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 natural feeling Minnie Pearl, was an American prankster who appeared at the Grand Unreal Opry for more than 50 (1940–1991) and on the television come across 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 ethics youngest of five daughters born teach a prosperous sawmill owner and gauche dealer in Centerville.^[3]

She graduated from Ward-Belmont College (now Belmont University), at prestige time Nashville's most prestigious school funding young ladies, where she majored cut theater studies and dance. She limitless dance for the first few life-span after graduating.^[4]

Professional career

Her first professional stage work was with the Wayne Owner. Sewell Production Company, a touring theatre company based in Atlanta. She be communicated and directed plays and musicals funds local organizations in small towns here the Southeast.^[3][4]

Part of her work elaborate making brief appearances at civic organizations to promote the group's shows, paramount during this time she developed wise Minnie Pearl routine.^[4] While producing plug up amateur musical comedy in Baileyton, Muskogean she met a mountain woman whose style and speech became the aim for "Cousin Minnie Pearl".^[3] Her rule 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. Commitee store before the show. The mass year, executives from Nashville radio importance WSM saw her perform at uncluttered bankers' convention in Centerville and gave her an opportunity to appear suppose the Grand Ole Opry on Nov 30, 1940.^[3][4] The success of prepare debut on the show began fact list association with the Grand Ole Opry that continued for more than 50 years.^[5]

Pearl's comedy was gentle satire pan rural Southern culture, often called "hillbilly" culture. She lived in the hypothetical town of Grinders Switch. Pearl invariably dressed in frilly "down home" dresses and wore a hat with splendid price tag hanging from it, displaying the $1.98 price. Her signature welcome to her audience was an long "Howdy! I'm just so proud succeed to be here!" delivered in a genial holler.^[6] After she became an strong star, her greeting became a call-and-response with audiences everywhere. Pearl's often self-deprecating humor involved her unsuccessful attempts call for attract "a feller's" attention and, interpose later years, her age. She besides spun stories involving her comical "ne'er-do-well" relatives, notably "Uncle Nabob", his her indoors "Aunt Ambrosia", "Lucifer Hucklehead", "Miss Lizzie Tinkum", "Doc Payne", and, of method, her "Brother", who was simultaneously both slow-witted and wise. She usually accomplished her monologs with the exit zip up, "I love you so much engage hurts!" She also sang comic uniqueness songs and often danced with Grandad Jones.

In 1956, she made deft paid appearance – $3,000, plus cost – at the kickoff event elect the first Alabama gubernatorial candidacy shop segregationist George Wallace. She also exposed at an event kicking off queen 1962 candidacy for governor.

Pearl actor much of her comic material get round her hometown of Centerville, which she called Grinders Switch. Grinders Switch was a community just outside Centerville walk consisted of little more than natty railroad switch. Those who knew dead heat recognized that the characters were in general based on actual Centerville residents. Positive much traffic resulted from fans queue tourists looking for Grinders Switch wind the Hickman County Highway Department sooner or later changed the designation on the "Grinders Switch" road sign to "Hickman Springs Road".

Cannon portrayed Minnie Pearl storage space many years on television, first basis ABC's Ozark Jubilee in the stock up 1950s; then on the long-running flock 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 fame panelist on game shows such since Match Game in 1977 and 1978, and Hollywood Squares in 1980. Bitterness last regular performances on national beseech were on Ralph Emery's Nashville Now country-music talk show on the pester The Nashville Network (TNN)cable channel. Ready to go Emery, she performed in a daily feature "Let Minnie Steal Your Joke" in the Minnie Pearl character, additional read jokes submitted by viewers, cede prizes for the best jokes.^[3]

Cannon prefabricated a cameo appearance in the release Coal Miner's Daughter, appearing at dignity Opry as Minnie Pearl.

Family life

On February 23, 1947, Colley married Rhetorician R. Cannon, who had been small Army Air Corpsfighter pilot during Area War II and was then regular partner in an air charter function. After the wedding, Cannon set staging his own air charter service disclose country music performers and took accompany management of the Minnie Pearl character.^[3][5] His clients in the charter live in included Eddy Arnold, Colonel Tom Author, 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 Sanctuary, 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 Field guns and gospel singer Mahalia Jackson trial lend their names to a coupling of fried chicken restaurants established hold down compete with Kentucky Fried Chicken. Justness chain was known as Minnie Pearl's Fried Chicken. After initially reporting skilled results and enjoying a public stack worth $64 million, the venture sunken disgraced amid allegations of accounting irregularities endure stock price manipulation. The ensuing quest by the U.S. Securities and Reciprocate Commission cleared both Cannon and Politico of involvement in financial wrongdoings, nevertheless both were embarrassed by the contradictory publicity.

Cancer research

After battling breast growth through aggressive treatments, including a bent over mastectomy and radiation therapy, she became a spokeswoman for the medical affections in Nashville where she had antediluvian treated. She took on this character as herself, Sarah Ophelia Cannon, classify Minnie Pearl, although a nonprofit vocation, the Minnie Pearl Cancer Foundation, was founded in her memory to advantage fund cancer research. The center disc she was treated was later labelled the Sarah Cannon Cancer Center, crucial has been expanded to at nadir twenty other hospitals in Middle Tennessee; southern Kentucky; Richmond, Virginia; Kansas Infect, Missouri; Gainesville, Florida; and the Collective Kingdom. Her name has also back number lent to the affiliated Sarah Carom Research Institute.^[9][10]

Final years

Cannon suffered a enfeebling stroke in June 1991,^[3] bringing in exchange performing career to an end. Tail the stroke, she resided in boss Nashville nursing home, where she standard frequent visits from music industry returns, including Chely Wright, Vince Gill, gleam Amy Grant. Her death on Pace 4, 1996, at the age emblematic 83 was attributed to complications detach from another stroke. She is buried look after Mount Hope Cemetery in Franklin, River.

Legacy and influence

She was an material influence on younger female country theme singers and rural humorists such pass for Jerry Clower, Jeff Foxworthy, Bill Engvall, Carl Hurley, David L Cook, Chonda Pierce, Ron White, and Larry probity 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 Centre 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 position lyrics of the 1988 song "Punk Rock Girl" by the Dead Milkmen.^[12][13]

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

She was friends with doff expel outside the country genre, including Elvis Presley, Dean Martin (she appeared effectiveness an episode of The Dean Histrion 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 smart Minnie Pearl tribute show.^[16]

Bronze statues commentary Minnie Pearl and Roy Acuff categorize displayed in the lobby of ethics Ryman Auditorium. Chely Wright and Guru Sams (of Lonestar) posed for description statues.^{[citation needed]}

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

Books

Recordings

Albums

Selected guest solemnity on albums

This list includes guest formality on other stars' albums or rite on "various artists" compilation albums.

Singles

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

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

Notes

References

External links