Grand Ole Opry members Jack Greene and Jimmy C. Newman take to the stage at the recently opened James Monroe Bluegrass Music Hall on Saturday in Franklin.

Greene, who will perform with Candi Carpenter, is looking forward to the 7 p.m. performance.

&#8220(Touring) is just a wonderful way to see the world and get paid for it and have fun,” he said.

While recording for Decca and MCA years ago, Greene had nine No. 1 hits, including &#8220There Goes My Everything,” &#8220What Locks the Door” and &#8220Statue of a Fool.”

For the past four years, he’s enjoyed performing with Carpenter, a 19-year-old singer originally from Michigan.

&#8220She’s a wonderful writer and singer and makes our show much better,” Greene said. &#8220She attracts all the younger people. We call our show ‘Yesterday and Today.’ ”

Carpenter begins performing about halfway through Greene’s act, which he’ll wrap up with a medley of his most famous songs.

He said he hopes to boost Carpenter to stardom the way Ernest Tubb, for whom he once played drums, helped him become famous.

&#8220Jack says he now gets to repay that favor, to pay that forward,” said Carpenter, who lives east of Nashville with Greene and their manager, Lee Ann Lallone. &#8220He’s like a dad to me, and we’ve kind of made a little mismatched, hodge podge family.”

During Saturday’s show, Carpenter will sing a lot of old standards made famous by country music women.

&#8220I do a tribute to ladies like Patsy Cline, a little bit of Reba (McEntire) and Skeeter Davis, Dolly Parton and Tammy Wynette – things Jack wouldn’t want to do,” she said.

Lallone said Carpenter is a tremendous talent who will sing the national anthem on the nationally televised football game between the Pittsburgh Steelers and Baltimore Ravens on Christmas Eve.

&#8220She is beyond,” Lallone said. &#8220She can knock away any one of them” already famous in Nashville.

Carpenter and Greene will sign autographs and sell copies of their CDs Saturday.

Greene said he loves meeting the public.

They &#8220tell us what they like and didn’t like and we learn a lot from the people we work for,” he said.

When Jimmy C. Newman performs Saturday, he’ll likely bring his Cajun-influenced songs, including &#8220Alligator Man” and &#8220Bayou Talk” to the stage,” along with other hits, including &#8220A Fallen Star” and &#8220Cry, Cry Darling.”

Dan Ware, executive director of the Simpson County Tourism Commission, said he thinks Newman and Greene will put on a great show.

&#8220Both of these performers, their biggest hits came in the ’60s and ’70s and there’s a nostalgia factor there,” he said. &#8220A lot of the people we see visiting Simpson County are an older demographic” who come because of the antique malls and Kenny Perry’s Country Creek Golf Course.

Ware thinks James Monroe, who is son of the late, legendary Bluegrass musician Bill Monroe, &#8220is smart to attract those kinds of acts that appeal to the baby boom era” to his music hall.

The tourism commission is now promoting the hall with other Simpson County attractions.

&#8220Generally, when people go out for a show, it’s dinner and a show, so probably a show ticket also means a restaurant meal, and depending on how long it takes to get home, you can spend the night (in Franklin) instead of driving and getting home at 2:30 a.m.,” Ware said. &#8220You can make a weekend of it and antique or play golf.”

Tickets for Saturday’s show at the Bluegrass Music Hall are $16.50 and are buy one, get one half off.

For more information about tickets, call the James Monroe Bluegrass Music Hall at (270) 586-7100.

For more information about Jimmy C. Newman, check out http://www.opry.com/MeetTheOpry/Members.aspx?id=92 on the Web.

For more information about Greene, check out http://www.jackgreeneopry.com

To find out more about Carpenter, look at http://www.candicarpenter.com