List of Grand Ole Opry members

The Grand Ole Opry is a weekly country music concert show in Nashville, Tennessee, which began as a radio barn dance on November 28, 1925, by George D. Hay and has since become one of the genre's most enduring and revered stages. Each show consists of multiple guest artists as well as Opry members, who are selected by Opry management based on several factors including critical and commercial success, respect for the history of country music and commitment to appearing on the program. Publicly, once a new member is chosen, an existing member will ask the new member to join the Opry live on-air during the broadcast, usually when the new member is performing as a guest. Being invited to become a member of the Grand Ole Opry is considered one of country music's crowning achievements.

Opry members have permission to perform at any Opry show they wish, with each show typically consisting of between five and seven members. Each show is split into four "segments", each hosted by a different Opry member who entertains the crowd, performs and introduces other members and guest artists. As such, the Opry has featured a large, rotating ensemble of members ranging from all-time greats and neotraditionalists to contemporary stars. As the Opry is a running series, membership requires that the performer appear regularly (at least 12 shows per year, according to rules in place for most of the 21st century, down from 26 in the 1960s) on the program to remain a member of the show, and if a performer ceases performing regularly at the Opry or runs afoul of management, they can be stripped of their membership; if the exiled performer reconciles and renews their commitment to the show, they can be reinstated. Membership expires when the performer dies; if a single member of a duo or group retires or dies, the surviving members may continue to maintain Opry membership on the group's behalf. The Opry, in general, allows performers who retire, or are no longer physically able to perform on a regular basis to stay as members. The Grand Ole Opry House maintains a wall of fame backstage that contains a name plate for every person who has ever been a member of the Grand Ole Opry.

There are currently 67 Grand Ole Opry members, seven of whom have retired from performing. Over the course of the program's history, over 200 acts have held Opry membership since the show's inception. As of 2021, Jesse McReynolds of Jim & Jesse is the oldest living Opry member and Lauren Alaina is the youngest.

 Indicates active members
  Indicates acts in which one of the members is deceased or retired, and the other(s) maintain active membership

Acts with a are deceased.

1920s

Founding member DeFord Bailey was the Opry's only black member until his 1941 departure; no others would be inducted until 1993.
No. Name Induction date
1 Uncle Jimmy Thompson November 28, 1925
2 Humphrey Bate January 2, 1926
3 Henry Bandy March 13, 1926
4 The McGee Brothers 1926
5 Mazy Todd April 3, 1926
6 Uncle Dave Macon April 17, 1926
7 The Pikard Family May 8, 1926
8 Deford Bailey June 19, 1926
9 The Crook Brothers July 24, 1926
10 Sid Harkreader July 24, 1926
11 Binkley Brothers' Dixie Clodhoppers October 30, 1926
12 Theron Hale and his Daughters November 13, 1926
13 Arthur Smith July 16, 1927
14 The Fruit Jar Drinkers December 17, 1927
15 The Gully Jumpers December 24, 1927
16 Kitty Cora Cline March 24, 1928
17 Ed Poplin and his Barn Dance Orchestra April 21, 1928
18 Uncle Joe Mangrum and Fred Schriver July 30, 1928

1930s

1938 inductee Roy Acuff, singer and publisher, was the public face of the Opry from the 1970s until his death.
No. Name Induction date Notes
19 Ford Rush
20 Hilltop Harmonizers
21 Nap and Dee
22 The Vagabonds September 5, 1931
23 Asher and Little Jimmy Sizemore September 24, 1932
24 Curly Fox September 24, 1932
25 Zeke Clements September 24, 1932
26 The Delmore Brothers April 29, 1933
27 Robert Lunn March 31, 1934
28 Lee White April 21, 1934
29 Sarie and Sally January 26, 1935
30 Jack Shook and his Missouri Mountaineers February 2, 1935
31 The Lakeland Sisters January 23, 1937
32 Bob Wills May 22, 1937
33 Pee Wee King June 27, 1937
34 Roy Acuff and the Smoky Mountain Boys February 9, 1938 Left the Opry in 1946 and returned in the early 1960s. Bashful Brother Oswald represented the Smoky Mountain Boys after Acuff's 1992 death until his own death in 2002.
35 Cousin Jody
36 Jamup and Honey January 7, 1939
37 Bill Monroe October 28, 1939

