Opry pays tribute to Little Jimmy Dickens

Thousands of fans were filtering into pews at the Ryman Auditorium for Friday night's Grand Ole Opry show when news broke that one of its biggest stars, Little Jimmy Dickens, had died.

Gasps rose from the capacity crowd when Opry vice president and general manager Pete Fisher announced the death. Fisher dedicated the show to Dickens, whom Fisher called "one of the most legendary, entertaining and beloved artists in country music history."

Some of Dickens' famous friends, including Marty Stuart, Ricky Skaggs and Bill Anderson, stepped forward to pay tribute through songs and the same kind of wise-cracks the Country Music Hall of Famer was known to dole out.

Backstage, there were tears, but there was also laughter.

"It just wouldn't be the Opry if there wasn't a Little Jimmy joke back there," Skaggs said after his performance.

The stars all agreed that Dickens stood for the best in the genre.

"He was the last remaining person that could reach back to Hank Williams and Roy Acuff," Stuart said. "He was our link to the heart, soul and the altar of country music."

And he was a dynamic performer in his own right, often stealing the spotlight from some of country's top hit-makers on the Opry stage.

"Overall, for 94 years, that little gentleman just walked out there every Friday and Saturday night and just sang and played and entertained," Larry Gatlin said of Dickens after performing with the Gatlin Brothers. "Bring a notebook and pay attention when he's out there, because you will learn every single time."

Anderson was driving on Second Avenue when he learned of his good friend's death. During an interview Friday night in a tiny Ryman dressing room, Anderson was still struggling to accept the loss.

"I looked over to the side of the stage one time tonight when I was out there and almost expected to see him over there in his little blue rhinestone suit," Anderson said with a glint in his eye.

Anderson introduced Dickens before his last Opry appearance on Dec. 20, a day after his 94th birthday. The audience gave a standing ovation as Dickens walked on stage.

"They laughed at a couple jokes that I know he's told out there a million times," Anderson said with a chuckle. "He just had a way with those old stories."

When Dickens was done, the crowd again rose to its feet.

"The last time that he was on the stage, and the last time that he walked off over there into the wings, the audience was standing up," Anderson said, his voice cracking.

"And they should've been."

Reach Adam Tamburin at 615-726-5986 and on Twitter @tamburintweets.