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List of Grand Ole Opry members

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The Grand Ole Opry is a country music concert and radio show, held between twice and five times per week, in Nashville, Tennessee. The show began as a radio barn dance on November 28, 1925, by George D. Hay and has since become one of the genre's most enduring and revered stages. Each performance consists of multiple guest artists as well as Opry members, sometimes called "Opry stars". Members are selected by Opry management (with input from existing members) based on several factors including critical and commercial success, respect for the history of country music and commitment to appearing on the program. Opry members have permission to perform at any Opry show they wish. A typical Opry performance will feature seven to nine artists, including (but not limited to) at least three members.

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Membership Process

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Publicly, once a new member is chosen, an existing member will ask the new member to join the Opry live on-air during the broadcast, usually when the new member is performing as a guest. In recent years, invitations have been delivered in other public settings. Prior to 1999, membership was effective immediately upon invitation. Currently, artists who accept the invitation will return on a later date for a scheduled performance and induction ceremony. Being invited to become a member of the Grand Ole Opry is considered one of country music's crowning achievements.[1]

Over its history, the Opry has featured a large, rotating ensemble of members ranging from all-time greats and neotraditionalists to contemporary stars. As the Opry is a running series, membership requires that the performer appear regularly on the program to remain a member of the show. As late as the 1960s, an artist was required to perform on at least 26 shows per year, though this requirement has been significantly relaxed in the years since. If a performer ceases appearing at the Opry altogether or runs afoul of management, they can be stripped of their membership; if the exiled performer reconciles and renews their commitment to the show, they can be reinstated. Membership expires when the performer dies; if a single member of a duo or group retires or dies, the surviving members may continue to maintain Opry membership on the group's behalf. The Opry, in general, allows performers who retire, or are no longer physically able to perform on a regular basis to stay as members. The Grand Ole Opry House maintains a member gallery backstage that contains an engraved brass nameplate for every act who has ever been a member of the Grand Ole Opry (including those whose membership has lapsed or have been asked to leave).

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Current membership

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Excluding the Opry Square Dancers, who have sui generis membership status, there are currently 74 Grand Ole Opry members.

Familial connections

In addition to several family acts who've held membership over the years, two sets of siblings have been invited to join the Opry separately:

Likewise, there have been three instances of parents and their children being inducted separately:

Among the current members are four married couples:

Age & Service of current members

  • The oldest living member (although retired) is Stu Phillips, born in 1933
    • The oldest living person to have ever been a member is Leroy Van Dyke, born in 1929 (he allowed his membership to lapse but still occasionally appears in a non-member capacity)
    • Bill Anderson is the oldest living active member, the longest-serving current member as well as the longest-serving member in the show's history, as his membership has not lapsed since his induction in 1961.
    • Connie Smith, who joined in 1965, is the Opry's longest-serving female member.
  • The youngest member is Lauren Alaina, born in 1994.
    • The youngest solo member to ever be formally welcomed was Kelsea Ballerini, aged 25 at her 2019 induction.[2]
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All-time Membership

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  Indicates active members
  Indicates active members who have retired from performing, but may make occasional appearances
  Indicates acts invited to join, but not yet officially inducted
  Indicates acts in which at least one of the members is deceased, retired, or has left the group, with the other(s) maintaining active membership

Acts with a are deceased; indicates a member of the group is deceased.

1920s

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Founding member DeFord Bailey was the Opry's only black member until his 1941 departure; no others were inducted until 1993.
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1930s

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1938 inductee Roy Acuff, singer and publisher, was the public face of the Opry from the 1970s until his death.
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1940s

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Little Jimmy Dickens was an Opry member for 67 years.
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Hank Williams Sr. and The Drifting Cowboys were Opry members from 1949 to 1952.
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1950s

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June Carter Cash, the last member of The Carter Sisters to pass, performing at the Opry in 1999.
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The Everly Brothers were briefly members in 1957. They left the same year to tour with Buddy Holly, remarking in 1960 that their style no longer fit the program.
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1960s

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Bobby Osborne and the Rocky Top X-Press playing the Opry.
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Bill Anderson, the longest serving member in Opry history, performing in 2022.
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Opry star Connie Smith performing in 2007.
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Jeannie Seely was the first woman to host a segment of the Opry and appeared more times than any other performer—over 5,000 times in 58 years.
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1970s

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Jan Howard performing at the Opry in 2007. After the death of Little Jimmy Dickens in 2015, Howard was the oldest member of the Opry cast until her death in 2020.
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1980s

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Riders in the Sky have been Opry members and frequent performers since 1982.
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Patty Loveless performing on the Opry in 2007.
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1990s

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Mike Snider performing on the Opry in 2007
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2000s

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Carrie Underwood singing at the Opry in 2018
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1961 inductee Bill Anderson, the Opry's longest-tenured active member as of 2021, inducts his friend Mel Tillis into the Opry in 2007.
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2010s

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Old Crow Medicine Show performing at their induction in 2013
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Bobby Bare was a member from 1964 to 1974, then rejoined in 2018.
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2020s

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Gene Watson, the sole new member in 2020, performing on the Opry in 2007
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References

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