Country's Stonewall Jackson Settles Opry Lawsuit
Country Star, Grand Ole Opry & Gaylord Entertainment End Court Case
Oct 6, 2008
But reportedly, that’s one of the select phrases that Grand Ole Opry General Manager Pete Fisher imparted to Stonewall Jackson, one of the most popular country stars of the late ‘50s and early ‘60s, when the still-performing Jackson, at 74, questioned Fisher about why he was being kept from the famous Opry stage?
Too Old for the Opry?
“I don’t want any gray hairs on that stage or in the audience, and before I’m done, there won’t be any,” Fisher is said to have added during a conversation with Jackson, who subsequently interpreted the remarks as a call to action.
In response, Jackson filed a federal age-discrimination suit in January 2007 that sought $10 million in punitive damages and another $10 million in compensatory damages against Gaylord Entertainment Co., the Opry’s owner, and Opry GM Fisher. In addition to age discrimination, the suit also included breach of contract and retaliation allegations, with Jackson claiming his Opry appearances had steadily declined since Fisher’s hiring in 1998.
Although Gaylord’s legal representatives argued that because Jackson was not an employee of the famed Opry, he shouldn’t be allowed to go forward with any legal action, in December 2007 U.S. District Judge William Haynes Jr. ruled the one-time Columbia Records artist could go forward with his case on the grounds of the dispute surrounding whether he was—or wasn’t—an Opry employee.
Stonewall Jackson: Part of Opry History, Country Music's Legacy
A member of the longest-running country-music radio show since 1956 and the first entertainer to join the Grand Ole Opry without a recording contract, Jackson officially settled the federal lawsuit Oct. 3, 2008, in U.S. District Court in Nashville, Tenn. However, the settlement terms were not made available to the public.
What is known, though, is that Jackson’s attorney, Kirk Clements, while declining to discuss the settlement conditions, did confirm the suit was “dismissed with prejudice” and is not eligible for re-filing. Moreover, according to a statement issued by a spokesman for Jackson, the 75-year-old singer is “very happy to have this lawsuit settled and be back singing his music on the Grand Ole Opry.”
Additionally, on the singer's official MySpace page, he wrote, "Pete Fisher claims that I have bad-mouthed the Grand Ole Opry in his interview. I love the Opry; it gave me my break. There is no way I would ever say anything bad about the Grand Ole Opry. I love country music and all my fans. One way you can help is spread the word. ..."
Dr. Geoff Hull, a professor emeritus in the Department of Recording Industry at Middle Tennessee State University, said Jackson's lawsuit against the Opry may be unprecedented in regard to one of the Mother Church of Country Music's stars taking legal action against it. for age discrimination.
"I'm not aware of a performer being suing for age discrimination before. Of course, they settled the case without going to court so we don't have an answer of whether the Opry was really discriminating," said Hull, who holds a J.D. from the University of Virginia Law School, in an Oct. 8 interview.
"Ordinarily, a promoter could hire someone to put on a show based on how many tickets they thought they could sell," he noted."If their decision was that a particular older performer could/would not sell as many tickets, that would be the end of the discussion. I think here the key was the agreement with the Opry that the members sign."
While Jackson may have a higher profile than many older Americans, it remains to be seen whether his age-discrimination suit will have a long-lasting affect for like-aged people, including other older Opry performers.
“When it comes to the Opry, a big part of its charm is that they have older people performing,” observed Dr. Janet Belsky, an expert on lifespan development and aging issues, who lives near Nashville.
New Country Artists Lack Charm of Opry Greats
“To me, the minute you start making (the Grand Ole Opry feature only) these Botoxed people who look about 15 years old—and that is what I see in (some of these newer) country music acts, the Opry’s charm is gone,” she said in an Oct. 6 telephone interview. “It loses its appeal, and if (the Opry) keeps trying to ignore its older artists, the ones who’ve helped build it, It’s going to lose its ‘Joe Six-pack’ aura.”
The fact that Jackson—whose top-10 songs include Why I'm Walkin’, A Wound Time Can't Erase, I Washed My Hands in Muddy Water, Don't Be Angry and B.J. the D.J—is headed back to the Opry stage and reportedly taking “great pride in his membership” of more than 50-plus years suggests his legal action had a positive outcome for the determined performer.
Age Discrimination in America Growing
Still, Belsky noted, “Age discrimination, and particularly nowadays, it’s really big … and it’s very hard to prove age discrimination, because you have to prove that it was absolutely just your age (that kept you from employment), and at least in the regular job sector, it’s hard to prove. …
“I wish I could say this lawsuit would do long-term good,” continued Belsky, who also serves as a psychology professor at MTSU. “But I think the only thing that will make a difference is for people to realize they need older workers, and I’m not sure when that will be unless it’s when all the baby boomers finally retire.”
Sources
Age Discrimination on Music Row, posted by James Goodfellow, Jan. 12, 2007. Retrieved from www.hickorywind.org.
Judge: Stonewall Jackson can sue Opry, by John Gerome, Dec. 21, 2007. Retrieved from http://music.yahoo.com/read/news/39203824
Stonewall Jackson, Grand Ole Opry settle lawsuit, The Tennessean, Oct. 6, 2008. Retrieved from www.tennessean.com
Stonewall Jackson, official MySpace page. Accessed Oct. 6, 2008, at http://profile.myspace.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=user.viewprofile&friendid=121860384
Personal communication, Janet Belsky, Oct. 6, 2008.
Personal communication, Geoffery Hull, Oct. 8, 2008.
 |
 |
 |
 |
