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HAIRL HENSLEY

J

jy

I realize most of the discussion here is around top 40 but back in the 60s a guy you may know from WSM and the Opry was on WKDA, then the #1 station in town year after year. His name is Hairl Hensley and I'm hearing he's not doing so well right now.
My reason for posting is that neither the WSM AM site or the Grand ole Opry site, out of courtesy it seems, is providing any information or updates on his hospital stay, and the last thing I want is folks bombarding hospitals asking questions.
Is anybody keeping up with this? As a personal and sensitive matter I only ask for confirmed information.
If anybody from WSM or the Opry reads this I'm sure it's an oversight but as a long time employee with a great history and tons of fans could I use this posting to suggest that you guys might find a lot of interest in reporting his status. While privacy is an issue I'm told the family is appreciative of interest and certainly prayer if you are so inclined.
 
I'd like to hear any status etc. Didn't know he was in the hospital. On the Opry NOBODY could sell Vietti Chili like Hairl. I bought a case of it by mail just because Hairl told me to try it.
 
A group of us who stay in touch got an email from Eddie Stubbs last week.
Hairl was still in ICU in very serious condition. He had a heart attack a
couple of weeks ago followed by a triple by pass. He would appreciate prayers.
That's the latest I have.
Buddy
 
The information posted is correct for the most part. Hairl remains hospitalized following triple bypass surgery a couple of weeks ago. He has requested we respect his privacy and I believe that's the primary reason you will not find information posted on he WSM and Opry web sites. There is, however, an address for those who would like to send cards.

Hairl Hensley
P.O. Box 8112
Hermitage, TN 37076

Hairl has acknowledged that our well wishes and prayers are being received with grattitude. Please continue both.

Mike Terry
WSM
 
I don't know Mr. Hensley, he's a little bit before my time, but i have heard and read wonderful things about him. He and his family will be in my prayer's tonight.
 
Those of us with enough age on us (olebud) will remember Hairl as a great top 40 jock in the 60 on the old WKDA 1240 (The Good Guys), when WKDA and WMAK were dukin' it out for dominance in Nshville, where both signals faded abruptly past Green Hills and that didn't matter because there was nobody living beyond there anyway. Get well soon, Hairl.
 
Thanks much for the updates. This confirms what I heard but I hope at times someone like Mike Terry or someone with direct contact will come back with updates. I listened to him as a kid on WKDA worked with him at WSM and admired him as a solid man whose ego was very in check. I knew a lot had changed since his wife passed away a couple of years ago. This is one of those times I wished years hadn't passed and our contact hadn't slipped. Sometimes in a world of worshipping the current bit of news people like Hairl slip away quietly and forgotten.

BTW to the guy who talked about his selling copy...you might love this. I'd watch Hairl for years do as excellent a job reading copy cold as he did scanning it before hand. And as an old top 40 guy he grew out of the need for headphones years ago...something about the Opry stage makes the off stage announcer every bit a performer as the performer himself.
 
If you go to this link, scroll down the homepage and you'll come across a 8 minute newscast believed to be from Hairl Hensley in 1955, but I could be mistaken.

http://www.wopi.com/
 
I don't believe that's Hairl Hensley in that 1955 newscast. I'm thinking Hairl is about 65 which would put his year of birth as 1942. Do the math -- he'd be 13 in 1955. But I could be wrong about his age. Perhaps somebody out there has personal knowledge of how old Mr. Hensley is. I've met and talked with him several times at the Grand Ole Opry. A very nice man who is asking for prayers to get him out of the hospital and back on SIRIUS Channel 62.
 
Journeyman said:
bub said:
If you go to this link, scroll down the homepage and you'll come across a 8 minute newscast believed to be from Hairl Hensley in 1955, but I could be mistaken.

http://www.wopi.com/
Click to expand...

Nope. Definitely NOT Hairl.
Click to expand...

