Opry at Ryman Tickets

The Nashville-based weekly country music show, Grand Ole Opry has been presenting since 1925, just five years after the emergence of radio in the US. Today, it is an iconic American stage concert production that has hundreds of thousands of people tuning in through the internet and radio to listen to the biggest artists of country music. The show is dedicated to celebrating country music through its many years, showcasing a combination of folk, gospel, country, bluegrass and also skits and comedic performances. It really is all about having fun while making country music more popular than ever and has rightfully been described as 'country's most famous stage' and 'home of American music'. The show was moved to Nashville's Ryman Auditorium between 1943 and 1974 and back again in 2010. Since then, the Ryman has become its winter home while the city of Nashville itself has earned the title of the nation's country music capital. In recent years, Opry at Ryman has been visited by various contemporary country musicians such as Dierks Bentley, the Dixie Chicks, Carrie Underwood, Rascal Flatts, Dolly Parton, Reba McEntire, Brad Paisley, Josh Turner, and Garth Brooks. With some of the most loved singers performing at the show, it comes as no surprise to see why Opry at Ryman tickets are such a sought-after treat among country, bluegrass and folk fans.

In 1925, a radio station was built by the Accident Insurance and National Life Company with the purpose of providing the community with a public service in hope that the medium would advertise insurance policies. WSM, the station's call letters were an abbreviation for the motto 'We Shield Millions'. After coming on air, National Life soon hired George D. Hay who was among the most prominent announcers of the time. Hay was made the program's first director. He was previously a Memphis newspaper reporter who had recently begun a barn dance show on WLS, Chicago's radio powerhouse. Pronouncing himself the interesting 'Solemn Old Judge', he launched what later became WSM Barn Dance alongside Uncle Jimmy Thompson. By 1927, when the show's popularity soared rapidly, he renamed it Grand Ole Opry. In 1943, the show moved to the Ryman Auditorium where it would be staged for the next three decades.

The Ryman Auditorium, previously known as Grand Ole Opry House, first opened in 1892 and is listed among both the U.S. National Historical Landmarks as well as the National Register of Historic Places. Built by Thomas Ryman, the venue first opened as Union Gospel Tabernacle but after the owner's death in 1904, it was renamed the Ryman Auditorium. The place was used for the Grand Ole Opry broadcasts till 1974, following which a larger venue was built for the Opry at Opryland USA theme park, just Outside Nashville. The Ryman was left vacant, eventually falling into disrepair until the early nineties when singer Emmylou Harris performed a concert series there. In 2004, the Ryman was surpassed by the Opry House as the most enduring home of the Opry. However, in May 2010, during Nashville's historic flood, the Opry House was damaged severely and left in need of major renovation. It was at this point that the show was taken back to its two previous homes, the Ryman and the War Memorial Auditorium. In 2010, the newly-restored and improved Opry House was reopened. The show now returns regularly to the Ryman in the winter months, from November through January.

Opry at Ryman celebrates the diversity of country music, presenting several generations of artists that have contributed to the genre's legacy and continue to pave its future course. In fact, in any Opry show, audiences expect the best of blue-grass, country gospel and comedy from country superstars and emerging new artists. They also get to see performances from the inductees of Country Music Hall of Fame as well as the talented cast members whose efforts have helped in establishing Opry as country music's home. In addition, America's Opry Weekend, which is a two-hour long radio program, has been syndicated nationwide. Now future generations of country lovers and stars may listen to Opry on radio just as the country greats once grew up listening to it. Better than ever, the enthusiastic fans can grab some Opry at Ryman tickets and be a part of the show.