Scotty McCreery Feels ‘Very Blessed’ After Opry Induction

Scotty McCreery was officially welcomed into the Grand Ole Opry family on Saturday night (4/20) in Nashville. The country singer's dream came true as Josh Turner and Randy Travis  inducted him as the 227th member of the Opry.

"Scotty is not only a fine singer and songwriter, but he's a great man, husband, and now father. I'm proud of him. I'm proud to know him, and I'm proud that he's filling the shoes of those that have gone before him. With artists like him, country music is in great shape," Turner said.

He continued, "It's my distinct honor to say congratulations on officially becoming the newest member of the world-famous home of country music, the Grand Ole Opry."

McCreery was handed his award by Turner and went on to thank his "Lord and Savior Jesus Christ." He expressed that he felt "very blessed" at that moment and thanked his family, friends, band, and team, among others, for allowing him "to have fun for a living."

The 30-year-old performed his current single, "Cab In A Solo," a new song titled "Fall In Summer," a cover of Travis' "Three Wooden Crosses," and the fan-favorite, "Five More Minutes" throughout the night. McCreery's wife, Gabi, their son, Avery, and McCreery's parents were also in the audience cheering him on.

"It takes a village. I say this all the time. My name is on the albums, my name is on the billboards. But man, if y'all saw the people behind the scenes working their tails off for me, management, my agents, I got songwriters in the crowd tonight that have helped me. Frank Rogers, my biggest mentor in Nashville, Tennessee," McCreery told the crowd.

He continued, "I could go on and on, but, my family, my friends, a beautiful bride, and my little boy, Avery. I hope Avery's, you know, not being too rowdy over there in that section. One day I'll be able to look over at Avery, and he might not understand tonight, but one day I'll tell him, 'Hey, buddy, This was your daddy's dream and it came true.'"

McCreery’s highly anticipated fifth studio album, Rise and Fall, is due out May 10.

See more from the special night on the @backstagecountrymusic Instagram page.

Many country music superstars embrace the Grand Ole Opry and openly weep when invited to become members of the Nashville institution. However, a handful of country superstars are not members of the Opry.

To become a member of the Grand Ole Opry, you have to be invited, and that decision comes down to Opry management. According to the Opry website, "Opry membership requires a passion for country music's fans, a connection to the music's history, and it requires commitment – even a willingness to make significant sacrifices to uphold that commitment. Often, the Opry seeks out those who seek out the Opry, though decisions aren't based on which artists appear most on the show, either."

In picking new members of the Opry, their site says, "The Opry doesn't simply pass out invitations to the biggest stars with the most hits. Opry management looks for a musical and a generational balance. Opry membership requires a passion for country music's fans and a connection to the music's history. It requires commitment – even a willingness to make significant sacrifices to uphold that commitment."

To become a member, there is a rule that artists need to commit to playing the Grand Ole Opry stage several times a year. However, that rule is often broken by current Opry members (primarily icons and superstars), and it's just okay.

For some country superstars, it may be the commitment they shy away from or not having enough passion for the Opry history to leave the Grand Ole Opry out of their careers. We look at five country music superstars that are not members of the Grand Ole Opry. While all have played it at least once, these five acts rarely play the Grand Ole Opry stage.

Tim made his Grand Ole Opry debut in December 2003. After that, he played it a few times, but never that much, and now he doesn't play the Grand Ole Opry at all. Not sure why.

Faith played the Opry in the late 1990s when her career started to hit. She didn't play the Opry stage much after that.

Vince Bucci/Getty Images

George played the Grand Ole Opry show once, his debut performance on the stage in October of 1982. That was the first and last time, and no one really knows why. There is a theory that he could not make the Opry commitment to play the stage very much because he never lived in Nashville; he has always resided in Texas.

Miranda played the Grand Ole Opry several times in her career, and some of her most recent performances on the Opry stage were in 2014 with then-husband Blake Shelton and in 2015 and 2016. She does not play it often now, and in 2015, she told me when asked about the Grand Ole Opry and someday becoming a member, "It's sort of something I don't talk about or have never asked or say that out loud. It was always a big deal to Blake, so that was something we always talked about, and he became a member, but I'd never really set it out for myself." She added, "It wasn't on my radar before because I focused on that for him, but I would definitely never say no to being a member of the Grand Ole Opry."

Scott Gries/Getty Images

Kenny made his Opry debut in 1996. He has been on the Opry stage a handful of times and once when he paid tribute to George Jones singing his classic, "White Lightning." These days it's very rare to see Chesney on the Grand Ole Opry stage.