Tag: Grand Ole Opry

Music Spotlight: Walker Montgomery

Bethany Bowman
Walker Montgomery

Country music is part of Walker Montgomery’s DNA. Even though he is the son of John Michael Montgomery and the nephew of Montgomery Gentry’s Eddie Montgomery, he is often mistaken for Chris Young. However, the emerging star was raised away from the spotlight in Nicholasville, Kentucky, a small town outside Lexington.

He had a pretty ordinary childhood, except that his dad worked weekends instead of weekdays. When he would see his dad in concert, it was the equivalent of “Bring Your Kid to Work” day.

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Rhonda Vincent Releases ‘Destinations and Fun Places’

Bethany Bowman
Rhonda Vincent

Rhonda Vincent is one of my favorite Opry performers, whom I had the privilege to interview back in 2021. Not only is our “Queen of Bluegrass” full of energy and light, but she is exceptionally talented and can play any stringed instrument, especially her beloved mandolin, like nobody’s business. And when she is surrounded by her amazingly gifted band, The Rage, you have one of the best performances at the Opry if you are lucky enough to attend on the evening they are playing.

Right before the pandemic in February 2020, Vincent was asked to join the Opry by long-time mentor and friend Jeannie Seely. She knew that 20 years ago, Seely had written a song about her called “I Miss Missouri,” which is where Vincent and her talented family are from. The only problem was when the great Nashville flood of 2010 hit, the song and lyrics were lost because Seely’s house was on the Cumberland River.

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Music Spotlight: Remembering the Rose Garden Marines

Bethany Bowman

Country music legend Lynn Anderson became the U.S. Marines’ unofficial ambassador 50 years ago when they used her award-winning song, “I Beg Your Pardon (I Never Promised You a Rose Garden),” in a recruitment ad campaign.

The term “rose garden” is an ironic reference that led to one of the most memorable recruitment campaigns in the Marine Corps history, forever linking country music superstar Anderson with the Marines.

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Music Spotlight: Scotty McCreery

Bethany Bowman
Scotty McCreery

To say 2024 has been a banner year for Scotty McCreery would be an understatement. From his beloved North Carolina State making it to the NCAA Final Four to recently being added to the prestigious roster of Grand Ole Opry members, you would think that there wasn’t much left for the 30-year-old to accomplish.

In 2011, 17-year-old McCreery beat out Lauren Alaina to win American Idol. In June 2018, McCreery married the love of his life, Gabi, and in 2022, they welcomed a son, Avery. Since becoming a solo artist, the Triple Tigers recording artist has garnered five number-one hits, including the fan favorites “Five More Minutes” and “Damn Strait.”

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Grand Ole Opry Set to Hold Benefit Concert Next Week to Support the Covenant School Community Fund

Kaitlin Housler

The Grand Ole Opry will host a benefit concert featuring performances by renowned artists to help raise funds for the Covenant School Community Fund.

The Covenant School Community Fund was formed after Audrey Hale, who identified as transgender, opened fire at The Covenant Presbyterian School in the Green Hills neighborhood in Nashville on March 27, killing six victims – three children.

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Music Spotlight: Kyle Petty

Bethany Bowman

Kyle Petty is a former NASCAR driver turned racing analyst who has become one of the most popular personalities in all of sports. As a member of one of NASCAR’s pioneer families, Kyle is as much a product of racing as he is of his famous father, Richard Petty “The King,” and grandfather, Lee Petty. His son Adam Petty also raced before a tragic racing accident in 2020. While his name will forever connect him to NASCAR, Kyle Petty made significant strides outside of racing in music and philanthropy.

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Music Spotlight: Firerose

Bethany Bowman

Firerose is an Australian singer and songwriter who moved from Sydney to Los Angeles at age 19. Even though her music has a dance-pop vibe, with her fiercely personal lyrics, she is as good a songwriter as any country lyricist out there.

Firerose states she grew up in a musical family. She was writing songs as soon as she could speak. She was born with a gift and she knew it was hers to cultivate.

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Music Spotlight: Rhonda Vincent

Bethany Bowman

NASHVILLE, Tennessee-  Playing music is as natural to Rhonda Vincent as breathing air. She was born into a musical family from Kirksville, Missouri. The Sally Mountain Show, then later the Bluegrass Festival was hosted by her mom and dad and grandparents and aunts, uncles, cousins, and friends. She picked up the mandolin at eight and the fiddle at twelve and was performing with the family band at festivals on weekends. They also had a TV and radio show that she sang in as a child.

