ladies on his arms.
Walking up the carpet in a tuxedo.
Over and over.
A friend asked him and two of our sons to escort various lesser known attendees up the magic carpet before the celebrities arrived in their limousines.
So maybe he didn't actually get to see Garth Brooks win Entertainer of the Year but then neither did Garth, who was on the road.
He didn't get to see Trisha Yearwood sing How Do I Live (without you), used in the soundtrack from Con Air.
And just think--eight years later Garth and Trisha were married, although that totally has nothing to do with RH, he says.
He really would have liked to have been inside that night to hear Deana Carter sing her Strawberry Wine or Shania Twain sing anything.
But it was not to be, he was just another pretty face on the red carpet that night in 1997.
There was a rumor floating around that the crowd outside thought he was a millionaire Texas oil man.
Sounds about right to me.
So we will be watching the CMA Awards on November 13, 2019. I'm looking forward to seeing three female powerhouses host this year--Carrie Underwood, of course, but with Dolly Parton and Reba, who I understand will once again be singing Fancy. Will she be wearing the famous red dress again?
There are going to be some similarities with RH's special time back in 1997. Again Garth Brooks is nominated for Entertainer of the Year, and Brooks and Dunn are again nominated for Vocal Duo of the Year. Both won in 1997 but will they win again 22 years later when up against all the youngsters?
I must admit that I enjoyed watching this awards show more back in the days when Johnny Cash and June Carter were sitting in the audience and performing. The Man in Black and his wife were customers at our garden center.
Those were the days when country music stars were our neighbors, Lester Flatt and Earl Scruggs living right across the street from us, with my best girlfriend living between them and Brenda Lee going to high school with us.
But RH and I will be watching the CMA Awards on ABC Wednesday night, by golly. Because that's what you do here in Nashville.
Will any of you be joining us?
[added 11/16/19: when I texted a link to our kids for this post, our youngest son wrote back that he and another guy managed to get backstage while Shania Twain was on stage rehearsing. They yelled and waved at her and she smiled and waved back at them!]
Loved my 5 years working Garden Center world.
ReplyDeleteLOVED.
Last of era, your memories of CMA....
Garden & Be Well, XO T
There is something so special about garden centers, even small mom & pop ones like ours was. We all still miss it but especially RH. About this time of year he would be unloading Christmas trees off trains and setting up his flock room. It was a magical time as I bet you caught during your early 5 years working in them. You probably learned as much what not to do as what to do!
DeleteRH sure looks like he's having fun! What a sport, he is, along with his sweet sons, to have helped out his friend. I'm betting your boys were the best dressed, debonair dudes of that particular CMA night!
ReplyDeleteEnjoy the show, tonight, you two!
Poppy
It was such a good show this year, Poppy, year of the woman--except I can't help wishing a woman had won Entertainer of the Year, much as I love Garth who we sometimes see shopping at our local grocery store.
DeleteHi Dewena. How fun that you knew and lived near all those Country singers back in the day. I loved watching awards shows back then. Things were so much simpler and I knew all the songs. Now it is all these new peeps and I hardly know many of them. Fun that RH and your sons got to be part of the show that year. What a great memory. Enjoy watching the show.
ReplyDeleteHugs,
Kris
Kris, I must admit that about the only time I know who the new performers are is when I see them at awards shows. My radio is set to classical but I put on a stack of my old country music CDs when I'm cleaning house. Loretta's Jack White CD always energizes me!
DeleteOH YES!! I've been looking forward to this for weeks!! I'm most looking forward to seeing Reba and Dolly....so glad they got the job.....I'm a lifelong Dolly fan. I was born not too far from where she was. Everybody in Tennessee loves her. Oh yes I miss the good old days of country music....I'm also a lifelong Johnny Cash fan.....how AMAZING THEY CAME TO YOUR STORE!! I loved Johnny....tell us more!---any neat stories???! I know so few of these "new country stars", seriously. Sometimes I dont even recognize their names as they are called as nominees. I'm like "who is that??" ha ha LOL But i will always be country at heart and I know and sing along to all the good old songs. I didnt know we had this in common....this is neat! Well I grew up listening to Merle and Patsy and Dolly and Loretta and Johnny and JUne and all the rest. Did you watch the recent show on PBS called "Country Music"?
ReplyDeleteDebbi, RH and I both watched all 8 nights! Ken Burns knocked it out of the park again with that one. It was so moving! It was such bedrock history of America. Glad you liked it too.
Deleteps--my very first concert was Johnny Cash.
ReplyDeleteWow! That's cool!
DeleteI've always loved Dolly Parton! there's not a phony bone in her body! I'm actually not a fan of country music in general but I have favorites. like 'Lady' by Kenny Rogers back when he looked like Kenny Rogers! and a lot of Glen Campbell's songs like 'Southern Nights' and 'the Wichita Lineman.'
