Tuesday Night Opry 3/21 & Wednesday Night Opry 3/22

Once again, we get a change in the mid-week schedule at the Grand Ole Opry as the coming week has just the Tuesday and Wednesday night shows on the schedule. The spring run of Opry Country Classics is interrupted for one week as there is no classics show scheduled. 

The Tuesday Night Opry offers a solid lineup with Opry members Rhonda Vincent, John Conlee, Henry Cho, Carly Pearce and Chris Janson on the schedule. After the lack of Opry members on the mid-week shows the previous week, it is nice to see a solid group of Opry members back on the schedule. 

Rhonda Vincent makes it a two-show week as she returns the next night for the Wednesday Night Opry, joined by The Whites and Don Schlitz. Really nice to see The Whites seemingly back in the rotation. 

As far as non-members this week, Steven Curtis Chapman returns on Tuesday, while Jelly Roll stands out on Wednesday, along with the award-winning bluegrass legend Larry Sparks. 

In my mind, it has been a while since Larry has been on the Opry. As to the awards he has won, Larry has won the Male Vocalist of the Year Award from the International Bluegrass Music Association, along with past Album of the Year and Vocal Event of the Year. He is also an inductee in the Bill Monroe Bluegrass Hall of Fame. 

Also scheduled this week is comedian, and frequent Opry guest, Killer Beaz and Drew Parker. Carter Faith is also scheduled, making up for the appearance she had been scheduled for on the Wednesday Night Opry from a few weeks back that was cancelled. 

Tuesday Night Opry March 21
7:00: Rhonda Vincent, John Conlee, Boy Named Banjo, Steven Curtis Chapman
Intermission
8:15: Henry Cho, Carly Pearce, Chris Janson

Wednesday Night Opry March 22
7:00: Rhonda Vincent, Drew Parker, The Whites, Brit Taylor, Jelly Roll
Intermission
8:15: Larry Sparks, Carter Faith, Killer Beaz, Don Schlitz

As what seems to have become a normal occurrence, two acts, Boy Named Banjo and Brit Taylor will be making their Opry debuts. 

Boy Named Banjo is actually from Nashville, and they play a variety of contemporary country, Americana, Folk-Rock, with a touch of bluegrass. The band, which has been together in some iteration since members were in high school, is comprised of Barton Davies (banjo), Ford Garrard (bass/upright bass), Sam McCullough (drums) Willard Logan (mandolin, acoustic/electric guitar) and William Reames (acoustic guitar/harmonica). During the pandemic, when there careers were on hold, they were signed by Universal Music Group Nashville. In 2021 they released their debut CD, Circles. Boy Named Banjo spent 2022 on the road playing some of country music’s largest festivals including Dierks Bentley’s Seven Peaks and Country Jam, Kip Moore’s Fire on Wheels Tour, they made their CMA Fest debut playing at the Ascend Amphitheatre Nighttime Concert, and played a sold-out hometown show at Nashville’s Brooklyn Bowl. The band is now embarking on an 11-city headlining tour. Last year, Boy Named Banjo released the tracks “Heart In Motion” and “Heart Attack.”  The first release of 2023 will be “Whiskey Dreams.”

Britt Taylor, who is from Eastern Kentucky, is a singer/songwriter, who late last year released her debut album, Real Me. She started young, debuting on the Kentucky Opry at the age of seven. After graduating from high school, she moved to Tennessee. Her four early-release singles from the album have earned positive reviews from numerous outlets including Rolling Stone, Billboard, American Songwriter, Music Row and others. All songs have found their places on playlists from Spotify, Apple and Amazon, including Spotify's Pulse of Americana, Emerging Americana, Indigo and New Nashville. She has been voted No. 2 on the CMT 12-Pack Countdown and the No. 2 most added album on AMA/CDX Radio Chart, tying with Waylon Payne.

There you have it for this week.