Oral history interview with E.W. "Bud" Wendell, 22 June 2007.
(Document/manuscript/pamphlet/archival material)

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SCC oral histories
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Format
Document/manuscript/pamphlet/archival material
Physical Desc
sound discs : digital ; 4 3/4 in.
Language
English

Notes

General Note
Materials housed in Special Collections Division of the Main Library, Nashville Public Library.
General Note
This interview was recorded in digital format using a Marantz PMD671 solid state recorder. The interview was recorded in .wav format at 48 khz and 16 bit and was converted to .mp3 format for access.
Restrictions on Access
In library use only. Available by appointment.
Description
Scope and content: Oral history interview with Nashville business and civic leader E.W. "Bud" Wendell, conducted 22 June 2007 by Cabot Pyle as part of The Turner Interviews series of the Nashville Public Library's Nashville Business Leaders Oral History Project. During the two hour interview, Wendell discusses such topics as his early career as a Shield Man with National Life and Accident Life Insurance and how the Grand Ole Opry was a promotional sales tool in the community; Nashville during the 1960s, including segregation; the clear channel radio station WSM; upheaval in the Opry family and an exodus of entertainers circa the late 1950s; the origin of the moniker "Music City USA"; and the variety of WSM radio programming; the necessity for the Grand Ole Opry's move from the Ryman Auditorium; being named president of the Nashville Area Chamber of Commerce; Irving Waugh's creative idea for the development of Opryland; the takeover of National Life by American General and the purchase of WSM and Opryland by Gaylord Entertainment; being inducted into the Country Music Hall of Fame; and Nashville's music industry.
Preferred Citation of Described Materials
Cite as: Oral history interview with E.W. "Bud" Wendell, Nashville Business Leaders Oral History Project, Special Collections Division, Nashville Public Library.
Terms Governing Use and Reproduction
This material may be protected by copyright law (Title 17 U.S. Code)
Biographical or Historical Data
A native of Ohio, E.W. "Bud" Wendell was born in 1927. His career began in 1950 with a position as a door-to-door insurance salesman for National Life and Accident Insurance Company in Hamilton, Ohio, and he moved to Nashville in 1962 as a result of a transfer. Wendell served as assistant to the president of WSM, John H. DeWitt, before being named manager of the Grand Ole Opry in 1968. He became vice president of WSM and general manager of the Grand Ole Opry and Opryland theme park in 1974. As Wendell's career unfolded, he served in a leadership capacity at the center of country music, during some of that industry's most dynamic periods of growth and change. Wendell became president and CEO of WSM in 1978 and chairman in 1980. Gaylord Entertainment purchased WSM and National Life's other entertainment interests in 1983, and Wendell was named president and CEO of Gaylord Entertainment in 1991. From a start as manager of the Grand Ole Opry to the point where he was president and CEO of Gaylord Entertainment at the time of his retirement, Wendell was instrumental in the genesis and development of the Opryland brand, including the new home for the Grand Ole Opry, the Opryland theme park, and the Opryland Hotel and Convention Center. In addition, he was at the forefront of creating a presence for country music on cable television, providing leadership for the launching of The Nashville Network (TNN) in 1983, the acquisition of Country Music Television (CMT) in 1991, the launching of CMT Europe in 1992, and the extension of CMT's reach into Latin America and Asia. Wendell retired from Gaylord in 1997, and his prestigious career was capped by his induction in the Country Music Hall of Fame in 1998.
Language
In English.
Cumulative Index/Finding Aids
Index available in repository.
Linking Entry Complexity
Forms part of: Nashville Business Leaders Oral History Project: The Turner Interviews.

Citations

APA Citation, 7th Edition (style guide)

Wendell, E. 1., & Pyle, C. P. Oral history interview with E.W. "Bud" Wendell .

Chicago / Turabian - Author Date Citation, 17th Edition (style guide)

Wendell, E.W. 1927- and Cabot Pollard, Pyle. Oral History Interview With E.W. "Bud" Wendell. .

Chicago / Turabian - Humanities (Notes and Bibliography) Citation, 17th Edition (style guide)

Wendell, E.W. 1927- and Cabot Pollard, Pyle. Oral History Interview With E.W. "Bud" Wendell .

MLA Citation, 9th Edition (style guide)

Wendell, E.W. 1927-, and Cabot Pollard Pyle. Oral History Interview With E.W. "Bud" Wendell

Note! Citations contain only title, author, edition, publisher, and year published. Citations should be used as a guideline and should be double checked for accuracy. Citation formats are based on standards as of August 2021.

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