There was some breaking news this afternoon regarding Opry Entertainment Group. Here is the story as reported by Bloomberg:
Bloomberg) -- Ryman Hospitality Properties Inc. is exploring the sale of its 70% interest in Opry Entertainment Group, which owns storied country music venues such as the Grand Ole Opry House and the Ryman Auditorium.
The Nashville-based real estate investment trust has hired Morgan Stanley & Co. to find a buyer. There’s no certainty that a sale will occur, however.
“With the rise in global popularity of country music and the increasing demand for live experiences, we have received inbound interest from a range of organizations seeking to partner with our entertainment business,” Colin Reed, chairman of Ryman Hospitality, said in a statement, which was issued after Bloomberg first reported on the potential sale. “In that context, we have engaged Morgan Stanley & Co. to assist in evaluating potential opportunities. We expect to play an integral role in the continued growth of OEG irrespective of any strategic partnerships being considered.”
Ryman owns a number of hotel properties, including the Gaylord Opryland Resort & Convention Center in Nashville and the Gaylord Texan Resort & Convention Center outside Dallas. Those would not be part of the sale.
The Grand Ole Opry is a regular, live country-music radio broadcast and the longest-running radio show in America. It began in Nashville in 1925 on WSM, showcasing a mix of famous singers performing a mix of bluegrass, folk and gospel music, among others, and helped catapult country music from a niche genre to the global industry that it is today. Some of the many stars who have graced its stage over the years include Hank Williams, Dolly Parton, Luke Combs and Taylor Swift.
The Ryman Auditorium, known as the “Mother Church of Country Music,” was the original home of the Grand Ole Opry from 1943 until 1974 when it moved to its current location. Opened in 1892, its construction was spearheaded by a Nashville businessman as a tabernacle for an influential local revivalist. Today it is a 2,362-seat performance venue and museum.
Opry’s other entertainment assets include Ole Red music clubs and the Texas theater that hosts the Austin City Limits TV series.
Opry Entertainment was valued at $1.4 billion in 2022 when Atairos and NBCUniversal made a 30% strategic investment in the group, according to a statement at the time. The business generated operating income of $68.5 million on revenue of $434 million last year.
Opry’s owner, Ryman Hospitality, has an enterprise value of $12 billion and the entertainment segment contributed about 17% of last year’s revenue, according to data compiled by Bloomberg.
Investor Mario Gabelli has periodically argued that the real estate company should spin off the entertainment assets, which could get a higher value when separated. It’s a strategy Ryman has explored in the past.
Ryman Chief Executive Officer Mark Fioravanti told investors at a Gabelli conference on June 4 that the company has made progress to “get this business ready for it to be on its own and there’s a number of different ways that structurally that can happen.”
Personally, I am not surprised by this news as I thought after selling 30% of OEG to Atairos and NBCUniversal, that it was just a matter of time until Ryman was approached about selling more of OEG. As a publicly traded company, leadership owes it to their stakeholders to explore all of the options. It will be interesting to see how this all plays out over the next several months.
It's going to be a big Saturday night in downtown Nashville as Alan Jackson's final concert will be taking place at Nissan Stadium. The concert has been sold out since the day tickets went on sale and in addition to Alan, there is an "A" list of artists that will be taking part in the show.
The list includes Luke Bryan, Eric Church, Luke Combs, Riley Green, Cody Johnston, Miranda Lambert, Little Big Town, Jake Owen, Jon Pardi, Thomas Rhett, George Strait, Carrie Underwood, Lainey Wilson and Lee Ann Womack.
Due to public demand, the show is being livestreamed for free on screens that will be set up on Lower Broadway. This is in addition to the concert being filmed by NBC for a future special.
Now taking a look at the Grand Ole Opry schedule for this weekend, the Friday Night Opry will feature members Crystal Gayle, John Conlee and Mandy Barnett. I find it hard to believe but here we are at the end of June, and this is only Crystal's second appearance on the Opry in 2026.
The group Exile has been around for over 50 years and during that time they have performed on the Opry over 100 times. Recently during an interview, it was stated that they would love to become members of the Opry, and even Trace Adkins was quoted as saying that he thought Exile ought to be members. While Exile is not an Opry member, they will be appearing on Friday night.
