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Garth Brooks, Trisha Yearwood Performed on NBC’s “Opry 100: A Live Celebration”
Garth Brooks, Trisha Yearwood, Blake Shelton, Vince Gill, Luke Combs, Lainey Wilson, and more helped The Grand Ole Opry celebrate its centennial anniversary with a primetime television special in March.
Shelton, who partnered with Garth on “Dive Bar,” will host NBC’s “Opry 100: A Live Celebration” on Wednesday, March 19 at 8-11 p.m. ET and simulcast on Peacock.
“Being a member of the Grand Ole Opry will always be the biggest honor I could receive as a country music artist,” Garth said.
Trisha agreed: “When I was a little girl dreaming about being a country music singer, I always pictured myself on the Grand Ole Opry. Of all the goals I had as an artist, being a member of the Grand Ole Opry was at the top.”
Other artists tapped to participate in the three-hour Grand Ole Opry celebration include Opry members Ashley McBryde, Brad Paisley, Carly Pearce, Carrie Underwood, Clint Black, Dierks Bentley, Kelsea Ballerini, Marty Stuart, Reba McEntire, Trace Adkins, Randy Travis and more.
Opry Senior VP/Executive Producer Dan Rogers said the show’s goal is to celebrate the past, present, and future of country music.
“My hope is that if you’re new to the party as a fan, you’ll fall in love with this show that’s been going consistently for 100 years now,” he said. “There will be people who will tune in and think, ‘What’s this all about? And three hours later, people will say, ‘Oh, I still don’t know the whole Opry story, but wow. That’s incredible that these huge names in country music all consider one single show home.’”
Before they performed at "Opry 100," Garth told viewers: "100 years of country music, that’s some rich history right there. You talk about the history of country music there is going to be a question coming up in the first five minutes, ‘Who is the greatest singer in country music?’ You’re going to ask 100 different people, you’re going to get 100 different answers. But for me, it’s who it always was and who it always will be: George Jones.”
Garth and Trisha took turns singing George Jones and Tammy Wynette songs with Garth kicking off their performance with “He Stopped Lover Her Today.” Trisha stepped up with Wynette’s “Your Good Girl’s Gonna Go Bad.” Then they came together to duet on the Jones/Wynette classic “Golden Ring."
Garth and Trisha remember being invited to join the Opry.
“It was on one of the special nights when the Opry broadcasted from the Ryman, and Ricky Skaggs surprised me with the invite,” Trisha recalled. “What a moment! This was the stage Patsy Cline sang on. So much history in those walls and on that stage.”
Garth said Johnny Russell introduced him the first time he played the Opry, so it made sense that Russell inducted him when he became an official member of the Opry family in 1990.
Trisha asked Porter Wagoner to induct her.
“He had always been my biggest cheerleader at the Opry and always introduced me on the nights I played there,” Trisha said. “I feel like he was instrumental in my getting the invite. He truly loved the newer artists and always made us feel so welcome.”
Garth is filled with gratitude to be part of the generation of country artists who were able to watch the Opry greats perform on stage.
“Roy and Miss Minnie, Porter and Tater, Grandpa Jones, Charley Pride, and the list of legends goes on ...it was an amazing time,” Garth said.
“People talk about the Opry family, and I think that’s the best way to describe it,” Trisha added. “It’s the place that all of country music gets to mingle. It’s where I met Little Jimmy Dickens, Jeannie Seely, and Roy Acuff, among countless others. I can’t imagine a more magical place if you love country music.”
“Opry 100: A Live Celebration” included performances from the Grand Ole Opry House and Nashville’s Ryman Auditorium, the Opry’s beloved former home.