Ramona and Grandpa Jones Grand Ole Opry Nashville, Tennessee, 1974

Country musicians are first and foremost entertainers. They write, play, and sing the songs their fans want to hear. And for the few who are successful, there is stardom, recognition—and maybe even wealth. Fans attach so much glamour to the profession that it's sometimes hard to keep in mind that musicians are working people, trying hard to put bread on the table. For every Faith Hill and Garth Brooks, there are tens of thousands of musicians waiting tables and waiting for a break.

The earliest country musicians didn't tour. They made their reputations locally. With radio came the opportunity to spread the word for record sales but particularly for live shows. A band could tour out the areas reached by whatever radio station featured them. Television brought more and better opportunities. Today's country stars fly first class to their shows and a caravan of buses follow with their supporting crew, instruments, computers, and audio-visual equipment.

Country stars of the 1970s for the most part traveled lean. Even for successful acts, one old bus usually fit all. And the most employable bass players were better mechanics than musicians; someone had to keep that bus cranking and on the road. A few stars did well enough to put their band on salary, but that might mean painting fences and planting crops for their boss between paying gigs. Even well-known acts struggled. Not Roy Acuff certainly, but he made real money in the music publishing business, not by touring out. For a while, even legend Mother Maybelle Carter worked part-time by day as a practical nurse in an old-age home, and then played the Opry at night.

The glamour was there for the fans to see. Performers dressed in rhinestone suits and signed autographs for everyone who asked. But it was also a tough life and many paid the price in substance abuse, unstable families, and often early death. But for the few who made it, it was a dream come true. Just like in the movies.

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