Americana on display including a Grand Ole Opry guitar in Nashville.
The Grand Ole Opry is a weekly American country music stage concert in Nashville, Tennessee founded on November 28, 1925, by George D. Hay as a one-hour radio “barn dance” on WSM. Currently owned and operated by Opry Entertainment (a division of Ryman Hospitality Properties, Inc.), it is the longest running radio broadcast in US history.[1][2] Dedicated to honoring country music and its history, the Opry showcases a mix of famous singers and contemporary chart-toppers performing country, bluegrass, Americana, folk, and gospel music as well as comedic performances and skits.[3] It attracts hundreds of thousands of visitors from around the world and millions of radio and internet listeners.
The Opry’s current primary slogan is “The Show That Made Country Music Famous.”[4] Other slogans include “Home of American Music” and “Country’s Most Famous Stage.”[3]
In the 1930s, the show began hiring professionals and expanded to four hours. Broadcasting by then at 50,000 watts, WSM made the program a Saturday night musical tradition in nearly 30 states.[5] In 1939, it debuted nationally on NBC Radio. The Opry moved to a permanent home, the Ryman Auditorium, in 1943. As it developed in importance, so did the city of Nashville, which became America’s “country music capital.”[6] The Grand Ole Opry holds such significance in Nashville that its name is included on the city/county line signs on all major roadways. The signs read “Music City|Metropolitan Nashville Davidson County|Home of the Grand Ole Opry.”
Membership in the Opry remains one of country music’s crowning achievements.[7] Since 1974, the show has been broadcast from the Grand Ole Opry House east of downtown Nashville, with an annual three-month winter foray back to the Ryman since 1999. In addition to the radio programs, performances have been sporadically televised over the years.