Editing Grand Ole Opry (section)

==History==

===Beginnings===
[[File:Grand Ole Opry.jpg|thumb|right|Decorative brickwork at Opryland Hotel depicting Ryman Auditorium with [[Minnie Pearl]] and [[Roy Acuff]]]]

The ''Grand Ole Opry'' started as the ''WSM Barn Dance'' in the new fifth-floor radio studio of the [[National Life and Accident Insurance Company|National Life & Accident Insurance Company]] in downtown Nashville on November 28, 1925. On October 17, 1925, management began a program featuring "Dr. Humphrey Bate and his string quartet of old-time musicians." On November 2, WSM hired long-time announcer and program director [[George D. Hay]], an enterprising pioneer from the ''[[National Barn Dance]]'' program at [[WLS (AM)|WLS]] in Chicago, who was also named the most popular radio announcer in America as a result of his radio work with both WLS and [[WMC (AM)|WMC]] in Memphis, Tennessee. Though only 29 when he was hired by WSM and turned 30 a week later, Hay (known as the "Solemn Old Judge") launched the ''WSM Barn Dance'' with 77-year-old fiddler [[Uncle Jimmy Thompson]] on November 28, 1925, and that date is celebrated as the day the ''Grand Ole Opry'' began.<ref>{{cite web|title=Our Story - The Show that Made Country Music Famous|url=https://www.opry.com/our-story/|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200920202551/https://www.opry.com/our-story/|url-status=dead|archive-date=September 20, 2020|publisher=Grand Ole Opry|access-date=March 1, 2022}}</ref>

Some of the bands regularly on the show during its early days included [[Bill Monroe]], the Possum Hunters (with [[Humphrey Bate]]), the Fruit Jar Drinkers with [[Uncle Dave Macon]], the Crook Brothers, the [[Binkley Brothers' Dixie Clodhoppers]], [[Sid Harkreader]], [[DeFord Bailey]], [[Fiddlin' Arthur Smith]], and the [[The Gully Jumpers|Gully Jumpers]].<ref name="Fifty">{{Citation|last1=Tassin|first1=Myron|title=Fifty Years at the Grand Ole Opry|publisher=Pelican Publishing|edition=1st|year=1975|isbn=978-0882890890}}</ref>

Judge Hay liked the Fruit Jar Drinkers and asked them to appear last on each show because he wanted to always close each segment with "red hot fiddle playing". They were the second band accepted on ''Barn Dance'', with the Crook Brothers being the first. When the Opry began having square dancers on the show, the Fruit Jar Drinkers always played for them. In 1926, Uncle Dave Macon, a Tennessee [[banjo]] player who had recorded several songs and toured on the vaudeville circuit, became its first real star.<ref name="Fifty" />

[[File:Davidson Co Tennessee Road Sign.jpg|left|150px|thumb|Signs welcoming motorists to Nashville on all major roadways include the phrase "Home of the Grand Ole Opry".]]

===Name===
The phrase "Grand Ole Opry" was first uttered on radio on December 10, 1927.<ref name="Country Music Hall of Fame"/> At the time, the NBC Red Network's ''[[Music Appreciation Hour]]'', a program with [[classical music]] and selections from [[grand opera]], was followed by Hay's ''Barn Dance''. That evening, as he was introducing [[DeFord Bailey]], the show's first performer of the night, George Hay said the following words:
<blockquote>For the past hour, we have been listening to music largely from Grand Opera, but from now on, we will present 'The Grand Ole Opry'.<ref name="Country Music Hall of Fame">{{cite web|url=https://countrymusichalloffame.org/artist/deford-bailey/ |title=Deford Bailey |publisher=Country Music Hall of Fame |access-date=October 24, 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200129002317/https://countrymusichalloffame.org/artist/deford-bailey/ |archive-date=January 29, 2020 |df=mdy-all }}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=1114520|title=Lost and Found Sound: The Pan American Blues|publisher=NPR |date=November 20, 2000|access-date=July 21, 2011}}</ref>
</blockquote>

