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Our Story
The Grand Ole Opry is the stage that showcases the past, present, and future of country music. For 95 years, we’ve been the home to the art form’s growth and change, from the first broadcast in the National Life Building on WSM’s Barn Dance in 1925 to the move into the new Opry House in 1974, and now to audiences across the globe on Circle TV and host to the 55th Annual ACM Awards in 2020. The Opry remains the platform that connects artists and fans to the music they love.
Shows
Our live performance, radio and television broadcast show brings rising talent, superstars, and country legends together on our stage every week, along with great bluegrass, family-friendly comedy, and more. The Opry is never rehearsed, and never the same show twice.
Tours
The Opry House is the place where artists and performers gather, and a place many call home. We invite guests to walk with the stars and legends on a backstage tour that tells the stories of country music, the stars, and the stage that’s home to the unbroken Circle.
More Ways to Experience the Opry
The Grand Ole Opry is presented on more than just our stage at the Opry House every week. Discover how we showcase country music and our stories close to home and across the globe.
An integral part of Opry history, Ryman Auditorium was home to the Grand Ole Opry from 1943 to 1974. Now, the Ryman hosts many Opry shows in downtown Nashville, and has its own rich history and stories to tell.
The new television network for country music fans, and the official network of the Grand Ole Opry. Circle keeps the music playing and the circle unbroken every week for millions of fans across the globe on television and on demand on the Opry livestream.
The radio home of the Grand Ole Opry since 1925, WSM Radio is the most famed country music radio station in the world and helped form the first solid sounds of country music. You can listen to the Saturday Night Opry broadcast live all over the world on WSM every week.
Opry Membership
There’s no magic formula and no secret code that grants access to one of the most coveted invitations in all of music. The path to an Opry membership may be in the hands of management, but its members guarantee the Grand Ole Opry’s future.
The Opry is for Everyone
Country music reflects many styles, genres, backgrounds and history, and so do our Opry fans, artists and employees. We celebrate each and every one and create exceptional experiences that bring people together. The Grand Ole Opry and Opry Entertainment Group are committed to working every day to provide a platform for diverse music and entertainment in an environment that is welcoming and free of discrimination for all.
OPRY MOMENTS IN HISTORY
1925
On November 28th, WSM's Barn Dance broadcasts for the first time in downtown Nashville, Tennessee at the National Life and Accident Insurance Company headquarters, featuring 77-year-old fiddle player Uncle Jimmy Thompson.
1927
WSM program director George D. Hay (nicknamed "The Solemn Old Judge) names the show the Grand Ole Opry, and it sticks.
1932
WSM begins transmitting with what was then the world's tallest radio tower (878 feet) in Brentwood, Tennessee, so the Opry can now be heard from New York to California and into Canada and Mexico. (Insider's note: the tower is still there!)
1943
After trying out larger venues throughout the years at places like the Dixie Tabernacle in East Nashville and the War Memorial Auditorium downtown, the Opry finds its permanent home at Ryman Auditorium where it stays for 31 years.
1974
The Opry broadcasts its last show at Ryman Auditorium and moves from downtown to the suburbs into the newly built Grand Ole Opry House where the legendary wooden circle is installed to honor the Ryman's legacy.
1978
The Grand Ole Opry is televised live in its entirety for the first time on PBS and later moves to a half-hour weekly cable broadcast.
1994
Ryman Auditorium, the Mother Church of Country Music and former permanent home to the Opry, reopens after 20 years following a major renovation and begins hosting the Grand Ole Opry once again seasonally.
2010
The infamous Nashville flood of 2010 devastated the Opry house, submerging much of the venue in water. The famous wooden circle was saved and the show continued playing in other venues, including its former homes at the War Memorial Auditorium and the Ryman.
2020
COVID-19 affects people globally and shuts down much of the United States. The Saturday Night Grand Ole Opry goes back to its roots as a live, weekly broadcast show without an audience. The show continues to broadcast live to homes across the world on WSM Radio and Circle TV, keeping the music playing the circle unbroken.