Grammy legend Ringo Starr received an invitation to make his Grand Ole Opry debut during his sold-out performance at the historic Ryman Auditorium, where he headlined the first of two nights showcasing his new country album, “Look Up.” The Academy Award winner and two-time Rock and Roll Hall of Fame inductee was surprised onstage with the invitation by his friend and Opry member Emmylou Harris.
Starr will make his Opry debut on February 21 at the Grand Ole Opry House as part of the Opry’s ongoing 100th Anniversary celebration.
Harris surprised Starr onstage to welcome him to Nashville and asked if he would come back again next month to play the Grand Ole Opry for the first time. When Harris asked, Starr pretended to think about it and, with his trademark wit, teasingly replied, “When is that, July?” Harris answered, “February,” to which he enthusiastically replied, “I’d love to. It’s an honor and a pleasure. Thank you.”
“What an honor that after all the extraordinary music he has made and all the incredible history he’s been a part of, Ringo Starr will be making his Opry debut during this, the Opry’s milestone 100th year,” said Opry Executive Producer Dan Rogers. “It’s going to be a night like no other.”
Starr’s lifelong love of country music has been apparent and celebrated throughout his illustrious career. He performed and wrote numerous country and country-tinged songs throughout his years with The Beatles (i.e. “Act Naturally,” “What Goes On,” “Don’t Pass Me By”) as well as with the earlier Rory Storm and The Hurricanes, and recorded a country album, Beaucoups of Blues, in 1970 as his second solo album. His love of Country and the Blues led him to try and emigrate from London to Texas while still a teen, after reading that Lightnin’ Hopkins lived in Houston.
The artist’s new album comes after a chance meeting with T Bone Burnett at an event in Los Angeles in 2022 (the two had first met in the 1970s), where Starr asked Burnett to write a song for an EP he was recording. Taking the task to heart, Burnett returned with nine songs, all in a country vein, which happily put Starr on a path to record Look Up.
For a full Opry 100 schedule, tickets, and more info on the Opry’s anniversary year, visit opry.com
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