Artist Information
From country to folk to rock to gospel to R&B, if you’ve heard a song, there’s a good chance the Opry Band has played it. The Opry Band and Opry Background Singers have been an essential part of “the show that made country music famous” for decades.
Their resumes are as lengthy as the roster of talent that has walked through the Grand Ole Opry’s Artist Entrance. Band members have played on Grammy-winning albums and blockbuster soundtracks, written original music for televised programming, and performed on stage with superstars ranging from Carrie Underwood to Keith Urban, Conway Twitty to Luke Combs, and Olivia Newton-John to John Legend.
But the single virtue that distinguishes the Opry band from all the rest is its fleet-footed penchant to master dozens of songs night after night. After receiving the music from an artist booked to play on the show, they’ll study it and play it like it’s the only thing they know. Inside the Jimmy Capps Music Room just before show time each night, the band and background singers rehearse each song alongside the artist just once. It’s truly a feat to witness. There’s no show like the Opry, and there’s no band in the world quite like this one.
The Opry Band uses Yamaha pianos and drums, Shure microphones, Zildjian cymbals and D’Addario Strings.
Band Members
Eddie Bayers
Drums
Mark Beckett
Drums
Rod Fletcher
Leader, background singer
Randy Hart
Keyboard
Kim Keyes
Background singer
Tony King
Background singer
Kerry Marx
Music director, guitar
Eamon McLoughlin
Fiddle, mandolin, percussion
Mike Noble
Guitar, bass, banjo, harmonica
Danny Parks
Guitar
Larry Paxton
Bass, guitar
Mica Roberts
Background singer
Marty Slayton
Background singer
Tommy White
Pedal steel guitar, dobro, lap steel, slide guitar
