Pickin’ & Grinnin’ With Mike Snider: A Grand Ole Comedy Revue runs June 25 – July 25 in Studio A at the Grand Ole Opry House.
Pickin’ & Grinnin’ Bringin’ Laughs to Studio A This Summer
When guests visit the new show Pickin’ & Grinnin with Mike Snider in Studio A of the Grand Ole Opry House this summer, the star of the show is sure to make them relax and feel welcome there.
It’s the least he can do, says Opry star Snider, who himself was greeted with open arms when he joined the cast of HEE HAW in 1985, during which time the show was being filmed in the same famed studio.
“I’d been watching HEE HAW since I was a little kid,” Snider says of the show that made its network debut in 1969 and went on to become one of television’s most successful syndicated programs ever. The Saturday night staple featured a bevy of talented artists during Snider’s run on the program, including 2009 Country Music Hall of Fame inductees Roy Clark and Charlie McCoy. Offering HEE HAW’s trademark cornpone humor during those days were industry icons including Cousin Minnie Pearl, Grandpa Jones, and George “Goober” Lindsey.
“When we first got together, it was like old friends meetin’ again,” Snider says in his unique accent which newcomers might deem part of his act, but which longtime friends and fans can verify is 100% authentic. “They put me in a dressing room with those guys, and they made me feel welcome from the first day.”
The funny man plans to return the hospitality during his shows Wednesdays – Saturdays June 25 – July 25. “I just want people to come ready to relax and have fun,” the musician/comedian says. “That’s what we’re going to be doing ourselves. It’s going to be great to fill Studio A with some laughs and some good down home pickin’ again.”
Once sufficiently relaxed in Studio A, guests are in for a treat on both the “pickin’” and the “grinnin’” fronts, says Opry Vice President and General Manager Pete Fisher: “The thing about Mike is that he and his band will knock you out with their impeccable musicianship, then seconds later, he’ll hit you with that hilarious wit that is uniquely Mike Snider.”
The Gleason, Tennessee resident’s pedigree is strong in both areas. By age 23, he’d been crowned both a Tennessee and National Bluegrass Champion. And for nearly 20 years he’s been an Opry member regaling audiences with an endless supply of jokes about country life and comical tunes such as “If My Nose Was Running Money (I’d Blow It All On You).”
Snider’s wife, known by Snider aficionados as “Sweetie,” not only serves as a character and punch line of some of the jokes in his show, but additionally as real-world training for his work on stage with magician Scott Cantrell, also a part of the family-friendly Pickin’ & Grinnin’ show. Snider says of Sweetie: “She can turn everything I make into nothing.”