LOCALThe Roy Acuff Roast and Toast at Hyatt Regency Sept. 20, 1981. Ricky RogersNashville Tennessean"Bashful Brother Oswald," right, longtime member of Roy Acuff's band, The Smoky Mountain Boys," swaps reminiscences with Hazel and Lawrence Waltman who operate the Sunset Country Music Park near Philadelphia before the "Roy Acuff Roast and Toast" at the Hyatt Regency Sept. 20, 1981. Acuff has been performing at the park since 1944.The TennesseanHonoree Roy Acuff, left, shares a moment with Vice President George H.W. Bush before the start of the "Roy Acuff Roast and Toast" at the Hyatt Regency Sept. 20, 1981. Longtime Grand Ole Opry star Acuff is celebrating his 50th year in country music and the event benefits the Buddies of Nashville.The TennesseanMetro Mayor Richard Fulton and Charlie Daniels share a moment before the start of the "Roy Acuff Roast and Toast" at the Hyatt Regency Sept. 20, 1981. Longtime Grand Ole Opry star Acuff is celebrating his 50th year in country music and the event benefits the Buddies of Nashville.The TennesseanShirley and Pat Boone share a moment before the start of the "Roy Acuff Roast and Toast" at the Hyatt Regency Sept. 20, 1981. Longtime Grand Ole Opry star Acuff is celebrating his 50th year in country music and the event benefits the Buddies of Nashville.The TennesseanSenate Majority Leader Howard Baker and The Tennessean publisher John Seigenthaler talk with another guest before the start of the "Roy Acuff Roast and Toast" at the Hyatt Regency Sept. 20, 1981. Longtime Grand Ole Opry star Acuff is celebrating his 50th year in country music and the event benefits the Buddies of Nashville.The TennesseanJune Carter and Johnny Cash share a laugh with Shirley Boone, wife of singer Pat Boone, before the start of the "Roy Acuff Roast and Toast" at the Hyatt Regency Sept. 20, 1981. Longtime Grand Ole Opry star Acuff is celebrating his 50th year in country music and the event benefits the Buddies of Nashville.The TennesseanChet Atkins, left, and U.S. Sen. Jim Sasser share a moment before the start of the "Roy Acuff Roast and Toast" at the Hyatt Regency Sept. 20, 1981. Longtime Grand Ole Opry star Acuff is celebrating his 50th year in country music and the event benefits the Buddies of Nashville.The TennesseanVice President George H.W. Bush, left, gives honoree Roy Acuff some praises and lighthearted jokes during the "Roy Acuff Roast and Toast" at the Hyatt Regency Sept. 20, 1981.The TennesseanVice President George H.W. Bush, left, gives honoree Roy Acuff some praises and lighthearted jokes during the "Roy Acuff Roast and Toast" at the Hyatt Regency Sept. 20, 1981.The TennesseanU.S. Sen. Jim Sasser, left, a Democrat, pokes some fun at the unsuccessful campaign as a Republican for governorship of Tennessee in 1948 by honoree Roy Acuff, center, during the "Roy Acuff Roast and Toast" at the Hyatt Regency Sept. 20, 1981.The TennesseanSenator Majority Leader Howard Baker, left, adds a few words in recognition of honoree Roy Acuff's wife, Mildred, who died June 17, during the "Roy Acuff Roast and Toast" at the Hyatt Regency Sept. 20, 1981.The TennesseanHonoree Roy Acuff, left, and Vice President George H.W. Bush laugh at a comment from Senator Majority Leader Howard Baker during the "Roy Acuff Roast and Toast" at the Hyatt Regency Sept. 20, 1981.The TennesseanThe Tennessean publisher John Seigenthaler and wife Dolores reacts to one of the comments from Senate Majority Leader Howard Baker during the "Roy Acuff Roast and Toast" at the Hyatt Regency Sept. 20, 1981.The TennesseanMinnie Pearl, who shared emcee duties with Archie Campbell, said it was very hard for her to roast someone who's the dearest friend I have in the world during the "Roy Acuff Roast and Toast" at the Hyatt Regency Sept. 20, 1981.The TennesseanFormer cowboy actor Gene Autry told a few old political jokes and then addressed the issues of Roy Acuff's age, particularly the "golden celebration," during the "Roy Acuff Roast and Toast" at the Hyatt Regency Sept. 20, 1981.The TennesseanJune Carter Cash is reading an original poem she wrote to Roy Acuff during the "Roy Acuff Roast and Toast" at the Hyatt Regency Sept. 20, 1981.The TennesseanMr. Guitar, Chet Atkins, left, gets a laugh out of honoree Roy Acuff during the "Roy Acuff Roast and Toast" at the Hyatt Regency Sept. 20, 1981.The TennesseanJohn J. Hooker Jr., last year's Buddies of Nashville roastee, uses his few moments to compare Roy Acuff's unsuccessful political career to his own during the "Roy Acuff Roast and Toast" at the Hyatt Regency Sept. 20, 1981.The TennesseanWesley Rose, business partner for the past 36 years with Roy Acuff, says a few remarks during the "Roy Acuff Roast and Toast" at the Hyatt Regency Sept. 20, 1981.The TennesseanErnest Tubb, left, gets a pat on the back from Roy Acuff after his few moments speaking during the "Roy Acuff Roast and Toast" at the Hyatt Regency Sept. 20, 1981.The TennesseanJohnny Cash, left, and honoree Roy Acuff, center, share a moment after Cash spoke during the "Roy Acuff Roast and Toast" at the Hyatt Regency Sept. 20, 1981.The TennesseanSinger Pat Boone said honoree Roy Acuff had a lot of influence on him during the "Roy Acuff Roast and Toast" at the Hyatt Regency Sept. 20, 1981.The TennesseanCharlie Daniels, the final roaster of the evening, said that honoree Roy Acuff, right, had a tremendous effect on his career during the "Roy Acuff Roast and Toast" at the Hyatt Regency Sept. 20, 1981.The TennesseanHonoree Roy Acuff, center, with Charlie Daniels, left, Honey and Gov. Lamar Alexander, co-emcee Archie Campbell, Gene Autry and others sing "Wabash Cannonball" to the music of the bugles and drums of a 15-piece brass band from the U.S. Army 101st Airborne Division in Ft. Campbell toward the end of the "Roy Acuff Roast and Toast" at the Hyatt Regency Sept. 20, 1981.The TennesseanHonoree Roy Aucff deliver some "rebuttals," that were, with a few exceptions, as kind as the roast has been to end the "Roy Acuff Roast and Toast" at the Hyatt Regency Sept. 20, 1981.The TennesseanHonoree Roy Acuff, center, shares some moments with other guests at the end of the "Roy Acuff Roast and Toast" at the Hyatt Regency Sept. 20, 1981.The TennesseanHonoree Roy Acuff, right, signs some autographs after the "Roy Acuff Roast and Toast" at the Hyatt Regency Sept. 20, 1981.The TennesseanHonoree Roy Acuff, left, and The Tennessean publisher John Seigenthaler share a moment after the "Roy Acuff Roast and Toast" at the Hyatt Regency Sept. 20, 1981.The TennesseanHonoree Roy Acuff, left, share a moment with co-emcees Archie Campbell and Minnie Pearl after the "Roy Acuff Roast and Toast" at the Hyatt Regency Sept. 20, 1981.The TennesseanHonoree Roy Acuff shows off the "Roy Acuff Place" sign he received from Metro Mayor Richard Fulton earlier after the "Roy Acuff Roast and Toast" at the Hyatt Regency Sept. 20, 1981.The Tennessean