Blake Shelton, Garth Brooks, Vince Gill, Luke Combs, Lainey Wilson, and more have signed on to help The Grand Ole Opry celebrate its platinum anniversary with a primetime television special this spring.
Shelton, an Opry member since 2010, will host NBC’s “Opry 100: A Live Celebration” on Wednesday, March 19 at 8-11 p.m. ET and simulcast on Peacock.
“Becoming a member of the Opry is a highlight of my life and career,” Shelton said. “Fifteen years later, I still get that same feeling of reverence and excitement every time I walk out on that stage. 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.”
Gill told American Songwriter he loved that country music was born out of hard times.
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“I heard Merle Haggard say it over and over, ‘Music came from one of two places. It came from the beer joint or the church house.’ And that’s just about the truth,” Gill said. “It all came in the last 100 years. The artists who came to town were people who were struggling and knew hard times. And I think everybody was so drawn to the music because it related to hard times. It’s really the blues in its truest sense.”
Other artists tapped to participate in the three-hour Grand Ole Opry celebration include Opry members Ashley McBryde, Brad Paisley, Carly Pearce, Carrie Underwood, Clint Black, Dierks Bentley, Kelsea Ballerini, Marty Stuart, Reba McEntire, Trace Adkins, Trisha Yearwood, and Randy Travis. Fans can also look forward to guest headliners Amy Grant, Eric Church, Jelly Roll, and The War And Treaty.
Additional artists will be added to the lineup in the coming weeks.
Opry Senior VP/Executive Producer Dan Rogers said the show’s goal is to celebrate the past, present, and future of country music.
“My hope is that if you’re new to the party as a fan, you’ll fall in love with this show that’s been going consistently for 100 years now,” he said. “There will be people who will tune in and think, ‘What’s this all about? And three hours later, people will say, ‘Oh, I still don’t know the whole Opry story, but wow. That’s incredible that these huge names in country music all consider one single show home.’”
Celebrating 100 Years of the Opry in Three Hours is Hard
Rogers explained it was tough for the artists and producers to represent 100 years of the genre adequately in three hours.
“I think country music fans will really enjoy seeing what Lainey Wilson chooses to do, what Vince Gill chooses to do to celebrate 100 years, and how the artists come together to perform something really special,” he said. “I hope people will appreciate our efforts to salute the biggest names of the Opry past while also looking forward to the next 100 years.”
“Opry 100: A Live Celebration” will include performances from the Grand Ole Opry House and Nashville’s Ryman Auditorium, the Opry’s beloved former home.
Tickets will go on sale Friday, January 31 at 10 a.m. CT at www.opry.com.
An exclusive pre-sale will be available to Opry subscribers on Thursday, January 30, at 10 a.m. CT.
Sign up to be an Opry subscriber here: https://opryent.co/Opry100.
(Photo by Terry Wyatt/WireImage)
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