Reflections of the Past …

“I can remember when my family would gather around the radio on a Saturday night and listen to the Grand Ole Opry on WSM in Nashville.  I can remember hearing Hank Williams, Ernest Tubb, Roy Acuff, Bill Monroe, and all my other favorites.  The Grand Ole Opry was a very special part of my young life and I dreamed back then of going to Nashville someday and walking out on that stage at the old Ryman Auditorium and performing and hearing the people clap just like they did on the radio.  I never became a big star, but I did have the opportunity to perform with some of the best who did become stars.  My dream of being on The Grand Ole Opry came true in 1953 when I was one of Bill Monroe's Bluegrass Boys.  I stayed in Nashville for about three years playing for Bill.  I will never forget the people I met and the experiences I had while I was there.

That was a long time ago.  I am over 90 years of age now and some of the musicians I played with back then have since passed away,  L.E. White, Gordon Terry, Charlie Cline, Jim McReynolds, Jimmy Martin, Slim Mims, Vassar Clements, Claude Casey, Curly Mulligan, Homer Briar hopper, Clyde Moody, Ed Mayfield, Don Stover, Dale Potter, Tommy Jackson, Joe Stuart, Gordon and Irvin Rouse, and Bill Monroe are some of them.

Years have passed and I still try to practice some every day.  I’m reminded of the times I have played with all these musicians and how much I learned from them. Jim and Jesse’s song, "Are You Missing Me" seems to echo memories of these years past. Memories that I will never forget.”

Les Sandy - August 8, 1928 - July 28, 2022