Born 131 Years Ago Today in Indiana, the Father of the Grand Ole Opry Who Helped Lead Country Music Into the Mainstream

George D. Hay, born in Indiana on 9 November 1895, helped bring traditional mountain music to a wider audience by launching the radio programme that became the Grand Ole Opry. His work helped establish a lasting platform for country music and contributed to the genre’s move into mainstream broadcasting.

After discovering rural music during a reporting trip in 1919, Hay moved from newspaper work into radio. As WSM’s radio director, he invited 78-year-old fiddler Uncle Jimmy Thompson to perform on 28 November 1925; strong audience response led to a regular Saturday-night programme, first called the WSM Barn Dance. Hay renamed it the Grand Ole Opry in 1927, promoted its homespun image, and continued as an announcer into the 1940s, though professional managers later took over many of his duties. He left Nashville in the late 1950s and died in Virginia Beach in 1968, aged 72.