Dierks Bentley, Terri
Clark, Vince Gill and Lorrie Morgan Kick Off
the 95th Anniversary Celebration Saturday, October 3
Limited In-Venue Audiences
Return Beginning October 3
Lauren Alaina, Bill
Anderson, Clint Black, Little Big Town, Chris Janson, Carly Pearce, Jeannie
Seely, Josh Turner, Steve Wariner Among Those Scheduled To Perform During
October In Celebration of the Opry’s 95 Years
NASHVILLE, Tenn. – (September 30, 2020) In celebration of the Grand Ole
Opry’s 95th anniversary celebration, the Opry announces a month-long
series of events, livestreams, sweepstakes, special retail packages and the
artists scheduled to perform each week throughout the month of October. The
Grand Ole Opry has survived and kept the music playing for 95 years even
through world wars, the Great Depression, two once-in-a-lifetime floods,
presidential assassinations and now a pandemic. This Saturday the Opry will not
only be kicking off the 95th anniversary celebration, but will
welcome back a limited in-venue audience for the first time in 29 weeks since
shows were paused in March amidst the COVID pandemic.
Opry members Dierks Bentley, Terri Clark, Vince
Gill and Lorrie Morgan are scheduled to step in the circle for the 4,944th
consecutive Saturday night broadcast this Saturday night. Bentley, also
celebrating his 15th Opry anniversary, was inducted into the Opry
family on October 1, 2005. The in-venue audience will be capped at 500 guests
for the October 3rd 95th anniversary celebration, and
tickets are sold out.
Tickets for additional October shows will go on
sale Friday, Oct 2 at 10 a.m. Highlights
of October shows include:
October 3: Dierks Bentley, Terri Clark, Vince Gill, Lorrie
Morgan
October 10: “Opry Firsts”:
Celebrating Opry debuts and other firsts on the Opry stage. Carly Pearce,
Jeannie Seely, Josh Turner and more
October 17: “95
Years of Great Opry Songs”: Celebrating top songs and those who wrote them. Bill
Anderson, Brandy Clark,
Chris Janson and more
October 24:
“Opry Goes Pink”: The Opry’s 12th
Annual Show Marking the Fight Against Breast Cancer | Lauren Alaina,
Little
Big Town, Victoria Shaw and more
October 31: Clint
Black, Steve Wariner
October Opry shows will be one-hour shows broadcast live on Circle and Gray TV stations, DISH Studio Channel 102, Sling TV, and
other TV affiliates in addition to a companion live stream on Circle All Access
Facebook, YouTube and Twitter. The Opry can also be heard on 650 WSM-AM,
wsmonline.com, and SiriusXM.
Tickets for October 10 –
31 shows will first be made available to those who had previously held tickets
for October shows. Any remaining tickets will go on sale to the public on
Friday, Oct. 2 at 10 a.m.
Inside the Circle | Opry Facebook Live Series | Launches Wednesday,
Oct 7
- Click HERE togo to the Opry’s Facebook page
(@grandoleopry)
- Inside the Circle will celebrate key tenants of the Opry’s 95 years with
series themes including Women of the Opry, Ryman
Memories, Opry Icons and Opry Debuts - Airs each Wednesday in October (10/7, 10/14, 10/21,
10/28) at 6:30 PM|CT - Guests include: Craig Morgan, Jeannie
Seely, Lorrie Morgan, Josh Turner, Steve Wariner, Bill Anderson, Mark Wills
Celebrating 95 Years of
Opry Sweepstakes
- Throughout the entire month of October, fans will be
given the opportunity to register for a chance to win a Celebrating
95 Years of Opry retail merchandise bundle (containing a
commemorative 95th t-shirt, mug, and poster), a $500 Visa
gift card shopping spree, and a trip to the Grand Ole Opry in 2021. - For more information on the sweepstakes and other 95th
activations, click HERE. - Click HERE
to register to win.
Daily Opry Moments
Visit the Grand Ole Opry
social channels throughout the month of October for Daily Opry Moments which
will include archived material, recorded
Opry milestone performances, special Opry artifacts, keepsake Opry retail
pieces, and more.
FACEBOOK (@grandoleopry)| INSTAGRAM (@opry) | TWITTER (@opry) | YOUTUBE (@oprylive)
Circle Television –
Celebrating 95 Years of Opry
Airing Oct 31/Nov 1 on Circle TV and will include past Opry anniversary
specials, Opry docs, past Opry Live shows, and a new Circle Sessions:
Celebrating Opry, featuring interviews with Lauren Alaina, Luke Bryan, Luke
Combs, Marty Stuart and more!
Commemorative RETAIL: 95th Birthday
Bundle
In honor of the Grand Ole Opry’s 95th birthday,
the Opry has released a commemorative retail Birthday Bundle containing a 95th t-shirt,
mug, and poster that will be available while
supplies last. Buy all three items in the birthday bundle and receive a $10
discount on your purchase. Click
HERE
to purchase.