===Larger venues===
[[File:DSCF9014-crop1.jpg|thumb|right|The Hillsboro Theatre (now the [[Belcourt Theatre]]), home of the Grand Ole Opry from 1934 to 1936]]
[[File:WMA plaza.jpg|thumb|right|The [[War Memorial Auditorium (Nashville, Tennessee)|War Memorial Auditorium]], home of the Grand Ole Opry from 1939 to 1943]]
As audiences for the live show increased, National Life & Accident Insurance's radio venue became too small to accommodate the hordes of fans. They built a larger studio, but it was still not large enough. After several months with no audiences,{{clarify|date=January 2020|reason=No audiences?}} National Life decided to allow the show to move outside its home offices. In October 1934, the Opry moved into then-[[suburb]]an Hillsboro Theatre (now the Belcourt) before moving to the Dixie Tabernacle in East Nashville on June 13, 1936. The Opry then moved to the [[War Memorial Auditorium (Nashville, Tennessee)|War Memorial Auditorium]], a downtown venue adjacent to the [[Tennessee State Capitol|State Capitol]], and a 25-cent admission fee was charged to try to curb the large crowds, but to no avail. In June 1943, the Opry moved to the [[Ryman Auditorium]].<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.usatoday.com/story/life/music/2015/10/02/things-know-grand-ole-opry/73244698/|title=10 things to know about the 'Grand Ole Opry'|work=USA Today|date=October 2, 2015}}</ref>

[[File:Roy Acuff 1950.JPG|thumb|90px|Roy Acuff]]
[[File:Rymanauditorium1.jpg|left|thumb|150px|[[Ryman Auditorium]], the "Mother Church of Country Music", home of the Grand Ole Opry from 1943 to 1974, and seasonally since 1999]]

One hour of the Opry was nationally broadcast by the [[NBC Red Network]] from 1939 to 1956, and for much of its run, it aired one hour after the program that had inspired it, ''[[National Barn Dance]]''. The NBC segment, originally known by the name of its sponsor, ''The [[Prince Albert tobacco|Prince Albert]] Show'', was first hosted by Acuff, who was succeeded by [[Red Foley]] from 1946 to 1954. From October 15, 1955, to September 1956, [[American Broadcasting Company|ABC-TV]] aired a live, hour-long television version once a month on Saturday nights (sponsored by Ralston-Purina) that pre-empted one hour of the then-90-minute ''[[Ozark Jubilee]]''. From 1955 to 1957, Al Gannaway owned and produced both ''The Country Show'' and ''Stars of the Grand Ole Opry,'' both filmed programs [[television syndication|syndicated]] by Flamingo Films. Gannaway's ''Stars of the Grand Ole Opry'' was the first television show shot in color.<ref>"ABC-TV to Air 'Ole Opry' Live Once Monthly" (October 8, 1955), ''[[Billboard (magazine)|The Billboard]]'', p. 1</ref>

On October 2, 1954, a teenage [[Elvis Presley]] had his only Opry performance. Although the audience reacted politely to his revolutionary brand of [[rockabilly music]], Opry manager Jim Denny told Presley's producer [[Sam Phillips]] after the show that the singer's style did not suit the program.<ref>Gaar, Gillian G. "Box Set Spotlights Elvis Presley's Surviving Early Work at Sun Studio." Goldmine Feb. 2013: 40-44. Print.</ref>

