The Grand Ole Opry is a country music concert and radio show, held between twice and five times per week, in Nashville, Tennessee. The show began as a radio barn dance on November 28, 1925, by George D. Hay and has since become one of the genre's most enduring and revered stages. Each performance consists of multiple guest artists as well as Opry members, sometimes called "Opry stars". Members are selected by Opry management (with input from existing members) based on several factors including critical and commercial success, respect for the history of country music and commitment to appearing on the program. Opry members have permission to perform at any Opry show they wish. A typical Opry performance will feature seven to nine artists, including (but not limited to) at least three members.
Publicly, once a new member is chosen, an existing member will ask the new member to join the Opry live on-air during the broadcast, usually when the new member is performing as a guest. In recent years, invitations have been delivered in other public settings. Prior to 1999, membership was effective immediately upon invitation. Currently, artists who accept the invitation will return on a later date for a scheduled performance and induction ceremony. Being invited to become a member of the Grand Ole Opry is considered one of country music's crowning achievements.
Over its history, the Opry has featured a large, rotating ensemble of members ranging from all-time greats and neotraditionalists to contemporary stars. At its beginning, it featured only instrumental string bands; the show's repertoire slowly broadened to allow singers and vocal groups in the late 1930s, electric amplification by the early 1940s, and eventually drums, with the first performance featuring a full drum kit taking place in 1967. As the Opry is a running series, membership requires that the performer appear regularly on the program to remain a member of the show. It originally signed its artists to short-term contracts and required its artists to perform 26 shows per year; the program shifted to a permanent membership model in the 1960s and progressively relaxed its requirements over the next several decades. If a performer ceases appearing at the Opry altogether or runs afoul of management, they can be stripped of their membership; if the exiled performer reconciles and renews their commitment to the show, they can be reinstated. Membership expires when the performer dies; if a single member of a duo or group retires or dies, the surviving members may continue to maintain Opry membership on the group's behalf. The Opry, in general, allows performers who retire, or are no longer physically able to perform on a regular basis to stay as members. The Grand Ole Opry House maintains a member gallery backstage that contains an engraved brass nameplate for every act who has ever been a member of the Grand Ole Opry (including those whose membership has lapsed or have been asked to leave).
In addition to several family acts who've held membership over the years, two sets of siblings have been invited to join the Opry separately:
Likewise, there have been three instances of parents and their children being inducted separately:
Several Opry members over the years have been married to each other:
Excluding the Opry Square Dancers, who have sui generis membership status, there are currently 77 Grand Ole Opry members.
Acts with a <sup>â </sup> are deceased; <sup>â¡</sup> indicates a member of the group is deceased.