Campaign to Begin On This Saturday’s Opry Featuring
Host Terri Clark, Lauren Alaina, and Ashley McBryde
NASHVILLE, Tenn. – The Grand Ole Opry, with this weekend’s 4,918th consecutive Saturday night broadcast, will launch #UNBROKEN, a charitable campaign to raise money for the MusiCares COVID-19 Relief Fund. The fund benefits artists and musicians struggling through the pandemic– some of the very people who write, make and create the music that has kept the music alive on the Opry stage for almost 95 years. Beginning with the Saturday night broadcast, Opry fans will be invited to contribute to the fund when they watch on television or digitally or tune in on the radio.
“MusiCares is there for us in times of need,” said Ashley McBryde. “They keep our lights on and our hopes up. And for musicians that peace of mind is priceless.”
Terri Clark, an Opry member since 2004, is scheduled to host and perform on the show. Clark will be joined by UMG Nashville’s ACM award-winner Lauren Alaina and Warner Music Nashville’s CMA Best New Artist winner and Grammy-nominated McBryde, whose album Never Will releases tomorrow, April 3.
The Grand Ole Opry will be broadcast live Saturday, April 4 at 8 PM ET / 7 PM CT on Circle, and on Gray TV stations, DISH Studio Channel 102, Sling TV and other TV affiliates in addition to a companion live stream on Circle’s Facebook and YouTube. TV and radio personality Bobby Bones will host the Circle telecast, while Opry announcer Mike Terry will join the Opry’s radio audience at the announcer podium. Embracing today’s technology, the Opry will be broadcast and streamed with a very small production team. The shows artists will perform acoustically at a recommended social distance across the Opry stage.
Fans around the world can also tune in to the broadcast on the Opry’s flagship radio home, 650 AM-WSM and several other outlets.
With Nashvillians at home under Nashville Mayor John Cooper’s “Safer at Home” order and live shows paused at the Grand Ole Opry to help reduce the spread of COVID-19, this Saturday’s performance will once again take place without a live audience. Grand Ole Opry management has worked closely with the Nashville’s Director of Health to bring the show live to millions around the world while following strict safety protocols under the guidance of local health professionals.
Millions of fans in dozens of countries around the world have tuned in live over the past three weeks to video stream or listen as the circle remained unbroken. Opry members Bill Anderson, Jeannie Seely and Connie Smith as well as Mandy Barnett, Michael Cleveland & Flamekeeper and Sam Williams took to the stage on March 14 as the Opry show went on the air without a live ticketed audience. On March 21 Opry members Vince Gill, Brad Paisley and Marty Stuart performed acoustically from the Opry House stage. Last Saturday March 28, Gill returned to the stage to perform acoustically with members of his family: wife Amy Grant and daughters Jenny Gill and Corrina Grant Gill.