GRAND OLE OPRY REVEALS OPRY NEXTSTAGE CLASS OF 2023

Featuring Ashley Cooke, Jackson Dean, ERNEST, Chapel Hart, Corey Kent,
Kameron Marlowe, Megan Moroney & Ian Munsick

"Opry NextStage Live" Concert to Officially Introduce the Class of 2023 on May 10 in
The Colony, Texas Preceding the 58th Academy of Country Music Awards
in Neighboring Frisco, Texas

Tickets Available for Pre-Sale Starting This Thursday
with General On-Sale Friday HERE

The Grand Ole Opry revealed the newest lineup of artists in its Opry NextStage program, which spotlights country music’s rising talent on the Opry stage and across Opry Entertainment Group platforms. The Opry NextStage Class of 2023 features eight acts: Ashley Cooke, Jackson Dean, ERNEST, Chapel Hart, Corey Kent, Kameron Marlowe, Megan Moroney and Ian Munsick.

The Opry will officially introduce the new NextStage class with an "Opry NextStage Live" concert at Lava Cantina on May 10 at 2:30 p.m. in The Colony, Texas, preceding the 58th Academy of Country Music Awards on May 11 in neighboring Frisco, Texas. Tickets will be available through an exclusive pre-sale this Thursday, April 13 at 10 a.m. CT. General public on-sale will begin Friday, April 14 at 10 a.m. CT HERE.

"Opry NextStage is a testament to the Grand Ole Opry’s longstanding reputation as a trusted curator in Country music and its commitment to nurturing and showcasing exceptional new talent, as it has done for almost a century” said Jordan Pettit, director of artist relations & programming strategy of Opry Entertainment Group. “This year's new artist class, much like previous classes, showcases exceptional creativity across various musical styles, and we are excited to carry on the Opry tradition by introducing this exciting group of rising artists to fans.”

For the remainder of the year, the new NextStage artists will receive dedicated support through featured original content, Opry performances and support across select Opry Entertainment platforms, including the Opry, WSM Radio and Circle Network.

Since 2019, the NextStage program has introduced new talent to the country music fan base and featured artists such as Riley Green, Parker McCollum, Tenille Townes and Lainey Wilson, who all went on to earn ACM New Male and New Female Artist of the Year trophies the year following their NextStage inclusion. 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 the Grand Ole Opry
The Grand Ole Opry presents the best in country music live every week from Nashville, Tenn. The Opry can be heard at opry.com and wsmonline.com, Opry and WSM mobile apps, SiriusXM, and its flagship home, 650 AM-WSM, with Saturday night shows seen on the Circle Network. For more information, visit opry.com.

Superstar entertainer Blake Shelton will return to the road in 2023 for his headlining Back to the Honky Tonk Tour, kicking off on Feb. 16 in Lincoln, NE. Set to join the lineup are reigning ACM Female Artist / CMA Female Vocalist of the year Carly Pearce and rising artist Jackson Dean. Tickets for the 18-date run will go on sale Friday, Sept. 16 and Friday, Sept. 23 (PURCHASE HERE). See below for timing and more information.

“There’s nothing like getting out on the road and taking music to the fans,” Shelton said. “I feel just as excited to step on stage and perform as I did the very first time. I know my tour mates Carly Pearce and Jackson Dean feel the same, and I can’t wait for y’all to get to know them better. Break out the hats and boots, ‘cause we’re going back to the honky tonk!”

Shelton has ranked among Pollstar’s Top 200 North American Tours nearly every year for the past decade. His Back to the Honky Tonk Tour follows consecutive Friends And Heroes outings, each of which earned widespread critical praise. The Spokesman-Review lauded it as “a showcase for Shelton’s natural charisma, talent and humor,” while The Seattle Times declared, “Blake Shelton knows how to show folks a great time.”

The beloved recording artist is indeed going back to the honky tonk with his latest single, “No Body” (LISTEN HERE). “No Body” became the most added song at country radio upon impact last month. The song is “soaked in ‘90s country vibes” (Billboard), and its official music video features line-dancing at a country bar – complete with Shelton sporting his signature mullet

For fans who can’t wait until 2023: Shelton will perform “No Body” tomorrow night (9/8) on NBC’s The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon. He will then take the hallowed stage at the Grand Ole Opry on Saturday, Sept. 10. Visit HEREto locate additional tour dates through the end of the year.

Back to the Honky Tonk Tour Dates:
February 16 // Lincoln, NE // Pinnacle Bank Arena
February 17 // Sioux Falls, SD // Denny Sanford PREMIER Center
^February 18 // St. Paul, MN // Xcel Energy Center
^February 23 // Greensboro, NC // Greensboro Coliseum
*February 24 // Knoxville, TN // Thompson-Boling Arena
February 25 // Birmingham, AL // Legacy Arena at the BJCC
March 2 // Jacksonville, FL // VyStar Veterans Memorial Arena
^March 3 // Tampa, FL // Amalie Arena
March 4 // Orlando, FL // Amway Center
March 9 // Louisville, KY // KFC Yum! Center
March 10 // Columbus, OH // Nationwide Arena
^March 11 // Indianapolis, IN // Gainbridge Fieldhouse
March 16 // Little Rock, AR // Simmons Bank Arena
March 17 // Oklahoma City, OK // Paycom Center
^March 18 // Kansas City, MO // T-Mobile Center
March 23 // Cincinnati, OH // Heritage Bank Center
^March 24 // Pittsburgh, PA // PPG Paints Arena
*March 25 // Buffalo, NY // KeyBank Center

TICKETS WILL GO ON SALE FRIDAY, SEPT. 16 AT 10:00 A.M. LOCAL TIME.

