Just 24 years old when he made his Grand Ole Opry debut, Blake Shelton has become a fixture at country music’s most sacred hallmark. So naturally, the “God’s Country” hitmaker, 48, jumped at the chance to host the Opry’s 100th-anniversary celebration. “I mean a hundred years of the Grand Old Opry, duh, of course, I’m going to jump at hosting that,” he recently told American Songwriter. At one point, Blake Shelton took a break from his hosting duties during NBC’s Opry 100: A Live Celebration event to join Trace Adkins and Clint Black on a trip down memory lane.
Trace Adkins, Clint Black Team Up With Blake Shelton For ‘Opry 100’ Performance
Last year, Shelton announced that fellow country star Trace Adkins would make a few special appearances on his Friends & Heroes tour. During Wednesday’s (March 19) Opry 100: A Live Celebration event, ’90s country legend Clint Black joined the tourmates onstage. Together, Blake Shelton, Trace Adkins and Clint Black delivered a medley of nostalgic ‘90s country hits.
Kicking off the performance, Black delivered a rousing rendition of his 1997 hit “Nothin’ But The Taillights.” Adkins followed with a performance of his first No. 1 single, “(This Ain’t) No Thinkin’ Thing.)” Then came Shelton with a tribute to the late Joe Diffie. The night’s host had the entire Opry on their feet with an energetic performance of Diffie’s 1994 hit “Pickup Man.”
Arriving on scene with his 2001 debut single “Austin,” Shelton’s career certainly benefited from the transformative ’90s country era. Adkins and Black, both 63, were mainstays of the genre during that decade. Black broke through in February 1989 with his debut single, “A Better Man,” from his first album, Killing Time. Seven years later, Adkins released his 1996 debut album, Dreamin’ Out Loud.
Blake Shelton Remembers His Own Opry Invitation
Ahead of his Opry Live hosting duties, Blake Shelton reminisced on the moment he became a member of country music’s most sacrosanct club. Ironically, his invitation involved Trace Adkins, who joined him onstage for a medley of ’90s hits with Clint Black.
On Sept. 28, 2010, Shelton stood beside Adkins onstage after the pair performed their song “Hillbilly Bone” at an event celebrating the Grand Ole Opry’s reopening following a historic flood. That’s when the “You’re Gonna Miss This” hitmaker asked his younger colleague to read a tweet.
“Hey, y’all know how Blake’s always sitting and he’s famous for doing the Twitter thing. You know, he’s always sending tweets,” Adkins said to the crowd. “Well, the Grand Ole Opry sent Blake a tweet tonight. Here, look.”
Out loud, Shelton read, “@blakeshelton, you’re invited to join the Grand Ole Opry. See you on 10/23/2010!”
Beaming, the “Boys Round Here” singer said, “I know a lot of guys that want this as bad as I have wanted it. And, uh, forget them for now!”
He continued, “I don’t know what I ever did in the last year or so to finally turn Nashville’s head a little bit. But whatever I did, man, I’m loving this. This moment right here, hands down, is the highlight of my career.”