===1960s===
In the 1960s, as the [[hippie]] [[Counterculture of the 1960s|counterculture]] movement spread, the Opry maintained a strait-laced, conservative image with "longhairs" not being featured on the show. Artists were expected to dress conservatively, with women regularly wearing [[gingham]] country dresses; [[Jeannie Seely]], upon joining the Opry in 1967, fought management to wear more contemporary attire such as [[miniskirt]]s and [[go-go boot]]s, arguing that if the Opry were going to have a dress code, it should enforce it upon the audience as well, and that she was only wearing what most young women of the time were wearing.<ref>{{cite journal |last1=Burns |first1=Ken |title=''Country Music'' (The Sons and Daughters of America) |journal=[[PBS]] |date=September 2019}}</ref> Seely's actions effectively caused the fall of a [[Iron Curtain|"gingham curtain"]].<ref>{{cite book |last1=Oermann |first1=Robert K. |last2=Bufwack |first2=Mary A. |title=Finding Her Voice: Women in Country Music: 1800–2000 |date=2003 |publisher=The Country Music Press & Vanderbilt University Press |location=Nashville, TN |isbn=0-8265-1432-4 |url-access=registration |url=https://archive.org/details/findinghervoicew0000bufw|ref={{SfnRef|Oermann, Robert K.|Bufwack, Mary A.|2003}} |page=302 }}</ref> Despite her disputes with the dress code, Seely would remain loyal to the Opry, setting the record for most appearances on the program over 55 years (and ongoing) as a member.<ref name=honored55years>{{Cite web |last=Windsor |first=Pam |title=Country Singer Jeannie Seely Honored For 55 Years As A Member Of The Grand Ole Opry |url=https://www.forbes.com/sites/pamwindsor/2022/09/19/country-singer-jeannie-seely-honored-for-55-years-as-a-member-of-the-grand-ole-opry/ |access-date=2022-09-27 |website=Forbes |language=en}}</ref>

[[The Byrds]] were a notable exception. [[Country rock]] pioneer [[Gram Parsons]], who was a member of The Byrds at the time, was in Nashville to work on the band's country rock album, ''[[Sweetheart of the Rodeo]]''.<ref name="timeless">{{cite book|last=Rogan|first=Johnny|year=1998|title=The Byrds: Timeless Flight Revisited|publisher=Rogan House|isbn=0-9529540-1-X}}</ref> The band's [[record label]], [[Columbia Records]], had arranged for The Byrds to perform at the Ryman on March 15, 1968, a prospect that thrilled Parsons.<ref name="timeless"/> However, when the band took the stage the audience's response was immediately hostile, resulting in derisive heckling, booing, and mocking calls of "tweet, tweet" and "cut your hair"<ref>{{cite book|author=Allen, Michael.|year=2005|title=I Just Want to Be a Cosmic Cowboy}}</ref><ref>{{cite book|last=Fricke |first=David|year=2003|title=Sweetheart of the Rodeo: Legacy Edition (2003 CD liner notes)}}</ref> The Byrds further outraged the Opry establishment by ignoring accepted protocol when they performed Parsons' song "[[Hickory Wind]]" instead of the [[Merle Haggard]] song "Life in Prison", as had been announced by [[Tompall Glaser]].<ref name="timeless"/> Two decades later, long after Parsons' death, members of The Byrds reconciled with the Opry and collaborated on the 1989 album ''[[Will the Circle Be Unbroken: Volume Two]]''.

Another artist that ran afoul of the Opry's stringent standards was [[Jerry Lee Lewis]], who made his first appearance on the show on January 20, 1973, after several years of success on the country charts. Lewis was given two conditions for his appearance – no [[rock and roll]] and no [[profanity]] – and he proceeded to disregard both, even referring to himself as a "[[motherfucker]]" at one point. In a continuous 40-minute set, Lewis played a mixture of his rock and roll hits and covers of other singers' country songs. It has been said that he was bitter about how he was treated when he first arrived in Nashville in 1955, and he supposedly used his Opry appearance to exact revenge on the Nashville [[music industry]].<ref>Dunkerley, Beville. [https://www.rollingstone.com/music/news/flashback-jerry-lee-lewis-drops-an-f-bomb-on-the-grand-ole-opry-20150120 Flashback: Jerry Lee Lewis Drops an F-Bomb on the Grand Ole Opry] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180626083144/https://www.rollingstone.com/music/news/flashback-jerry-lee-lewis-drops-an-f-bomb-on-the-grand-ole-opry-20150120 |date=June 26, 2018}}. ''Rolling Stone''. Retrieved August 21, 2015.</ref>

