This Tuesday, Old Crow Medicine Show was inducted as the newest member of The Grand Ole Opry in Nashville.
It was a back-to-their-roots moment for the band, who had worked at the start of their careers as a warmup act, playing on the plaza outside the Opry House as the audience came in. They made their first appearance on the Opry stage in January of 2001, and on September 17, 2013, Marty Stuart and Dierks Bentley – two Opry members with a bluegrass pedigree – welcomed them into the fold.
Unsurprisingly, they launched into Wagon Wheel, their signature hit, followed by Will The Circle Be Unbroken and I Saw The Light, joined by Dierks and Marty, along with the Del McCoury Band and Connie Smith.
The Opry has made this video clip available from Tuesday night’s show.
Opry GM Pete Fisher said that adding them to the roster was like a return to the past.
“Old Crow has over the years become a favorite of Opry audiences and everyone backstage, as well. It’s fun for so many of us that in many ways Old Crow looks and sounds a lot like some of the great early Opry bands like Roy Acuff and his Smoky Mountain Boys—bands which helped propel the Opry to national prominence. Tonight represents a great full circle, and as the great Jimmy Dickens says, ‘The circle can’t be broken.’ ”
They will return as members to perform again December 30-31.
