CMT News

Also in honor of the Opry's 75th anniversary, RCA and MCA will release special Opry-related collections this fall. Both will include a new Brad Paisley/Chely Wright duet, "Hard to Be a Husband, Hard to Be a Wife." The song was written by the duo, debuted by them on the Opry in June and recorded in July at a Tuesday matinee. RCA's compilation, titled Backstage at the Grand Ole Opry, is a 14-cut CD, due Sept. 12. In addition to the Paisley-Wright collaboration it includes backstage interviews conducted by Bill Anderson and classic performances by Vince Gill, Alan Jackson, Dottie West, Hank Snow, Roy Acuff and Minnie Pearl. Much of the material was released in 1983 as Bill Anderson Hosts Backstage at the Grand Ole Opry. MCA Records will release Grand Ole Opry 75th Anniversary, Volumes I and II on Oct. 3. The two-CD set includes the Paisley-Wright pairing and cuts by Trisha Yearwood, Patsy Cline, Red Foley, Emmylou Harris, Kitty Wells, Ernest Tubb, Reba McEntire and Hank Williams. Marty Stuart shot the cover photos for both volumes. Wright records for MCA; Paisley records for Arista, an RCA imprint.