ReplyDeleteand of course Gentleman Jim Reeves. oh my.
and speaking of Dolly... I recently saw an interview with Shirley MacLaine. she was talking about Steel Magnolias. she talked about how constantly cruel a director was being to Dolly. she said "we ALL told him to leave her the (blankity blank) alone!" she had gained the love of ALL her costars and they took up for her!
and your man could easily pass for a gorgeous Texas Oil Man! :D xo
I love Dolly too! I would have to wonder about anyone who doesn't, right? And what would Steel Magnolias have been without Dolly in it? I grew up going to church next to what is now the Jim Reeves museum!
DeleteI agree with you about RH, Tammy, but as they say, "Show me the money!"
You knew Lester Flatt and Earl Scrugg? Woo! You are big time cool. I've recorded Ken Burn's show on Country Music but haven't watched it yet. Maybe this winter when we're all hiding away from people with the flu, I'll curl up and watch it. What a fun good sport your man is! And not bad on the eyes either! - Leslie Anne
ReplyDeleteSo glad you recorded it, it was amazing. We watched all 8 nights, a beautiful job.
DeleteI just love that photo of your husband at the CMA awards! He is so handsome and positively beaming. And you lived right by those famous people?! Oh, I'm sure you have more stories to tell us! I'm sorry, but I won't be joining you in watching the CMA awards tonight. I'm afraid I'm not a fan of country music. Though I do like Johnny Cash. ;-)
ReplyDeleteJohnny does transcend country western, Melanie. And he got better the older he was!
DeleteHello, oh my I just loved how you wrote this. It is so full of love and fun.
ReplyDeleteWell, did your favorites win?
Love, Carla
Thank you, Carla! I guess I always wish Hank Williams was still here, winning decade after decade of awards. Yep, I would have been a Hank Williams groupie!
DeleteWhat a fun, fun post!! I love the stories. And you went to school with Brenda Lee!!!
ReplyDeleteShe was only there for one year, Nan, but I ate at the same lunch table with her often! Sweet girl!
DeleteWhat connections you've had over the years, beyond just living there in that famous town. A woman I know has more than once gone to Nashville to record her music - not C&W - over the last year. It is the place to be, alright :-)
ReplyDeleteAnd your house, with your company, would be the perfect place from which to watch. I wish *I* lived across the street and could have popped over to watch with you last night.
XO
Gretchen, I would have loved to have watched it with you! But we probably would have talked so much that we would have missed much of the show.
DeleteHahahaha - you are so right!
DeleteWhat a fun post...and what a fun adventure for RH!! How cool!! My sister went to the Golden Globes one year. Her husband worked on Dirty Dancing and they went when it was nominated. It was a game to watch the show to see if we could spot her. I didn't...but still fun!!
ReplyDeleteHe worked on Dirty Dancing? Wow, I bet he has lots of stories about that. RH and I both find ourselves watching it whenever we see it's on, never gets old.
DeleteWhat a fun gig for your husband! He looks like he had a great time. I'm not a fan of any awards shows, so we won't be watching!
ReplyDeleteOh, Lorrie, you don't like awards shows? And here I always felt my neighbor to the far NW and I had so much in common. I think part of my fondness for them is that one of our sons was always my partner in watching awards shows from the time he was a little boy til he left home. Even now we text each other during the Oscars!
DeleteI read this earlier in the week, but have just sat down at the computer now for a few minutes... RH was a BABE!!!!! :-) What a fun experience on which to look back!
ReplyDeleteRH loved your comment, Mary Ann! Made his day!
DeleteI LOVE the CMA's! What a fun inside look!! RH sure looks fine in that tux;) Wasn't Reba fabulous in that Fancy number? And it was good to see Garth win his award. That man has still got it. I watch Trisha's cooking show regularly.
ReplyDeleteI was so excited when I read that Reba would be performing Fancy. She did not disappoint! I loved seeing the audience there appreciating her so much. Here's my Reba story, Karen: RH and our sons put slate on the roof of all the buildings in her compound here years ago. That job bought my red Pilot that we named Reba! The properties have been sold but we still get called for little jobs there. Nice, but not quite as exciting as when there were glimpses of Reba every once in a while. And we did all the work without one photo being taken while we worked, part of our contract requirement. It was pretty easy to make all the workers honor that as it was before iPhones!
DeleteRH does look like he is having a great evening, what a fun experience. And it is nice to almost touch fame.
ReplyDeleteAmalia
xo
I guess living in Nashville is something like living in Los Angeles and constantly getting glimpses of celebrities. But the nice thing here is that nobody bothers them. They just go about their business.
DeleteWhat fun it would be to attend the CMA's!!!! I didn't even realize they were on....oh well, I missed them again.
ReplyDeleteIt was so much fun this year, Debbie. Even if someone wasn't a country music fan, it was great seeing the women performers unite in giving support to young women coming up in the business.
Delete