80 Unforgettable Moments

1997-1998 – Over a nine-month period, Vince Gill makes more than 40 Opry appearances as he prepares the release of his album, The Key, often testing the new songs on the Opry audiences.

January 3, 1998 – Grandpa Jones makes his final Opry appearance. The 84-year-old entertainer suffers the first of a series of strokes shortly after his performance and goes straight from the Opry to a Nashville hospital. He would pass away on February 19.

November 7, 1998 – Jimmy Dickens celebrates his 50th Opry anniversary with friends and cohorts Carl Smith, Waylon Jennings, Bobby Bare, and Bill Anderson are on hand to celebrate with him. He joins Herman Crook, Roy Acuff , Minnie Pearl, Bill Monroe, and Grandpa Jones as the only Opry members to have celebrated 50 years as cast members. Teddy Wilburn would recognize 50 years with the Opry in 2003, and Charlie Louvin would celebrate his golden Opry anniversary on February 26, 2005.

January 15-16, 1999 – The Grand Ole Opry broadcasts all three of its weekend shows from the Ryman Auditorium for the first time in 25 years, surprising Trisha Yearwood with an invitation to join the cast. She would become an Opry member on March 13, 1999.

May 5, 2000 – A special fiddling presentation spans 88 years as 12-year-old Jed Bulla and 100-year-old Bob Douglas both make their Opry debuts.

June 10, 2000 – The Opry unveils its first major set redesign in 25 years. Designed by Emmy-winning production designer Rene Lagler, the new set features a barn-shaped backdrop made of aluminum, wood, and projection materials, as well as large projection screens to the sides of the stage.

June 17, 2000 – To commemorate the launch of the Grand Ole Opry on the Internet, Ricky Skaggs plays “Tennessee Waggoner,” the same song Uncle Jimmy Thompson reportedly played during the first broadcast of the WSM Barn Dance 75 years before.

February 17, 2001 – Brad Paisley is inducted into the Opry while wearing the bright yellow jacket that Buck Owens wore on the cover of his 1966 Live at Carnegie Hall album.

August 10, 2002 – The Dixie Chicks make a surprise onstage announcement that Opry members Porter Wagoner and Bill Carlisle have been elected to the Country Music Hall of Fame.

August 31, 2002 – On the occasion of its 4,000th consecutive Saturday night broadcast, the Opry pays tribute to one of its most beloved past members, Minnie Pearl. Opry member Steve Wariner receives the Minnie Pearl Humanitarian Award during the evening's broadcast presented by Kathy Mattea.