Opry To ‘Salute The Troops’ With Craig Morgan, Lauren Alaina
The Grand Ole Opry has announced the return of ‘Salute The Troops’ on Tuesday, May 21. Craig Morgan, who serves as an Army Reserve Warrant Officer, Lauren Alaina, Lee Brice,…
The Grand Ole Opry has announced the return of 'Salute The Troops' on Tuesday, May 21. Craig Morgan, who serves as an Army Reserve Warrant Officer, Lauren Alaina, Lee Brice, HunterGirl, and Austin Snell are among the performers on the lineup for the special event.
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Morgan will also perform with the 313th U.S. Army Band during the red carpet parade into the Opry before the show. The public is invited to arrive early to see the parade on the Opry Plaza beginning at 5:45 pm and doors for the 7 pm show will open directly after.
The Opry will also welcome a special guest, Lt. Gen. Jody Daniels, chief of the Army Reserve and commanding general of the U.S. Army Reserve command. She is the first female to comment on the Reserve component and commands more than 200,000 soldiers and civilian employees nationwide.
Jr. Vice Commander-in-Chief Carol Whitmore and Brian Walker, interim VFW Foundation director of the Veterans of Foreign Affairs (VFW) will also be in attendance. The VFW's mission is to "support, serve, advocate for, and foster camaraderie among U.S. veterans."
“The VFW is honored to be a part of the Grand Ole Opry’s Salute the Troops event along with our great friends at Humana,” said VFW National Commander Duane Sarmiento in a press statement. “We’re honored to be included in a historic night dedicated to celebrating the brave service and continued sacrifices of America’s best and brightest.”
In the coming weeks, the Opry will also celebrate Kelsea Ballerini's 5th Opry Anniversary on Tuesday, August 16, with Jelly Roll, Terri Clark, Maggie Rose, and others performing that night.
Scotty McCreery will also hit the stage on Saturday, April 20 for a performance and to be officially inducted into the Opry family by member Josh Turner. Fans can click here to see the full Opry schedule and to purchase tickets.
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.
