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From: TOLMD
Date: October 11, 2005
A good friend worked at WSM in the publicity department in the late 50's and had this to stay about Nashville's music business. She gave me permission to use the following quote - Austin: "In "my day," the Opry stars were puppets rather like the Hollywood studio system treated movie stars. They did what they were told. They had a specified number of Saturdays in which they didn't have to be in town for the Opry. It was an iron-clad rule and transgressors were promptly fired. Johnny Cash for one. Johnny had no power. He had little to do with anyone when he came to the Opry. In fact, he didn't mellow till he married June. The power mongers were Jim Denny, Artists and Repertoire, whatever that means. He kept tabs on the Opry stars, and was himself fired while I was there. The rest of the power was vested in Jack Stapp, who left to form his own publishing company. In his later years, as you know, Johnny was looked upon as a legend, but the Johnny I knew wouldn't have wanted a Godfather-type image."