Country Music’s Biggest Stars Celebrate Opry 100
The country music community is still buzzing from an incredible night celebrating the Grand Ole Opry’s 100th anniversary on March 19th. Opry 100: A Live Celebration was hosted by Blake Shelton and broadcast live for country music fans worldwide to enjoy.
The evening was packed full of memorable moments. Vince Gill delivered an emotional performance of “Go Rest High On That Mountain” for the “In Memoriam” segment. Carrie Underwood and Randy Travis shared a special exchange during her performance. And more than 50 Opry members closed the show with a rendition of “I Will Always Love You” in honor of Dolly Parton.
Learn how you can watch Opry 100 if you missed it live.
Ashley McBryde And Terri Clark Honor The Women Of Country
Fellow Opry members Ashley McBryde and Terri Clark joined forces for a special segment celebrating the trailblazing women of country music. The pair performed “Girl Goin’ Nowhere,” a song about pursuing your dreams, no matter what the naysayers say.
Canadian-born country artist Terri Clark performed at the Opry for the first time in January 1996, two years after she signed with Mercury Records. She became an official member on June 12, 2004, and now reflects on the experience:
“Just to be on the Opry is an honor. I never thought I’d get to be a member. It’s a tremendous responsibility, too. I feel like a lot of us who are younger members of the Opry really need to make sure that we pass down the tradition of it, and make sure that younger people who are getting into country music know what it means.”
Ashley McBryde made her Opry debut in June of 2017. By then, she had lived in Nashville for ten years and had self-released her first EP. After becoming a staple performer on the Opry stage over the next five years, the Arkansas native was inducted as a member on December 10, 2022.
Ashley had the special honor of wearing the late Tammy Wynette’s jewelry for Opry 100. Hear her talk about it in the video below!
@ashleymcbrydemusic History is important here at the Opry #opry100 ♬ original sound – Ashley McBryde
The Story Behind “Girl Goin’ Nowhere”
Ashley McBryde wrote “Girl Goin’ Nowhere” the morning Guy Clark died in 2016. She describes herself as “not a pretty crier,” so when she showed up to her songwriting session that day, her grief was written all over her face. Her co-writer Jeremy Bussey said:
“For Guy, maybe we should write a good song, one you’d want to play at the Opry someday.“
Ashley told him a story about being in high school Algebra class and being asked what each student wanted to be when they grew up.
“When it got to me, I said, ‘I’m going to move to Nashville and write songs, and they’re going to be on the radio.’ The teacher looked at me and said, ‘that won’t happen and you better have a good backup plan.’ It didn’t put the fire out, it just added to it.”
“Girl Goin’ Nowhere” was born out of that songwriting session. It was released as the title track for the album of the same name in late 2018.
Ashley choked back tears in an emotional, full-circle moment as she sang the lyrics, “Not bad for a girl goin’ nowhere” from the Opry circle.
Watch Ashley McBryde and Terri Clark Perform “Girl Goin’ Nowhere” on Opry 100 in the video below!
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