1940s

Little Jimmy Dickens was an Opry member for 67 years.
No. Name Induction date Notes
38 Danny Dill
39 Johnnie and Jack
40 Milton Estes and his Musical Millers
41 Old Hickory Singers
42 Minnie Pearl November 30, 1940
43 The Duke of Paducah 1942
44 John Daniel Quartet 1942 Included among its members Wally Fowler, who was inducted with his own group in 1945 (see below).
45 Eddy Arnold 1943
46 Cowboy Copas 1943
47 Ernest Tubb February 13, 1943
48 Curley Williams September 4, 1943
49 The Bailes Brothers 1944
50 The DeZurik Sisters 1944
51 The Poe Sisters June 17, 1944
52 Rod Brasfield July 15, 1944
53 David "Stringbean" Akeman 1945
54 Lew Childre, Sr. 1945
55 Bradley Kincaid 1945
56 Wally Fowler and The Oak Ridge Quintet January 27, 1945 Fowler was already a de facto member by way of his membership in the John Daniel Quartet. The Oak Ridge Quintet was a direct predecessor to the group now known as The Oak Ridge Boys. The quintet became a quartet as it evolved and all of its personnel were replaced by the time Fowler sold the rights to the name to Smitty Gatlin in 1957. In 1966, Gatlin turned the group over to Duane Allen, who along with William Lee Golden transitioned to a new lineup that solidified in October 1973; other than a period between 1988 and 1995 in which Golden temporarily left the group, this lineup has served as "The Oak Ridge Boys" ever since. The Allen-era lineup of the quartet was invited and then inducted into the Opry as its own group by Little Jimmy Dickens on August 6, 2011.
57 Jimmy Wakely September 29, 1945
58 The Willis Brothers 1946
59 Grandpa Jones March 16, 1946
60 Red Foley April 13, 1946
61 Lonzo and Oscar 1947
62 Paul Howard and the Arkansas Cotton Pickers 1947
63 George Morgan September 25, 1948
64 Little Jimmy Dickens November 6, 1948
65 Jordanaires 1949
66 Hank Williams June 11, 1949 Dismissed and membership revoked August 11, 1952, for habitual drunkenness and missing shows.

1950s

June Carter Cash, the last surviving member of The Carter Sisters, performing at the Opry in 1999.
No. Name Induction date Notes
67 Chet Atkins 1950
68 Kitty Wells 1952
69 Hawkshaw Hawkins June 1955
70 Goldie Hill August 22 1953
71 The Ladells 1955
72 Red Sovine 1955
73 Ray Price 1951
74 Hank Snow January 7, 1950 Inducted by Ernest Tubb
75 Carl Smith April 29, 1950
76 Mother Maybelle and the Carter Sisters May 13, 1950
77 Moon Mullican 1951
78 Lefty Frizzell July 21, 1951
79 Martha Carson April 26, 1952
80 Opry Square Dancers July 5, 1952 Originally inducted as Ralph Sloan and his Tennessee Travelers. The Opry's square-dance troupe has gone through several incarnations through its history and is a regular fixture on shows, though it has a sui generis status separate from the rest of the Opry members. Ralph's younger brother Melvin Sloan ran the troupe from Ralph's death in 1980 until his 2002 retirement, when the Opry took over operations of the troupe. It merged with the other square-dance troupe, Ben Smathers and his Stoney Mountain Cloggers, when Smathers died in 1990. The last dancer from the Ralph Sloan era, Eddie Oliver, retired in 2016.
81 Webb Pierce September 13, 1952
82 Marty Robbins January 19, 1953
83 Carl Butler October 17, 1953
84 Del Wood November 13, 1953
85 The Carlisles November 14, 1953
86 Ferlin Husky June 12, 1954
87 Faron Young November 19, 1954
88 Lester Flatt and Earl Scruggs January 1, 1955
89 Porter Wagoner February 23, 1957
90 The Louvin Brothers February 26, 1955 Ira Louvin left in 1963 (and died in 1965); Charlie Louvin represented the duo until his own death.
91 Justin Tubb September 10, 1955
92 Jim Reeves October 22, 1955
93 Slim Whitman October 29, 1955
94 Jean Shepard November 21, 1955
95 Johnny Cash July 7, 1956 Expelled in 1965 for breaking the stage lights with his microphone stand during an Opry performance. Reconciled in 1968 and remained a member the rest of his life.
96 Jimmy C. Newman August 4, 1956
97 George Jones August 4, 1956
98 Rose Maddox September 29, 1956
99 Stonewall Jackson November 3, 1956 Filed age discrimination case in 2006 and membership was temporarily revoked. His case was settled and he returned from 2008 until his 2012 retirement due to vascular dementia; he remained a standing member until his death.
100 The Wilburn Brothers November 10, 1956 Briefly members in 1940, the child stars could not legally work in Tennessee and had to wait until adulthood to officially rejoin.
101 Wilma Lee Cooper January 12, 1957
102 Rusty† & Doug May 18, 1957 Departed prior to the duo's breakup in 1963.
103 The Everly Brothers 1957 Disowned the Opry and dissolved their membership in 1960.
104 Margie Bowes 1958
105 Archie Campbell 1958
106 Don Gibson May 20, 1958
107 Ben Smathers and the Stoney Mountain Cloggers September 13, 1958 Merged with the Melvin Sloan Dancers in 1990 (now the Opry Square Dancers).
108 Billy Grammer February 27, 1959
109 Roy Drusky June 13, 1959
110 Skeeter Davis August 4, 1959

