58 Years Ago Today, We Said Goodbye to the Man Who Created the Grand Ole Opry and Helped Make Country Music a National Sensation

On this day (May 8) in 1968, George D. Hay died in Virginia Beach, Virginia, at the age of 72. His legacy is still a major part of the country music world today. Hay created the Grand Ole Opry. More importantly, he helped the show and the artists who performed on it rise to fame across the United States. This spread the music to audiences across the country and boosted the commercial success of the genre as a whole.

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Hay started his career as a reporter for the Memphis, Tennessee-based Commercial Appeal. Later, the publication founded a radio station, and he became its first late-night announcer. His on-air popularity soon gained so much popularity that he was offered a job at WLS in Chicago, the nation’s most powerful radio station. There, he became the voice of the show that became the National Barn Dance. By the mid-1920s, he was the most popular radio personality in the nation.

[RELATED: On This Day in 1931, We Said Goodbye to One of the Best-Known Icons of Early Country Music and the First-Ever Performer on the Grand Ole Opry]

According to the Country Music Hall of Fame, Hay began broadcasting on WSM on November 9, 1925. Before long, though, he began missing the barn dance show. At the time, some old-time and hillbilly artists had already appeared on the station. Later that month, he invited Uncle Jimmy Thompson to come play during his broadcast. Droves of listeners called in, wanting more live music. Before the end of the year, Hay announced that WSM would feature old-time music every Saturday night.

In 1927, the block of live music was named the Grand Ole Opry, and an institution was born.

George D. Hay and the Growth of Country Music

George D. Hay wasn’t just a talented radio personality with an ear for good music. He was a marketing wizard. He helped cultivate the image of country musicians. For instance, he convinced bands to dress in overalls and straw hats, leaning on the “hillbilly” aesthetic of the old-time and folk music he was broadcasting. Hay also helped some bands come up with memorable names. A great example of this is Dr. Bate’s Augmented String Orchestra. Hay dubbed them Dr. Humphrey Bate and His Possum Hunters.

Hay also set up a booking agency. By the early 1930s, many of the acts that appeared on the Grand Ole Opry were well-known enough to widen their touring ranges.

The impact of George D. Hay on the country music world is hard to overstate. The radio show he created became a cultural touchstone for generations. The list of artists who discovered their love of the genre after hearing the Opry is long and full of legends. At the same time, standing in The Circle on the Opry stage is a dream for nearly every serious country artist.

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