The Grand Ole Opry, the legendary home of country music that has captivated audiences for 100 years, made history tonight with its first-ever live broadcast from outside of the United States as part of its Opry 100 celebration.
Grand Ole Opry: Live in London, a sold-out, one-night-only event brought together more than 5,000 country music fans for an evening of unforgettable performances and a cross-cultural celebration of country music’s past, present and future.
The star-studded lineup included Opry members Luke Combs, Ashley McBryde, Carly Pearce, Darius Rucker and Marty Stuart with special UK guest artists Mumford & Sons and Breabach. Performers stood on a circle of wood sourced from the original stage floor of Ryman Auditorium, the Opry’s most famous former home. Designed to honour The Circle, which is permanently installed in Nashville’s Grand Ole Opry House, the replica was transported across the globe for the centennial event.
In keeping with a longstanding Opry tradition, Opry members and special guest artists teamed up to deliver some of the most memorable moments of the night, including performances of:
· “Wagon Wheel” by Darius Rucker and Breabach
· “I Hope You’re Happy Now” by Carly Pearce and Luke Combs
· “The Whiskey Ain’t Workin’ Anymore” by Ashley McBryde and Marty Stuart
· “Always On My Mind” by Luke Combs and Marcus Mumford
The entire cast closed the momentous show with a finale performance of “Will The Circle Be Unbroken” and “Take Me Home, Country Roads.”
Those who missed the landmark event can tune in to BBC Radio 2 (the UK’s most listened to radio station with a weekly audience of 12.6 million) and BBC Sounds on Thursday 2nd October from 7pm to hear the host of Radio 2’s Country Show, Bob Harris, bring listeners backstage interviews recorded at the event, followed by a two-hour broadcast of the show itself. BBC Two and BBC iPlayer will air highlights from this unforgettable night at 8.40pm on Saturday 4th October, as part of a season of country music programming.
The radio and TV programmes will be available on BBC Sounds and BBC iPlayer, respectively, for 30 days after broadcast “Grand Ole Opry: Live in London” was co-hosted by BBC Radio 2 presenter Vernon Kay and WSM Radio host Kelly Sutton. The telecast was executive produced by Guy Freeman with LiveWire Pictures, Steve Buchanan with SteadiBeat Media and Bob Shennan along with Martin Fischer, Patrick Q. Moore and Dan Rogers for the Grand Ole Opry.
“Grand Ole Opry: Live in London” is part of a series of events, limited-edition releases, special performances, exhibits, book publications and merchandise celebrating this historic year. For the latest updates on Opry 100, visit Opry100.com and follow the Opry on Facebook, X, Instagram, TikTok and YouTube.
