80 Unforgettable Moments

October 1975 – Four members of the Apollo-Soyuz crew (three American and one Russian astronaut) visit the Opry following the spacecraft’s historic flight.

June 7, 1976 – For the first time in its history, the entire United Nations delegation assembles away from its New York headquarters when they fly to Nashville. While in the city, the representatives attend a special Monday Opry performance.

January 29, 1977 – Andy Warhol and Jamie Wyeth visit the Opry at the invitation of Tex Ritter’s widow, Dorothy, the official Opry hostess and patroness of the Nashville art scene. The two artists are in Nashville to attend a reception at Cheekwood Botanical Garden and Museum of Art for an exhibit of portraits they painted of each other.

May 22, 1977 – More than 2,000 Canadian country music fans attend the Grand Ole Opry Sunday Matinee. The Opry dedicates the show to the Canadian fans in honor of Victoria Day, a Canadian national holiday, which was observed the Monday following the show.

March 4, 1978 – The Grand Ole Opry is televised live for the first time, as part of a PBS pledge-drive special.

June 17, 1978 – Marty Robbins drives his new, custom-made Panther DeVille onto the Opry stage. Roy Acuff gets a security guard, who writes Robbins a parking ticket.

January 27, 1979 – Actress Sissy Spacek joins Loretta Lynn on the Opry stage as Spacek prepares for her starring role in the motion picture Coal Miner’s Daughter. Spacek would later win an Academy Award for her portrayal of the Opry legend.

March 10, 1979 – At the invitation of Porter Wagoner, R&B superstar James Brown performs at the Opry. Brown’s set includes “Your Cheatin’ Heart” and “Tennessee Waltz,” as well as his own “Papa's Got a Brand New Bag.”

June 9, 1984 – Lorrie Morgan becomes an official Opry member. The daughter of Opry star George Morgan had made her Opry debut years earlier on the Ryman Auditorium stage, singing “Paper Roses.” “My little 13-year-old knees were absolutely knocking,” she said. “But I saw Dad standing there just bawling, and those people gave me a standing ovation. I thought, ‘This is what I’m going to do for the rest of my life.’”

April 13, 1985 – The Grand Ole Opry begins regular television broadcasts for the first time, as a half-hour program called Grand Ole Opry Live on The Nashville Network (TNN). The program eventually would expand to an hour, moving to Country Music Television (CMT) in 2001 and Great American Country (GAC) in 2003.