Centerville, Tennessee USA
October 25, 1912 - March 4, 1996

No performer in the realm of comedy or of country music can touch the legend of Minnie Pearl - in humor, in grace, in popularity, or in the impact she made on America and the rest of the world.

With her cheery, shrill "How-DEEE! I'm just so proud to be here!", her old-fashioned frilly dress, and her straw hat bedecked with flowers and a dangling $1.98 price tag, Minnie Pearl joked her way onto the Opry stage, onto the TV screen and into America's living room and heart. She remained one of the most beloved stars of the HEE HAW cast throughout her twenty years on the show.

Born in Centerville, Tennessee, Sarah Ophelia Colley graduated from the fashionable Ward-Belmont College in Nashville, teaching dance and then becoming an itinerant community theater director. During this time, as she traveled throughout the area, she met an elderly lady in North Alabama whose mannerisms and speech inspired her to develop a character for her own performances. Thus was born the small-town, man-hungry old maid Minnie Pearl.

According to the Country Music Hall of Fame & Museum's Encyclopedia of Country Music, Minnie Pearl came to the attention of WSM radio executives at a convention in Centerville, Tennessee, and made her Grand Ole Opry debut on November 30, 1940. Her appearance prompted a deluge of over 300 cards, telegrams and letters, and one week later, on December 7,1940, her name appeared as a member of the famed radio show's cast. Over the years, the character of Minnie Pearl developed a life of her own, with jokes and stories revolving around the colorful characters from Minnie's fictional hometown of Grinder's Switch. In 1942, Minnie reached the pinnacle of her career when she joined NBC's Prince Albert Show, the half-hour Opry segment broadcast over NBC Radio. In 1948, Minnie began a partnership with the comedic genius Rod Brasfield, a collaboration that lasted until his death in 1958 and resulted in comedy routines that remain classics today.

By now, Minnie's fame was growing. She appeared on NBC television shows hosted by Tennessee Ernie Ford and Dinah Shore, then The Tonight Show and The Carol Burnett Show. An appearance on the Jonathan Winters Show brought her to the attention of producers and resulted in recruiting her to join the cast of HEE HAW in 1969. If WSM and NBC had carried Minnie Pearl's voice into America's homes, television and HEE HAW made her image unforgettable, and cemented her icon status, with such character portrayals as a school teacher, leader of the Jug Band, and editor of the Grinder's Switch Gazette. In addition to HEE HAW, Miss Minnie continued to perform on the Grand Ole Opry, teaming in later years with Roy Acuff, and in the 1980's appearing each Friday night on TNN's Nashville Now with Ralph Emery.

Offstage, Sarah and her beloved husband Henry Cannon, whom she married in 1947, were much-sought members of Nashville social circles. A breast cancer survivor, Sarah worked tirelessly for various charities including the American Cancer Society. She also took great pleasure in mentoring younger generations of Nashville's entertainment industry, welcoming new Opry members and encouraging young artists in their careers. At her death in 1996, from complications following a stroke, memorial services were attended by entertainment figures from Amy Grant to Bashful Brother Oswald, from Waylon Jennings to Garth Brooks. Today, Nashville's area HCA/Tri-Star Hospitals honor her memory with the Sarah Cannon Cancer Center.

She became a member of the Country Music Hall of Fame in 1975.