Barbara Mandrell is commemorating her 50th anniversary as a Grand Ole Opry member this weekend with some of the biggest names in country music. Carrie Underwood, who calls Mandrell one of her professional inspirations, will perform as well as CeCe Winans, Suzy Bogguss and Linda Davis.
Mandrell will attend both Saturday night shows.
The singer, a three-time ACM/CMA Entertainer and four-time ACM/CMA Female Vocalist of the Year, was inducted as a member of the Grand Ole Opry on July 29, 1972.
Mandrell made a name for herself with “Sleeping Single in a Double Bed,” “I Was Country When Country Wasn’t Cool” and her pop crossover “(If Loving You Is Wrong) I Don’t Want To Be Right.” She became a household name in 1980 when her variety show, Barbara Mandrell and the Mandrell Sisters, debuted on NBC. However, two years later, she was diagnosed with vocal strain and forced to quit the show. In 1984, Mandrell was involved in a head-on car crash with another driver, which seriously injured her. More than a year later, she released her best-selling autobiography, “Get to the Heart: My Story.”
Fans who can’t attend Saturday night’s Opry in person can TUNE IN for a one-hour portion of the night’s first show that will air live at 9/8 pm CT and will re-air at 12/11pm CT as Opry Live hosted by Bill Cody on Circle Television. The show will livestream via Circle’s social channels and be heard on SiriusXM’s Willie’s Roadhouse channel 59. Both shows will air in their entirety on WSM Radio and opry.com/wsmonline.com.
SiriusXM will also welcome Mandrell as “Opry House Guest DJ” at Willie’s Roadhouse (Ch. 59), hosting two hours of hand-picked selections and stories from throughout her career, premiering tonight at 9 pm ET and rebroadcast on Friday, July 29 (6 pm ET); Saturday, July 30 (9 am ET); Sunday, July 31 (7 pm ET). Mandrell will also join T.G. Sheppard for his show on Prime Country (Ch. 58) which will premiere on August 5 (3 pm ET).
In honor of Mandrell’s golden Opry anniversary, a commissioned Hatch show print will be available in the Opry Shop and online at store.opry.com. Additionally, the exclusive merchandise line that Mandrell, in partnership with the Opry, launched last year in celebration of the 40th anniversary of her signature hit- and one of country music’s most iconic classics- “I Was Country When Country Wasn’t Cool” will again be available exclusively online at store.opry.com and in the Opry gift shop in Nashville, TN. The collection includes “I Was Country When Country Wasn’t Cool” branded T-shirts, Hatch poster, coffee mugs and more.
For more information and to buy tickets, visit Opry.com.
