Opry At The Ryman

Hot Country / Folk Tickets

Opry At The Ryman Tickets

The Grand Ole Opry is a weekly show in Nashville, Tennessee, usually credited with popularizing country music around the country. Founded in 1925, the show continues to this day as one of the most traditional and prestigious country music performing shows in the United States. Considered by many to be an American icon, the show attracts hundreds of thousands of visitors from different parts of the world and has a huge number of people tuned in via radio and the internet. The show moved to the Ryman Auditorium in 1943, and that remained its home until it moved to the specially built Grand Ole Opry House in 1974. But the show still returns to the Ryman every year for special performances.  Opry at the Ryman tickets will allow you to be a part of that special night, where some of country music’s biggest stars perform with all their heart.

 

Name:

Opry at the Ryman

Venue:

Ryman Auditorium

Genres:

Country, Bluegrass, folk

The Grand Opry is owned and operated by Ryman Hospitality Properties, Inc, which decides what artists are scheduled to perform at the show. There is a new bill every week and the artists are usually not disclosed until a few days are left. Unlike a typical concert, eight or more artists perform on each show, allowing the audience to experience each artist’s different music.

History:

The Grand Ole Opry began as the WSM Barn Dance in Nashville on 28th November, 1928. The unusual name was first uttered on air by a radio announcer the following year, and the name stuck. As the show gained in popularity, more and people started showing up to watch the performances. A larger studio was built, but the audience continued to grow.

Following the need for a bigger venue, the Opry moved into the Hillsboro Theater in 1934, and then kept on changing venues until it finally moved into the Ryman Auditorium on the 5th of June, 1943.  The Ryman remained the permanent home of the Opry until 1974, and saw some of the greatest country legends of all time perform on its stage.

In 1974, the company felt that a bigger more permanent venue was required since the crowds gathering for the show exceeded the three thousand seat capacity of the Ryman.  A special concert house was created for the Opry, called the Grand Ole Opry House, which opened in 1974. But as a tribute to the Ryman’s stage, a six foot oak circle was cut from it and placed in the new house’s stage. Performers stand in the circle to perform.

Legacy:

The Opry has been a dedicated to honoring country music, and the artists who have spent their careers popularizing the genre. It showcases both contemporary chart topping artists and country music legends, who perform country, folk, bluegrass, gospel and sometimes comedy skits as well. 

Being a member of the Grand Old Opry is considered one of the greatest honors a musician can achieve. Country Music’s oldest “hall of fame”, its members are inducted based on their careers, but once a membership is won, it has to be maintained, by coming back and performing at the legendary stage.

 Looking over the list of Opry members, it would not be wrong to say that it has defined the country music genre. Every Opry show is special, but the one’s held in the Ryman are considered even more so. So go to the home of country music and enjoy an entertaining evening featuring some of the greatest country music talent in the country.

Interesting Facts:

  • Some of the biggest names to have performed at the Opry during its early days were Bill Monroe, Uncle Dave Macon and Hank Williams.
  • Elvis Presley performed as a teenager at the Opry, but was met with a cold response, since the country music enthusiasts disliked his rockabilly style of music.
  • In 1960, The Byrds became the only non country group to perform at the Opry. They were booed off stage.
  • At the opening night of the new Grand Ole Opry House in 1974, US President Richard Nixon played a few songs on the piano.
  • The Ryman Theater has been nicknamed the Mother Church of Country Music, due to its hosting of the Opry.