80 Unforgettable Moments

September 7, 2002 – Alan Jackson, Kenny Chesney, Lee Ann Womack, and Jim Lauderdale serenade Opry member George Jones with versions of his classic hits during a birthday celebration. Jones takes the stage himself for a performance of “I Don’t Need Your Rocking Chair.”

November 30, 2002 – Tim McGraw makes his Grand Ole Opry debut on a bill that also includes Brad Paisley.

December 14, 2002 – Toby Keith makes his Opry debut. Keith Urban and Trace Adkins also appear that night.

January 4, 2003 – Hank Williams Jr. and Hank Williams III both perform during an Opry show commemorating the 50th anniversary of Hank Williams death. Hank Williams Jr. introduces the son of Rufus “Tee Tot” Payne, the street musician who mentored Hank Williams. Vince Gill, The Whites, and Little Jimmy Dickens also perform during the tribute.

January 10-11, 2003 – Darryl Worley premieres “Have You Forgotten?” on the Opry stage. “We did four separate performances of that song out there that weekend,” Worley later recalled. “Every one of them was a standing ovation.” Worley’s label rush-releases the song to radio, and it shoots to No. 1 after just five weeks on the charts.

February 16, 2003 – Marty Stuart, Travis Tritt, and Hank Williams Jr. pay tribute to Waylon Jennings, who had died the previous Wednesday. Williams sings his song “Eyes of Waylon,” and the three entertainers spend an hour singing such Jennings hits as “Only Daddy That’ll Walk the Line,” “This Time,” “I’ve Always Been Crazy,” and “Are You Sure Hank Done It This Way.” Porter Wagoner calls the tribute “the most exciting night I can ever remember on the Opry.”

June 14, 2003 – While standing on a stepladder, 4’11” Little Jimmy Dickens invites 6’6” Trace Adkins to join the Opry.

July 10 and 13, 2004 – Camera crews shoot the video for Alan Jackson’s “Too Much of a Good Thing.” The crew shoots B-roll footage backstage during the Saturday Opry on the 10th and Alan’s performance at the Tuesday Night Opry on the 13th.

January 22, 2005 – At Marty Stuart’s invitation, R&B singer Mavis Staples performs on both Saturday Opry shows. She and Stuart sing the Staple Singers’ 1955 hit “Uncloudy Day,” and a cover of the Band’s “The Weight.” On the late show, Staples and Connie Smith sing “Sweet Little Jesus Boy.”

March 26, 2005 – Ricky Skaggs, Trace Adkins, the Oak Ridge Boys, and Craig Morgan perform during Grand Ole Opry Live’s first telecast on American Forces Television, which includes live feeds to and from soldiers stationed in Iraq.