Country legend [[Johnny Cash]], who made his Opry debut on July 5, 1956, and met his future wife [[June Carter Cash]] on that day, was banned from the program in 1965 after drunkenly smashing the stage lights with the microphone stand. Cash commented on the incident years later: "I don't know how much they wanted me in the first place," he says, "but the night I broke all the stage lights with the microphone stand, they said they couldn't use me anymore. So I went out and used it as an excuse to really get wild and ended up in the hospital the third time I broke my nose."<ref>Dukes, Billy. [https://tasteofcountry.com/countrys-most-shocking-moments-johnny-cash-banned-from-grand-ole-opry/ Country's Most Shocking Moments – Johnny Cash Banned From the Grand Ole Opry]. ''Taste of Country''. Retrieved August 27, 2020.</ref> Cash was accepted back in 1968, after the success of his ''[[At Folsom Prison]]'' album and his recovery from addiction.<ref>Kahn, Andy. [https://www.jambase.com/article/remembering-johnny-cash-performing-grand-ole-opry Remembering Johnny Cash: Performing At The Grand Ole Opry]. ''Jambase''. Retrieved August 27, 2020.</ref>

===Grand Ole Opry House===
{{For-multi|the venue named Grand Ole Opry House from 1943 to 1974|Ryman Auditorium|the 1929 Disney short film|The Opry House{{!}}''The Opry House''}}
{{Infobox NRHP
| name = Grand Ole Opry House 
| nrhp_type = 
| image = File:Grand Ole Opry House 2022a.jpg
| caption = The Grand Ole Opry House in 2022
| location = 600 Opry Mills Dr, [[Nashville, Tennessee]] 37214<ref name="NRHP">{{cite web|url=http://tn.gov/environment/history/docs/national-register_grand-ole-opry.pdf|title=National Register of Historic Places Registration Form: Grand Ole Opry House|access-date=March 16, 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150402195728/http://tn.gov/environment/history/docs/national-register_grand-ole-opry.pdf|archive-date=April 2, 2015|url-status=dead|df=mdy-all}}</ref>
| locmapin = Tennessee#USA
| built = 1972-74<ref name="NRHP"/>
| restored = 2010 (flood damage remediation)
| architect = [[Welton Becket]] & Associates; Pierre Cabrol<ref name="NRHP"/>
| architecture = Modern/Brutalist<ref name="NRHP"/>
| added = January 27, 2015
| area = 4 acres (approx.)<ref name="NRHP"/>
| refnum = 14001222<ref name="nris">{{NRISref|version=2010a}}</ref>
}}
[[File:Grand Ole Opry House 2022e.png|thumb|Interior in 2022]]
Ryman Auditorium was home to the Opry until 1974. By the late 1960s, National Life & Accident desired a new, larger, more modern home for the long-running radio show. Already 51 years old at the time the Opry moved there, the Ryman was beginning to suffer from disrepair as the downtown neighborhood around it fell victim to increasing [[urban decay]]. Despite these shortcomings, the show's popularity continued to increase, and its weekly crowds were outgrowing the 2,362-seat venue. The Opry's operators wanted to build a new air-conditioned theater, with greater seating capacity, ample parking, and the ability to serve as a television production facility. Their ideal location would be in a less urbanized part of town to provide visitors with a "safer, more controlled, and more enjoyable experience".<ref>{{cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=vMZPXcMxD28C&pg=PT238|title=The Grand Ole Opry: The Making of an American Icon - Colin Escott - Google Boeken|isbn=9781599952482|access-date=August 9, 2012|last1=Escott|first1=Colin|author-link=Colin Escott|date=February 28, 2009|publisher=Center Street }}</ref>

National Life & Accident purchased farmland owned by a local sausage manufacturer (Rudy's Farm) in the Pennington Bend area of Nashville, nine miles east of downtown and adjacent to the newly constructed [[Tennessee State Route 155|Briley Parkway]]. The new Opry venue was the centerpiece of a grand entertainment complex at that location, which later included [[Opryland USA]] Theme Park and [[Gaylord Opryland Resort & Convention Center|Opryland Hotel]]. The theme park opened to the public on June 30, 1972,<ref>{{cite web|url=http://timelines.home.insightbb.com/ol_years.htm|title=Theme Park Timelines|publisher=Timelines.home.insightbb.com|access-date=August 9, 2012|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120904124044/http://timelines.home.insightbb.com/ol_years.htm|archive-date=September 4, 2012|df=mdy-all}}</ref> well ahead of the 4,000-seat Opry House, which debuted nearly two years later, on Saturday, March 16, 1974. The last show of the Grand Ole Opry at the Ryman Auditorium was held on March 15, 1974.

