Sara Evans was officially inducted into the Grand Ole Opry family Saturday night (Oct. 7) during the Opry’s 98th Birthday weekend by Opry member Crystal Gayle.
“I want to thank the Opry for asking me to become a member because this is a country artist’s dream come true,” said Evans. “And I have been dreaming about this my entire life.”
The Opry’s longest-serving member, Bill Anderson, surprised Evans with her Opry invitation at her sold-out Ryman Auditorium concert in August celebrating the release of her anniversary project Sara Evans Still Restless – The 20 Year Celebration.
Evans is one of the most-played female artist at country radio in nearly the last two decades. Her five No. 1 singles include “No Place That Far,” “Suds In The Bucket, “A Real Fine Place To Start,” “Born to Fly” and “A Little Bit Stronger,” which spent 2 weeks in the top spot and was certified Platinum by the RIAA.
In addition to her new status as an Opry member, Evans has been honored with the prestigious Academy of Country Music Top Female vocalist accolade as well as numerous American Music Awards, Billboard Music Awards, Country Music Association, CMT and Grammy Awards nominations.
The next artist scheduled to be inducted into the Opry is Jon Pardi, who was invited to join the Opry during this year’s Stagecoach Festival. He’ll be officially inducted on Tuesday, Oct. 24.