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Fox Nation’s “Meet the American” has returned for Season 2, with “America’s Newsroom” co-anchor Bill Hemmer showcasing stories that are part of what makes America great.
Each episode highlights the individuals whose ideas, perseverance or innovations have left an enduring imprint on American culture — with a full episode in the new season spotlighting the Grand Ole Opry in Nashville, Tennessee.
Fox News’ Hemmer recounts the remarkable story of George D. Hay, who is credited with founding the musical treasure.
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With upstart radio station WSM going live for the first time in Oct. 1925, the program originally called “WSM’s Barn Dance” also launched at that time.
Prominent announcer and program director, George D. Hay, launched the show with Uncle Jimmy Thompson, a 77-year-old fiddle player.
Hay, an Indiana native, served in the U.S. Army during World War I before moving to Tennessee, according to the George D. Hay Society.
He became known as the “Solemn Old Judge” — a journalistic alter-ego he adopted while he was still a print reporter in Memphis covering local courts.
To this day, he is credited with the creation of the Grand Ole Opry nearly 100 years ago, according to the Opry’s website.
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The Opry grew so popular that the broadcast was moved to the Ryman Auditorium in downtown Nashville in 1943. The Opry then built its own theater and country-music campus, Opryland, in 1974, about 10 miles east of the city center.
The name of the now-iconic brand came from Hay in a burst of inspiration.
“For the past hour, we have been listening to the music taken largely from the Grand Opera, but from now on we will present the Grand Ole Opry,” Hay declared in Dec. 1927.
The name stuck — and went on to become an everlasting program, a live performance, a location and a brand.
Hay is credited with launching the careers of such country icons as Hank Williams, Loretta Lynn, Patsy Cline, George Jones and more, cementing the Opry as pivotal to country music.
Home to country legends and rising stars, the Opry now has a seating capacity of nearly 4,400, with over 30 sections.
The Opry in all its forms is still thriving today.
The Opry is the longest-running radio broadcast on the planet, according to Guinness World Records.
Fox News Digital’s Taylor Penley contributed to this report.
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