1960s

Bobby Osborne and the Rocky Top X-Press playing the Opry.
Opry star Connie Smith performing in 2007.
Jeannie Seely was the first woman to host a segment of the Opry.
No. Name Induction date Notes
111 Jimmy Driftwood
112 Tompall and the Glaser Brothers Last performance was in 1990.
113 Bobby Lord 1960
114 Billy Walker January 1, 1960
115 Patsy Cline January 9, 1960
116 George Hamilton IV February 6, 1960
117 Hank Locklin November 12, 1960
118 Bill Anderson July 15, 1961
119 Loretta Lynn September 25, 1962
120 Leroy Van Dyke October 20, 1962 Membership lapsed prior to 1998; still makes occasional appearances.
121 Sonny James October 27, 1962
122 Marion Worth 1963
123 The Browns August 17, 1963 Jim Ed Brown continued to hold Opry membership from the group's breakup in 1967 until his 2015 death.
124 Jim & Jesse March 2, 1964 Represented by Jesse McReynolds after Jim's death in 2001.
125 Ernie Ashworth March 7, 1964
126 The Osborne Brothers August 8, 1964 Represented by Bobby Osborne and Rocky Top X-Press since Sonny Osborne's retirement in 2005.
127 Dottie West August 8, 1964
128 Willie Nelson November 28, 1964 Membership lapsed prior to 1998.
129 Norma Jean January 9, 1965 Mostly retired from the music industry after 1973.
130 Tex Ritter June 12, 1965
131 Connie Smith August 21, 1965
132 Bob Luman September 18, 1965
133 Ray Pillow April 30, 1966 Hasn't performed in recent years; still a standing member
134 Del Reeves October 14, 1966
135 The Four Guys April 22, 1967 Disbanded in 1999. An attempt to continue the group's membership with a new lineup was rejected by Opry management, and the group was formally expelled in 2000.
136 Stu Phillips June 1, 1967 Hasn't performed in recent years; still a standing member.
137 Charlie Walker August 19, 1967
138 Jeannie Seely September 16, 1967
139 Jack Greene December 27, 1967 Greene had already been a de facto member as part of Ernest Tubb's band since 1962.
140 Dolly Parton January 4, 1969
141 Tammy Wynette January 4, 1969

1970s

Jan Howard performing at the Opry in 2007. After the death of Little Jimmy Dickens in 2015, Howard was the oldest member of the current Opry cast until her death in 2020.
No. Name Induction date Notes
142 Tom T. Hall January 1, 1971 Retired since 1996 but remained a standing member until his death.
143 Jan Howard March 27, 1971
144 Freddie Hart October 16, 1971
145 Barbara Mandrell July 29, 1972 Retired since 1997, but still listed as a standing member.
146 David Houston August 12, 1972
147 Jeanne Pruett July 21, 1973 Retired since 2006, but still listed as a standing member.
148 Jerry Clower October 27, 1973
149 Ronnie Milsap February 6, 1976
150 Don Williams April 23, 1976
151 Larry Gatlin and the Gatlin Brothers December 25, 1976

1980s

Riders in the Sky have been Opry members and frequent performers since 1982.
No. Name Induction date Notes
152 John Conlee February 7, 1981
153 Boxcar Willie February 21, 1981
154 B. J. Thomas August 7, 1981 Full-time membership lapsed prior to 1998; continued to make occasional appearances until his death.
155 Ricky Skaggs May 15, 1982
156 Riders in the Sky June 19, 1982
157 The Whites March 2, 1984
158 Lorrie Morgan June 9, 1984
159 Johnny Russell July 6, 1985
160 Mel McDaniel January 11, 1986
161 Reba McEntire January 17, 1986
162 Randy Travis December 20, 1986 Retired from singing due to a 2013 stroke; still a standing member, he makes occasional appearances.
163 Roy Clark August 22, 1987
164 Ricky Van Shelton June 10, 1988 Retired in 2006; still officially a standing member.
165 Patty Loveless June 11, 1988
166 Holly Dunn October 14, 1989 Retired in 2003 and died in 2015.

