The Grand Ole Opry is celebrating 100 years of beaming country music into radios across the nation tonight (March 19). Opry 100: A Live Celebration features a star-studded lineup of country stars. Some have been releasing records for decades and have years of Opry membership under their belts. Others, like Post Malone and Ashley McBryde, are relative newcomers to the genre who hold the history of country music in high regard.
Tonight, McBryde and Malone took the Opry stage to pay tribute to one of the genre’s most iconic couples–Johnny Cash and June Carter Cash. Their rendition of “Jackson” was a powerful tribute to the pair of legendary performers and a nod to the history of the genre that allows them to express themselves and touch the lives of fans across the nation and beyond.
McBryde’s duet with Posty was her second performance of the evening. Earlier, she shared the stage with Terri Clark for a moving rendition of her autobiographical hit “Girl Goin’ Nowhere.”
Ashley McBryde’s History with the Grand Ole Opry
Ashley McBryde has a relatively short history with the Grand Ole Opry.
McBryde made her Opry debut in June 2017. After several returns to the Circle, she became a member of the Opry in December 2022. “This is my twenty-second performance at the Grand Ole Opry but tonight it’s different because I’m being inducted,” McBryde said in an interview before taking the stage.
Then, she recalled being invited to join the Opry. “When I was on CBS Mornings getting ready to talk about the new record Lindeville, and also it was the anniversary of this really terrible horse accident that I had been in,” she recalled. “They said ‘We have a surprise for you.’ And I thought, ‘What a weird time to surprise someone on live television.’ And the screen pops up and it’s Garth Brooks,” she added. “There was no way to avoid crying when he said ‘Will you do us the honor of becoming the newest member of the Grand Ole Opry,’” she said of her reaction.
