Country
GRAMMY-WINNER KATHY MATTEA INVITED TO BECOME A MEMBER OF THE GRAND OLE OPRY
NASHVILLE, Tenn. – (August 9, 2025) – Multi-Grammy® Award winning Kathy Mattea was invited to become a member of the Grand Ole Opry tonight by Opry member Charlie McCoy. The four-time CMA Award winner, longtime Opry favorite, and host of the popular “Mountain Stage” radio show will officially join the Opry family on Saturday, October 11. Tickets are on sale now for the two-show Saturday night.
Mattea’s long-time friend and fellow West Virginian, McCoy surprised her onstage turning off her speaker during her performance of her award-winning hit “18 Wheels and A Dozen Roses”. A surprised Mattea said, “Oh…Charlie, you just turned my speaker off!” McCoy replied, “I’m so sorry to interrupt” as he presented her with a dozen roses. “I want to ask you a question,” McCoy continued. “How would you like to be the next member of the Grand Ole Opry?” An emotional Mattea immediately answered, “Yes, yes, yes, yes, yes, and thank you!” As the audience rose to its feet, Mattea soaked in what had just happened, sharing, “I just want to take this in and just remember this moment.”
“Oh my, I’m here to tell you, I will not forget this night. Ever. Ever. Ever,” Mattea concluded before inviting McCoy to join her on “18 Wheels And A Dozen Roses.”
“I’ve personally watched for nearly 30 years now as Kathy Mattea has brought such great songs, so much artistic integrity, and sheer joy to the Opry stage,” said Dan Rogers, Opry executive producer. “We all look forward to many more such performances in that circle she’ll call home.”
The Opry will celebrate two of its longtime Opry members later this month on their milestone Opry anniversaries. On August 20, the Opry will celebrate Connie Smith’s 60th Opry anniversary with performances by Smith, Marty Stuart, Dailey & Vincent, Sierra Ferrell, Vince Gill, Chris Janson, Old Crow Medicine Show, and more. Smith is the second female Opry member in its 100-year history to mark 60 years as an Opry member. Jean Shepard celebrated her 60th Opry anniversary in 2015. On August 26th Pam Tillis will celebrate her 25th Opry anniversary alongside Suzy Bogguss, Russell Dickerson, Vince Gill, Jamey Johnson, Lorrie Morgan, Emily Ann Roberts, and more.
Steve Earle will officially be inducted into the Opry family on September 17 by Emmylou Harris with appearances by Vince Gill, Marty Stuart, and more.
About Kathy Mattea:
Kathy was born in Cross Lane, W.V. She received classical voice training in junior high but also took up guitar when she discovered folk music. In 1976, while in college at West Virginia University, she joined the bluegrass band Pennsboro and two years later dropped out of school to move to Nashville.
She worked odd jobs and waited tables while honing her music, and in 1983 she landed a deal with Mercury on the strength of her demo tape. Her self-titled debut was released in 1984, and the follow-up, From My Heart, appeared the next year. None of the singles from either record managed to reach the Top 20. However, her third effort, 1986’s folky Walk the Way the Wind Blows, proved to be her critical and commercial breakthrough. Her cover of Nanci Griffith’s “Love at the Five and Dime” was her first Top 5 hit, and the record produced three other Top 10 hits. Her 1987 album Untasted Honeyoffered two No. 1 country hits, “Goin’ Gone” and her signature song, “Eighteen Wheels and a Dozen Roses.” The latter won the 1988 Country Music Association’s (CMA) Single of the Year Award.
Kathy’s 1989 album Willow in the Wind brought two more No. 1 hits, “Come from the Heart” and “Burnin’ Old Memories,” as well as “She Came from Fort Worth.” She won a Grammy for another of the album’s tracks, “Where’ve You Been,” and also captured the CMA’s female vocalist trophies in 1989 and 1990.
Seeking to keep her music fresh by returning to its roots, Kathy made several trips to Scotland in the early ’90s, studying the links between country music and traditional Scottish folk. Her own music kept getting “rootsier” and more eclectic throughout the ’90s.
Kathy’s new direction couldn’t have taken her further from her old way of doing things. Where once she was pitched songs by Music Row writers, now she collects the generations-old and new but old-in-soul tunes that move her at folk gatherings, and rounds out her repertoire through extensive research.
Never one to tread water creatively, she’s made her gracefully daring leap into the roots-honoring traditional folk world with the albums Calling Me Home and Coal. “To be a complete novice at something after you’ve been singing for three or four decades, to feel that humility of ‘I don’t even know if I’m going to be able to pull this off again,’ it’s a great gift,” she shares. “A lot of times people go through their whole lives and never get to that place.
Kathy is a frequent guest on the Grand Ole Opry. “When you play the Opry, you’re entering history, right there. There’s a wonderful sense of community – family really – that’s inter-generational. From the welcoming presence of a long-timer stepping into the dressing room saying, ‘Glad to have you back!’ to the spontaneous backstage jam sessions, to catching up with old friends, there’s just no place like it.”
The Grand Ole Opry:
The Grand Ole Opry is the home of country music where artists and fans gather, in person and virtually, to celebrate and be part of country’s past, present and future. Founded in Nashville in 1925 and today the longest-running live broadcast show in the world, the Opry strengthens its roots by constantly evolving. The Opry’s members are country’s most emblematic artists, and the show regularly showcases country music’s top new talent. The Opry welcomes legions of fans to visit the Opry House in Nashville, Tennessee – Music City, USA – to experience one of the 3-7 live shows it hosts per week; take a backstage tour; listen to live broadcasts on opry.com and wsmonline.com, SiriusXM Willie’s Roadhouse, or its flagship home WSM Radio; and watch Opry Live on Saturday nights and Opry content all week long on Circle Country. The Grand Ole Opry is part of Opry Entertainment Group, a subsidiary of Ryman Hospitality Properties (NYSE: RHP)
