100 Years of the Opry: 30 Iconic Photos Through the Years

The Grand Ole Opry is the home of country music . We've laughed there, we've cried there, we've celebrated and we've sung along, even those of us who may not have ever set foot in the venue.

You've been there even if you haven't, through awards shows and stories from your favorite singers, and even through movies .

It's the show that made country music famous — it started as a radio program and still broadcasts live today — but in the 100 years since its inception, the Opry has become the heartbeat of the genre. Did you know the Opry was home to the CMA Awards until the early 2000s? At least a dozen other awards shows have aired live from the Opry, and even TV shows like Nashville have filmed there.

As it has grown, it has been shuffled around Nashville, from a small downtown office to the Ryman to the great Grand Ole Opry House (more breathing room), and sometimes back to the Ryman for special occasions (and when the Nashville flood of 2010 put Opryland under several feet of water).

Did you know Johnny Cash was actually banned from performing at the Opry? For a few years, anyway — they made amends. Even Elvis Presley played the Opry, but only once, because the powers that be didn't feel his music was a great fit for the venue.

Do you know who has played the most Opry shows? It's Jeannie Seely, who performed on that stage a whopping 5397 times — far more than any other artist. She died in August of this year, so she got to see her second home celebrate its 100th birthday. It's unlikely anybody else will ever beat her record for most appearances, but Carrie Underwood could be trying — she's a modern-day Opry staple.

Performing at the Grand Ole Opry even once is a bucket list item for country artists. The genre's most famous stage turns 100 years old in 2025. It's hard to put the Grand Ole Opry's true impact into words, but take a look back at photos taken at the Opry through the years, starting in the 1940s (photos are scarce before that!).

1940

The Weaver Brothers and Elviry — Frank Weaver, June "Elviry Weaver" and Leon Weaver — perform at the Opry in 1940.

1948

The cast of the Grand Ole Opry shoot an advertisement for Royal Crown Cola on the iconic stage, which at this point was inside the "Mother Church of Country Music," the Ryman Auditorium.

1950(ish)

Recognize her? That's Hee Haw star Minnie Pearl before she was on television, performing at the Opry in 1950 or so. She'd have the honor of performing there for 50 solid years until 1991, five years before her death.

1950(ish)

The Opry was alive in the 1950s — here's June Carter Cash dancing onstage. What a show this must have been!

1955

If you were headed to the Opry in the '50s, you'd need to be patient, as it was crowded going in. The Ryman hasn't changed too much since then.

1960(ish)

That's country music icon Loretta Lynn backstage at the Opry, reading a newspaper before she was due onstage.

1970(ish)

A recognizable Opry set had taken shape by this point. And yep, that's Vince Gill you see performing in front of it!

1970

Johnny Cash and his wife, June Carter Cash, sing together on the Opry stage as part of a taping of his television show, The Johnny Cash Show. He'd been temporarily banned a few years prior, in 1965, for drunkenly smashing the lights out on the stage.

1974

This was a big year for the Opry, as 1974 is when the show relocated from the Ryman to a much bigger venue, the brand new Grand Ole Opry House. Not only could it hold more fans — 4,00o people, roughly — but the brand could utilize backstage areas as a television stage.

1974

Unexpected photo alert: President Richard Nixon attended the dedication of the new Opry House venue in March of 1974... and attempted a yo-yo trick onstage? That's famous fiddler Roy Acuff next to him.

1982

Clint Eastwood and his son, Kyle, stand in front of the Opry mic during filming for the 1982 film Honkytonk Man .

1991

Just a couple of handsome young fellas backstage at the Opry (yes, that's Garth Brooks and George Strait).

1995

Porter Wagoner entertains a crowd at the Grand Ole Opry in the mid-1990s.

1996

The Opry was featured in a television special for its 70th birthday. The Grand Ole Opry 70th Anniversary aired on January 4, 1996, with the biggest stars of the time, including Dolly Parton, helping celebrate.

1999

The Chicks (then Dixie Chicks) get a little rowdy after a successful CMA Awards at the Opry.

2000

The Opry knows how to throw a birthday party! The institution turned 75 in 2000. Check out that cake!

2003

This snapshot captures a Johnny Cash tribute on the Opry stage during the 37th CMA Awards in November of that year, just two months after the Man in Black's death.

2005

The Opry took its show on the road in 2005, visiting New York City with some of the biggest stars of the time. If you squint, you can see Trisha Yearwood onstage. A few years later (2017) they'd actually open a permanent venue in the Big Apple, the Opry City Stage, but it didn't last long, shutting its doors the following year.

2008

Ah, there she is. Three years after her Grand Ole Opry debut, Carrie Underwood was inducted as an Opry member by Randy Travis in 2008. It's country music's highest honor, and she takes her duties to perform at the venue seriously — she's a regular performer all these years later!

2010

The year of the flood. In May of 2010, 13 inches of rain fell on the Nashville area, bringing the Cumberland River out of its banks. The Opry sustained a lot of damage as a result of catastrophic flooding. Here, a man saves mic stands from the venue. The Opry returned to the Ryman (and other venues around Nashville) for five months while repairs were made.

2012

Keith Urban was inducted into the Grand Ole Opry in April of 2012. Here he is celebrating, with "Your Man" hitmaker Josh Turner behind him.

2013

Even George Jones' funeral was held at the Opry! After all, he'd been a member since 1956. The legend died in late April of 2013.

2016

A look outside the Grand Ole Opry House, its home today. Boy, is it grand!

2017

A celebration of life for Troy Gentry was held at the Opry in 2017, after his untimely death. The Montgomery Gentry star died in a helicopter crash at the age of 50.

2019

Little Big Town invited rising star (back then, anyway) Kelsea Ballerini to become an Opry member onstage at the iconic venue on March 5, 2019.

2020

You already know what made 2020 memorable: A global pandemic. Seen here is "Break Up With Him" hitmakers Old Dominion during the 2020 ACM Awards, with many of them wearing masks.

2021

Opry staple Jeannie Seely helps celebrate the Grand Ole Opry's 5000th show.

2022

Loretta Lynn had been an Opry member since 1962, so when she died in October of 2022, she deserved a grand sendoff on country music's most famous stage. The celebration of Loretta's life and music was even filmed for television so fans at home could say goodbye.

2024

The Opry doesn't see much aerial action. In fact, Shania Twain might be the only one to have ever descended from the Opry House ceiling in a giant heart like she did during the People's Choice Country Awards in 2024.

2025

100 years old! The Opry has been celebrating its centennial birthday all year long, and in March, a three-hour concert special, Opry 100: A Live Celebration, aired from the venue.

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