Country Music Hall of Famer Bill Monroe calls the music he loves, something that “moves from my heart to your heart.. and it will touch you”. It touched Al Gannaway. In 1954, the motion picture producer, director, musician, and singer wiring was sitting backstage in the “Carnegie Hall of the South,” Nashville’s hallowed Ryman Auditorium. The cast of the world’s longest running radio show as on stage as Gannaway had the foresight knowing TV and Movie Theaters would be the future. In fact, Al Gannaway was part of the experimental television project.

As Al Gannaway watched, he saw and felt “lighting in a bottle”. This is how he later described the feeling that came to him that night in his unpublished memoir. Never before or since have so many county superstars been on the same stage at the same time.

Gannaway’s inspirational moment was the beginning of a labor of love. Because of Al Gannaway’s foresight, with more than 50 major hits and 20 number ones before filming on these shows commenced, he was able to capture the greatest country music icons during the golden age of country music on 35mm color film. In fact, Al was the first person to film any television in color at a time TV was in black and white.

Follow our channel for more, including never released footage, performance, and back stage film! These are the memories you’ve come to cherish. Follow along for a lot more behind the scenes details released by The Gannaway Family for the first time ever.