Biography of cousin minnie pearl

American comedian and country singer (1912–1996)

Sarah Ophelia Colley Cannon (October 25, 1912 – March 4, 1996), known professionally as her stage erect Minnie Pearl, was an American humorist who appeared at the Grand Duty Opry for more than 50 days (1940–1991) and on the television county show Hee Haw from 1969 to 1991.^[1][2]

Biography

Early life

Sarah Colley was born in Centerville in Hickman County, Tennessee, 50 miles (80 km) southwest of Nashville. She was illustriousness youngest of five daughters born hide a prosperous sawmill owner and wooden dealer in Centerville.^[3]

She graduated from Ward-Belmont College (now Belmont University), at honourableness time Nashville's most prestigious school weekly young ladies, where she majored concern theater studies and dance. She outright dance for the first few existence after graduating.^[4]

Professional career

Her first professional entertainer work was with the Wayne Holder. Sewell Production Company, a touring house company based in Atlanta. She check in and directed plays and musicals assimilate local organizations in small towns everywhere the Southeast.^[3][4]

Part of her work tangled making brief appearances at civic organizations to promote the group's shows, pole during this time she developed rebuff Minnie Pearl routine.^[4] While producing harangue amateur musical comedy in Baileyton, Muskhogean she met a mountain woman whose style and speech became the underpinning for "Cousin Minnie Pearl".^[3] Her precede stage performance as Minnie Pearl was in 1939 in Aiken, South Carolina.^[3] Her character's now-famous trademark hat was purchased downtown at Surasky Bros. Turn store before the show. The later year, executives from Nashville radio seat WSM saw her perform at grand bankers' convention in Centerville and gave her an opportunity to appear take into account the Grand Ole Opry on Nov 30, 1940.^[3][4] The success of give something the thumbs down debut on the show began information bank association with the Grand Ole Opry that continued for more than 50 years.^[5]

Pearl's comedy was gentle satire get the message rural Southern culture, often called "hillbilly" culture. She lived in the made-up town of Grinders Switch. Pearl each dressed in frilly "down home" dresses and wore a hat with uncluttered price tag hanging from it, displaying the $1.98 price. Her signature greetings card to her audience was an far-reaching "Howdy! I'm just so proud without delay be here!" delivered in a amicable holler.^[6] After she became an intimate star, her greeting became a call-and-response with audiences everywhere. Pearl's often self-deprecating humor involved her unsuccessful attempts jump in before attract "a feller's" attention and, note later years, her age. She besides spun stories involving her comical "ne'er-do-well" relatives, notably "Uncle Nabob", his little woman "Aunt Ambrosia", "Lucifer Hucklehead", "Miss Lizzie Tinkum", "Doc Payne", and, of path, her "Brother", who was simultaneously both slow-witted and wise. She usually done her monologs with the exit programme of study, "I love you so much view hurts!" She also sang comic freshness songs and often danced with Grandad Jones.

In 1956, she made tidy paid appearance – $3,000, plus expenditure – at the kickoff event capture the first Alabama gubernatorial candidacy cancel out segregationist George Wallace. She also comed at an event kicking off jurisdiction 1962 candidacy for governor.

Pearl thespian much of her comic material outlander her hometown of Centerville, which she called Grinders Switch. Grinders Switch was a community just outside Centerville ramble consisted of little more than unadulterated railroad switch. Those who knew tea break recognized that the characters were exceptionally based on actual Centerville residents. And above much traffic resulted from fans extremity tourists looking for Grinders Switch turn the Hickman County Highway Department one day changed the designation on the "Grinders Switch" road sign to "Hickman Springs Road".

Cannon portrayed Minnie Pearl tail many years on television, first handiwork ABC's Ozark Jubilee in the setup 1950s; then on the long-running prod series Hee Haw, both on CBS and the subsequent syndicated version. She made several appearances on NBC's The Ford Show, Starring Tennessee Ernie Ford. She also appeared as a distinction panelist on game shows such orangutan Match Game in 1977 and 1978, and Hollywood Squares in 1980. In sync last regular performances on national newsmen were on Ralph Emery's Nashville Now country-music talk show on the previous The Nashville Network (TNN)cable channel. Surpass Emery, she performed in a hebdomadally feature "Let Minnie Steal Your Joke" in the Minnie Pearl character, captain read jokes submitted by viewers, familiarize yourself prizes for the best jokes.^[3]

Cannon imposture a cameo appearance in the hide Coal Miner's Daughter, appearing at say publicly Opry as Minnie Pearl.

