Opry Quotations

First time I walked out on the Opry stage, Vince Gill was there. He kind of 'daddied' me through the whole thing. My knees were knocking. I walked out there, and I was literally shaking. They say it's the spirits or the ghosts. And out of respect for that whole establishment, I was really really nervous.

As a country singer, there is only one place you dream of playing in your lifetime, and that is the Grand Ole Opry House.

The Grand Ole Opry is an artist, and I am proud to be one of its songs.

I get the same feeling walking into the Opry House as I do when I see one of my heroes.

Country Reaches Out: An Opry Benefit for the American Red Cross,

There's so many great things that happened at the Grand Ole Opry in 50 years. You get the chance to go out and visit with your peers. You get a chance to sing your song and say hello to so many friends and neighbors and all that you have. It's just - well, it's a second home.

Ruth and I knew we would come back to live here some day, ... When my eyes got too bad for me to drive in 1988, and my not being able to see made it harder to perform on a regular basis, we decided it was time to come home. I pulled in my horns and we moved up here because of my eye condition. I didn't exactly retire; I'm still a member of the Opry and still do an occasional concert now and then.

I've gotten to go to the Opry a couple of times and stand backstage and watch. But I made it a point not to take a tour or stand in the circle until music took me there. I told myself that was one place I'd never go unless music took me there.

Becoming a member of the Grand Ole Opry brought to fruition a dream I'd had since I first performed on that historic stage so many years ago, ... It for this reason that I feel moved to be a part of this special Shop At Home event, to celebrate all that 80 years of Opry tradition has meant to me, and to our country music heritage.