Fan Trip To Opry: Meet Keith Urban

To celebrate the holiday season, the Grand Ole Opry is giving fans the opportunity to meet Keith Urban.

Throughout the month of December, fans of the Opry's Facebook page can sign up to win a prize package including a trip for two to Nashville, courtesy of Southwest Airlines, two nights stay at the Gaylord Opryland Resort and a pair of tickets to see, and meet, Keith Urban when he performs live at the Grand Ole Opry on a date to be determined in 2011!

The Grand Prize winner for the "Win a Meet & Greet with Keith Urban Online Sweepstakes" will be announced on January 3, 2011 and will redeem their prize in 2011. Additionally, the Opry will randomly select 50 winners from the contest entries to receive a pair of 2011 Opry tickets. Winners of those tickets will also be announced on January 3, 2011.

PS: While you're on the Opry's site, check out their new mobile app too. Our music's heritage at the state of the art.

The Grand Ole Opry Has Been On MySpace For Years

.. but, this is something new: a solid hour, simulcast online, right from the stage of the venerable venue.

Sony Prep: Montgomery Gentry Join The Opry

Eddie and Troy have become the newest members of the Grand Ole Opry.

They were inducted last night, and you can get the whole story - including audio clips - just by clicking here.

False Economies And Smart Moves

Keith Bilbrey will no longer be on the air at WSM-AM and will no longer serve as a Grand Ole Opry announcer.

Banks started cutting tellers and replacing them with ATMs at least 15 years ago so I get the concept of improving customer/listener service and reallocating budgets to things that matter to users, but it seems to me that people are radio's non-duplicatable branded assets which bring the brand story to life in human form in ways no other radio station can copy or take away.

A strong personality is a poster child for your brand, adding value. Bilbrey is now a poster child for Gaylord Entertainment in what seems to me to be all the wrong ways for the people of my age who listen to AM radio.

Meanwhile, Gaylord's Grand Ole Opry pairs with American Idol next week in yet another effort to contemporize the Opry's image. Can Carrie and Brad's personas wallpaper over the crack left by Keith?

A Nice Review Of Robert K. Oerman's New Book

Terri Schlichenmeyer writes of Oerman's latest:

"For going on 100 years, the Grand Ole Opry has been home to dozens of talented country music performers. Becoming a member is by invitation only, and while it might seem as if they’re joining a double-secret Club, the truth is that new inductees are being enfolded into a family."

Anyone who talks on the radio needs lots of tales to tell about the impact of our music, and this book is full of great ones.

Carrie Underwood To Join The Grand Ole Opry

Underwood will become the newest member of the Grand Ole Opry after she was invited Saturday to join the long-running country music show. Randy Travis extended the invitation as Underwood finished "I Told You So," a Travis song that Underwood recorded on her latest album. Her official induction will be May 10.

The former "American Idol" winner sold 7 million copies of her debut album "Some Hearts" and shot to superstardom almost overnight with hits including "Before He Cheats" and "Jesus, Take the Wheel." Her follow-up album, "Carnival Ride," came out last fall and has produced two No. 1s: "So Small" and her current single "All-American Girl."

Underwood said backstage that the invitation was a complete surprise. "I felt like I just won something amazing all over again," she said. "The Opry has meant so much to me growing up, seeing people perform and wanting to do that."

Underwood, 25, becomes the latest young hitmaker to become an Opry member in recent years, joining Brad Paisley, Josh Turner and Dierks Bentley.

"Carrie has a heartfelt connection to what the Opry stands for," General Manager Pete Fisher said. "She shares the values we espouse at the Opry."

The Opry, established in 1925, is the longest continuously running radio show in the country. Legends such as Hank Williams Sr. and Patsy Cline were once members of the cast, and contemporary stars including Alan Jackson and Martina McBride are part of today's show, which airs every Friday and Saturday night on WSM-AM. Opry management says artists are invited to join based on their commitment to the show, as measured by the frequency of their guest appearances, and their overall contribution to country music.