Opening night was attended by sitting U.S. President [[Richard Nixon]], who played a few songs on the piano.<ref>Hurst, Jack ''Nashville's Grand Ole Opry'' (New York: H.N. Abrams, 1975)</ref> To carry on the tradition of the show's run at the Ryman, a six-foot circle of oak was cut from the corner of the Ryman's stage and inlaid into center stage at the new venue.<ref>{{cite news|last1=Smith|first1=Loran|title=A visit to the Grand Ole Opry brings precious memories|url=http://www.news-reporter.com/news/2013-01-24/Opinions/A_visit_to_the_Grand_Ole_Opry_brings_precious_memo.html?print=1|access-date=November 29, 2014|agency=The News-Reporter|date=January 24, 2013|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141205045214/http://www.news-reporter.com/news/2013-01-24/Opinions/A_visit_to_the_Grand_Ole_Opry_brings_precious_memo.html?print=1|archive-date=December 5, 2014|url-status=dead}}</ref> Artists on stage usually stood on the circle as they performed, and most modern performers still follow this tradition.

The theme park was closed and demolished following the 1997 season, but the Grand Ole Opry House remains in use. The immediate area around it was left intact, even throughout the construction of [[Opry Mills]], which opened in May 2000.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.newspapers.com/image/109026681|title=Mall has grand opening plans|work=Tennessean|date=May 9, 2000}}</ref> The outside was decorated with the commemorative plaques of country music Grammy winners, formerly of Opryland's [[StarWalk]], until the display was retired, reconfigured, and moved downtown to become the [[Music City Walk of Fame]] in 2006.<ref>{{Cite book |last=Mayor |first=Alan |year=2014 |title=The Nashville Family Album: A Country Music Scrapbook |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=1jGlBAAAQBAJ&pg=PA77 |location=New York |publisher=St. Martin's Press |page=77 |isbn=978-1466885677 }}</ref>

The ''Grand Ole Opry'' continues to be performed every Tuesday, Friday, Saturday, and occasionally Wednesday and Sunday at the Grand Ole Opry House. The site was added to the [[National Register of Historic Places]] on January 27, 2015.<ref>Eleanor Kennedy, "[http://www.bizjournals.com/nashville/blog/health-care/2015/02/nashvilles-newest-historic-place-the-grand-ole.html Nashville's newest historic place: The Grand Ole Opry House]", ''Nashville Business Journal'', February 26, 2015.</ref><ref>Todd Barnes, [Grand Ole Opry House added to National Register], ''The Tennessean'', February 27, 2015.</ref>

The Grand Ole Opry House was also the home of the [[Country Music Association Awards]] from 1974 to 2004, and hosted three weeks of tapings for the long-running game show ''[[Wheel of Fortune (American game show)|Wheel of Fortune]]'' in 2003.  Three weeks are country music stars week Nashville week  and sweethearts weeksThe venue has also been the site of the [[GMA Dove Awards]] on multiple occasions.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.tennessean.com/story/entertainment/music/2019/10/14/gma-dove-awards-what-expect-during-50th-anniversary-show/3774880002/|title=GMA Dove Awards|work=Tennessean|date=October 14, 2019}}</ref>

On December 21, 2018, the backstage band room was officially named the Jimmy Capps Music Room in honor of Capps's 60th anniversary on the ''Opry''.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.nashville.com/wills-invited-to-join-the-opry-capps-celebrates-60/|title=Wills Invited To Join The Opry, Capps Celebrates 60|date=December 23, 2018|website=Nashville.com|language=en-US|access-date=March 3, 2019}}</ref>

=== Return to Ryman Auditorium ===
Following the departure of the Opry, Ryman Auditorium sat mostly vacant and decaying for 20 years. An initial effort by National Life & Accident to tear down the Ryman and use its bricks to build a chapel at Opryland USA was met with resounding resistance from the public, including many influential musicians of the time. The plans were abandoned, and the building remained standing with an uncertain future. Despite the absence of performances, the building remained a tourist attraction throughout the remainder of the 1970s and 1980s.<ref name="RymanDormant">{{cite book|title=The Encyclopedia of Country Music|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=tLZz02EzmBYC&pg=PA444|date=January 4, 2012|publisher=Oxford University Press, USA|isbn=978-0-19-992083-9 |pages=444}}</ref>

