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  • Oral History

Minnie Pearl

October 19, 1984 OH523
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Biography


Country comedy performer. Born October 25, 1912. Died March 4, 1996. Real name: Sarah Opehlia Colley Cannon. Country music’s best-known female comedian. Recognized for her below-the-knee dresses and straw hat with its $1.98 price tag still attached. Star of Grand Ole Opry from the early 1940s-1991. Popular stage and television performer. Regular cast member of the Hee Haw television show. Member, Country Music Hall of Fame®.

Interview Summary

1984 October 19
Printed transcript only. Audio recording not available.
Minnie Pearl talks about the role of comedy in country entertainment. Discussion includes the role of the Hezzie character in her comedy routines; the concept of double comedy; the dramatic background of many comedians; the role of the performers in the development of the Grand Ole Opry; and comments on Nashville’s early reaction to the Opry.