This Day in 1985: Grand Ole Opry Live! Debuts

32 years ago today, Grand Ole Opry Live! – a half-hour version of the weekly concert at the venerable country music venue – made its debut on The Nashville Network

The original Grand Ole Opry concerts first kicked off on November 28, 1925, making it easily the longest-running radio broadcast in US history, if not necessarily the longest-running one on a radio network. But while radio was really the only option when the concerts first premiered, when TV became the medium of choice, the concerts made their way in front of the camera as well.

First came a monthly series which was broadcast by ABC from 1955 to 1956. Then came a recurring PBS series, one which ran annually from 1978 to 1981. Finally, in 1985, the Nashville Network came a’callin’, pitching the idea of doing a regular spotlight show. This idea was embraced, as well it should have, and soon Grand Ole Opry Live! was running on a regular basis, featuring a veritable plethora of country music’s finest artists.

Eventually, the half-hour version of the show was turned into an hour-long extravaganza when it moved from TNN over to CMT, and from there it eventually found its way to GAC. That’s an acronym that may not ring a bell, but it stands for Great American Country, which is certainly appropriate when one considers how many great American country artists played the stage of the Grand Ole Opry over the years.

In celebration of this anniversary, we’ve put together a playlist featuring a number of folks from our roster who appeared on Grand Ole Opry Live! during its run. You’ll mostly likely recognize all of the names in the list, which should give you an idea of the level of star power we’re talking about.

Grand? To say the least.