In 1991 and 1992, [[Emmylou Harris]] performed a series of concerts there and released some of the recordings as an album entitled ''[[At the Ryman]]''. The concert and album's high acclaim renewed interest in reviving Ryman Auditorium as an active venue. Beginning in September 1993, Gaylord Entertainment initiated a full renovation of the Ryman, restoring it to a world-class concert hall that reopened with a broadcast of ''[[A Prairie Home Companion]]'' on June 4, 1994.<ref name="RymanDormant" />

On Sunday, October 18, 1998, the Opry held a benefit show at Ryman Auditorium, marking its return to the venue for the first time since its final show on March 15, 1974.<ref name="RymanReturn">{{cite web|url=http://fayfare.blogspot.com/2010/01/grand-ole-opry-ryman-reunion.html|title=Grand Ole Opry Ryman Reunion Celebration-October 18, 1998|first=Byron|last=Fay|website=Fayfare's Opry Blog|date=January 25, 2010|access-date=June 29, 2015}}</ref>

Beginning in November 1999, the Opry was held at Ryman Auditorium for three months, partly due to the ongoing construction of Opry Mills. The Opry returned to the Ryman for the three winter months every year until 2019–20, allowing the show to acknowledge its roots while also taking advantage of a smaller venue during an off-peak season for tourism.<ref name="RymanReturn" /> Following a [[COVID-19 pandemic]]-related hiatus after the 2020 season, the show has returned to The Ryman for shorter winter residencies since 2023. While still officially the ''Grand Ole Opry'', the shows there are billed as ''Opry at the Ryman''. From 2002 to 2014, a traveling version of the ''[[Radio City Christmas Spectacular]]'' took up residence at the Grand Ole Opry House each holiday season while the ''Opry'' was away. It was replaced by ''[[Dr. Seuss' How the Grinch Stole Christmas! The Musical]]'' from 2015 in 2017 and by [[Cirque Productions|Cirque Dreams Holidaze]] in 2018.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/the-grinch-to-steal-christmas-in-nashville-300083073.html|title=The Grinch to Steal Christmas in Nashville|website=[[PR Newswire]]|date=May 13, 2015|access-date=June 29, 2015}}</ref>

===2010 flooding===
[[File:Grand Ole Opry Logo 2005.png|thumb|right|Grand Ole Opry logo used from 2005 to 2015]]In May 2010, the Opry House was flooded, along with much of Nashville, when the [[Cumberland River]] [[May 2010 Tennessee floods|overflowed its banks]]. Repairs were made, and the Opry itself remained uninterrupted. Over the course of the summer of 2010, the broadcast temporarily originated from alternate venues in Nashville, with Ryman Auditorium hosting the majority of the shows. Other venues included [[Tennessee Performing Arts Center|TPAC]] [[War Memorial Auditorium (Nashville, Tennessee)|War Memorial Auditorium]], another former Opry home; TPAC's [[Andrew Jackson Hall]]; [[Nashville Municipal Auditorium]]; [[Allen Arena]] at [[Lipscomb University]]; and Two Rivers Baptist Church.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://search2.opry.com/?view=events|title=Home &#124; Grand Ole Opry|publisher=Search2.opry.com|access-date=February 5, 2014|archive-date=January 7, 2010|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100107085827/http://search2.opry.com/?view=events|url-status=dead}}</ref>

