List of Grand Ole Opry Members

The Grand Ole Opry is a weekly country music concert show in Nashville, Tennessee, which began as a radio barn dance on November 28, 1925, by George D. Hay and has since became one of the genre's most enduring and revered stages. Each show consists of multiple guest artists as well as Opry members, who are selected by Opry management based on several factors including critical and commercial success, respect for the history of country music and commitment to appearing on the program. 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. Being invited to become a member of the Grand Ole Opry is considered one of country music's crowning achievements.
Opry members have permission to perform at any Opry show they wish, with each show typically consisting of between five and seven members. Each show is split into four "segments", each hosted by a different Opry member who entertains the crowd, performs and introduces other members and guest artists. As such, the Opry has featured a large, rotating ensemble of members ranging from all-time greats and neotraditionalists to contemporary stars. As the Opry is a running series, membership requires that the performer appear regularly on the program to remain a member of the show, and if a performer ceases performing regularly at the Opry 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 member 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 wall of fame backstage that contains a name plate for every person who has ever been a member of the Grand Ole Opry.
There are currently 67 Grand Ole Opry members. Nine of the 67 no longer perform or have officially retired. Over the course of the program's history, over 200 acts have held Opry membership since the show's inception. As of 2020, Jesse McReynolds of Jim & Jesse is the oldest living Opry member and Kelsea Ballerini is the youngest.
Acts with a ^† are deceased.

1920s

1930s

No.	Name	Induction date	Notes
19	Ford Rush^†
20	Hilltop Harmonizers^†
21	Nap and Dee^†
22	The Vagabonds^†	September 5, 1931
23	Asher and Little Jimmy Sizemore^†	September 24, 1932
24	Curly Fox^†	September 24, 1932
25	Zeke Clements^†	September 24, 1932
26	The Delmore Brothers^†	April 29, 1933
27	Robert Lunn^†	March 31, 1934
28	Lee White^†	April 21, 1934
29	Sarie and Sally^†	January 26, 1935
30	Jack Shook and his Missouri Mountaineers^†	February 2, 1935
31	The Lakeland Sisters^†	January 23, 1937
32	Bob Wills^†	May 22, 1937
33	Pee Wee King^†	June 27, 1937
34	Roy Acuff and the Smoky Mountain Boys^†	February 9, 1938	Left the Opry in 1946 and returned in the early 1960s. Bashful Brother Oswald represented the Smoky Mountain Boys after Acuff's 1992 death until his own death in 2002.
35	Cousin Jody^†
36	Jamup and Honey^†	January 7, 1939
37	Bill Monroe^†	October 28, 1939

1940s

No.	Name	Induction date	Notes
38	Danny Dill^†
39	Johnnie and Jack^†
40	Milton Estes and his Musical Millers^†
41	Old Hickory Singers ^†
42	Minnie Pearl^†	November 30, 1940
43	The Duke of Paducah^†	1942
44	John Daniel Quartet^†	1942	Included among its members Wally Fowler, who was inducted with his own group in 1945.
45	Eddy Arnold^†	1943
46	Cowboy Copas^†	1943
47	Ernest Tubb^†	February 13, 1943
48	Curley Williams^†	September 4, 1943
49	The Bailes Brothers^†	1944
50	The DeZurik Sisters^†	1944
51	The Poe Sisters^†	June 17, 1944
52	Rod Brasfield^†	July 15, 1944
53	David "Stringbean" Akeman^†	1945
54	Lew Childre, Sr.^†	1945
55	Bradley Kincaid^†	1945
56	Wally Fowler^† and The Oak Ridge Quintet^†	January 27, 1945	Fowler was already a de facto member by way of his membership in the John Daniel Quartet. The Oak Ridge Quintet was a direct predecessor to the group now known as The Oak Ridge Boys. The quintet became a quartet as it evolved and all of its personnel were replaced by the time Fowler sold the rights to the name to Smitty Gatlin in 1957. In 1966, Gatlin turned the group over to Duane Allen, who along with William Lee Golden transitioned to a new lineup that solidified in October 1973; other than a period between 1988 and 1995 in which Golden temporarily left the group, this lineup has served as "The Oak Ridge Boys" ever since. The Allen-era lineup of the quartet was invited and then inducted into the Opry as its own group by Little Jimmy Dickens on August 6, 2011.
57	Jimmy Wakely^†	September 29, 1945
58	The Willis Brothers^†	1946
59	Grandpa Jones^†	March 16, 1946
60	Red Foley^†	April 13, 1946
61	Lonzo and Oscar^†	1947
62	Paul Howard and the Arkansas Cotton Pickers^†	1947
63	George Morgan^†	September 25, 1948
64	Little Jimmy Dickens^†	November 6, 1948
65	Jordanaires^†	1949
66	Hank Williams^†	June 11, 1949	Dismissed and membership revoked August 11, 1952, for habitual drunkenness and missing shows.

