Another year is in the books as the Grand Ole Opry has completed its 99th year. As the Grand Ole Opry enters year 100, it is time to take a look back at 2024 and recap the year at the Grand Ole Opry.
The Grand Ole Opry ended 2024 with 76 members, the largest number of members in the history of the show. Four names were added in 2024, Scotty McCreery, T. Graham Brown, Lainey Wilson and Steven Curtis Chapman. Meanwhile, for the first year since 2019, no Grand Ole Opry member passed away.
In March, the Opry celebrated the 50th anniversary of the Grand Ole Opry House, with a show that included only members of the Opry's cast. In July, Bill Anderson marked his 63rd year as an Opry member, the longest tenured member in the history of the Opry, while Jeannie Seely continues to add to her record number of Opry appearances. In October, the Opry celebrated its 99th anniversary.
Looking at Opry milestones, Dolly Parton celebrated her 55th year as an Opry member, while The Whites and Lorrie Morgan celebrated their 40th. Others included Trisha Yearwood at 25 and Terri Clark's 20th. While Dolly did not make an appearance, the others did.
Everyone loves numbers. So here is the list of the Top 10 and their 2024 Opry appearances:
Riders In The Sky: 67
Don Schlitz: 66
Jeannie Seely: 56
Connie Smith: 49
Mandy Barnett: 43
Charlie McCoy: 42
Dailey & Vincent: 41
Rhonda Vincent: 41
Bill Anderson: 36
Gatlin Brothers: 35
The next 10:
T. Graham Brown: 34
John Conlee: 33
Vince Gill: 31
Gary Mule Deer: 29
Mark Wills: 22
The Isaacs: 20
Henry Cho: 16
Old Crow Medicine Show: 14
Ricky Skaggs: 14
Gene Watson: 13
Others with 10 or more:
Crystal Gayle, Ashley McBryde, Del McCoury, Craig Morgan: 11
Carrie Underwood: 10
The other end of the spectrum are those who made no Opry appearances in 2024:
Bobby Bare**
Garth Brooks
Diamond Rio
Alan Jackson
Alison Krauss
Patty Loveless**
Barbara Mandrell**
Reba McEntire
Ronnie Milsap**
Dolly Parton
Stu Phillips**
Jeanne Pruett**
Rascal Flatts
Blake Shelton
Ricky Van Shelton**
Mike Snider
Randy Travis**
Travis Tritt
As a disclaimer, I am aware that a number of those on that list are retired or have health issues, and those members are noted with an ** after their names.
The other 33 members fall in-between, ranging from Lorrie Morgan and Marty Stuart with 8 appearances each, down to Dierks Bentley, Clint Black, Luke Combs, Little Big Town, Martina McBride and The Whites, each of whom appeared one time. Of those in-between:
Terri Clark, Chris Janson, Pam Tillis, Scotty McCreery: 7
Lauren Alaina, Jamey Johnson, Oak Ridge Boys, Steven Curtis Chapman: 6
Jon Pardi, Steve Wariner: 5
Emmylou Harris, Brad Paisley, Carly Pearce, Lainey Wilson: 4
Trace Adkins, Darius Rucker, Sara Evans: 3
Kelsea Ballerini, Lady A, Dustin Lynch, Eddie Montgomery, Josh Turner, Keith Urban, Trisha Yearwood, Chris Young: 2
Some of the Opry members made an improvement over 2023, while others saw their appearances decline. And as a reminder, currently the Opry has no fixed number of required appearances per year.
Just to highlight the four new members, T. Graham Brown appeared 34 times, followed by Scotty McCreery 7, Steven Curtis Chapman 6 and Lainey Wilson 4.
The Opry had over 210 shows in 2024 and what I found to be an amazing fact, over 400 non-members made guest appearances, with well over 100 making Opry debuts. Some of those debuts were outstanding, while others not so. Standing out was the debut of Post Malone, along with Don McLean, Katherine McPhee and Michael Buble. I know I am missing a few, and we all had our favorites.
Leading the group of non-members, Maggie Rose appeared 10 times. She was followed by Charles Esten and Steve Earle at 8, Sunny Sweeney, Chapel Hart and Home Free with 7, Tigirlily Gold, Rhett Akins and Exile with 6, and Kathy Mattea, Mae Estes, Restless Road, Maggie & Tae, John Perry, Dusty Slay, Jimmy Fortune and Clay Walker with 5 appearances each.
I would venture to say that a few of those names are on the short list of possible future Opry members.
