With over 8500 performances in the Grand Ole Opry under his belt, Tim Atwood is certainly no stranger to stage entertainment. This Saturday, he will be performing in the Llano Opry starting at 2:30 pm.

Atwood started out in Peoria, Illinois singing Gospel music during high school. He eventually worked his way to Nashville, where he performed in a band at the Grand Ole Opry. He would accompany many artists; he recalled working with Roy Acuff and Minnie Pearl when he was young. “Minnie Pearl […] would point at me and say ‘look at him girls, ain’t he purty?’” Atwood recalls. “Then she’d come over to the piano bench and make me stand up – I’d kiss her on the lips, and I had a full beard and everything, and she would turn to the audience and say, ‘you know how it is girls, you don’t mind goin’ through some brush to get to a picnic.”

Atwood performed at the Opry for 38 years, but also has also recorded his own music. His latest album includes a song that calls back to his time as a gospel singer “Count Your Blessings.” Another song off his new album is “I’ll stand up and Say So,” a powerful song of patriotism and standing up for what you believe in “It’s got a gospel tinge to it,” Atwood says, “but it’s also got a patriotic side.” When asked whether he uses his songs as a platform for making political/social commentary or whether his beliefs just naturally shine through, he said that it’s more his beliefs just shining through. “Everybody’s got their right to do what they want to do but I believe that I stand up for all those veterans who have fought for that flag and that anthem, that they can’t stand up for themselves - so I can stand up and be counted for them.” God, Country, and Family are the constants throughout Atwood’s music.

Atwood often dedicates “I’ll Stand up and Say So” to Captain Grimm, a young man who was killed in action during Desert Storm. The Air Force unit Spirit 03 answered a distress call from some Marines; they saved the Marines and destroyed the enemy missile battery, but the entire unit was shot down over the Persian Gulf. Memorial bracelets were made for the 14 fallen crewmembers. Capt. Grimm had no one claim his bracelet, and so an Air Force Fuel Systems Technician named Stacy Britton claimed it and vowed to wear it in his honor. She wore it for twenty-six years before she felt led to pass it on to Tim Atwood, so that he could share the memory of Captain Grimm with the world.

“I have not taken off the bracelet since the girl gave it to me,” Atwood said. “I’ve worn it for a little over two years now and I never take it off. It’s a daily reminder of someone who fought and died for this country.”

Atwood plays multiple instruments including drums, bass, guitar - but the piano is his favored instrument. Atwood is entirely self taught; he has never had lessons and does not read music; the music comes to him naturally. Atwood considers his music a gift from God and treats it as such. "Your gift from God should be your gift to Him," he said.

Atwood wants his audience to know that they are going to be entertained - not just with music but humor and stories as well. His goal is to "take the audience on an emotional journey," he said, becuase he loves "to see people laugh; then sing a song that will bring a tear to your eye."

The Llano Opry will be at 2:30 pm on Saturday, October 6th at the Lantex Theater.