The Grand Ole Opry House—for years it really wasn’t even on my radar; I considered it a must see for tourists and a “maybe one day…” for locals. When I finally went there on a date for the first time a couple years ago, I was honestly astonished at how much I thoroughly enjoyed every minute of the musical broadcast. I knew I loved country and bluegrass music, so maybe I shouldn’t have been so surprised, but the entertainment of the radio production side, the genuine joy of each performer, and maybe the enthusiasm of the largely out-of-towners audience, made for nothing short of a delightful evening.
Concerts are, in their simplest form, a performance. But the Opry has a way of elevating the performances and the air time transmission to its radio listeners into a celebration of the power of music to lift both soul and spirit to the joyful place I believe God intended His gift of music to do. My roots in loving country music started back in my earliest years listening to Elvis and Patsy Cline in my grandmother’s farmhouse, and seeing her contented smile and the twinkle in her eye as she hummed along with her favorite songs. (A while back I asked my five year-old nephew if he liked country music, and he promptly and matter-of-factly replied, “no, I like city music” : )) Obviously an appreciation of Nashville’s best known genre of music is a likely prerequisite to a fully enjoyable experience at the Opry, but I can’t help but wonder if even the self-proclaimed prefer-ers of “city music,” couldn’t help but find themselves smiling and tapping their toes to the rhythmic timing throughout the radiocast.
I recently took the backstage tour of the beautiful Grand Ole Opry House building; it was originally constructed in 1974 to give a permanent home to the show that had been growing increasingly famous at the Ryman Auditorium since 1943 (although the Opry’s inception as a barn dance program goes all the way back to 1925). There is a circle of wood taken from the Ryman that is now on the Opry House stage as the place of honor to stand and share your voice and song. Even after the building suffered extensive damage under 4 feet of water in the flood of 2010, the wood circle was restored and replaced to its original spot in center stage—although not visible to the audience, it symbolizes a revered place in the spotlight for each guest or newly-inducted artist who has been invited to officially join as an Opry House member.
The tour, the stories, the framed photos of singers of years gone by… they all serve to grow your appreciation for the roots of music that is “down to earth” (to quote George D. Hay who founded the original Opry radio program). All the artists are people just like you and me; but they were given a talent and an opportunity to share their musical gift with the world–and I for one, am a truly grateful and happy recipient. 🙂
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