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Music Spotlight: Lucas Hoge

Bethany Bowman

Lucas Hoge hails from Hubbell, Nebraska, a tiny town with two churches. He grew up singing in a little Methodist church his family attended. While his parents were rehearsing in the choir, the pastor gave Hoge a little electric drum pad to keep him occupied. He started playing along and the pastor cultivated his love for music at a very young age.

In high school, he was introduced to a music teacher who helped him craft his love of music.  “My music teacher was great, Mrs. Riggs. She was amazing,” he said. “She just wanted everyone to explore the love of music that they had in them.”

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Music Spotlight: Levi Hummon

Bethany Bowman

Nashville, TN Levi Hummon is a rarity when it comes to singers and songwriters. He was actually born and raised in Nashville, Tennessee, “literally on ‘The Row’” as he explains. His father, Marcus Hummon, was and still is an accomplished songwriter and he wrote songs like the Grammy Award Winning “Bless the Open Road” (Rascal Flatts), “Ready to Run” and “Cowboy Take Me Away” (Dixie Chicks), “Born to Fly” (Sarah Evans) along with songs for many country music artists, including Top 40 singles for Tim McGraw, Wynonna Judd, and Alabama. His mother, Becca Stevens, runs a non-profit, Thistle Farms which helps women who have survived trafficking, prostitution, and addiction get a second chance at life.

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Michael Ray Celebrates 3rd Number One Hit ‘One That Got Away’

Bethany Bowman

The “One That Got Away” is a song written by Jesse Frasure, Josh Osborne, Matthew Ramsey, and Trevor Rosen, and recorded by American country music singer Michael Ray.  Matthew Ramsey and Trevor Rosen are part of the blazing hot country band, Old Dominion, and are among the top songwriters in Nashville and America. They, along with Jesse Frasure and Josh Osborne decided to “let this one go” and not put the song on their own album. Yet somehow, in the back of their heads, they knew they had written a likely hit.  It got tossed in the pile with all the other “later” songs.

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Grand Ole Opry and Luke Combs Make Songwriters’ Dreams Come True

Bethany Bowman
Luke Combs and friends

Multi-platinum singer/songwriter Luke Combs teamed with the Grand Ole Opry to create a rare & matchless moment on the Opry stage last night. Combs, who debuted on the Opry stage in 2016, chose to honor the collaborating songwriters from his Platinum-selling debut album This One’s For You and deluxe album This One’s For You Too to step into the circle and perform with him – turning the legendary stage into an unrivaled songwriting round reminiscent of where it all began for these songwriting friends. Several of the writers — Wyatt B. Durrette, Rob Synder, and Channing Wilson—appeared on the Opry for the first time with Combs, while Randy Montana, Jonathan Singleton, and Rob Williford were welcomed back to the stage to perform with Combs on hits they’d co-written. “We all grew up listening to and loving the Opry,” said Luke. “When I called each writer and told them what was going to happen, it was what the Opry was all about.  We have always been the underdogs, and tonight the Opry fans, the diehard fans of country music, got to see a show that you couldn’t see anywhere else in the world. To see my buddies sing their songs has made tonight one of…

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Reba McEntire and Carrie Underwood Face Off Singing “Does He Love You” at the Grand Ole Opry

Admin

Reba Carrie Opry Reba McEntire celebrated the 40th anniversary of her first appearance on the Grand Ole Opry with a very special performance on the show September 22. Reba’s segment of the show was billed “Reba McEntire and friends,” and one of those friends ended up being her fellow Oklahoman, Carrie Underwood. The crowd went nuts…

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Christian Hymn Singing Fills Grand Ole Opry

Wendy Wilson

  NASHVILLE, Tennessee — The Grand Ole Opry House was filled Monday evening with the sound of Christians singing hymns old and new. Hymn-writers Keith and Kristyn Getty led a spirit-filled event related to a conference they are leading this week at Brentwood Baptist to promote congregational singing. The husband and wife duo from Northern Ireland divide their time between Northern Ireland and a home in Nashville. Monday’s event at the Grand Ole Opry featured several surprise guests, including Tennessee Gov. Bill Haslam, who offered welcoming remarks and read from the Old Testament book of Zephaniah, where the Bible talks about how God “will take great delight” in his followers and “rejoice over you with singing.” Surprise musical guests included country and bluegrass singer Ricky Skaggs and singer-songwriter Buddy Greene, also known as a harmonica stylist. In addition, Gary Haugen, the CEO and founder of the International Justice Mission, was introduced on stage so he could briefly talk about his group’s mission. A faith-based ministry supported and promoted by the Gettys, the IJM works to stop human trafficking. Alistair Begg, a native of Scotland who pastors a nondenominational church in Ohio and hosts a Christian radio show, also spoke briefly. The Gettys…

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