One year ago today is a day that Scotty McCreery will never, ever forget. It was on December 3, 2023, when McCreery was surprised by Garth Brooks with an invitation to join the Grand Ole Opry.
“Merry Christmas. This is for you, I wrapped it myself,” Brooks said at the time, handing McCreery a large box but telling him not to open the present. “The gift inside isn’t here yet. Tonight is merely an invitation … On behalf of the Grand Ole Opry, and this is a Christmas present to the Grand Ole Opry, we would love for Scotty McCreery to be the newest member of the Opry.”
McCreery, who was performing as part of Opry Country Christmas, was stunned not only by the invitation, but by who was issuing it to him.
“Yes, I would love to,” McCreery replied. “But first and foremost, I grew up listening to your records, and you’re what got me wanting to do this for a living, and I didn’t think that dream would ever become a reality. But it is because of all of y’all sitting in this house tonight, so thank you very much. I could talk for hours. How long do we have tonight?
“When I got started doing this, people said, ‘What’s your goals?’ and I said, ‘One day I’d like to be a member of the Grand Ole Opry,’” he added, his voice cracking with emotion.
Photo Credit: Chris Hollo
Later, the North Carolina native said the invitation, one he dreamed about for years, didn’t seem real when it was happening.
“It felt like a dream,” McCreery told WNYT, “I’ve just got so much respect for the Opry, who they are, what they do, what they have done over the years. It’s the best place to sing in country music. One of the best stages in the country, if not the world. It had always been, in the back of my mind, a dream, like ‘Man, one day I would love to become a member here, because it means so much to me.’ And I thought about it on certain nights before, if I was singing, ‘Maybe tonight’s the night.’”
Ahead of his April 20 induction, by Josh Turner, McCreery shared what it meant to him to be an official member of the Grand Ole Opry.
“It feels pretty fantastic, to be honest,” McCreery told Everything Nash. “It’s a dream come true. It’s an invitation — you never know if you’re going to get that call, so it just means the world. And how it went down, with Garth Brooks being the one to do the invitation, and Josh Turner being the guy to induct me. In my wildest dreams, I couldn’t have thought up anything better. I’m just so thankful. It’s going to be a special, special night.”
Already a frequent performer at the Grand Ole Opry long before his invitation to join, the father of one said he was not expecting the invitation when it was finally given.
“My radar was up for probably every Opry performance for two years, just maybe thinking, hopeful,” McCreery said. “You never know if it will happen, but just hopeful. That night, I was like, ‘It’s a Christmas show. We’ll sing three Christmas songs, and we’ll be in bed by 9:30.’ Not even close to my radar. Not at all … They got me good. It was not anywhere close to my radar.”
Photo Credit: Chris Hollo
When McCreery was inducted, he thanked God, his family and others who have been part of his country music journey, also honoring his son, Avery, born in 2022.
“This is not possible without my Lord and Savior Jesus Christ,” he said. “I’ve been very blessed, and I feel like He’s blessed me to bless others, so thank you all for allowing me to have fun for a living, make up country songs. I appreciate you all being here. I’m so glad it worked out. I don’t know what else the heck I’d be doing for a living, so this is great.”
“My family, my friends, my beautiful bride, and my little boy, Avery … One day I want to be able to look at Avery — he might not understand tonight — but one day I’ll tell him, ‘Hey buddy, this was your daddy’s dream, and it came true,’” he continued. “So hopefully one day he’ll go chase his dreams as well, because one day they could come true … Thank you all so much. I love you and I’m so proud to be a member of the Grand Ole Opry.”
McCreery will return this year on Thursday, December 5, to perform as part of Opry Country Christmas. Find all of McCreery’s music and upcoming shows at ScottyMcCreery.com.