It’s hard to imagine Nashville without the Opry, and who would want to, anyway?
The radio show debuted 100 years ago this year, and it changed the trajectory of the entire city. No Grand Ole Opry would have meant no Music Row, no Honky Tonk Highway, no Country Music Hall of Fame.
Luckily, the broadcast immediately charmed its listeners and started hosting live audiences at bigger and bigger venues around town. It drew artists who would become country music legends. Their fans followed to this Tennessee city along the Cumberland River.
The country music industry established its home base, and a tourism industry sprang up right alongside it.
The rest of this year, The Tennessean, the rare Nashville institution that actually predates the Opry since it started up in 1907, will be looking back at the history and significance of the show.
First up is this print edition that takes a close look at how the Grand Ole Opry got its start and grew until it found a home in the Ryman Auditorium, the Mother Church of Country Music.
Throughout the fall, Tennessean stories will explore how the Opry shaped Nashville, how it overcame dark times and who made the show what it is. The biggest country music stars, alongside the behind the scenes folks who run the show, will share what the Opry means to them.
The stories will be accompanied by a trove of archival photos and a documentary film.
Finally, Opry fans can purchase a hardcover collector’s book packed with rare photographs, compelling stories and exclusive insights from Tennessean journalists.
Then once you’re done catching up on the past, head on over to the Opry House as it kicks off the next 100 years.
This article originally appeared on Nashville Tennessean: Celebrating 100 years of the Grand Ole Opry
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