WSM at 95 on 650 AM WSM
Join WSM each week
for WSM at 95, a series of hour-long guest DJ shows where
artists take over the airwaves, pick the music, and share stories and memories
about the impact WSM and the Grand Ole Opry have had on their musical careers.
Fans will hear from some long-time friends of the station, and some new ones
made along the way. Guest hosts include Sara Evans, Margo Price, Michael Ray,
Sarah Jarosz, Lee Brice and many more! WSM at 95 airs on Mondays,
Wednesdays, and Fridays at 5pm/c on 650 AM and WSMonline.com.
95 Years of Opry on 650 AM WSM – Beginning October 12
WSM celebrates 95 years of the show that made country music famous! Grand Ole
Opry VP & Executive Producer Dan Rogers will share songs that have made up
the Opry’s 95-year catalog and will share stories from backstage. Beginning on
October 12th, tune in to 650 AM and WSMonline.com every Monday at
6pm/c to listen live!
Click HERE for a sizzle reel of highlights of just some of the Opry
members and special guests who have stepped in to the circle to help the keep
the music playing at the Grand Ole Opry since the in-house audience shows were
paused on March 14.
As the Opry continues its month-long
95th anniversary celebration with a maximum of 500 fans allowed to
be live in the Opry House, the show will continue its one-hour livestream on
Circle All Access YouTube, Twitter and
Facebook channels as well as Circle
TV , SiriusXM,
and the Opry’s flagship home 650 WSM AM and wsmonline.com, allowing fans from
around the world to enjoy the high-quality performances from home.
Information regarding ticket
availability for October shows will be updated at opry.com. For additional details on other Opry 95th
Anniversary Celebration shows and digital events happening throughout the month
of October, please click HERE.
Those
tuning into the Livestream on Circle All Access YouTube, Twitter and Facebook
channels this Saturday, October 3 can watch a Circle Sessions: Lauren
Alaina at 7:30 PM ET/ 6:30 PM CT immediately prior to the Opry. Alaina
talks to host Nan Kelley about her new EP, Getting Over Him, her love of
the Grand Ole Opry and the connection she has with her Dad and the Opry. The
No. 1 Platinum-selling star also talks about her role as host of the upcoming
Circle TV series Jesus Calling: Stories of Faith, launching
October 6.
As the
Grand Ole Opry approaches its 95th anniversary in the midst of a
global pandemic, Opry members and special guest artists kept the music playing from
the unbroken circle, and the Opry began reaching some of its largest audiences
to date. The Opry has logged viewers from over 100 countries worldwide since
shows with a live Opry House audience were paused in mid-March. The Opry
livestream has consistently been in the top of the Pollstar Livestream Chart
with an average of over 1 million+ viewers each week, and Circle TV’s
distribution has grown steadily over the course of the past 29 weeks as well.
In
an effort to maintain health and safety amid current COVID-19 concerns, the
Opry, the world’s longest-running radio show, was forced to pause performances
that included a live audience beginning on March 14. The show will have played
on without a live ticketed audience for 29 consecutive Saturday night
broadcasts before finally welcoming them back.The Opry’s paused shows without an audience have
included Opry members Trace Adkins, Bill
Anderson, Kelsea Ballerini, Clint Black, Garth Brooks, Terri Clark, Luke Combs,
Dailey & Vincent, the Gatlin Brothers, Vince Gill,
Emmylou Harris, Dustin Lynch, Chris Janson, Reba McEntire, Craig Morgan, the
Oak Ridge Boys, Old Crow Medicine Show, Brad Paisley, Darius Rucker, Jeannie
Seely, Blake Shelton, Ricky Skaggs, Connie Smith, Marty Stuart, Pam Tillis,
Carrie Underwood, Keith Urban, Steve Wariner, Mark Wills, Trisha Yearwood and
Chris Young along with special guests Lady A, Lauren Alaina, Jimmie Allen,
Mandy Barnett, Lee Brice, T. Graham Brown, Luke Bryan, Steven Curtis Chapman,
Michael Cleveland and Flamekeeper, Jason Crabb, Rodney Crowell, Sara Evans, Amy
Grant and daughters Jenny Gill and Corrina Grant Gill, Riley Green, Sierra Hull,
Tracy Lawrence, Ashley McBryde, Chrissy Metz, Keb’ Mo’, Jon Pardi, Carly
Pearce, Margo Price, Kellie Pickler, Michael Ray, Runaway June, Billy Strings,
The Scott Family, Gwen Stefani, Tenille Townes, Molly Tuttle, Sam Williams,
CeCe Winans, Charlie Worsham, and Brett Young.
About the Grand Ole Opry:
Opry presents the best in country music live every week from Nashville,
Tenn. The Opry can be heard at opry.com and wsmonline.com, Opry and WSM mobile apps, SiriusXM, and
its flagship home, 650 AM-WSM. The Grand Ole Opry is owned by Ryman Hospitality
Properties (NYSE: RHP). For more information, visit opry.com