1950s

No.	Name	Induction date	Notes
67	Chet Atkins^†
68	Goldie Hill^†
69	Hawkshaw Hawkins^†
70	Kitty Wells^†
71	The Ladells^†
72	Red Sovine^†
73	Ray Price^†
74	Hank Snow^†	January 7, 1950	Inducted by Ernest Tubb
75	Carl Smith^†	April 29, 1950
76	The Carter Sisters/Family^†	May 13, 1950
77	Moon Mullican^†	1951
78	Lefty Frizzell^†	July 21, 1951
79	Martha Carson^†	April 26, 1952
80	Opry Square Dancers	July 5, 1952	Originally inducted as Ralph Sloan and his Tennessee Travelers. The Opry's square-dance troupe has gone through several incarnations through its history and is a regular fixture on shows, though it has a sui generis status separate from the rest of the Opry members. Ralph's younger brother Melvin Sloan ran the troupe from Ralph's death in 1980 until his 2002 retirement, when the Opry took over operations of the troupe. It merged with the other square-dance troupe, Ben Smathers and his Stoney Mountain Cloggers, when Smathers died in 1990. The last dancer from the Ralph Sloan era, Eddie Oliver, retired in 2016.
81	Webb Pierce^†	September 13, 1952
82	Marty Robbins^†	January 19, 1953
83	Carl and Pearl Butler^†	October 17, 1953
84	Del Wood^†	November 13, 1953
85	The Carlisles^†	November 14, 1953
86	Ferlin Husky^†	June 12, 1954
87	Faron Young^†	November 19, 1954
88	Lester Flatt and Earl Scruggs^†	January 1, 1955
89	Porter Wagoner^†	February 23, 1957
90	The Louvin Brothers^†	February 26, 1955	Ira Louvin left in 1963 ; Charlie Louvin represented the duo until his own death.
91	Justin Tubb^†	September 10, 1955
92	Jim Reeves^†	October 22, 1955
93	Slim Whitman^†	October 29, 1955
94	Jean Shepard^†	November 21, 1955
95	Johnny Cash^†	July 7, 1956
96	Jimmy C. Newman^†	August 4, 1956
97	George Jones^†	August 4, 1956
98	Rose Maddox^†	September 29, 1956
99	Stonewall Jackson	November 3, 1956	Filed age discrimination case in 2006 and membership was temporarily revoked. His case was settled and he returned in 2008. Hasn't performed in recent years; still a standing member.
100	The Wilburn Brothers^†	November 10, 1956	Briefly members in 1940, the child stars could not legally work in Tennessee and had to wait until adulthood to officially rejoin.
101	Wilma Lee Cooper^†	January 12, 1957
102	Rusty† & Doug	May 18, 1957	Departed prior to the duo's breakup in 1963.
103	The Everly Brothers	1957	Disowned the Opry and dissolved their membership in 1960.
104	Margie Bowes	1958
105	Archie Campbell^†	1958
106	Don Gibson^†	May 20, 1958
107	Ben Smathers and the Stoney Mountain Cloggers^†	September 13, 1958	Merged with the Melvin Sloan Dancers in 1990.
108	Billy Grammer^†	February 27, 1959
109	Roy Drusky^†	June 13, 1959
110	Skeeter Davis^†	August 4, 1959

1960s

No.	Name	Induction date	Notes
111	Jimmy Driftwood^†
112	Tompall and the Glaser Brothers^†		Last performance was in 1990.
113	Bobby Lord^†	1960
114	Billy Walker^†	January 1, 1960
115	Patsy Cline^†	January 9, 1960
116	George Hamilton IV^†	February 6, 1960
117	Hank Locklin^†	November 12, 1960
118	Bill Anderson	July 15, 1961
119	Loretta Lynn	September 25, 1962	Hasn't performed in recent years; still a standing member.
120	Leroy Van Dyke	October 20, 1962	Membership lapsed prior to 1998; still makes occasional appearances.
121	Sonny James^†	October 27, 1962
122	Marion Worth^†	1963
123	The Browns^†	August 17, 1963	Jim Ed Brown continued to hold Opry membership from the group's breakup in 1967 until his 2015 death.
124	Jim & Jesse^‡	March 2, 1964	Represented by Jesse McReynolds after Jim's death in 2001.
125	Ernie Ashworth^†	March 7, 1964
126	The Osborne Brothers^‡	August 8, 1964	Represented by Bobby Osborne and Rocky Top X-Press since Sonny Osborne's retirement in 2005.
127	Dottie West^†	August 8, 1964
128	Willie Nelson	November 28, 1964	Membership lapsed prior to 1998.
129	Norma Jean	January 9, 1965	Mostly retired from the music industry after 1973.
130	Tex Ritter^†	June 12, 1965
131	Connie Smith	August 21, 1965
132	Bob Luman^†	September 18, 1965
133	Ray Pillow	April 30, 1966	Hasn't performed in recent years; still a standing member
134	Del Reeves^†	October 14, 1966
135	The Four Guys	April 22, 1967
136	Stu Phillips	June 1, 1967	Hasn't performed in recent years; still a standing member.
137	Charlie Walker^†	August 19, 1967
138	Jeannie Seely	September 16, 1967
139	Jack Greene^†	December 27, 1967	Greene had already been a de facto member as part of Ernest Tubb's band since 1962.
140	Dolly Parton	January 4, 1969
141	Tammy Wynette^†	January 4, 1969

