Becoming one of the Grand Ole Opry Members and joining the most illustrious family in all country music is considered a crowning achievement – after all, it is the home and birthplace of rockabilly and honky-tonk.
The longest-running live radio program traces its origin to the 1920s. Since then, it has inducted more than 200 acts into membership all through the show’s illustrious history – ranging from Hank Williams and Kitty Wells to Blake Shelton and Kelsea Ballerini.
But what does it take to become a member of the Grand Ole Opry? Well, unlike what most people believed, there are actually no measure of records sold or No. 1 hits needed to join the esteemed fold. “There’s no magic formula, no secret code that grants access to one of the most coveted invitations in all of music,” Opry wrote on their official website. However, factors like radio airplay, music sales, touring success, and awards are being considered.
Opry also cited one more important factor to be a member: “It requires commitment — even a willingness to make significant sacrifices to uphold that commitment.”
Anyway, here are all the artists who made it into the Grand Ole Opry.
1920s
- Humphrey Bate†
- Henry Bandy†
- The McGee Brothers†
- Mazy Todd†
- Uncle Dave Macon†
- The Pikard Family†
- Deford Bailey†
- The Crook Brothers†
- Sid Harkreader†
- Binkley Brothers’ Dixie Clodhoppers†
- Theron Hale and his Daughters†
- Arthur Smith†
- The Fruit Jar Drinkers†
- The Gully Jumpers†
- Kitty Cora Cline†
- Ed Poplin and his Barn Dance Orchestra†
- Uncle Joe Mangrum and Fred Schriver†
1930s
- Ford Rush†
- Hilltop Harmonizers†
- Nap and Dee†
- The Vagabonds†
- Asher and Little Jimmy Sizemore†
- Curly Fox†
- Zeke Clements†
- The Delmore Brothers†
- Robert Lunn†
- Lee White†
- Sarie and Sally†
- Jack Shook and his Missouri Mountaineers†
- The Lakeland Sisters†
- Bob Wills†
- Pee Wee King†
- Roy Acuff and the Smoky Mountain Boys†
- Cousin Jody†
- Jamup and Honey†
- Bill Monroe†
1940s
- Danny Dill†
- Johnnie and Jack†
- Milton Estes and his Musical Millers†
- Old Hickory Singers †
- Minnie Pearl†
- The Duke of Paducah†
- John Daniel Quartet†
- Eddy Arnold†
- Cowboy Copas†
- Ernest Tubb†
- Curley Williams†
- The Bailes Brothers†
- The DeZurik Sisters†
- The Poe Sisters†
- Rod Brasfield†
- David “Stringbean” Akeman†
- Lew Childre, Sr.†
- Bradley Kincaid†
- Wally Fowler† and The Oak Ridge Quintet†
- Jimmy Wakely†
- The Willis Brothers†
- Grandpa Jones†
- Red Foley†
- Lonzo and Oscar†
- Paul Howard and the Arkansas Cotton Pickers†
- George Morgan†
- Little Jimmy Dickens†
- Jordanaires†
- Hank Williams†
1950s
- Chet Atkins†
- Goldie Hill†
- Hawkshaw Hawkins†
- Kitty Wells†
- The Ladells†
- Red Sovine†
- Ray Price†
- Hank Snow†
- Carl Smith†
- The Carter Sisters/Family†
- Moon Mullican†
- Lefty Frizzell†
- Martha Carson†
- Opry Square Dancers
- Webb Pierce†
- Marty Robbins†
- Carl and Pearl Butler†
- Del Wood†
- The Carlisles†
- Ferlin Husky†
- Faron Young†
- Lester Flatt and Earl Scruggs†
- Porter Wagoner†
- The Louvin Brothers†
- Justin Tubb†
- Jim Reeves†
- Slim Whitman†
- Jean Shepard†
- Johnny Cash†
- Jimmy C. Newman†
- George Jones†
- Rose Maddox†
- Stonewall Jackson
- The Wilburn Brothers†
- Wilma Lee Cooper†
- Rusty† & Doug
- The Everly Brothers (Phil† and Don)
- Margie Bowes
- Archie Campbell†
- Don Gibson†
- Ben Smathers and the Stoney Mountain Cloggers†
- Billy Grammer†
- Roy Drusky†
- Skeeter Davis†
1960s
- Jimmy Driftwood†
- Tompall and the Glaser Brothers†
- Bobby Lord†
- Billy Walker†
- Patsy Cline†
- George Hamilton IV†
- Hank Locklin†
- Bill Anderson
- Loretta Lynn
- Leroy Van Dyke
- Sonny James†
- Marion Worth†
- The Browns†
- Jim & Jesse‡
- Ernie Ashworth†
- The Osborne Brothers‡
- Dottie West†
- Willie Nelson
- Norma Jean
- Tex Ritter†
- Connie Smith
- Bob Luman†
- Ray Pillow
- Del Reeves†
- The Four Guys
- Stu Phillips
- Charlie Walker†
- Jeannie Seely
- Jack Greene†
- Dolly Parton
- Tammy Wynette†
1970s
- Tom T. Hall
- Jan Howard†
- Freddie Hart†
- Barbara Mandrell
- David Houston†
- Jeanne Pruett
- Jerry Clower†
- Ronnie Milsap
- Don Williams†
- Larry Gatlin and the Gatlin Brothers
1980s
- John Conlee
- Boxcar Willie†
- B. J. Thomas
- Ricky Skaggs
- Riders in the Sky
- The Whites
- Lorrie Morgan
- Johnny Russell †
- Mel McDaniel†
- Reba McEntire
- Randy Travis
- Roy Clark†
- Ricky Van Shelton
- Patty Loveless
- Holly Dunn†
1990s
- Mike Snider
- Garth Brooks
- Clint Black
- Alan Jackson
- Vince Gill
- Emmylou Harris
- Travis Tritt
- Marty Stuart
- Charley Pride†
- Alison Krauss
- Joe Diffie†
- Hal Ketchum†
- Martina McBride
- Steve Wariner
- Johnny Paycheck†
- Diamond Rio
- Trisha Yearwood
2000s
- Pam Tillis
- Brad Paisley
- Trace Adkins
- Del McCoury
- Terri Clark
- Dierks Bentley
- Mel Tillis†
- Josh Turner
- Charlie Daniels†
- Carrie Underwood
- Craig Morgan
- Montgomery Gentry†
2010s
- Blake Shelton
- The Oak Ridge Boys
- Rascal Flatts
- Keith Urban
- Darius Rucker
- Old Crow Medicine Show
- Little Big Town
- Crystal Gayle
- Dailey & Vincent
- Chris Young
- Chris Janson
- Bobby Bare
- Dustin Lynch
- Mark Wills
- Kelsea Ballerini
- Luke Combs
2020s
- Gene Watson
- Rhonda Vincent
- Lady A
