Anne Wilson, Josh Ross Among Opry NextStage Class Of 2024
It was recently announced that Anne Wilson, Chase Matthew, Charles Wesley Godwin, Ella Langley, Flatland Cavalry, Josh Ross, Madeline Edwards, Wyatt Flores, and 49 Winchester are among the Grand Ole…
It was recently announced that Anne Wilson, Chase Matthew, Charles Wesley Godwin, Ella Langley, Flatland Cavalry, Josh Ross, Madeline Edwards, Wyatt Flores, and 49 Winchester are among the Grand Ole Opry's 'Opry NextStage' Class of 2024.
RELATED: Anne Wilson And Jordan Davis Team Up For “Country Gold”
The artists selected are just a few of the genre's standout names and have delivered some of today's fastest-rising hits. According to the Opry website, "Opry NextStage finds up-and-comers on their way to superstardom and places them center stage (literally)."
Over the last few years, the Opry NextStage class has some of the biggest names in the country genre today. Lainey Wilson, Parker McCollum, Megan Moroney, Kameron Marlowe, Ernest, Nate Smith, Riley Green, and more have all taken part in the showcase.
"I'm so honored to be announcing the Opry NextStage program class of 2024. As someone who was a part of the NextStage class in 2021, this is a full-circle moment for me. I am such a huge fan of all these artists, and I can't wait to see where their musical journeys take them this year," Wilson said in a press statement.
On Wednesday, May 15, the class of 2024 will take the stage at Lava Cantina The Colony in Texas to perform at the Opry's Country's Rising Round event. The special night will be hosted by none other than CMA New Artist of the Year, Jelly Roll.
"Thank you @opry for including me! It's special being a native & recognized by something you looked up to your entire life." - Chase Matthew
"The biggest honor! Thank you." - Ella Langley
"A dream come true. Thank you for including me." - Anne Wilson
"In great company! Thanks @opry." - 49 Winchester
The Grand Ole Opry House recently celebrated its 50th anniversary with performances by Bill Anderson, Jeannie Sealy, and Connie Smith. Next month, the Opry will induct its newest member, Scotty McCreery.
As we celebrate Carrie Underwood's upcoming 15th Anniversary as a member of Nashville's Grand Ole Opry, we look at twelve country music stars who have embraced all things Grand Ole Opry since their careers began and are now members of the Opry.
The Opry member list is not one that all country superstars are on. A handful of country stars never really caught on to the Opry tradition for whatever reason, including superstars like George Strait, Miranda Lambert, Tim McGraw, and Kane Brown.
Let's focus on the stars who love and cherish the history and tradition of The Grand Ole Opry.
RELATED: Carrie Underwood Celebrates 15 Years As An Opry Member
Carrie Underwood
Rick Diamond/Getty ImagesOpry Induction date - MAY 10TH, 2008 - Carrie's Opry dream came true on March 15, 2008, when Randy Travis surprised her on the Opry stage with an invitation to join the cast of the show. "Let me think about it," she said playfully before responding with an emphatic "Yes!" as she wiped tears from her eyes. She was introduced to the Opry by Country Music Hall of Famer Bill Anderson and Garth Brooks inducted her.
Garth Brooks
Shannon Finney/Getty ImagesOpry Induction date - OCTOBER 6TH, 1990 - Garth made his debut on June 24, 1989, and wept tears of joy on the occasion. He joined the show's cast a year later, with Johnny Russell inducting him, and he has called that night one of the proudest moments of his career.
Blake Shelton
Rick Diamond/Getty ImagesOpry Induction date - OCTOBER 23RD, 2010 - On his Opry induction night backstage, Blake said that records and awards don't mean as much to him as the Grand Ole Opry. He said, "This is the reason that you move to Nashville to me. This is what I wanted from the beginning."
Luke Combs
Jason Kempin/Getty ImagesOpry Induction date - JULY 16TH, 2019 - Before becoming a member, Luke told us it was a big deal to him to play the Opry. He said, "It just seems like this thing that is unattainable, and it seems like something that you will never be able to do. I wish the Opry called me, but I was fighting for it from the start, and that was really something super important to me."
Brad Paisley
Rick Diamond/Getty ImagesOpry Induction date - FEBRUARY 17TH, 2001- When Brad was inducted into the Grand Ole Opry in 2001, George Jones wrote him a letter that Paisley read to the crowd. It said in part, "I am counting on you to carry on the tradition and make folks sit up and listen to what good country music should sound like."
Ashley McBryde
Terry Wyatt/Getty ImagesOpry Induction date - DECEMBER 10TH, 2022- Garth Brooks invited her to join the Grand Ole Opry on GMA Live on TV as she cried in accepting the honor.
Kelsea Ballerini
Ethan Miller/Getty ImagesOpry Induction date - APRIL 16TH, 2019 - Kelsea was inducted as a Grand Ole Opry member in 2019. At the time, she notably became the Opry's youngest member in its nearly 100-year history since being founded in 1925.
Keith Urban
Royce DeGrie/Getty ImagesOpry Induction date - APRIL 21ST, 2012 - Keith became a member of the Grand Ole Opry after being surprised by Vince Gill two weeks earlier with an invitation to join the Opry.
Darius Rucker
Terry Wyatt/Getty ImagesOpry Induction date - OCTOBER 16TH, 2012 - Darius told us a couple of years after his Opry member induction, "It will always be someplace special. It will always be my home now in Nashville. I just love it, and every time I walk in, I touch my plaque, and when I leave, I touch my plaque because that moment when Vince (Gill) inducted me was the first time I felt like I was part of country music."
Little Big Town
Rick Diamond/Getty ImagesOpry Induction date - AUGUST 12TH, 2022 - Opry member and friend Reba McEntire invited Little Big Town to join the Grand Ole Opry in 2014. As the group finished a three-song set with "Pontoon," Reba appeared from the side of the stage, improvising on the song's last few words and asking the question Karen, Kimberly, Jimi, and Phillip had been hoping to hear. "I know the Grand Ole Opry is very important to y'all, because this is the first place you guys played together as a group in 1999. I have been asked to ask y'all, Little Big Town, would y'all like to be a member of the Grand Ole Opry?"
Dierks Bentley
Jason Kempin/Getty ImagesDierks has always been a champion for the Grand Ole Opry and even introduced it to Elle King, who sang with him on the Opry stage in 2016. She recently made her solo debut on the Opry.
Carly Pearce
Terry Wyatt/Getty ImagesOpry Induction date - AUGUST 3RD, 2021- Grand Ole Opry member Dolly Parton extended the coveted invitation to Carly after 85+ appearances.
