Search - Grand Ole Opry Video Collection: Honkey-Tonk Heroes on DVD

A-plus, all-killer, old-school country

Joe Sixpack -- Slipcue.com | ...in Middle America | 12/10/2007

(5 out of 5 stars)

"Folks who love, good-old, rough-and-tumble honky-tonk country, with drinking songs an cheating songs, will want to check out this video collection, one of the gems in an eight DVDs Time-Life collection of classic country music performances from Grand Ole Opry. This disc includes classic performances from some of the giants of the style -- George Jones, Waylon Jennings, Ray Price, Ernest Tubb, Porter Wagoner, Charlie Walker -- singing great hits full of fiddles, pedal steel, booze and tears. There are a couple of clips that don't totally fit the theme, Bobby Bare's early hit, "Detroit City" for example, but also some real gems. It's great to see Webb Pierce in action, and fans of Dave Dudley (who is often sold short these days) will be thrilled to see him pump out a rugged, intense rendition of "Six Days On The Road." The disc dips into more modern performers with Johnny Rodriguez and Freddy Fender; "Wasted Days And Wasted Nights" is still one of the all-time great country tunes. Carl Smith, Faron Young and Hank Williams are glaring omissions, but this is still a great set, well worth checking out.

This disc includes fifteen live performances (and no lip-syncing, as far as I can tell...) along with bonus features such as interviews with various Opry veterans. The material is drawn from old Opry TV broadcasts and other venues such as "The Bobby Lord Show" and other, long-forgotten shows that were the country equivalents of "Soul Train" and "American Bandstand." The video quality is very good and the sound quality is excellent -- it's a chance to see many of the biggest stars in Nashville playing real, honest country music, the way it used to be. This collection is a true gift -- highly recommended! (DJ Joe Sixpack / Slipcue music reviews)"