Tennessee Native Chris Young Joins the Grand Ole Opry Family

NASHVILLE, Tenn. – Grammy-nominated vocalist and Murfreesboro, Tennessee native Chris Young was officially welcomed and inducted into the Grand Ole Opry family Tuesday, Oct. 17 by Opry membe, Brad Paisley.

Backstage before taking the stage, Young recounted how he had begun listening to the Opry at around age four and first saw the show live when he was eight years old. “There is always such a respect for where we all come from here,” he said.

After Young had performed two of his hits and two of his favorite country classics for a sold-out audience, Paisley took the stage to present Young with the Opry Member Award presented to each official member of the Opry family.

After the Opry member award presentation, Young held his award and said, “The two best words I can think of are ‘thank you.’”

The hit-maker then concluded his set in the night’s first show along with Cassadee Pope on the pair’s number one single “Think Of You.”

Growing up in nearby Murfreesboro, Tennessee, Young dreamt of one day taking the stage at the Opry, and his dream came true when he made his debut on June 15, 2006. His dreams grew after that night, and another dream came true as he stood on the stage being welcomed as an official member of the Grand Ole Opry. It’s a big week for Young, as he also releases his 7th album, Losing Sleep, this Friday, Oct 20.

About Chris Young:

Recently invited to become the newest member of the iconic Grand Ole Opry, Chris Young has earned multiple ACM, BBMA, CMA, CMT, Grammy and RDMA nominations and scored three consecutive chart-topping singles – including his ninth No. 1 “Sober Saturday Night” with Vince Gill – from his “excellent” (New York Times) album I’m Comin’ Over (2015). He continues to set the bar even higher with the release of his brand new single, “Losing Sleep,” which amassed more than 1.25 Million on-demand streams in its first week of release. With six albums to his credit, including 2016’s It Must Be Christmas and 2015’s Gold-certified studio album, I’m Comin’ Over, which debuted at No. 1 on Billboard’s Top Country Albums Chart, Chris continues to reach new heights with his hotly anticipated seventh album — Losing Sleep — due Oct. 20, 2017. Named “one of his era’s finest traditionalists” by the Associated Press, the upcoming record will be the RCA Records artist’s third project in less than two years.

An international ambassador for country music, Chris performs to packed houses around the world including his recent appearance at the sold-out C2C Festival in the UK. With a hit-packed set that highlights his nine chart-toppers — including “Gettin’ You Home,” “Voices,” “Tomorrow,” “I’m Comin’ Over” and “Think Of You,” — and sixteen Gold/Platinum certified projects, Chris has joined reigning ACM Entertainer of the Year Jason Aldean as special guest on his They Don’t Know Tour through October before resuming his own headlining dates later this year.

About The Grand Ole Opry:

The Grand Ole Opry® is presented by Humana®. Opry performances are held every Friday and Saturday of the year, with Tuesday night shows through Dec. 12. To plan an Opry visit, call 800-SEE-OPRY or visit opry.com. The Opry presents the best in country music live every week from Nashville, Tenn.  Celebrating nine decades of entertainment, the Opry can be heard at opry.com and wsmonline.com, Opry and WSM mobile apps, SiriusXM Satellite Radio, and its flagship home, 650 AM-WSM. The Grand Ole Opry is owned by Ryman Hospitality Properties (NYSE: RHP). For more information, visit opry.com.

Images are provided gratis for journalistic use for one year from date of release in conjunction with coverage pertaining to the event of the photo. All other uses require express written permission from Grand Ole Opry, LLC.

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For more information about Chris Young, contact:

Cindy Hunt / Monarch Publicity / 615-429-2203 / cindy.hunt@monarchpublicity.com 

Fount Lynch / Sony Music Nashville / 615-301-4373 / fount.lynch@sonymusic.com     

For more information about the Grand Ole Opry, contact:

Dixie Owen     615-440-6171 dixie@schmidtpr.com

Jessie Schmidt 615-491-7988 jessie@schmidtpr.com