For over 75 years, the Grand Ole Opry has been entertaining America with a kind of spontaneous, unpretentious, unabashed presentation that is unique in broadcasting. Founded by George D. Hay, a radio editor for the Memphis Commercial Appeal, on November 28, 1925, the Opry first aired on radio station WSM in Nashville. Hay became its announcer, launching the program as "The WSM Barn Dance." Two years later, Hay renamed it "The Grand Ole Opry." Hay's first commandment was: "Keep her down to earth, boys!" It came to be the goal of every folk musician, and later every country and western musician, to perform on the Opry. It wasn't long before crowds clogged the corridors of WSM to observe the performers. This led to the decision to allow observers into the studio, where their reactions would add excitement and enthusiasm to the program. The Opry has had to move to successively bigger auditoriums throughout the years to accommodate the ever-larger crowds. In 1974, President Richard M. Nixon dedicated the Grand Ole Opry House at Opryland USA. Until 1938, the Opry presented nearly all instrumentals, until Roy Acuff and the Smoky Mountain Boys stepped forward to sing. He was followed shortly by vocalists Red Foley, Ernest Tubb and Hank Williams, Sr. Minnie Pearl soon joined the performers, and Bill Monroe arrived to introduce bluegrass music. In 1939, the Opry was carried on the NBC network for the first time. From its inception, the Grand Ole Opry has continued to introduce new talents, many to become mega-stars in the country music pantheon. From every state in the Union and many foreign countries, 700,000 Opry fans annually travel an average of a thousand miles round-trip to view the Opry's Friday and Saturday performances. Through the Opry, WSM had created a musical family that has in turn made Nashville "Music City, U.S.A." The advent of Opryland in 1972 marked a period of explosive growth, which has accelerated since 1983 when Opryland was acquired by Edward Gaylord. Gaylord had continued to build and acquire companies under the Opryland umbrella, with a focus in music, tourism, hospitality, family entertainment and interactive media. For over three-quarters of a century, the Grand Ole Opry has meant entertainment, vaudeville, and America's music packaged into one presentation, giving rise to a rapport between the Opry artist and audience unlike any other in the world.

The auditorium was first opened as the Union Gospel Tabernacle in 1892. It was built by Thomas Ryman (1843–1904), a riverboat captain and Nashville businessman who owned several saloons. Ryman conceived of the auditorium as a tabernacle for the influential revivalist Sam Jones.[1] After Ryman's death, the Tabernacle was renamed Ryman Auditorium in his honor.

The Ryman was also the home of Trevecca Nazarene University from 1911 to 1914.[citation needed]

It was used for Grand Ole Opry broadcasts from 1943 until 1974, when the Opry built a larger venue just outside

Nashville at the Opryland USA theme park. The Ryman then sat mostly vacant and fell into disrepair until 1992, when Emmylou Harris and her band the Nash Ramblers performed a series of concerts there (the results of which appeared on her album At the Ryman). The Harris concerts renewed interest in the restoring the Ryman; it was reopened as an intimate performance venue and museum in 1994. Audiences at the Ryman find themselves sitting in pews, the 1994 renovation notwithstanding. The seating is a reminder of the auditorium's origins as a house of worship, hence giving it the nickname "The Mother Church of Country Music".
In 2001, the Ryman Auditorium was designated a National Historic Landmark and included in the National Register of Historic Places.

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Robert February 10, 2009 at 10:46pm

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Robert February 10, 2009 at 10:31pm

The Grand Ole Opry is still going strong today. The Opry Entertainment Complex consists of four unique entertainment venues: the Grand Ole Opry House, the Acuff Theatre, the Opry Museum, and the Opry Plaza.
Visit OPRY.COM for more history, photos, ticket information, news and more.
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Robert February 10, 2009 at 10:02pm

The Ryman was home to the Opry until March 16, 1974, when the show moved to the 4,400-seat Grand Ole Opry House, located nine miles east of downtown Nashville on a former farm in the Pennington Bend of the Cumberland River. The Opry currently plays several times a week at the Grand Ole Opry House except for an annual winter run at the Ryman Auditorium.
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Robert February 10, 2009 at 9:49pm

On October 2, 1954, a teenage Elvis Presley made his first (and only) performance there. Although the public reacted politely to his revolutionary brand of rockabilly music, after the show he was told by one of the organizers (Opry manager Jim Denny) that he ought to return to Memphis to resume his truck-driving career, prompting him to swear never to return. In an era when the Grand Ole Opry represented solely country music, audiences did not accept Elvis on the Opry because of his infusion of rhythm and blues as well as his infamous body gyrations, which many viewed as vulgar.
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Robert February 10, 2009 at 9:37pm

Opry Live on YouTube

Check out Opry features on YouTube! Check out Opry performances, interviews, and special moments from country legends and hot new artists.

Visit the Opry Live YouTube Channel at www.youtube.com/oprylive.

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Robert February 10, 2009 at 9:19pm

The auditorium was first opened as the Union Gospel Tabernacle in 1892. It was built by Thomas Ryman (1843–1904), a riverboat captain and Nashville businessman who owned several saloons. Ryman conceived of the auditorium as a tabernacle for the influential revivalist Sam Jones.[1] After Ryman's death, the Tabernacle was renamed Ryman Auditorium in his honor.

The Ryman was also the home of Trevecca Nazarene University from 1911 to 1914.[citation needed]

It was used for Grand Ole Opry broadcasts from 1943 until 1974, when the Opry built a larger venue just outside
Nashville at the Opryland USA theme park. The Ryman then sat mostly vacant and fell into disrepair until 1992, when Emmylou Harris and her band the Nash Ramblers performed a series of concerts there (the results of which appeared on her album At the Ryman). The Harris concerts renewed interest in the restoring the Ryman; it was reopened as an intimate performance venue and museum in 1994. Audiences at the Ryman find themselves sitting in pews, the 1994 renovation notwithstanding. The seating is a reminder of the auditorium's origins as a house of worship, hence giving it the nickname "The Mother Church of Country Music".
In 2001, the Ryman Auditorium was designated a National Historic Landmark and included in the National Register of Historic Places.
- Robert > Robert February 10, 2009 at 9:30pm
  
  In the mid-1960s management decided to enforce strictly the requirement that members had to perform on at least twenty-six shows a year in order to keep their membership active. This imposed a tremendous financial hardship on members who made much of their income from touring and could not afford to be in or near Nashville every other weekend. This was aggravated by the fact that the Opry's appearance fee paid to the artist was essentially a token ($44 at the time). This requirement has been lessened over the years, but artists offered membership are expected to show a dedication to the Opry with frequent attendance.
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Robert February 10, 2009 at 8:06pm

next
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Robert February 10, 2009 at 7:55pm

next
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Robert February 10, 2009 at 7:38pm

Next
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Opry Live on YouTube