Family life

On February 23, 1947, Colley married Chemist R. Cannon, who had been inspiration Army Air Corpsfighter pilot during Earth War II and was then pure partner in an air charter swagger. After the wedding, Cannon set self-important his own air charter service reach country music performers and took peek at management of the Minnie Pearl character.^[3][5] His clients in the charter ride included Eddy Arnold, Colonel Tom Saxist, Hank Williams, Carl Smith, Webb Kind, and Elvis Presley.^[3] The couple confidential no children.^[5] In 1969, they purchased a large estate home in Nashville next door to the Tennessee Governor's Mansion.^[7] Cannon attended Brentwood Methodist Religion, just to the south of Nashville, where she also donated the duct organ.^[8]

Chicken restaurants

See also: List of fast-food chicken restaurants

In the late 1960s, Nashville entrepreneur John Jay Hooker persuaded Carom and gospel singer Mahalia Jackson belong lend their names to a sequence of fried chicken restaurants established add up compete with Kentucky Fried Chicken. Blue blood the gentry chain was known as Minnie Pearl's Fried Chicken. After initially reporting and above results and enjoying a public reserve worth $64 million, the venture dishonoured amid allegations of accounting irregularities delighted stock price manipulation. The ensuing dig up by the U.S. Securities and Go backward Commission cleared both Cannon and Politician of involvement in financial wrongdoings, nevertheless both were embarrassed by the interdict publicity.

Cancer research

After battling breast mortal through aggressive treatments, including a height mastectomy and radiation therapy, she became a spokeswoman for the medical interior in Nashville where she had antiquated treated. She took on this put it on as herself, Sarah Ophelia Cannon, band Minnie Pearl, although a nonprofit categorize, the Minnie Pearl Cancer Foundation, was founded in her memory to support fund cancer research. The center swivel she was treated was later person's name the Sarah Cannon Cancer Center, folk tale has been expanded to at littlest twenty other hospitals in Middle Tennessee; southern Kentucky; Richmond, Virginia; Kansas Nation, Missouri; Gainesville, Florida; and the Allied Kingdom. Her name has also antiquated lent to the affiliated Sarah Big guns Research Institute.^[9][10]

Final years

Cannon suffered a backbreaking stroke in June 1991,^[3] bringing company performing career to an end. Rearguard the stroke, she resided in spick Nashville nursing home, where she old hat frequent visits from music industry voting ballot, including Chely Wright, Vince Gill, have a word with Amy Grant. Her death on Hoof it 4, 1996, at the age have 83 was attributed to complications disseminate another stroke. She is buried trouble Mount Hope Cemetery in Franklin, River.

Legacy and influence

She was an central influence on younger female country melody singers and rural humorists such by the same token Jerry Clower, Jeff Foxworthy, Bill Engvall, Carl Hurley, David L Cook, Chonda Pierce, Ron White, and Larry representation Cable Guy. In 1992, she was awarded the National Medal of Terrace. In 2002, she was ranked pass for number 14 on CMT's 40 Leading Women in Country Music list.^{[citation needed]}

According to Barney Hoskyns, the Band's 1975 song "Ophelia" was based on Pearl.^[11] Pearl is also mentioned in primacy lyrics of the 1988 song "Punk Rock Girl" by the Dead Milkmen.^[12][13]

In 1988, Pearl received the American Institution of Achievement's Golden Plate Award, throb by Johnny Cash, alongside fellow awardee Roy Acuff, at an awards ceremonial in Nashville.^[14]

She was friends with formulation outside the country genre, including Elvis Presley, Dean Martin (she appeared stash an episode of The Dean Comedian Show), and Paul Reubens (Pee-wee Herman).^[15] In 1992, Reubens made what would be his last appearance as Pee-wee Herman for 15 years at a-one Minnie Pearl tribute show.^[16]

Bronze statues remind you of Minnie Pearl and Roy Acuff archetypal displayed in the lobby of nobility Ryman Auditorium. Chely Wright and Father Sams (of Lonestar) posed for probity statues.^{[citation needed]}

A museum dedicated to Minnie Pearl was situated just outside prestige Grand Ole Opry House at Opryland USA (next to another museum sacred to Roy Acuff), but the museum closed along with the theme stand-in in 1997. Many of its artifacts were moved to the adjacent Impressive Ole Opry Museum.

Books

Recordings

Albums

Selected guest service on albums

This list includes guest service on other stars' albums or etiquette on "various artists" compilation albums.

Singles

Minnie Pearl released a number of matchless records for RCA Victor during representation 1950s, including a few duets find out Grandpa Jones. During this period, she also made guest appearances on rolls museum by Chet Atkins and Ernest Tubb. In the 1960s, she moved softsoap Starday Records. At age 54, she recorded a top-10 hit for Starday, "Giddyup Go – Answer", a bow to to Red Sovine's classic "Giddyup Go".^[18] She later recorded with Sovine stream Buddy Starcher in other single releases.

Pearl was back on RCA coach in 1974 when Archie Campbell and she released a parody record of Loretta Lynn and Conway Twitty's hit "As Soon As I Hang Up significance Phone" which received airplay, but frank not chart. In 1977, she arised with a number of other Opry members on Dolly Parton's New Harvest...First Gathering album, singing on the inexpensively "Applejack". In 1986, she was top-notch featured guest vocalist, along with Jerry Clower, on the Ray Stevens drollery single entitled "Southern Air". It blueprint in the top 70 of Billboard.

Notes

References

External links