By KEN BECK
The Wilson Post

After 1926, Thompson’s “Opry” career was about kaput. Only four appearances are documented for 1927, and his only turn in 1928 was on the anniversary show. His age and his taste for liquor most likely hastened his exit from the show that made him an instant celebrity.

“Uncle Jimmy was getting pretty old. He was 77 when he played on WSM and had a stroke and was blind in one eye. So it was pretty tough to get along, and it was a 40-mile trip from Laguardo. It was not just hopping over on the interstate,” Rumble said.

Alcohol proved the elderly musician's undoing.

“He really liked to drink. It was natural for those coming out of his tradition,” Rumble said. “Entertaining around the house and traveling along the road for tips, you get yourself a couple of snorts of whisky, everybody danced and had a good time. But that did not really work on radio where you had a structured show and have to get performers on and off. Sometimes they couldn’t get Uncle Jimmy to stop, and Hay had to escort him off stage. During his last performance, he had more than one too many, and he conked out and fell off the chair.”

Editor’s Note: This is part one of a two-part article on Uncle Jimmy Thompson. Part two will be published in the Friday, May 25 edition of The Wilson Post.

Whether he was the first performer to play on “The Grand Ole Opry” may be up for debate, but masterful, marathon fiddle player Uncle Jimmy Thompson definitely gets credit for putting the world famous Nashville radio show on the map.

The fiddler, who is buried in a cemetery near the Laguardo Church of Christ off of Highway 109, played for a solid hour the night of Nov. 28, 1925, and probably would have played all evening had not WSM station manager George D. Hay called it a day.

Asked by Hay if he was tired, Thompson replied, “Why, shucks, a man don’t get warmed up in an hour. I won an eight-day fiddling contest down at Dallas, and here’s my blue ribbon to prove it.”

Thompson's music spans three centuries, and his legacy continues. While the “Opry” thrives in its 85th year, the fiddler, who helped popularize the Saturday night radio show, would relish the idea that a bluegrass festival, part of Granville’s Heritage Days on Saturday, has been named in his honor. And, while he could never have imagined it, Thompson’s sawing on his fiddle may be heard around the globe via the Internet.