Grand Ole Opry Member Spotlight: Tom T. Hall "The Storyteller"

Grand Ole Opry Country Music Show - Nashville

Dierks Bentley - The Opry's Youngest Member

From the time that his father gave him his first guitar at age 4, Tom T. Hall has been performing. This talented performer and songwriter wrote his first song at the age of nine. Growing up in Kentucky, Tom dropped out of school at 15 to help take care of his father after a hunting accident. That experience has made him who he is today, a master of country music, fondly known as "The Storyteller."

Background and Early Career

• After being honorably discharged from the army in 1961, after serving four years, Tom T. Hall moved to Nashville with just $46, a guitar, and a dream.
• Tom was discovered while disc jockeying at a local radio station. He signed with Mercury Records that year.
• Hall wrote the hit "Harper Valley PTA" for Jeannie C. Riley, and after that song hit number one, so did Hall's career.

Grand Ole Opry Induction

• After a string of number one hit singles, and various successful songs recorded by other artists Tom T. Hall was inducted into the Grand Ole Opry. On New Year's Day 1971 Hall was introduced to the Opry audience as "The Storyteller."

Tom T. Hall at the Grand Ole Opry

• This Opry favorite still spins his tales on stage. With only his great songs and his guitar Tom can captivate an audience easily. Go to the VME Grand Ole Opry Blog to see when Tom T. Hall will be performing at the Opry next.

Notable Hits You Might Hear at the Grand Ole Opry

• "A Week in a Country Jail"
• "Shoeshine Man"
• "Salute to a Switchblade"
• "I Love"
• "Country Is"
• "The Year That Clayton Delaney Died"
• "I Care"
• "Faster Horses(The Cowboy and the Poet)"

More Details

• In addition to giving recording consults at his home studio Tom T. Hall has authored several songwriting books. He also wrote his own autobiography.
• See the complete list of current Grand Ole Opry members!