Nashville

It was the start of radio, country music, and legendary artists. Traditions were formed, ordinary people were shaped into today’s legends, and stars you barely knew became your family. It’s the Grand Ole Opry from the past to the present, and what the future may have in store.
 * The Grand Ole Opry **

Commercial radio had just begun in 1920 and about five years later a unique radio station aired. It wasn’t like most radio stations. Most radio stations had just commercials for companies so they could promote their products. This radio station played music. The National Life and Accident Company in Nashville wanted to promote their business so they started their own radio show and hired one of the nation’s most popular announcer’s. They hired George D. Hay who was a former Memphis news reporter and back then he had just started a barn dance show on Chicago’s radio powerhouse (“History of the Opry”).

Two years after the show started Hay’s weekly broadcasts became even more popular week by week. The broadcast was originally named WSM which stood for “We Shield Millions”, but George Hay decided to rename the show The Grand Ole Opry. Soon crowds became backed up in the hallways to see the performers. This event would promote the National Life Company so they would be able to build an acoustically designed auditorium that could hold at least 500 fans (“History of the Opry”).

The new space wasn’t able to hold all of the fans as the crowds got larger every week. So the Opry moved around to many different places in Nashville before they finally settled. In 1943 the Opry finally settled at the Ryman Auditorium, which was a former religious meeting house that was built in 1892 by Captain Thomas Ryman. The Ryman Auditorium was home of the Grand Ole Opry for more than 31 years. The popularity of the Opry was star driven (“History of the Opry”).

Throughout the ‘40s Opry stars spent their weekends performing on the show in Nashville. And they spent their weekdays traveling around the nation performing. They first performed in tent shows and then soon after in auditoriums (“History of the Opry”).

Ever since the Grand Ole Opry became popular the stars toured. The touring tradition continues today. In 1991 to celebrate the 65th anniversary of the Opry it had a 10- city Grand Opry tour. On November 15, 1992 the Grand Ole Opry got a surprise. They were inducted into the Radio Hall of Fame. And in 1999 The Grand Ole Opry returned to the Ryman Auditorium to perform for the first time since they left in 1974. And since then they have returned to the Ryman Auditorium as an annual occurrence (“Opry Timeline”).

In March of 2005 Ricky Scaggs, Trace Adkins, the Oak Ridge Boys, and Craig Morgan performed during the Opry’s first live telecast. The telecast was shown on American Forces Television, which sent live feeds to and from soldiers who were stationed in Iraq. That same year in November a Grand Ole Opry troupe played at Carnegie Hall in celebration of the Opry’s 80th Anniversary. Even some Opry members performed like Trace Adkins, Bill Anderson, Jimmy Dickens, Vince Gill, Alan Jackson, Alison Krauss, Martina McBride, Brad Paisley, Charley Pride, Ricky Scaggs, and Trisha Yearwood (“Opry Timeline”).

In April of 2010 the Opry began a months- long celebration for its 85th Anniversary. A month later in May the Grand Ole Opry and Nashville went through a damaging flood. It killed and injured 21 people in Nashville luckily no more than that. And just two weeks after the flood they were already starting to rebuild it. The wall was stripped down to its concrete foundation and the famous six-foot circle was cut from the floorboards of the Opry’s old home at the Ryman Auditorium which was incorporated into the Opry’s stage was badly damaged(“Opry Timeline”).

On Saturday, October 22, 2011 the Grand Ole Opry held its third annual “Opry goes Pink” show. From every ticket that was sold five dollars were taken from it and was donated to Women Rock for the Cure for the fight of breast cancer. The show was scheduled had performances from famous artists like Lauren Alaina, Eden’s Edge, Kellie Pickler, Ronnie Mislap, and many more. They held activities that recognized surviving breast cancer patients and remembered those who are no longer here.

The future is a mystery but in time I think the Grand Ole Opry will become even more popular. And I think there will be more country artists who get to experience the accomplishment of knowing they were invited to be inducted into the Grand Ole Opry. The Grand Ole Opry has been around a long time and hopefully it is here to stay for many centuries to come.