• Silver Wings - Merle Haggard
• Harper Valley PTA - Jeannie C. Riley
• Folsom Prison Blues - Johnny Cash
• Rocky Top - The Osborne Brothers
• Stand By Your Man - Tammy Wynette
• Mama Tried - Merle Haggard
• You Ain't Woman Enough - Loretta Lynn
• Once A Day - Connie Smith

• Ring of Fire - Johnny Cash

Written by Merle Kilgore and June Carter about flames of love that simply cannot be put out, “Ring of Fire” was first a release for Carter’s sister, Anita Carter. Johnny Cash heard Anita’s version, recorded his own rendition in 1963, and later said the thoughts of adding mariachi horns/trumpets to the tune came to him in a dream. Featuring background vocals by Mother Maybelle & The Carter Sisters and future Opry star Jan Howard, Cash’s recording of “Ring of Fire” spent seven weeks at number one on the Billboard country chart. It’s since become one of the most listened-to country songs in history, utilized in everything from a Levi’s commercial to a victory song following each NHL Calgary Flames victory. Five years after its release, Johnny & June married in Franklin, Kentucky, forming one of country music’s most famous unions. “Ring of Fire” entered the Grammy Hall of Fame in 1998. —Dan Rogers

Hear this song and other Johnny & June classics at Opry 100 Honors, where today’s biggest stars including Lainey Wilson take the stage to pay tribute to the trailblazers. Get Tickets. 

• Sweet Dreams (Of You) - Patsy Cline
• I Fall To Pieces - Patsy Cline
• Crazy - Patsy Cline

• El Paso - Marty Robbins

Marty Robbins’ 1959 classic, “El Paso,” carried the Old West to the country airwaves. Robbins had already secured #1 hits with lush romantic ballads and straightforward heartbreak songs, so writing a cinematic story of a Mexican beauty involved in a murderous love triangle seemed somewhat out of character. However, Robbins didn’t underestimate the audience’s ability to follow the story (they loved Johnny Horton’s “The Battle of New Orleans,” after all), and he knew a whole generation of his fans grew up watching Westerns. However, radio programmers questioned the single’s running time of four minutes, thirty-eight seconds—far more than the standard three-minute length of most hits back then. Robbins, an Opry member since 1953, simply asked them to give it a chance. (Reportedly, some disc jockeys also used it as an opportunity for a bathroom break.) The risk paid off, as “El Paso” reached #1 on the pop and country charts, and earned a Grammy for Best Country & Western Performance. — Craig Shelburne

Opry member Jon Pardi and Texas native Drake Milligan sat down with us to share their connection to this hard-hitting storytelling song. Watch here. 

• Walking After Midnight - Patsy Cline
• I Walk The Line - Johnny Cash
• Your Cheatin' Heart - Hank Williams
• I'm So Lonesome I Could Cry - Hank Williams
• Wabash Cannonball - Roy Acuff
• Will the Circle Be Unbroken - The Carter Family

To be revealed on May 7...