On October 25, 1912, Minnie Pearl was born.

[mahatmakanejeeves]

I had not known of her high-class background until Ken Burns mentioned it in his series on country music.

Hat tip, This Day in Rock, which is now defunct.

Minnie Pearl


Pearl in 1965

Born: Sarah Ophelia Colley, October 25, 1912; Centerville, Tennessee, U.S.
Died: March 4, 1996 (aged 83), Nashville, Tennessee, U.S.
Resting place: Mount Hope Cemetery, Franklin, Tennessee, U.S.
Alma mater: Ward-Belmont College

Sarah Ophelia Colley Cannon (October 25, 1912 – March 4, 1996), known professionally as her stage character Minnie Pearl, was an American comedian who appeared at the Grand Ole Opry for more than 50 years (1940–1991) and on the television show Hee Haw from 1969 to 1991.

Biography

Early life

Sarah Colley was born in Centerville in Hickman County, Tennessee, 50 miles (80 km) southwest of Nashville. She was the youngest of five daughters born to a prosperous sawmill owner and timber dealer in Centerville.

She graduated from Ward-Belmont College (now Belmont University), at the time Nashville's most prestigious school for young ladies, where she majored in theater studies and dance. She taught dance for the first few years after graduating.

Professional career

Her first professional theatrical work was with the Wayne P. Sewell Production Company, a touring theater company based in Atlanta. She produced and directed plays and musicals for local organizations in small towns throughout the Southeast.

Part of her work involved making brief appearances at civic organizations to promote the group's shows, and during this time she developed her Minnie Pearl routine. While producing an amateur musical comedy in Baileyton, Alabama she met a mountain woman whose style and speech became the basis for "Cousin Minnie Pearl". Her first stage performance as Minnie Pearl was in 1939 in Aiken, South Carolina. Her character's now-famous trademark hat was purchased downtown at Surasky Bros. Department store before the show. The following year, executives from Nashville radio station WSM saw her perform at a bankers' convention in Centerville and gave her an opportunity to appear on the Grand Ole Opry on November 30, 1940. The success of her debut on the show began an association with the Grand Ole Opry that continued for more than 50 years.

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Johnny Cash, Minnie Pearl, & Glen Campbell - The Glen Campbell Goodtime Hour (11 Jan1972)
35,379 views•Aug 3, 2016

Glen Campbell Forever
4.68K subscribers

Johnny Cash, Minnie Pearl, & Glen Campbell - The Glen Campbell Goodtime Hour - Country Special (11 Jan1972)

HEE HAW ALL JUG BAND (Minnie Pearl and the Hee Haw Gals) ~ Hee Haw 10th Anniversary Celebration
66,373 views•Jan 28, 2018

Z-1's World Of Wonders
47.3K subscribers

Minne Pearl and the Hee Haw Gals (Kathy Baker, Misty Rowe, Linda Thompson, Roni Stoneman, Gunilla Hutton, Lisa Todd and Lulu Roman) perform the song "The Hee Haw All Jug Band" in the classic television special HEE HAW 10TH ANNIVERSARY CELEBRATION.

Roy Clark, Minnie Pearl - Comedy Routine
7,436 views•Oct 21, 2014

ROYCLARKVEVO
70 subscribers

Music video by Roy Clark, Minnie Pearl performing Comedy Routine.

I don't see how I can do any better than this:

Minnie Pearl - Will The Circle Be Unbroken
17,193 views•May 5, 2015

randall hamm
4.44K subscribers

Fri Oct 25, 2019: Born on this day, October 25, 1912: Minnie Pearl

[Easterncedar]

1. Awwww, Minnie Pearl

Never a Hee Haw fan, but she was so charming. Thanks for the bit of old-time sunshine here.

[Easterncedar]

2. Thanks