Staff

Producing a weekly, live, stage show is a very big undertaking and it takes a team of opry staff and volunteers to make it happen. Here are a few folks that make each show happen.


	Joel Brewer Producer / Master of Ceremonies \| Joel Brewer is a multi-instrumentalist with over 30 years experience in performing, recording and live show production.
	Wendy Brewer Wendy grew up singing before she could walk and has always loved entertaining, Whether singing accapella in church, school plays, contests or at Opry's. She met her husband of 16 years, Joel Brewer, singing on the Opry stage and their love of music and entertaining has spread to their 5 boys.
	Johnny Foster Band Leader - Opry Show Band Staff Musician - Piano / Keyboards \| Johnny Foster is a veteran studio musician, vocalist, songwriter, arranger, recording engineer, sound man, and gospel artist. Since 1979 Johnny has been involved in music through his work in local and national venues. Johnny has opened for over 30 well known national acts, and has turned down jobs with the likes of Clint Black and Doug Supernaw. Originally a clarinetist, then an organist, Johnnys love of keyboard and synthesizer has kept him playing and winning awards locally and nationally. Johnny has been on such televised events as the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade, Good Morning Houston, and Houston Country Nights. Johnny has recorded a traditional album and an original gospel album, as well as recording projects for over 300 local artists. Johnny is a full time piano teacher and is currently on the praise team at the Lonestar Cowboy Church in Montgomery, Texas.
	Howard Douthey Opry Show Band - Staff Musician - Multi-instrumentalist \| Howard, from Porter, Texas, is a long time Opry performer and two time Opry Entertainer of the Year award winner.
	O'Dell Benskin Opry Show Band - Staff Musician - Drummer / Percussion \| O'Dell Benskin is a longtime Opry performer, and an Opry show award winner.
	Bubba Gould Opry Show Band - Staff Musician - Steel Guitar / Electric Guitar \| Bubba began playing piano at age 8 and continued until he joined the school band and started playing saxophone. In junior high school, he picked up the bass guitar and began playing in his first band with his older brother and some of his high school buddies. In high school he played guitar and bass in two different bands and after high school, Bubba joined a group which toured the East coast from Florida to Massachusetts. During the Urban Cowboy boom, he fell in love with the steel guitar and began learning to play. Bubba has worked as a recording engineer in a Grammy winning studio, and as a sound designer for several Grammy winning artists. He has done computer programming on Grammy winning albums and is a certified as a Guitar Instructor by the National Guitar Workshop. Bubba has a PHD in Music Theory from the University of Texas so it’s actually Dr. Bubba.
	Ricky Smith Opry Show Band - Staff Musician - Bass Guitar/Guitar \| Ricky Smith is a longtime Opry performer, and is also an Opry show award winner.
	Jeanette Shackelford Opry Show Band - Staff Musician - Fiddle \| Born on Leap Year 1972 in Houston,Texas and grew up in Odessa. Jeanette came from a musical family and started playing piano at age 6. At age 12, she began playing the violin and fiddle and that same year began playing professionally as a fiddle player and a classical violinist in symphonies. She also plays many other string instruments and has performed with many famous artists including Frenchie Burke, Hank Thompson, Curtis Potter, John Michael Montgomery, David Kersh, Michael Martin Murphey, Johnny Bush, Ray Price, Ray Charles, and many others. Jeanette currently teaches orchestra and performs in country and classical venues. Degrees earned: SWT-Bachelor of Music Education, University of Florida-Masters in Performance on violin and viola, SHSU-Master's in Administration Education.
	Glenda Cheek Opry Show Band - Staff Musician - Mandolin/Piano/Vocals \| Glenda Cheek, from Hewitt, Texas, started performing in Junior High, High School and in her family bluegrass band. She has performed at Opry's all over south Texas. Glenda is a long time Opry performer with over 30 years experience and is an Opry Show award winner with 6 Female Vocalist of the Year awards and 11 Group of the Year awards.
	Evette Isbell Opry Show Band - Staff Musician - Vocalist \| Evette Isbell (Poteet), from Huffman, Texas, started singing at the age of 5. In high school & college she was involved in musicals & plays and has also been the vocalist for a college stage band and country and rock bands. Evette has done studio work, singing jingles for commercial ads and doing backup vocals. As an Opry performer for the past 16 years, she has performed as a backup and solo vocalist winning Female Vocalist of the Year twice. She has also been 1/3 of The Bobby Croft Trio for 16 yrs (w/Bobby Croft & Glenda Cheek) which has received Opry Group of the Year Awards. Other awards include Opry Show Band Group of the Year. Currently, Evette is the Praise & Worship Leader at Lake Houston United Methodist Church in Huffman.