Rhett Akins Has “The Greatest Night” of His Life as He’s Inducted Into the Grand Ole Opry on His Birthday

“This is the greatest night of my life.” That’s what Rhett Akins told a packed Grand Ole Opry crowd after he performed “Don’t Get Me Started” to open the show that would serve as his induction into the country music institution.

Before he took the stage, American Songwriter spoke to Akins backstage, who recalled that June night when Jon Pardi invited him to become a member of the Grand Ole Opry.

“My heart dropped. I was transported back to 1979 and my grandma’s house because we watched the Grand Ole Opry and listened to the Grand Ole Opry, and Hee Haw, and The Porter Wagoner Show, all that stuff. We watched it religiously,” he said. “I just couldn’t believe it.”

The invitation came more than three decades after he made his Opry debut by performing at a matinee show.

“Roy Acuff was was the host of my segment, which was unbelievable because he’s such an icon,” he said. “I was just so in awe… It was like being in a Disneyland or something for country music.”

Now, Akins himself is part of that legacy, a fact he can hardly believe.

“I never thought it would it would come down to asking me to be a member. There will never be a day 30 years from now that I [won’t] still be shocked,” he admitted. “I’ll never walk down these halls and take it for granted.”

Rhett Akins’ Grand Ole Opry Induction

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Akins’ induction night was one he won’t soon forget, as Pardi, Jamey Johnson, Jason Aldean, Luke Bryan, and Thomas Rhett all showed up to honor him.

After performing duets with all of his famous friends, Akins was back onstage solo to perform “Honey Bee” and “I Lived It,” two songs he wrote for Blake Shelton.

“This is the night of my life,” Akins said. “I love country music. God bless country music.”

Johnson and Pardi then joined Akins on stage to make his induction official. Afterwards, Akins performed his 1995 hit, “That Ain’t My Truck.” Towards the end of the song, all the special guests made their way back onto the stage for a singalong moment.

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The night didn’t end there, though. Since Akins’ Opry induction fell on the same day as his 57th birthday, the performance came to a close with the audience singing “Happy Birthday” to the man of the hour.

Rhett Akins Reacts to His Opry Induction

After the show, during a party backstage in Studio A, Akins once again expressed his awe over the night, which was one he said he’ll “never forget.”

“I love country music; I hope y’all know that. I cherish this with all my heart,” he said. “There will never be a day that I walk down the halls of the Grand Ole Opry and take it for granted. Those pictures along the walls of everybody you see up there, that fires you. If that don’t fire you up to play, nothing does.”

Despite the fact that Akins has now accomplished the biggest dream he’s ever had, he isn’t done working. Instead, he has new goals he’s looking to fulfill.

“I would love to be in the Country Music Hall of Fame. I’m in the Nashville Songwriters Hall of Fame, but I’d like to be in the Songwriters [Hall of Fame]… That would be something that would be that would be cool,” he told American Songwriter. “But you know what? The coolest thing about the Grand Opry is it’s not a trophy that you take home and it just sits on a shelf. It’s somewhere that you get to play for the rest of your life. You just can’t beat that.”

Photo by Chris Hollo c/o the Grand Ole Opry