Much of the auditorium's main floor seating, the backstage areas, and the entire stage—including the six foot inlaid circle of wood from Ryman's stage—was underwater during the flood. While the Grand Ole Opry House's stage was replaced, the Ryman circle was restored and again placed at center stage in the Grand Ole Opry House before shows resumed.<ref name="RymanCircleSaved">{{cite news|url=http://usatoday30.usatoday.com/life/music/news/2010-05-10-opry10_ST_N.htm|title=Opry House's famed circle stays center stage after flood|first=Peter|last=Cooper|newspaper=[[USA Today]]|date=May 10, 2010|access-date=June 29, 2015}}</ref><ref name="RymanCircleRestored">{{cite web|url=http://theboot.com/grand-ole-opry-reopening/|title=Grand Ole Opry Floor Restored for September 28 Reopening|first=Vernell|last=Hackett|website=TheBoot.com|date=August 25, 2010|access-date=June 29, 2015}}</ref> The renovations following the flood also resulted in an updated and much-expanded backstage area, including the construction of more dressing rooms and a performer's lounge. The Opry returned to the Grand Ole Opry House on September 28, 2010, in a special edition of the Opry entitled ''Country Comes Home'' that was televised live on [[Great American Country]].<ref>{{cite web |title=Country Comes Home: Grand Ole Opry Announces September 28 Re-Opening of Opry House as Historic Circle of Wood is Returned To Opry Stage |publisher=Grand Ole Opry |date=2010-08-25 |url=http://www.opry.com/news/2010/08-25.html/ |access-date= |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130831104817/http://www.opry.com/news/2010/08-25.html/ |archive-date=2013-08-31}}</ref>

===COVID-19 pandemic response===
The Opry [[behind closed doors (sport)|closed its doors to spectators]] and trimmed its staff in March 2020 as a result of the [[COVID-19 pandemic in Tennessee]] but continued to air weekly episodes on radio and television, relying on advertising revenue to remain solvent.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.foxbusiness.com/lifestyle/grand-ole-opry-95-years-consecutive-shows|title=How the Grand Ole Opry kept the coronavirus from breaking a 95-year-old winning streak|work=Fox Business Network|first=Matthew|last=Kazin|date=June 14, 2020|access-date=June 15, 2020}}</ref> The Opry resumed allowing spectators on a limited basis in October, and resumed full operations in May 2021.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.msn.com/en-us/music/news/audience-returning-to-grand-ole-opry-for-95th-anniversary-show-in-october/ar-BB19nZoV|title = Audience returning to Grand Ole Opry for 95th anniversary show in October| website=[[MSN]] }}</ref> Due to the restrictions, the show did not move to the Ryman Auditorium in November 2020 as was customary. The Winter Ryman residency did not resume in 2021–22, partly due to scheduling conflicts from Ryman concerts postponed during the pandemic closure.

The Opry livestreams were celebrated by viewers as something to look forward to during the pandemic, with the majority of viewers being under lockdown. According to [[Pollstar]], Opry Live was the number one most-watched livestream series in 2020 across all genres and received more than fifty million viewers from over fifty countries throughout the year, with two individual episodes ([[Vince Gill]]/[[Reba McEntire]] and [[Brad Paisley]]/[[Carrie Underwood]]) placing at numbers nine and ten respectively in the top ten. President of Opry Entertainment Scott Bailey explained that "as the stewards of the Grand Ole Opry, it was never a question of if the Opry would play on, but how could it provide a safe and much-needed source of comfort during what has been an extraordinary year around the world. We are proud of this tremendous result and the numbers of viewers who have tuned in, not only for what it has meant for Circle, but also for what it says about the country music genre and country music fans. On behalf of all of us at the Grand Ole Opry and Opry Entertainment, I'd like to thank the artist community, industry and music lovers around the world for their continued support".<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.broadwayworld.com/bwwmusic/article/Opry-Live-Tops-Pollstars-Year-End-Livestream-Charts-20201216|title = 'Opry Live' Tops Pollstar's Year-End Livestream Charts}}</ref>

After seven months of performing without a live audience, in October 2020, the Opry kicked off its 95th anniversary by welcoming back 500 guests to the Opry House – and so began a month-long celebration of the Opry, country music, its artists, and its fans.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Blake Shelton, Brad Paisley to host Grand Ole Opry 95th anniversary special |url=https://www.today.com/popculture/blake-shelton-brad-paisley-host-grand-ole-opry-95th-anniversary-t206134 |access-date=2023-04-20 |website=TODAY.com |date=January 19, 2021 |language=en}}</ref>

