Grady Nutt Interview from 1981

Video interview with Grady Nutt from 1981.

http://www.ket.org/cgi-bin/cheetah/watch_video.pl?nola=KBYWO%20000196&altdir=&template=

Thanks to Dwight for the reference!

New Nutt Album Posting Available

Jeff McCann was converting some vinyl to CD the other day from his father's old collection. He came across a few Grady Nutt albums and posted the first one on his blog at www.alldaysingin.blogspot.com (Stories from Hee Haw I believe). Anyway, it's on his blog if you'd like a listen (it's there with artwork too).

Thanks to Jeff for sharing that!

A Tribute to Grady Nutt by Judy Nation!

How great it is, after 25 years, that you have thought to remember this fantastic man. I had the pleasure to meet Grady, for the first time, in 1971. I was a private duty nurse for a burn patient. Grady came to visit for "a few minutes." 90 minutes later, my patient {and me,too} had laughed so much, so often and so hard that my patient told Grady that he hurt so much that I was going to have to give him pain medication! That started an 11 year friendship between Grady, myself, and my children. When my son realized that his sister and I were periodically receiving mail from Grady, he innocently asked, "When is Grady going to get to meet me?" This was about the time that the pilot TV show was released. Of course, we were glued to the set every time Hee-Haw came on. At the time of his death, Grady had just finished taping the next 6 months of his spots on the show.

Not long after I met him the first time, I had the opportunity to accompany Grady and others from Blackshear,GA, to Douglas for a performance at the local college. On the way home, Grady told me that if I ever heard that he died too young it would be in a plane crash because he made a point of always being in his home church every Sunday morning as he and his wife taught Sunday School. At his memorial service, it was mentioned that a 4 year old wanted to know who was going to hug her every time she went to church. I did not get to go to the service but I have the tapes.

Grady did get to meet my son (picture above)! We have the picture to prove it. The next week, he sent an autographed picture just to him. About a month after his death my son was watching Grady on Hee-Haw, with tears rolling down. When I asked my 7 year old what was wrong, his answer blew me away. "When are we supposed to cry?" Such was and is the power of that long, tall Texan, of whom I am proud to say, was a friend. We need more Grady Nutts in this world today. What a blessing it was to have known him and his wife.

Sincerely,
Judy Nation

jrwnation@accessatc.net

A Tribute to one of my heroes! He woud hate that!

My tribute to Grady Nutt:

I feel as though I grew up with Grady Nutt. I first heard Grady when he was a guest in my home church in Hobbs, NM. I had just become a Christian, but I remembered being a bit puzzled to see so many Christians looking as though they had been sucking dill pickles for many years. It was then that God brought an adult Christian in my life that knew how to laugh, and make others laugh too. That person was none other than Grady Nutt.

I went onto college, and Grady came to speak in our weekly chapel at Ouachita Baptist University. Chapel at Ouachita was normally a time to catch up on reading assignments, cram for a test, or even catch up on some sleep. That was not even close to being true when Grady came on the Ouachita stage.

He caught each person’s attention as he related his own Ouachita story. Of course, he could not pronounce Ouachita correctly, but he made a valiant try, when he said, “Wershita.” That in itself was funny, but he was not near through.

Grady, had been was trolling for girls, and he was calling from Waco, Texas. He got a operator (that really dates the story, huh?), and communicated to her that he wanted to speak to a QUATTLEBAUM gal, who lived in the CONE BOTTOMS women’s dormitory on the WERSITA BAPTIST COLLEGE CAMPUS in ARKADELPHIA, ARKANSAS.

The operator, by this time was beginning to get irritated, and she asked very curtly, “Now, who is this speaking?” Grady then delivered the very predictable, “Oh this is GRADY NUTT.”
The operator lost it, started laughing, and completed the call, free of charge.

My how we have missed Grady, and still do. Wouldn’t it have been wonderful to have Grady around with all the SBC controversy the past 25 years? He had a way of getting all of us to take a good hard look at ourselves and bringing tears to our eyes laughing.

Laughter is by all means, good medicine, and no wonder he was referred to as the PRIME MINISTER OF HUMOR.

I have made sure my students here at Ouachita know Grady’s Wershita story.