1990s

Mike Snider performing on the Opry in 2007
No. Name Induction date Invited by Inducted by Notes
167 Mike Snider June 2, 1990 Minnie Pearl
168 Garth Brooks October 6, 1990 Johnny Russell
169 Clint Black January 10, 1991 Garth Brooks
170 Alan Jackson June 7, 1991 Roy Acuff and Randy Travis
171 Vince Gill August 10, 1991 Roy Acuff
172 Emmylou Harris January 25, 1992
173 Travis Tritt February 29, 1992
174 Marty Stuart November 28, 1992
175 Charley Pride May 1, 1993 Jimmy C. Newman
176 Alison Krauss July 3, 1993 Garth Brooks
177 Joe Diffie November 27, 1993
178 Hal Ketchum January 22, 1994 Little Jimmy Dickens
179 Martina McBride November 30, 1995 Loretta Lynn
180 Steve Wariner May 11, 1996
181 Johnny Paycheck 1997 Bob Whittaker Porter Wagoner and Johnny Russell
182 Diamond Rio April 18, 1998 Bob Whittaker Little Jimmy Dickens
183 Trisha Yearwood March 13, 1999 Ricky Skaggs Porter Wagoner

2000s

Carrie Underwood singing at the Opry in 2018
1961 inductee Bill Anderson, the Opry's longest-tenured active member as of 2021, inducts his friend Mel Tillis into the Opry in 2007.
No. Name Induction date Invited by Inducted by Notes
184 Pam Tillis August 26, 2000 Little Jimmy Dickens Marty Stuart
185 Brad Paisley February 17, 2001 Bill Anderson, Jeannie Seely and Little Jimmy Dickens Steve Wariner
186 Trace Adkins August 23, 2003 Little Jimmy Dickens Ronnie Milsap and Lorrie Morgan
187 Del McCoury October 25, 2003 Patty Loveless
188 Terri Clark June 12, 2004 Steve Wariner Marty Stuart, Pam Tillis, and Patty Loveless
189 Dierks Bentley October 1, 2005 Marty Stuart
190 Mel Tillis June 9, 2007 Bill Anderson Pam Tillis
191 Josh Turner October 27, 2007 Roy Clark Vince Gill
192 Charlie Daniels January 19, 2008 Martina McBride Marty Stuart and Connie Smith
193 Carrie Underwood May 10, 2008 Randy Travis Garth Brooks
194 Craig Morgan October 25, 2008 John Conlee
195 Montgomery Gentry June 23, 2009 Charlie Daniels Marty Stuart and Little Jimmy Dickens Represented by Eddie Montgomery since Troy Gentry's death in 2017.

2010s

Old Crow Medicine Show performing at their induction in 2013
Bobby Bare was a member from 1964 to 1974, then rejoined in 2018.
No. Name Induction date Invited by Inducted by Notes
196 Blake Shelton October 23, 2010 Trace Adkins
197 The Oak Ridge Boys August 6, 2011 Little Jimmy Dickens
198 Rascal Flatts October 8, 2011 Vince Gill Little Jimmy Dickens Disbanded in 2020. Gary LeVox has appeared on behalf of the band since then.
199 Keith Urban April 21, 2012 Vince Gill, Rascal Flatts, and The Oak Ridge Boys Trace Adkins and Josh Turner
200 Darius Rucker October 16, 2012 Brad Paisley Vince Gill and Keith Urban
201 Old Crow Medicine Show September 17, 2013 Marty Stuart Marty Stuart and Dierks Bentley
202 Little Big Town October 17, 2014 Reba McEntire Vince Gill and Little Jimmy Dickens
203 Crystal Gayle January 21, 2017 Carrie Underwood Loretta Lynn
204 Dailey & Vincent March 11, 2017 Marty Stuart Old Crow Medicine Show and Jeannie Seely
205 Chris Young October 17, 2017 Vince Gill Brad Paisley
206 Chris Janson March 20, 2018 Keith Urban Garth Brooks
207 Bobby Bare April 7, 2018 Garth Brooks Original induction date was August 14, 1964. Membership lapsed 1974. Inducted again by Brooks on 4/7/2018.
208 Dustin Lynch September 18, 2018 Trace Adkins Reba McEntire
209 Mark Wills January 11, 2019 Vince Gill Craig Morgan
210 Kelsea Ballerini April 16, 2019 Little Big Town Carrie Underwood
211 Luke Combs July 16, 2019 Craig Morgan, Chris Janson, and John Conlee Joe Diffie and Vince Gill

2020s

Gene Watson, the sole new member in 2020, performing on the Opry in 2007
No. Name Induction date Invited by Inducted by Notes
212 Gene Watson February 7, 2020 Vince Gill Steve Wariner
213 Rhonda Vincent February 6, 2021 Jeannie Seely Dierks Bentley Delayed from her originally scheduled March 24, 2020 induction date due to the Coronavirus pandemic
214 Lady A January 21, 2021 Darius Rucker
215 Carly Pearce August 3, 2021 Dolly Parton Trisha Yearwood
216 The Isaacs September 14, 2021 Ricky Skaggs The Whites and Ricky Skaggs
217 Mandy Barnett November 2, 2021 Connie Smith Marty Stuart and Connie Smith
218 Lauren Alaina February 12, 2022 Trisha Yearwood

This page was last updated at 2022-02-08 03:00 UTC. Update now. View original page.

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