On This Day in 1951, Country Legend Lefty Frizzell Started a Short Stint as a Member of the Grand Ole Opry

 On this day (July 21) in 1951, Lefty Frizzell was officially inducted into the Grand Ole Opry. At the time, he was still months away from releasing his debut album. However, the young singer/songwriter was seeing early success on the country singles chart. His first two singles, “If You’ve Got the Money” and “I Love You a Thousand Ways,” were No. 1 country hits.

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When the average country music fan thinks of highly influential artists, Frizzell’s name likely doesn’t come up. However, he rivals Hank Williams in his impact on the future of the genre. Notably, his unique note-bending vocal style influenced some of the best voices in the genre. Merle Haggard, George Jones, Keith Whitley, Randy Travis, and George Strait count him among their influences. Willie Nelson recorded the tribute album, To Lefty from Willie, after Frizzell died in 1975. More recently, Cody Jinks recorded a collection of Frizzell’s songs, proving that his influence lives on in the current generation of country musicians.

[RELATED: On This Day in 1950, Lefty Frizzell Recorded Two No. 1 Singles in His First Recording Session]

Frizzell performed on the Grand Ole Opry for the first time in 1950. Then, he returned a year later to become an official member of the show’s cast. This came after a run of top 10 hits and a tour with Hank Williams. One would imagine that he would put down roots in Nashville and become a fixture in Music City. After all, Opry members used to have to appear on the show a certain number of times every month to remain part of the cast. That wasn’t the case, though.

Lefty Frizzell Left Nashville and the Grand Ole Opry

According to the Country Music Hall of Fame, Lefty Frizzell didn’t stay in Nashville long. By 1953, his chart success started to dry up. He went from being the first artist to have four singles in the top 10 at once to missing the charts more often than not in a space of less than three years. However, he was still popular with fans across the country. As a result, he embarked on a three-month tour.

Frizzell used the money he earned from the tour to relocate his family to Southern California. While there, he became a regular on Town Hall Party and headlined the first country concert ever held at the Hollywood Bowl.

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