The Grand Ole Opry is arguably the highest honor a country musician can receive. Hence, so many country artists are constantly striving to receive a membership and an induction into the coveted country music club. However, there are a pair of musicians who could care less about being members. Those two are none other than George Strait and Willie Nelson.
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Yes, you heard that right, neither Strait nor Willie Nelson are members of the Grand Ole Opry. Nelson once was, although, he redacted his membership when he made his famous move to Austin, Texas in the early ’70s. Both Strait and Nelson performed at the venue but saw the membership as a major inconvenience due to the commitment it entailed. Thus, the two Texas country music legends aren’t members for the same reason—logistics.
Willie Nelson and George Strait Like Texas
Both Willie Nelson and George Strait have been and are currently headquartered in Texas. And given their location, they don’t see any point in committing to several shows a year at the Grand Ole Opry. For context, if you are a current member of the Opry you are required to perform 10 shows a year. However, that number tends to change quite frequently. So, imagine you’re either Strait or Nelson and you have to schedule your tour around 10 fixed dates. It’s not exactly a convenient or easy feat.
Nelson actually acknowledged how much of a scheduling nightmare it was in a 2018 interview with the Texas Standard. “In order to say you’re a member of the Grand Ole Opry, which is a great honor, you had to be there 26 weeks out of the year” and “You can’t play in Texas on Friday and get back to the Grand Ole Opry on Saturday night. It just don’t work out that way,” Nelson told the publication.
Contrary to Nelson, Strait has made no comments regarding why he’s not a member of the Grand Ole Opry. However, according to numerous publications, including Taste of Country, his reasoning directly aligns with Nelson’s. Simply, it’s impractical and a hassle to commit to something so time-consuming.
The two’s reasoning is quite valid and not all that out of pocket. Especially now, when you realize both Strait and Nelson are in their older years. That being so, the two don’t have to do anything they don’t want to do, and they shouldn’t, as they deserve to relax in their musical royalty for the rest of their days.
Photo by Paras Griffin/Getty Images for ATLive
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