1 May 2023

The Grand Ole Opry and Opry NextStage announced today that Jelly Roll, genre-bending singer/songwriter and three-time CMT Music Awards-winner, will host “Opry NextStage Live” at Lava Cantina on May 10 at 2:30 p.m. CT in The Colony, Texas. The special Opry event will precede the 58th Academy of Country Music Awards on May 11, which takes place in neighboring Frisco, Texas, and will introduce the Opry NextStage Class of 2023. Artists featured on the lineup include Ashley Cooke, Jackson Dean, ERNEST, Chapel Hart, Corey Kent, Kameron Marlowe, Megan Moroney and Ian Munsick.  A limited number of general admission tickets are still available HERE. A portion of proceeds will benefit ACM Lifting Lives. “Opry NextStage Live” will also stream on the Opry’s television home, Circle Network, via Circle All Access Facebook and YouTube in addition to the Opry’s own Facebook and YouTube channels. “When the Opry asked me to make my debut, it was a dream come true,” said Jelly Roll. “The Opry is more than just a stage – it’s a community that supports up-and-coming artists. They understand the importance of nurturing new talent and giving them a platform to shine. I’ve seen firsthand how the Opry has helped grow the careers of so many artists, and it’s an honor to be a part of that tradition.”  “At the Opry, we take pride in providing a platform to fresh voices who are pushing the boundaries of country music, and Jelly Roll is a prime example of this ethos,” said Jordan Pettit. “Every time he plays the Opry stage, he showcases the broad range and exciting potential of country music. That’s why we’re thrilled to have him as the official host to introduce our new NextStage class, which features incredibly talented artists who are each bringing their own bold, unique style and voice to the genre.”  Since 2019, the NextStage program has showcased artists including Riley Green, Parker McCollum, Tenille Townes and Lainey Wilson, who all went on to earn ACM New Male and Female Artist of the Year trophies the year following their NextStage inclusion. This year, Wilson received the most nods for a female artist with six nominations including Female Artist of the Year. Other NextStage alumni include Priscilla Block, BRELAND, Callista Clark, Travis Denning, Tegan Marie, Niko Moon, Restless Road, Jameson Rodgers, Elvie Shane, Nate Smith, Morgan Wade, Hailey Whitters and Yola.

Capitol Records Multi-Platinum singer/songwriter/producer Jon Pardi was surprised last night during his performance in Indo, CA at country music’s premier festival Stagecoach, when his friend and Emmy-winning famed restaurateur, author Guy Fieri directed him and the attention of his thousands of cheering fans to a video where Opry member and Country Music Hall of Famer Alan Jackson appeared officially inviting the California native to become the newest member of the Opry. Click HERE to watch Alan’s invitation. “That mic stand represents the future of country music as well as its incredible history,” Dan Rogers, Opry executive producer, told the crowd after he sat the Opry mic stand down in front of a surprised Pardi. “This night will go down in history, too, both because Jon is the first artist invited to join the Opry on this stage and because he’s the first native Californian to get that call. What a great night!” “I moved to Nashville chasing a dream at 22 years old and now I’m here. I love you guys and I love country music. Thank you, everybody. This is an amazing night. I’ll never forget it,” said an emotional Pardi from stage before later in the night noting “I always wondered how this might happen if it was going to. I never imagined anything this great. That was incredible.” “There is no better representation of Northern California than you, man,” said Fieri backstage after the moment.Rogers added backstage, “For nearly a decade now, Jon Pardi has been adding something great to the show every single time he plays the Opry. For me personally, I’ll never forget the big sounds he brought to the Opry stage during the pandemic and the way he connected with audiences around the world via our livestream even when he was playing to an empty Opry House. I have no doubt there are good times ahead for all of us with Jon as a future Opry member.”Coming just a week after receiving his third consecutive ACM Album of the Year nomination (for being both artist and producer for Mr. Saturday Night), the invitation to become an Opry member was made even more special because it happened in his native home state of  California in front of his home state fans. Pardi will become the first native Californian to become a member of the Grand Ole Opry. An official induction date will be announced soon. Since first hitting the country landscape, Jon Pardi has long since separated himself from the pack, carving a lane that was all his own by producing, writing, and singing songs he created from the melodies up, and earning praise for it. “Jon Pardi cut a path through modern country’s embrace of pop, hip-hop and EDM” (The New York Times) with “an emboldened work… a distilling of his sound into a more potent form that draws both vitality and assurance from his anything-but-sterile relationship to his tradition’s modern era” (NPR). With his “state-of-the-art blend of traditional instrumentation and progressive grooves that point to country’s future” (Rolling Stone), Pardi is “a leader among a growing number of artists bringing back fiddle, steel and twang” (People). “Even when he’s singing sad songs, he wants people to have a good time” (Associated Press).Named a “hero in the making” (Variety), Pardi has earned five No. 1s on country radio and is noted for his “long-lasting mark on the genre” (MusicRow) and his impressive ability to carve out his own path creating “the kind of country music multiple generations came to know, and love can still wok on a mass scale” (Variety). Filled with fiddle, twang and steel guitar, Pardi continues to “apply new ideas to country’s old sounds” (Los Angeles Times) and “bring authenticity back into Country music” (People).Among the artists scheduled to appear on the Opry in the coming weeks include Lauren Alaina, Bill Anderson, Deana Carter, Steven Curtis Chapman, The Isaacs, Chris Janson, Jamey Johnson, Ashley McBryde, Lorrie Morgan, The Oak Ridge Boys, Michael Ray, Ricky Skaggs, Jeannie Seely, Josh Turner, Rhonda Vincent, Carrie Underwood, The War and Treaty, and Lainey Wilson, among many others.