In addition to Exile, comedian Jeff Allen, American Aquarium, The Kody Norris Show and Chris Housman, who will be making his Opry debut, round out the schedule.
While most of the focus on Saturday night will be on the Alan Jackson concert, the Opry has a good Saturday lineup. Members T. Graham Brown, The Whites, Connie Smith, Riders In The Sky and Steven Curtis Chapman headline the show. Guesting are Chris Jones & The Night Drivers, Madeline Edwards, and Dave Fenley, who is making his Opry debut.
Finally, there is a rare Sunday night show scheduled that will focus on '90s country. That lineup includes Opry members Lorrie Morgan and Dailey& Vincent, along with Rhett Akins, Billy Dean, Walker Montgomery, Lee Roy Parnell and Carlisle Wright. Carlisle Wright is the great-niece of Alan Jackson, and it was Alan who called Carlisle and surprised her with the invitation to appear on the Opry.
Friday June 26
7:00: Mandy Barnett, John Conlee, Chris Houseman, American Aquarium
Intermission
8:20: The Kody Norris Show, Jeff Allen, Exile, Crystal Gayle
Saturday June 27
7:00: Opry Square Dancers, T. Graham Brown, The Whites, Dave Fenley, Chris Jones & The Night Drivers
Intermission
8:20: Connie Smith, Riders In The Sky, Opry Square Dancers, Madeline Edwards, Steven Curtis Chapman
Sunday June 28
7:00: Dailey & Vincent, Walker Montgomery, Carlisle Wright, Billy Dean
Intermission
8:20: Lee Roy Parnell, Rhett Akins, Lorrie Morgan
It is always a special weekend when Grand Ole Opry member Garth Brooks makes an appearance and during the weekend of June 26 & 27, 1998, he appeared on both the Friday Night Opry and Saturday's Grand Ole Opry.
From The Tennessean:
Last week, Garth Brooks made an unscheduled appearance at Fan Fair to sing two songs with Steve Wariner and two more on his own. This weekend, he's on the schedule to sing on the Grand Ole Opry on both Friday and Saturday. The last time he appeared on the Opry was exactly one year ago. Since then, he turned New York's Central Park into one big fan appreciation, put together a live NBC special that covered his tour in Ireland, hosted Saturday Night Live, reclaimed the Country Music Association's entertainer of the year award and released both his delayed Sevens album and a six-album set. Brooks latest single, the Bob Dylan-penned To Make You Feel My Love, appears in the movie Hope Floats.
Here's the complete posted schedule for that weekend:
Friday June 26
7:30: Porter Wagoner (host): Oswald & Charlie, Skeeter Davis, Ricky Skaggs
8:00: Jimmy C Newman (host): Wilma Lee Cooper, Ray Pillow, Bill Carlisle, Lil General Cloggers
8:30: Billy Walker (host): Jan Howard, Jim & Jesse, Jean Shepard, Jack Greene
9:00: Jimmy Dickens (host): Holly Dunn, Garth Brooks
9:30: Mike Snider (host: Jim Ed Brown, Jeanne Pruett, Del Reeves, The 4 Guys
Saturday June 27
1st show
6:30: Jimmy C Newman (host): Bill Carlisle
6:45: Charlie Walker (host): Wilma Lee Cooper
7:00: Jimmy Dickens (host): Stonewall Jackson, Oswald & Charlie, Skeeter Davis, Jack Greene
7:30: Johnny Russell (host): Boxcar Willie, Garth Brooks
8:00: Porter Wagoner (host): Jeanne Preutt, Mike Snider, The 4 Guys, Opry Square Dance Band, Melvin Sloan Dancers
8:30: Billy Walker (host): The Whites, Charlie Louvin, Stu Phillips, Johnny Counterfit
2nd show
9:30: Porter Wagoner (host): Bill Carlisle, Stonewall Jackson, Boxcar Willie
10:00: Jimmy C Newman (host): Skeeter Davis
10:15: Jimmy Dickens (host): Ray Pillow
10:30: Garth Brooks
10:45: The 4 Guys (host): Charlie Walker, Opry Square Dance Band, Melvin Sloan Dancers
11:00: Mike Snider (host): Jeanne Preutt, Billy Walker, Jack Greene, Charlie Louvin
11:30: Johnny Russell (host): The Whites, Stu Phillips, Johnny Counterfit
A lot going on this weekend at the Opry.
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