Grand Ole Opry celebrates 100th anniversary with live NBC special
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Blake Shelton hosts the Opry 100 special. Image: courtesy of NBCUniversal
The Grand Ole Opry will celebrate 100 years of music history Wednesday night with a three-hour special airing live on NBC.
Why it matters: The Opry is one of the most famous stages in the world. Over the course of a century, it has been the ultimate proving ground for generations of country stars who went on to become household names.
- Producers, who have been working on the anniversary show for about a year, tell Axios the special will pay homage to that history with an assist from dozens of the genre's biggest stars.
What they're saying: "It is really the royalty of country music that's showing up," producer Mark Bracco says.
- "We're kind of blown away. It's exceeded even our greatest expectations of what this three hours could be."
Zoom in: Bracco and fellow producer Linda Gierahn say artists were eager to pay tribute to country trailblazers. They picked the classic songs they would sing based on their emotional connection to the music.
- Ashley McBride and Jelly Roll will commemorate Johnny Cash and June Carter Cash. Garth Brooks and Trisha Yearwood sing duets made famous by George Jones and Tammy Wynette.
- Carrie Underwood will sing for Randy Travis. Keith Urban will perform the Crystal Gale classic "Don't It Make My Brown Eyes Blue." Reba McEntire will perform a medley of Patsy Cline and Loretta Lynn classics.
- Post Malone will pair up with Travis Tritt for a cover of "T.R.O.U.B.L.E."
State of play: That's just a sample. The full special will include more than 20 performances and nearly 50 Grand Ole Opry members.
- "There's not a ton of talking in the show," Bracco joked. "It's wall-to-wall music."
- Performers will take the stage at the Opry House and the Ryman Auditorium, the Opry's former home.
The big picture: The Grand Ole Opry is the oldest radio program still in existence in the United States.
- WSM has broadcast the show from Nashville since Nov. 28, 1925. The Opry is planning a full year of celebratory events to mark the anniversary.
How to watch: The primetime special begins at 7pm Central on NBC with Blake Shelton as host. It will also stream live on Peacock.