The Grand Ole Opry broadcasts this weekend will feature some terrific bluegrass music, worth the effort to find their signal on the radio (650 AM from Nashville), or catch the live cybercast at WSM online.

Friday’s show (4/20) will feature Cherryholmes during the 9:00-9:30 p.m. segment, and a very special Opry performance in the 10:30-11:00 slot from Alison Krauss & Union Station with Tony Rice.

The AKUS/Rice spot is the last warm up for their joint tour, which begins the next day, and runs through the month of May. The AKUS site describes the focus of the tour this way:

The tour will consist of a limited number of concerts comprised solely of Rice’s material. The performances will give audiences a rare opportunity to experience the depth and breadth of his distinguished career, and drawing from his full catalog, the concerts will feature Rice on guitar accompanied by the vocals and fiddle of Krauss; Dan Tyminski on guitar, mandolin and vocals; Ron Block on guitar, banjo and vocals; Barry Bales on bass; and longtime Rice associate Jerry Douglas on Dobro.

The Saturday (4/21) Opry show has a bluegrass feature as well, with The Grascals appearing in the 9:30-10:00 p.m. segment.

All times shown in Eastern Standard Time.

Highlights of the audio broadcast will be available early next week in the WSM audio archives if you miss the broadcasts.