The Grand Ole Opry is a weekly country music stage concert in Nashville, TN. The Grand Ole Opry (GOO) started as the WSM Barn Dance in November of 1925. The WSM Barn Dance was a radio program that was broadcasted live where the country music performers of the day performed. A variety of country performers performed on the show with there being some regulars, like the Fruit Jar Drinkers, the Crook Brothers, the Binkley Brothers’ Dixie Clodhoppers, and the Gully Jumpers. The name Grand Ole Opry came known in 1927 after Judge Hay announced after DeFord Bailey played a classic train song that “For the past hour, we have been listening to music taken largely from Grand Opera. From now on we will present the ‘Grand Ole Opry’”. Since then, the name has stuck to the program. The program broadcast’s live and it also has a live audience to play for too. As the audiences increase, the GOO has had to find larger venues. In June, 1943 the Opry moved to the Ryman Auditorium. Then in 1974, the GOO moved to the Grand Ole Opry House where it remains today. When Nashville took on flood waters in 2010, the Grand Ole Opry House was taken out of commission for awhile. Many of the current country performers worked to restore the GOO House, and Brad Paisley and Jimmy Dickens in a special edition of the GOO in September 2010, put in the circle from the Ryman on the GOO House stage.
The GOO has moved from broadcasting on the radio to also doing television broadcasts. GOO has many different Opry broadcasts, like Friday Night Opry, Tuesday Night Opry, and of course on Sunday nights, Grand Ole Opry. There were plans to start a Wednesday Night Opry but was abandoned after the flooding. There is also a radio program called America’s Opry Weekend that is played on radio stations all over the United States. PBS started televising the live performances in 1978. GAC continues televising the live Grand Ole Opry performances on their cable network.
A country performer can be a member of the Grand Ole Opry. To be in the GOO is to be identified as a member of the elite of country music. To be a member, a singer must earn it and it can be maintained throughout their career. After a performer dies, they are no longer a member but can be inducted into the Hall of Fame. To be a member of the Opry, a country performer must have a passion for country music’s fans, connection to the music’s history, and requires a commitment to country music.
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