Skip to main content
Back to Show
Country Music

Les Leverett: Opry Photographer

Les Leverett was the official staff photographer for The Grand Ole Opry in Nashville, TN, from 1960-1992. During those 32 years, he captured images of nearly every country star of note, from Minnie Pearl and Roy Acuff to Garth Brooks and Emmylou Harris. Along the way, his photographs revealed the changes and continuities in the music he loved and the people who made it.

Support Provided By
“I Can’t Stop Loving You” (1953 – 1963)
Unlock with PBS Passport
1:50:53
Visit Memphis during the era of rockabilly, and see how Patsy Cline rises to stardom.
“The Hillbilly Shakespeare” (1945 – 1953)
Unlock with PBS Passport
1:53:15
Meet the country stars of post-war America, including the Hillbilly Shakespeare.
“Hard Times” (1933 – 1945)
Unlock with PBS Passport
1:52:49
Nashville transforms into Music City as America falls for singing cowboys and Texas Swing.
“The Rub” (Beginnings – 1933)
Unlock with PBS Passport
1:51:29
So-called “hillbilly music” reaches new listeners and launches its first stars’ careers.
Active loading indicator