Nashville’s legendary Grand Ole Opry celebrates its centennial with a star-studded special
There are few music venues more iconic than Nashville’s Grand Ole Opry, which is celebrating its 100th anniversary this year.
For country music devotees the Opry has become legendary as a performance home for the genre’s talents — rising talents as well as established stars — but many dedicated listeners of other genres are Opry followers, too. All of them will have reason to rejoice as NBC commemorates the site’s century milestone with the new three-hour special, Opry 100: A Live Celebration.
Blake Shelton, who was inducted as an Opry member in 2010, will host the festivities. (Full disclosure: NBC has an ownership stake in the Opry.)
“Becoming a member of the Opry is a highlight of my life and career, and 15 years later I still get that same feeling of reverence and excitement every time I walk out on that stage,” Shelton said. “The Grand Ole Opry has been connecting the country music family for 100 years, and I’m so proud to be part of this historic celebration.”
Actually, the anniversary event requires an additional location to handle all the entertainment planned, and it’s a most appropriate one: the Ryman Auditorium, the so-called “Mother Church of Country Music,” which was the Opry’s home for just over 30 years before the Opry got its own building in 1974. The Ryman is still used by the Opry for short engagements, usually in winter, though it also hosted a number of Opry shows when the main location was flooded in 2010.
The lineup of Opry 100 performers is a bountiful one and includes many other Opry members. Among those scheduled to take to the stage are Shelton, Ashley McBryde, Brad Paisley, Carly Pearce, Carrie Underwood, Clint Black, Dierks Bentley, Garth Brooks, Kelsea Ballerini, Lainey Wilson, Luke Combs, Marty Stuart, Reba McEntire, Trace Adkins, Trisha Yearwood and Vince Gill. Randy Travis, also a member of the Opry, will make an appearance. Slated as well for the show are Amy Grant, Eric Church, Jelly Roll and The War and Treaty.
The Grand Ole Opry originated as a radio program that debuted in late 1925 on Nashville station WSM, initially bearing the title WSM Barn Dance but switching to the Opry name within a couple of years. To this day, the Opry is still heard on WSM, though the broadcasts have expanded to other carriers as well, such as the Opry’s Facebook and YouTube pages plus the FAST network Circle Country.
NBC also ran an Opry hour on national radio from 1939 to 1956, and ABC brought it to television in 1955-56. Elvis Presley made his only appearance on the show in 1954; as the years went on, The Byrds, Jerry Lee Lewis and even country icon Johnny Cash became embroiled in Opry controversies regarding performances that rubbed up against the institution’s then-strict rules.
Such situations have been relatively few over the Opry’s history, though. Performances continue there every Tuesday, Friday and Saturday, with shows sometimes added on Wednesdays and Sundays — and for any artist in the country field, becoming a Grand Ole Opry member is one of the highest, most emotional achievements possible. Don’t be surprised, then, if some tears are shed in gratitude and personal meaning as an all-star cast takes the very famous stage to wish the site a happy 100th birthday.
Opry 100: A Live Celebration airs Wednesday, March 19, on NBC