The Grand Ole Opry celebrated its 5,000th Saturday night show on October 30, 2021, with performances by country superstars and Opry members such as Garth Brooks, Trisha Yearwood, Darius Rucker, Vince Gill, Chris Young and several others.<ref>{{Cite news |last=Rojas |first=Rick |date=2021-10-31 |title=5,000 Shows Later, the Grand Ole Opry Is Still the Sound of Nashville |language=en-US |work=The New York Times |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2021/10/31/arts/music/grand-old-opry-5000-broadcast.html |access-date=2023-04-20 |issn=0362-4331}}</ref>

=== Current ===
[[NBCUniversal]] and Atairos acquired a combined 30% stake in the ''Grand Ole Opry'' and its parent company Opry Entertainment Group in 2022. The crossover allows for NBCUniversal's television outlets, including [[NBC]], to carry several ''Opry'' television specials.<ref name=nbcminority/>

A memorial concert was held for longtime member Loretta Lynn a few weeks after Lynn's death in October 2023; the concert featured performances by [[George Strait]] (who himself has only appeared once, in 1982, on the Opry radio show), Tanya Tucker, Wynonna, and several other artists. Thousands of Lynn's friends, family, and fans were in attendance at the Opry House.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Loretta Lynn remembered during Grand Ole Opry tribute show |url=https://www.tennessean.com/picture-gallery/entertainment/2022/10/30/loretta-lynn-tribute-show-grand-ole-opry-nashville/10648192002/ |access-date=2023-04-20 |website=www.tennessean.com |language=en}}</ref>

The Opry unveiled a new, upgraded stage with all-new, advanced audio technology – the first major updates to the set in over two decades – in February 2023.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Grand Ole Opry unveils new set while welcoming more acts than ever to stage |url=https://www.tennessean.com/story/entertainment/music/2023/02/05/grand-ole-opry-unveils-new-set-while-welcoming-more-acts-than-ever-to-stage/69863530007/ |access-date=2023-04-20 |website=The Tennessean |language=en-US}}</ref> Opry NextStage, a program that spotlights a select number of up-and-coming country artists each year, began bringing younger and more diverse acts to the Opry stage in 2019.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Dowling |first=Marcus K. |title=Opry NextStage celebrates a 'vibrant, diverse future' in country music |url=https://www.tennessean.com/story/entertainment/2022/05/03/opry-nextstage-celebrates-vibrant-diverse-future-country-music-emerging-artists/9538070002/ |access-date=2023-04-20 |website=The Tennessean |language=en-US}}</ref> Artists from more genres like [[Folk music|folk]], [[Americana (music)|Americana]], [[Gospel music|gospel]], [[blues]], and [[Southern rock]] frequently appear on the show. In 2022, Opry management invited two new comedians – [[Henry Cho]] (the Opry's first Asian American member) and [[Gary Mule Deer]] – to become Opry members.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Gary Mule Deer, Henry Cho invited to join Grand Ole Opry |url=https://www.tennessean.com/story/entertainment/2023/01/07/gary-mule-deer-henry-cho-invited-to-join-grand-ole-opry/69787019007/ |access-date=2023-04-20 |website=The Tennessean |language=en-US}}</ref>

=== Opry 100 === 
The Opry celebrated its 100th birthday with a concert special hosted by [[Blake Shelton]] which featured over 50 of the Opry's living members in attendance. ''[[Opry 100: A Live Celebration]]'' aired on [[NBC]] on March 19, 2025 and streamed simultaneously on [[Peacock (streaming service)|Peacock]].<ref>{{Cite web |last= Callahan| first= Chrissy| title=Where to watch and stream ‘Opry 100,’ the Grand Ole Opry’s 100th anniversary concert special |url=https://www.today.com/popculture/music/how-to-watch-opry-100-celebration-concert-rcna196891 |access-date=2025-03-20|website=TODAY.com |date=March 20, 2025|language=en}}</ref> The Opry will also celebrate by traveling overseas for the very first time, with a show set to take place at the [[Royal Albert Hall]] in London in September.<ref>{{Cite web |last= Daykin| first= James| title=The Opry unveils 100th birthday plans including a show in London |url=https://entertainment-focus.com/2024/10/14/the-opry-unveils-100th-birthday-plans-including-a-show-in-london/ |access-date=2025-03-20|website=Entertainment Focus |date=October 14, 2024|language=en}}</ref>