I'm fairly sure he was at WKDA in 1958 or 59. He would have been a teenager then. I was around at that time, but I heard a aircheck of the old 1240 on one of the other sites, that was recored during that era, and I thought it was Hairl doing the promo on 1240 WKDA.
 
scottwmro said:
Journeyman said:
bub said:
If you go to this link, scroll down the homepage and you'll come across a 8 minute newscast believed to be from Hairl Hensley in 1955, but I could be mistaken.

http://www.wopi.com/
Click to expand...

Nope. Definitely NOT Hairl.
Click to expand...

I'm fairly sure he was at WKDA in 1958 or 59. He would have been a teenager then. I was around at that time, but I heard a aircheck of the old 1240 on one of the other sites, that was recored during that era, and I thought it was Hairl doing the promo on 1240 WKDA.
Click to expand...
If that's the case, I stand corrected. No malice intended. I always made it a point to listen to Hairl when I was in Nashville.
 
650AM said:
How long has Hairl been away from the Opry & WSM? Is/was he officially retired?
Click to expand...
I think I heard Eddie Stubbs say Hairl retired as an Opry announcer earlier this year. In all the WSM changes a few years back he was relegated to one show a week (Sunday night bluegrass) plus the Opry, then just the Opry. Before that he was doing WSM afternoon drive. He had been voicetracking afternoons on Sirius 62 The Roadhouse, the classic country channel until this recent illness. He was a great Opry announcer in the tradition of Grant Turner and his voice is missed there, even though it wasn't as strong as it once was in the past couple years.
 
hairl was on sirius 62 the roadhouse before falling ill. I hope he is doing better now. His family didnt want much publicity thats why we dont know much. I will try to get in touch with Mr stubs and ask him.
 
I can assure everyone that Hairl was at WKDA-1240 throughout most of my four years as a Vanderbilt student (1959-63). In fact, for my last two years there, I helped Hairl on Saturday afternoons during the football season by compiling and reading (on the air) the college football scores. I also did some of the newscasts ["Good afternoon. At 1:54, this is Bill Herald reporting for WKDA Action Central News, a service of Shoney's Big Boy Drive-In Restaurant in the Donelson Plaza Shopping Center ..."]
 
I got word this week that Hairl is doing better. He had problems in addition to his heart problems, but it sounds like he is mending. :) Extra prayers appreciated I'm sure.
I believe it was around memorial day he retired. He was having health problems then and the satellite and Opry shows were just 'wearing him out.'
Hairl was our board op during all that's news for many years at WSM and when we had a problem, technical or otherwise, he never lost his cool and just keep smiling, ad libbing and most listeners never knew the difference. Plus he made the breaks fun. many times we went back to news after the breaks trying out best to keep the laughs out.
And yes, he was at KDA in 1959 when I met him for the first time.
 
I had the honor of working with Hairl for 3 years while I was at WSM. He is truly one of the nicest guys you could ever meet, the warmest and friendliest person I have ever worked with in radio. We are both East Tennesseans, so we always had stories to swap about radio from back home.

I am not a big reader, but I always told Hairl that he should write a book, I'd read every word of it. I miss him a lot, I am glad to hear that he is doing better.
 
I know that Hairl's initial step down at WSM was not his choice. And, I question whether his retirement from the Opry wasn't a little forced as well. Gaylord liked to do those type of things. Regardless, his voice carried over the WSM airwaves better than any other, and I have tons of great stories and memories from working opposite Hairl during All That's News. He was fantastic! Even if he was a prankster. He definitely made it fun, and really, that's the way a job should be.
 
I haven't been keeping up with how his health condition is, but now that Cumulus is out of the game with WSM-AM, it would be nice to have Hairl back on the air in PM drive on WSM-AM. I heard a comment that he and Keith made on the air one day....Real Men Wear AM! LOL! I got a big kick with the way Keith said that on the air.

With Bill, Keith, Haril, & Eddie in that order each day on WSM-AM, that is real radio and real AM broadcasters that are pros! When I'm in the mood for Classic Country, they sound 100 times better than what's on 103 KDF. I haven't yet figured out KDF's formula of country? Long Live 650 AM/Nashville!
 
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