1970s

No.	Name	Induction date	Notes
142	Tom T. Hall	January 1, 1971	Retired since 1994 but still listed as a standing member.
143	Jan Howard^†	March 27, 1971
144	Freddie Hart^†	October 16, 1971
145	Barbara Mandrell	July 8, 1972	Retired since 1997, but still listed as a standing member.
146	David Houston^†	August 12, 1972
147	Jeanne Pruett	July 21, 1973	Retired since 2006, but still listed as a standing member.
148	Jerry Clower^†	October 27, 1973
149	Ronnie Milsap	February 6, 1976
150	Don Williams^†	April 23, 1976
151	Larry Gatlin and the Gatlin Brothers	December 25, 1976

1980s

No.	Name	Induction date	Notes
152	John Conlee	February 7, 1981
153	Boxcar Willie^†	February 21, 1981
154	B. J. Thomas	August 7, 1981	Full-time membership lapsed prior to 1998; remains a guest artist.
155	Ricky Skaggs	May 15, 1982
156	Riders in the Sky	June 19, 1982
157	The Whites	March 2, 1984
158	Lorrie Morgan	June 9, 1984
159	Johnny Russell ^†	July 6, 1985
160	Mel McDaniel^†	January 11, 1986
161	Reba McEntire	January 17, 1986
162	Randy Travis	December 20, 1986	Retired from singing due to stroke; still a standing member.
163	Roy Clark^†	August 22, 1987
164	Ricky Van Shelton	June 10, 1988
165	Patty Loveless	June 11, 1988
166	Holly Dunn^†	October 14, 1989	Retired in 2003 and died in 2016.

1990s

2000s

2010s

2020s

No.	Name	Induction date	Invited by	Inducted by	Notes
212	Gene Watson	February 7, 2020	Vince Gill	Steve Wariner
213	Rhonda Vincent	TBA	Jeannie Seely		Delayed due to the Coronavirus pandemic

Popular movies

The Hunger Games (film) - 2012 American dystopian action thriller science fiction-adventure film directed by Gary Ross and based on Suzanne Collins’s 2008 novel of the same name. It is the first insta...
untitled Captain Marvel sequel - part of Marvel Cinematic Universe....
Killers of the Flower Moon (film project) - Killers of the Flower Moon - film project in United States of America. It was presented as drama, detective fiction, thriller. The film project starred Leonardo Dicaprio, Robert De Niro. Director of...
Five Nights at Freddy's (film) - Five Nights at Freddy's - film published in 2017 in United States of America. Scenarist of the film - Scott Cawthon....

Popular books

Book of Revelation - The Book of Revelation is the final book of the New Testament, and consequently is also the final book of the Christian Bible. Its title is derived from the first word of the Koine Greek text: apok...
Book of Genesis - account of the creation of the world, the early history of humanity, Israel's ancestors and the origins...
Gospel of Matthew - The Gospel According to Matthew is the first book of the New Testament and one of the three synoptic gospels. It tells how Israel's Messiah, rejected and executed in Israel, pronounces judgement on ...
Michelin Guide - Michelin Guides are a series of guide books published by the French tyre company Michelin for more than a century. The term normally refers to the annually published Michelin Red Guide , the oldest...
Psalms - The Book of Psalms , commonly referred to simply as Psalms , the Psalter or "the Psalms", is the first book of the Ketuvim , the third section of the Hebrew Bible, and thus a book of th...
Ecclesiastes - Ecclesiastes is one of 24 books of the Tanakh , where it is classified as one of the Ketuvim . Originally written c. 450–200 BCE, it is also among the canonical Wisdom literature of the Old Tes...
The 48 Laws of Power - non-fiction book by American author Robert Greene. The book...

Popular television series

The Crown (TV series) - historical drama web television series about the reign of Queen Elizabeth II, created and principally written by Peter Morgan, and produced by Left Bank Pictures and Sony Pictures Tel...
Friends - American sitcom television series, created by David Crane and Marta Kauffman, which aired on NBC from September 22, 1994, to May 6, 2004, lasting ten seasons. With an ensemble cast sta...
Young Sheldon - spin-off prequel to The Big Bang Theory and begins with the character Sheldon...
Modern Family - American television mockumentary family sitcom created by Christopher Lloyd and Steven Levitan for the American Broadcasting Company. It ran for eleven seasons, from September 23...
Loki (TV series) - upcoming American web television miniseries created for Disney+ by Michael Waldron, based on the Marvel Comics character of the same name. It is set in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, shar...
Game of Thrones - American fantasy drama television series created by David Benioff and D. B. Weiss for HBO. It...
Shameless (American TV series) - American comedy-drama television series developed by John Wells which debuted on Showtime on January 9, 2011. It...