JELLY ROLL HOSTS SOLD OUT "OPRY NEXTSTAGE LIVE"
WITH PERFORMANCES BY 2023 OPRY NEXTSTAGE CLASS
Ashley Cooke, Jackson Dean, ERNEST, Chapel Hart, Corey Kent,
Kameron Marlowe, Megan Moroney & Ian Munsick
Help Kick Off ACM Awards Week in Texas
Photo Credit: Catherine Powell |
Yesterday, May 10, the Grand Ole Opry and Opry NextStage hosted a sold-out crowd for "Opry NextStage Live" at Lava Cantina in The Colony, Texas. The show served as an official introduction of the Opry NextStage Class with performances by 2023 members Ashley Cooke, Jackson Dean, ERNEST, Chapel Hart, Corey Kent, Kameron Marlowe, Megan Moroney and Ian Munsick. Genre-bending singer/songwriter and three-time CMT Music Awards-winner, Jelly Roll, served as the concert’s MC.
The festivities preceded tonight’s 58th Academy of Country Music Awards taking place in neighboring Frisco, Texas and a portion of proceeds from the concert benefitted ACM Lifting Lives. Fan’s unable to attend can WATCH performances on the Opry's YouTube Channel HERE.
Since 2019, the NextStage program has showcased artists including Riley Green, Parker McCollum, Tenille Townes and Lainey Wilson, who all went on to earn ACM New Male and Female Artist of the Year trophies the year following their NextStage inclusion. This year, Wilson received the most nods for a female artist with six nominations including Female Artist of the Year. Other NextStage alumni include Priscilla Block, BRELAND, Callista Clark, Travis Denning, Tegan Marie, Niko Moon, Restless Road, Jameson Rodgers, Elvie Shane, Nate Smith, Morgan Wade, Hailey Whitters and Yola.
About Opry NextStage
Developed by Opry Entertainment Group and the Grand Ole Opry, Opry NextStage invests in the discovery of new artists with featured original content, an Opry performance and support across the brand’s platforms to help tell their stories and expand their audiences. For nearly a century, the Grand Ole Opry has created opportunities for artists throughout the Country music spectrum to make strong connections with fans and fellow artists – on its stages and across its channels – from terrestrial radio to network television to the digital universe and to Circle Network. The Opry has helped launch the careers of countless artists, including Roy Acuff, Garth Brooks, Patsy Cline, George Jones, Loretta Lynn, Bill Monroe and Dolly Parton, to name a few. Award-winning group Little Big Town made its very first public appearance as a group on the Opry stage in 1999, and Carrie Underwood cemented a place in Country music with her first Opry appearance less than two weeks after having been named American Idol in 2005. Audiences around the world look to the Opry to showcase the very best in Country music, and it was with this tradition that Opry NextStage was created.
About ACM Lifting Lives®
ACM Lifting Lives® is the philanthropic partner of the Academy of Country Music dedicated to improving lives through the power of music. We harness the strength of the Country Music community to provide aid in times of need, with a focus on health-related initiatives. With generous donations and the support of artists and fans, ACM Lifting Lives has funded national music therapy programs serving various mental and physical health organizations. Recipients include patients at children’s hospitals and other healthcare facilities, recovering veterans, people with Williams syndrome, and individuals with mental illness. For more information, please visit www.ACMLiftingLives.org.