Carrie Underwood Surprises Crystal Gayle With an Invitation to Join the Grand Ole Opry

Posted on November 16, 2016

Carrie Underwood surprised the crowd at the Grand Ole Opry last night (Nov. 15) when she joined Crystal Gayle onstage to sing Crystal’s No. 1 hit, “Don’t It Make My Brown Eyes Blue.” But that wasn’t the only surprise Carrie had up her sleeve. After finishing the duet, Carrie invited Crystal to become a member of the Opry.

“You are an inspiration to so many of us,” said Carrie. “You are important to country music, and you are important to the Opry, which is why I was asked tonight to ask you if you would like to join our Opry family officially.”

After Crystal accepted Carrie’s invitation with a warm hug, she said, “I have always felt like I was a member of the family and this is just so special.”

Crystal made her Opry debut nearly 50 years ago on the Ryman Auditorium stage, singing the country classic “Ribbon of Darkness” at age 16. Crystal will be formally inducted into the Opry on Jan. 21, 2017, by her sister, Loretta Lynn.

photo by Chris Hollo/Grand Ole Opry

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