Grand Ole Opry members Garth Brooks, Dustin Lynch, Darius Rucker, and Trisha Yearwood will join the previously-announced line-up for the historic 5,000th Saturday night broadcast of the Grand Ole Opry.
The longest-running radio show in the world is broadcast on its flagship 650 AM-WSM, which began to air the formative show in 1925, and at opry.com, wsmonline.com, Opry and WSM mobile apps, and SiriusXM. The 5,000th show will be on October 30, when the newly-confirmed quartet will join fellow stars Bill Anderson, Terri Clark, Vince Gill, Chris Janson, Jeannie Seely, Connie Smith, the Gatlin Brothers, and Chris Young.
The milestone will be further celebrated with a month of event and a limited-time exhibit. The first of the two ticketed shows on the 30th will be available to stream live on Circle Network, including its Circle All Access Facebook, Twitter, and YouTube channel.
The Grand Ole Opry has broadcast original shows for 5,000 Saturday nights through the Great Depression, World War II, two Nashville floods and the global pandemic. “I think we all long for something that we can hang onto that gives us a source of comfort, a source of steadiness and something we can count on,” said Opry member Marty Stuart, speaking at the August launch for the Opry 5,000th.
“In the midst of turmoil and the best of times, that circle has seen it all…the Opry has proven itself to be this indelible kind of thing that not only America, but the globe can count on – that on Saturday night, there’s a beam of goodness that, if you find it, you’re going to plug into that. It makes a difference in your heart.”
The exhibit, Opry Memories: Celebrating 5,000 Saturday Night Broadcasts, reviews almost 100 years of the Opry broadcast. It documents the inception of WSM, the first Opry shows and special moments in the program’s history. The exhibit features artifacts and photos from current Opry members such as Luke Combs, Dolly Parton, Carly Pearce, Yearwood, and many others, alongside items from early Opry stars like Roy Acuff, DeFord Bailey, and Minnie Pearl.
With the help of broadcast partner Circle, the Opry is now reaching its largest audiences to date, landing the No.1 spot on Pollstar’s Top 100 Livestreamers Chart across all genres for 2020. Opry Live can be found on Circle via Peacock, DISH Network, Redbox, Roku, Inc., Samsung TV Plus, VIZIO SmartCast, XUMO and STIRR.
Fans can also enter a sweepstakes to win a VIP weekend getaway to Nashville for the celebrations, including reservations at the Gaylord Opryland Resort and $5,000 spending money. For more information, or to purchase tickets for the live performances, visit Opry.com/5000.
