1940s

Opry Members

During the '40s, the Opry moved to its most famous home, the red-brick Ryman Auditorium. The half-hour Prince Albert Show segment, which had been carried regionally on the NBC radio network, went national, carried by more than 140 stations. Opry stars like Red Foley, Eddy Arnold, and Minnie Pearl became ambassadors for country music, traveling throughout the nation during the week and returning home to the Opry stage on weekends. During this decade, Ernest Tubb took an Opry troupe to New York’s Carnegie Hall, and the show made its first European tour. These are some of the entertainers Opry listeners began hearing during the '40s.