Kevin Wieser
Ouachita Baptist University
Arkadelphia, Arkansas 2007

Never had the Chance

I never had the chance to see Grady Nutt in person. He died in 1982 when I was 14. I remember watching him as a kid on Hee-Haw and listening to his record albums (yes I am old enough to remember record albums) My favorite is the one he did with the Kingsmen called Give the World a Smile. I bet I listened to that record a thousand times, and I knew it word for word. In fact, it is so bad now that it is not even playable. I had made a copy of it on a cassette tape so I could listen to it in my car. I was probably the only teenage guy ever to cruise around in a GTO with the top down listening to Grady Nutt and the Kingmen. Unfortunately, that tape is long gone. I would love to buy a new copy of that album.

I was raised in a Christian home and thought his mixure of humor and religion was perfect. I have always been accused of being, well, let's call it .... less than serious. In fact, my senior class in high school voted me class clown. I dont' know why. Doesn't everybody know how to make a school desk float four feet in the air? Anyway, I can relate with his childhood stories about his dad listening only to gospel music. My dad listened to it a lot. We had one stereo and a TV with three channels, both in the same room, so there were no other options but to listen. I loved and still do love to listen to the quartets. I have been able to draw from Grady Nutt's influence in a practical way. I was a member of a southern gospel group and used humor during our performances. People tend to listen more to the message when the delivery is interesting. Humor gets people drawn in and they listen more to what you saying and singing. I left that group after a couple of years in order to play with a bluegrass band. We are still playing together and love to play Bluegrass Gospel at churches. I have been working on a medley of old gospel songs like Grady and the Kingsmen did on that album. It is hard to get the guys to play and sing it the way I hear it in my head. I have told them that one day I will find a way for them to hear the great version I am familiar with. What a thrill it would have been to be there when Grady Nutt and the Kingsmen recorded that performance. I really wish I could have had the honor of meeting the man who had such a large influence on me, my personality, and my love of gospel music. Grady Nutt gave the world his smile, and I still smile each time I think of him.

Grady Nutt Lives On In Spoken Word

Grady Nutt, what a comedic fellow...But listen into his stories, comedic yes, but life stories and lessons are contained in each and every one. Can you imagine Jesus using the same style and approach as Grady in preaching his great Parables or the Sermon on the Mount ?.

Grady can capture anyones attention immediately...., From his many stories, that I air on my Sunday Morning Program, many are requested such as "The Roast Is Burning", "When the Roll is Called Up Yonder", "Mrs Middleton Takes The Plunge" among others. Its because of his comedic nature that grabs my listeners attention, but I play them for the life lessons that are taught in those simple monologues. I have all of Gradys recordings captured and cleaned to CD, but long to one get a hold of the tapes made of his appearance here at the grand French Lick Springs Hotel.

I hope that one day, someone in his family will re-issue these gems to CD. Until then I treasure these slices of heaven.

Fan and Listener of Grady Nutt
Randall Hamm Gospel PD WFLQ
French Lick Indiana

Grady at Wayland Baptist College

I met Grady a couple of times when I was a student at Wayland Baptist College in the mid to late 70's. He was a frequent speaker on campus since he had actually attended the school himself quite some time before. He often told stories of his time at Wayland. I heard him speak a number of times and agree that he had an amazing talent for delivering the gospel in a way that would have you wiping tears of laughter one minute and tears of sorrow the next. What a gift for bringing the truth home.

For some reason I don't remember, I was honored to "hostess" one of his visits to the campus. I was responsible to get him to his speaking engagements on campus. We were having several "celebrity" speakers for a number of events one week. There was a meeting of the Fellowship of Christian Athletes one evening and I was also assigned to pick up the "Dallas Cowboy" who had been brought in to address the athletes. When I arrived at the motel, the football player refused to come to the door. We talked through the door and he informed me he had no intention of speaking at the meeting. As it turned out, Grady was in the room next door. He heard the conversation through the door. When I turned to leave, Grady opened his door and said something like "I don't know what that man's problem is, but if you need a speaker for the Fellowship of Christian Athletes, I'd be glad to come speak." And he did. I will never forget that.

We used to get tapes of Grady's talks. I think they were from the Southwestern Theological Seminary in Fort Worth. I wonder if they are still available. I own two of his books, The Gospel According to Norton and Agaperos.

I really mourned at the news of his death. He was taken far too young and far too soon. I was ready for more stories.

Thanks again for this site. It was so good to hear his voice again.

Judy L.
Colorado