Nashville is a special city known for country music, and a man named George D. Hay helped make it that way. A long time ago, he started a radio show called the WSM Barn Dance. Over time, it grew into something bigger—the Grand Ole Opry. For 100 years, the Opry has been a huge deal for singers. It’s like a golden ticket for anyone who wants to be famous in country music, and it’s welcomed all kinds of music, like folk, gospel, bluegrass, and more.
The Opry first went on the air in 1925, and to celebrate its 100th birthday, a big TV event called Opry 100: A Live Celebration happened. Lots of country stars joined in, including Brad Paisley. He sang a beautiful song called “Whiskey Lullaby” with another singer, Alison Krauss, taking everyone back to the 1990s with their voices.
Brad Paisley isn’t 100 years old, of course, but the Opry means a lot to him. He first performed there in 1999, and it was a big moment in his life. Less than a year later, he got his first super popular song, “He Didn’t Have to Be,” which everyone loved. Then, in 2001, he became an official member of the Opry family. Singing “Whiskey Lullaby” at the celebration felt extra special to him because of all those memories.
Fans watching online couldn’t stop talking about how much they loved seeing Brad celebrate the Opry’s big history. They left happy comments about his performance.
Brad also shared some cool things about himself. Even though he’s a country music star, his favorite American band isn’t country—it’s the Eagles! He thinks they’re amazing because they mix country sounds with rock music. He loves their album Desperado because it feels so country, and then they made something totally different like Hotel California. He says it’s like mixing cactuses and rock, which he thinks is awesome.
When it comes to country songs, Brad picked one that’s not super famous but really special to him: “Elephant” by Jason Isbell. The first time he heard it, he was shocked because it’s about a woman with cancer, and it uses strong words in a way that’s not mean but powerful. He likes that it’s different and doesn’t follow the usual rules of country music.
Brad keeps making music and performing. His last big album, Love and War, came out in 2017 with fun songs like “One Beer Can” and “Heaven South.” He’s still a big part of country music today!
