Singer sues Grand Ole Opry

Nashville’s Grand Ole Opry showcases old-time country music every week, but some older country stars complain that they are being shuffled off the stage at the venue’s historic radio show.

Charlie Louvin, Stonewall Jackson and others say they joined the Opry cast decades ago with an understanding: Faithfully make appearances at the Grand Ole Opry at the peak of your career for less than you could earn elsewhere, and the Opry would offer a place to perform when the hits stopped coming.

Now they say the Opry has reneged on that unwritten deal and is pushing older stars out. Jackson, 74, has filed an age discrimination lawsuit against the Opry owners.

Gaylord Entertainment Co., which bought the Opry in 1983, denied all of Jackson’s claims in court papers. It said Opry members are not Gaylord employees, and the company has no obligation to offer them a certain number of performances.