*FOR DATES DENOTED WITH A STAR: TICKETS WILL GO ON SALE FRIDAY, SEPT. 16 AT 12:00 P.M. LOCAL TIME.

^FOR DATES DENOTED WITH A CARET: TICKETS WILL GO ON SALE FRIDAY, SEPT. 23 AT 10:00 A.M. LOCAL TIME.

American Express® Card Members can purchase tickets for Lincoln, Sioux Falls, Knoxville, Birmingham, Jacksonville, Orlando, Louisville, Columbus, Little Rock, Oklahoma City, Cincinnati, and Buffalo before the general public beginning Tuesday, September 13 at 10:00 a.m. local time through Thursday, September 15 at 10:00 p.m. local time.

^American Express® Card Members can purchase tickets for St. Paul, Greensboro, Tampa, Indianapolis, Kansas City, and Pittsburgh before the general public beginning Tuesday, September 20 at 10:00 a.m. local time through Thursday, September 22 at 10:00 p.m. local time.

About Blake Shelton
Blake Shelton continues to add to his impressive resume of music with the release of his latest single “No Body.” The song comes on the heels of his album Body Language Deluxe, which features his Platinum-selling 28th country radio chart-topper, “Happy Anywhere” (featuring Gwen Stefani). Prior to “Happy Anywhere,” Shelton and Stefani celebrated a 2x Platinum, multi-week No. 1 with “Nobody But You,” which has now topped 480 million global streams. The single made its TV debut on the 62nd GRAMMY Awards, where Shelton was also nominated for Best Country Solo Performance for his hit “God’s Country.” The 4x Platinum smash earned the 2019 CMA Award and 2020 ACM Award for Single of the Year. As his award wins approach the hundreds, Shelton remains a force in the industry with ACM (5), AMA (3), CMA (10), CMT (11) and People’s Choice Awards (7), among many others.

As a coach for the Emmy Award-winning television show The Voice, Shelton is an eight-time champion. He and Carson Daly recently revealed that they would be teaming up to executive produce and star in a new celebrity game show, Barmageddon, to air on USA Network. The Grand Ole Opry member also remains focused on his Ole Red partnership with Ryman Hospitality, with locations currently in Tishomingo, Nashville, Gatlinburg and Orlando. A noted humanitarian, Shelton has helped raise millions of dollars for children’s hospitals, disaster relief organizations, food banks and more in his home state of Oklahoma and throughout the entire country.

For more information, please visit www.BlakeShelton.com

About Carly Pearce
Fiercely rooted in the classics, the girl who left her Kentucky home and high school at 16 to take a job at Dollywood has grown into a woman who embraces the genre’s forward progression. Confident in what she wants to say, the committed songwriter has resonated with fans and caught the attention of music critics from Billboard, NPR, Rolling Stone, The New York Times touting 29: WRITTEN IN STONE (Big Machine Records) on their 2021 year-end Best of Lists. Carly performed the collection in its entirety throughout her sold-out THE 29 TOUR and is currently on Kenny Chesney’s HERE AND NOW TOUR 2022. Lighting a fire with her debut album EVERY LITTLE THING and the PLATINUM-certified history making title track, Carly’s 2X PLATINUM-certified “I Hope You’re Happy Now" with Lee Brice won both the CMA Musical Event and ACM Music Event, plus ACM Single of the Year. She picked up her second consecutive ACM Awards Music Event of the Year with Ashley McBryde duet “Never Wanted To Be That Girl,” Carly’s third No. 1 and the third duet between two solo women to top Country Airplay, dating to the Billboard chart’s January 1990 inception. Knowing it’s time to move on, she offers final reckoning of a relationship that failed and a new set of standards for the next time she falls in love with the project’s final single “What He Didn’t Do,” co-written alongside Ashley Gorley and Emily Shackleton. Recently filming “Carly Pearce Inside 29: Written In Stone – Live from Music City” with acclaimed director Shaun Silva at Nashville’s Marathon Music Works, her surprise duet with Wynonna Judd aired on ABC’s CMA Fest special and CARLY PEARCE: TWO NIGHTS AT THE RYMAN October 26 & 27 mark her first headline dates at the iconic venue. Returning to host ACM Honors on August 24, the reigning ACM/CMA Awards Female Artist/Vocalist of the Year and Grand Ole Opry member (fittingly invited by Dolly Parton) is clearly living out her childhood dream. For dates and more, visit carlypearce.com.

About Jackson Dean
Odenton, Maryland native Jackson Dean is a singer/songwriter known for his old school, gritty style of Country. Mature beyond his years, Jackson has a daring and carefree spirit, having moved out at 18 years old to live in a cinderblock, concrete floor, one-room shack on the back of his grandfather’s property with no heat and no plumbing. Bringing that same sense of adventure to his songwriting, Jackson writes both independently and alongside outliers like Luke Dick, classic writers like Casey Beathard and everyone in between. Following the release of his debut collection JACKSON DEAN, Jackson continues to show people how real music can be with atmospheric, musically forward album GREENBROKE out now via Big Machine Records. Featured on the soundtrack for Netflix’s The Ice Road and in an episode of Paramount Network’s Yellowstone, the stomping “Don’t Come Lookin’” is making its mark as his first single at Country radio. Following an early career of local performances in his hometown, Jackson has joined bills with superstar acts like Toby Keith, Miranda Lambert, Brantley Gilbert, Kane Brown, Jake Owen and Brothers Osborne. For the latest information, visit jacksondeanmusic.com.

Grand Ole Opry Reveals the Opry NextStage Class of 2023 Featuring Eight Rising Artists

Blake Shelton Returns to the Road in 2023 for "Back to the Honky Tonk Tour"