COVER STORY
80 Unforgettable Moments
at the Grand Ole Opry
51
May 18, 1985 – Then-Vice President and Mrs. George Bush visit the Opry. Ten years later, the couple would celebrate its 50th anniversary at the Opry House.
52
June 28, 1985 – Country singer Gary Morris becomes the first person to sing opera on the Opry when he performs Rudolfo’s first aria from Puccini’s
La Bohème.
53
October 6, 1990 –
Garth Brooks joins the Opry cast the same night that
Alan Jackson first appears on the show. Introduced by Johnny Russell, Brooks performs “Friends in Low Places,” “If Tomorrow Never Comes,” and “The Dance.”
54
November 3, 1990 – On the occasion of her 50th anniversary with the Opry, Minnie Pearl receives 50 dozen—that’s 600—roses from Dwight Yoakam. President and Mrs. George Bush send a congratulatory telegram, and
Dolly Parton shares her good wishes via videotape. After seeing Parton’s message, Pearl quips, “I wear a hat so folks can tell us apart.”
55
October 23, 1992 – Opry patriarch Roy Acuff makes his final performance. “The King of Country Music” would die exactly one month later, at age 89.
56
May 1, 1993 –
Charley Pride joins the Opry, 26 years after first appearing on the show as a guest.
57
July 3, 1993 –
Alison Krauss becomes the first bluegrass artist in 19 years to join the Opry cast when she is inducted by Garth Brooks.
58
August 18, 1995 – As Dolly Parton and
Vince Gill perform a duet of “I Will Always Love You,” they are joined by Parton’s former mentor, Porter Wagoner, about whom the song was originally written. Parton and Wagoner had not performed together in 21 years.
59
November 30, 1995 –
Martina McBride joins the Opry during a taping of a CBS special celebrating the Opry’s 70th anniversary, inducted by one of her biggest influences,
Loretta Lynn.
60
November 23, 1996 –
Trace Adkins takes the occasion of his Grand Ole Opry debut to propose to his girlfriend, Rhonda Forlaw. She accepts.
NEXT PAGE >