Last night on the Tuesday Night Opry, on a night to recognize Trace Adkins upon his 15th anniversary as a member of the Grand Ole Opry, Trace surprised guest artist Dustin Lynch during his performance and asked him to become the Opry's newest member.
Dustin Lynch is from Tullahoma, Tennessee, and graduated from Tullahoma High School in 2003. At the age of 16, Dustin, who had been playing the guitar for a few years, performed at the Bluebird Cafe in Nashville on an open mic night and was well received. In 2003, after graduating from high school, he moved to Nashville and attended Lipscomb University, He graduated with a B.S. degree in biology in 2007 and although he was interested in attending medical school, he turned it down to pursue a career in music.
After briefly signing with Valory Music Group, Dustin moved to Broken Bow Records in 2011. His debut single "Cowboys and Angels" was released in January 2012. The self-titled debut album "Dustin Lynch" was released in August 2012 and reached #1 on the Top Country Albums chart. The albums second single "She Cranks My Tractor" became his second Top 20 hit in early 2013. It was followed by "Wild in Your Smile" which also made the Top 30.
In early 2014 Dustin released his fourth single and the lead single from his second album "Where It's At (Yep, Yep)." It became his first #1 single on the Country Airplay chart in September 2014, and the album of the same name was released on September 9, 2014. "Hell of a Night" and "Mind Reader" were released to country radio as the albums second and third singles, both of which reached #1 on the Country Airplay charts.
"Seein' Red" was released on July 11, 2016 as the lead single from Dustin's third studio album "Current Mood." It hit #1 on the Country Airplay chart for the week dated February 25, 2017. "Small Town Boy" was released on March 20, 2017 as the second single from that album. That song also reached #1 on the Country Airplay chart.
Like others, I was very surprised last night that the invitation to join the Opry went to Dustin. That makes four new male members in a row (Chris Young, Chris Janson, Bobby Bare, Dustin Lynch). It seemed to me awful early and quick. After all, Chris Janson had to make over 100 guest appearances before he received an Opry invite. I thought there were others, such as Rhonda Vincent, Exile, Restless Heart, Mark Wills, etc., who should have received an invitation first. But it was obvious from this selection that the Opry wanted to go young and build upon its future, especially after having Bobby rejoin.
Time will tell if Dustin will be a committed Opry member or not. The odds are against it as his career continues to pick up steam. For those interested, September 18 will be his induction date.
Congratulations to Dustin Lynn, the Grand Ole Opry's newest member.
I can only imagine how the "guests" who have performed on the Opry over a hundred times without a membership invitation must feel. "She Cranks My Tractor" might be the Opry's idea of the most deserving of new membership, but I vigorously disagree. Robert
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ReplyDeleteByron;
ReplyDeleteLike you, I was surprised by the announcement that Dustin Lynch would be the next Opry member. I understand that Opry management feels the need to keep the Opry relevant for the younger country music audiences. And the reality is that if the Opry is going to survive for another 93 years, they will need to continue to do that. That said, I don't quite understand the timing of this one or the selection.
For what it's worth, my list of potential new members would include:
Tracy Lawrence
Kathy Mattea
Rhonda Vincent
Elizabeth Cook
The Issacs
Mark Wills
Jim Lauderdale
Exile
Don Schiltz
And even if I were thinking about newer or younger artists, people like Ashley Monroe, Lee Brice, Kacey Musgraves and even a brand new artist like Ashley McBryde would have occured to me before I thought of Dustin.
Still, I hope that Dustin supports the Opry with regular appearances and helps to broaden the appeal of the Opry for younger audiences.
I was not completely surprised as they seem to alternate the young/current picks with some more established/traditional picks. Of the ones you mentioned, only Lee Brice gets significant radio play these days. I'm not saying it is the right move (nor did I see it coming), but in hindsight, I cannot say I am surprised. The good news is I feel like it does set the Opry up for their next pick to swing back in the older/traditional direction. Tracy Lawrence and Mark Wills would top my wishlist of those you mentioned, although I couldn't argue with any of your choices.
DeleteI saw this in my Facebook Feed this Morning. I believe I share feelings with most of the others, in that there is a list of people who have been supporting the Opry for years, whom still have no Membership.
ReplyDeleteJust Like all new Members, My sincere hope is that Mr. Lynch supports the Opry by appearing regularly, and we can look back some time from now, and think about what a great pick he was...
Also, Do you have a record of how many times he has played the Opry? I have not heard the number for him... Thanks, Pat.
This past February I saw Dustin in concert as one of the openers for Brad Paisley. I recognized some of his hits (none of which sounded country at all) and didn't really care for his music, then he surprised me. One of the last songs he played was one called "Cowboys & Angels." I didn't realize it was one of his songs. It's one of my favorite modern country songs (mainly because its one of the few that has a genuine country sound to it). It made me think that, maybe sometimes, artists are truly genuine with their genre work at first, but might be forced by label executives to change their image to suit what's more "mainstream." Upon doing some research, of his 10 singles, he only wrote the first 2 ("cowboys & angels" and "she cranks my tractor," which I think is just a novelty song not meant to be taken seriously). Might not mean anything, but it's interesting that his sound really changed from his first album to his 2nd.
ReplyDeleteHe wasn't someone I immediately expected to be suddenly asked to be a member, but I guess it's not a complete surprise. He has a lot of recent hits, and he seems to have frequently guested on the Opry (though I'm sure Mr. Fay would know the exact number within the past year). The new management seems to be going for members that will be dedicated to the show, and I'm sure they have reason to believe they're not making a mistake with Dustin. He definitely has a lot of energy & stage presence when he performs, and maybe with time he'll surprise us all with his dedication.
I agree with Woody on the performers that are deserving of new membership. I'd also add Gene Watson & Mandy Barnett. For a while it seemed that Hunter Hayes was appearing frequently on the Tuesday shows. I'm surprised he wasn't offered membership at the time.
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ReplyDeleteDUSTIN WHO???????? JIM HERZOG
ReplyDeleteI believe Chris Jansen had to make over TWO hundred appearances before he was asked to be a member.
ReplyDeleteNot that I'm still sore about it or anything! :)
I thought the next member would be Charles Esten. I have been an Opry follower for over 50 years and this the first time they have added a member that I truly wouldn't recognize if he showed up at my door. I was listening the night they asked Tex Ritter to join. Now that was an invite.
ReplyDeleteDustin Lynch.... Never heard of him..... Which in my musical taste means he is useless to my ears and interest.
ReplyDeleteExtend a membership to some female artists that are deserving and show that the Opry promotes gender equality in the modern age as well.
ReplyDeleteWouldnt hurt to get some members that dont have the major hits but have made lots of appearances and are deserving.....