Looking ahead to 2025 and the Grand Ole Opry's 100th anniversary, Connie Smith will mark her 60th year from when she first joined the Grand Ole Opry in 1965. Others of note include Mike Snider and Garth Brooks 35, Martina McBride 30, Pam Tillis 25, Dierks Bentley 20,
As I have done each year, in my personal opinion, the Grand Ole Opry continues to be in good hands under the direction of Dan Rogers and his entire team. From my own personal experience with Dan, I know he is working hard at having quality shows each night and he has put his heart and soul into the Opry's 100th anniversary, and Opry 100. I know it is only January, but I know it is going to be an amazing year. As I have written before, I am excited to see how it all plays out.
Finally, my thanks to all who read and comment on the blog, and those who email, text or call. It is always a pleasure to discuss the Opry, and its history, with those who are so inclined. We may disagree about at times, but the one thing we have in common is that we all care.
I expect to be at a number of shows in 2025 and already have a number of dates circled on my calendar. I have met a number of blog readers at past shows and hopefully I will see more of you as the year goes on. It's always a pleasure.
Now on to 2025:
Byron
aka: Fayfare
Thanks, Byron, for this great roundup and all you do here. And thanks to Dan Rogers, who, I believe, "gets it." I just wish they would make more use of the members who might be willing to appear more often.
ReplyDeleteI always look forward to the yearly round up, even though I inevitably end up frustrated with several artists.
ReplyDeleteThanks for all you do, Byron.
J in OK
Very impressive number of appearances by those listed in the Top 10 and and I'm happy with the next 10. Then there is the usual unimpressive number of appearances by the rest of the pack (33.) I never include anyone in the bottom list, those retired and/or ill won't be appearing; with Randy Travis being an exception that we all know about. It is great that he makes the attempt to get to the Opry stage or other stages, even though he will always be unable to perform, so good for him for what his health allows.
ReplyDeleteI wonder, how many of those members from the 50's and 60's, if they had not been forced to appear every Friday/Saturday's to remain Opry members, how many times they would have appeared. We know of those members who left the Opry because of it and some returned. More than likely we would be talking a whole different ballgame; just as we are today. I don't look for much to change to get some of those 33 members to appear more. They are appearing as often as they choose; we'll call them middle of the pack, because that's what they are and I'm sure they don't mind being referred to that. I look again at the Top 10 and three members are well over 80 y/o, and yet making the amount of appearances throughout the year that they are and that tells me they still really want to be on the Opry stage.
I am disappointed with two members: Chris Janson and Carly Pearce, for all the appearances they made prior to membership. Maybe it is harder getting to the Opry than I think, I don't know that answer.
I hope to see more of Ashley McBryde, I really do believe she loves being an Opry member and I think she'll find the time to stop in more this year; at least that is wishful thinking on my part.
It would be great to see the return of The Whites; I sure do miss them.
Dan Rogers and his team are doing an incredible job of keeping entertainment on the Opry stage throughout the year and I congratulate and thank them on 100 years and all they are doing to make sure that this year is the best one of all.
Thank you Byron, for taking the time to present these Opry numbers for all to read and for your continued dedication to your blog to keep all of us updated on the latest news and information out of Music City USA.
Enjoy this 100th year of the Grand Ole Opry everyone; as for me, so far, so good.
(Jeanene)
I look forward to this post every year and it is again outstanding. It's something I refer back to frequently throughout the year. Thanks Byron, for your work in it!
ReplyDeleteWhat happened to Elizabeth Cook? She still holds the record of most appearances by a non-member, doesn't she?
ReplyDeleteDepends, Mandy Barnett had more if you’re counting appearances before she was made a member (over 500)
DeleteOf the current non-members, Elizabeth Cook is the clubhouse leader in appearances. I think in her case, she has been busy touring and working on other projects.
Delete(Byron)
Did Joe Bonsall not count as having died in 2024?
ReplyDeleteThanks for the great recap. Of those Opry members who made little to no appearances there are a few that need some context:
ReplyDeleteThe Whites - Buck dealt with dementia the past few years and the daughters and the Opry did their best to make it possible for him to perform. One of the girls mentioned at his memorial that it was obvious after getting him out for the 40th anniversary that he wouldn’t be able to do it anymore. I wonder if the act is retired now. Both Sharon and Cheryl are 70+ and may not want to continue without Buck. God Bless them in whatever they decide.
Mike Snider - he had a bad motorcycle accident and his wife passed away. I can only imagine how hard it has been for him. Jokes about “Sweetie” can’t be fun anymore.
Alan Jackson - he has serious mobility issues and has announced his farewell tour. There aren’t all that many dates scheduled considering how big a star he is. Those of us who know people that suffer from the same disease Alan has know how painful it is.
Dolly Parton - she’s essentially retired from performing live. During her last few years of touring she relied on lip syncing to some degree which brought criticism. Her husband has health issues.
Big picture is that we shouldn’t take the members for granted. They are people too and have the same “real life” struggles we all do. Health issues become a factor at some point for most people.