Chris Young Is Just a Ho Hum Pick for the Grand Ole Opry’s Newest Member
Chris Young is the newest invitee to the Grand Ole Opry? No offense the the feather-haired one, but they may as well have invited a fern. It’s not necessarily a bad pick since Chris Young isn’t enough of a superstar to shirk his duties like so many of the sainted institution’s recent invitees from the mainstream stock pond, and he’s not such an unsanctimonious bastard like Sam Hunt or Luke Bryan that it would have resulted in sheer pandemonium among the population of country purists. But Chris Young just doesn’t elicit a change in the pulse rate enough either way to make the new invitation do what all new invitations to the Grand Ole Opry must: help resuscitate the waning attention for an aging institution.
Look, traditionalists are not going to get a new inductee like Dailey & Vincent or Crystal Gayle every time, nor should they. The Grand Ole Opry is for everyone, and must stay relevant in some respects. Hell if they had inducted Chris Young during his cowboy hat years when he was being produced by Buddy Cannon and James Stroud, you probably wouldn’t hear gripes go up from anyone. But Chris Young’s last record I’m Comin’ Over—bless its heart—might be the most generic country album ever.
Young’s willingness to be malleable to whatever his label wants him to be has resulted in a faceless, whitewashed, emasculated, shell of a man that is nothing more than a vehicle to deliver B-level Music Row co-writes. I don’t mean to be rude, but it’s true.
One of the few things Chris Young has done right in the last few years is to stay on the bad side of über DJ Bobby Bones (the two continue to have a protracted beef). But Bobby Bones is right about Chris Young in the respect that if you walk up to ten random people on the street, even in Nashville, nine of them couldn’t tell you who Chris Young is, or name a Chris Young song. This is despite having seven #1’s. He’s country music’s most forgettable star, with a generic name, and an indistinguishable style and features. That’s not what the Opry needs to make a splash.
Of course it’s easy for us in the peanut gallery to chirp away and second guess any decision the Opry makes when the Opry is tasked to balance a dozen different factors in deciding how to fill unfillable shoes. They could have picked worse, but there are always so many better names the could have benefited from an Opry invitation, or the Opry could have benefited from inviting. Is Miranda Lambert not in Nashville enough these days to garner consideration? How about William Michael Morgan or Mo Pitney, who both have shown great commitment to the Opry, and both could be a nucleus to build a new generation of Opry stars that could find stardom divested from the morass of corporate radio?
And as always needs to be pointed out at these times, perhaps the Opry should commit to the people who have committed to the Opry. Bluegrass phenom turned mainstream star Carly Pearce played the Opry 21 times in 2016. William Michael Morgan played it 16 times. Mo Pitney played 12 times. Ray Scott and Scotty McCreery played 11 times, and Jim Lauderdale and Holly Williams played 10 times. All of these picks would feel infinitely better for both the artists and the Opry than Chris Young. How many times did Chris Young play the Grand Ole Opry in 2016? A big whopping zero.
But he’s safe, so he gets the nod. The problem is, safety is not what’s going to get the Opry to buzz beyond the droves of bused in tourists who make up today’s Opry audiences. And frankly, neither will a lot of the older stars past their prime. The Opry membership needs an infusion of new talent to create a signature stamp or sound to define what the show will be for a new generation if it is to survive and stay relevant—young, hungry traditionalists and contemporaries who can re-instill the Opry’s place as not just a showcase of talent, but a builder of it, and a discovery mechanism for audiences.
August 31, 2017 @ 9:09 am
I had great hopes for Chris Young when he first arrived on the scene. His cover of Keith Whitley’s “I’m Over You” on his Voices EP was terrific. He has, however, turned out to be a tremendous disappointment as an artist.
August 31, 2017 @ 11:22 am
How? I think he has amazing talent esp at his shows. He is often overlooked
August 31, 2017 @ 11:58 am
He sold out and started recording generic pop instead of actual country music. He does have amazing talent but his material — especially his more recent choices — leaves a lot to be desired
August 31, 2017 @ 10:10 pm
I mostly stopped listening to country radio when I heard Chris new single “Losing Sleep”, it disgusted me and upset me that much. I have never ever been so disappointed by an artist as I am Chris. I was a big big fan. I can never get enough of “Voices”, “Neon”, and all his other really country efforts. I figured he sold out with the Im Comin Over album due to the nature of the music being very generic sounding pop country, but i thought to myself, hes just doing this for one album to get some airplay kinda like Joe Nichols did a few years back with “Yeah!” and “Sunny & 75” and then he’d go back to his old music as Joe did. But I was in denial. Chris has sold out as hard as Dierks Bentley, another great country musician that sold his soul to the corporate nashville machine to make R&B infused pop country, just to “fit in” with the crowd.
If you check out the “Losing Sleep” music video, you will see that tons of people in the comments are chewing Chris out about this new sellout sound. And on his facebook as well. I hope people bombard Chris about this bullshit and make him listen. I hear from others that he actually reads comments like Jake Owen does. I think he is going to lose alot of his loyal fans over this garbage, he sure lost me. I hope Jake Owen liked what i said about his new shit album and how he sold out, its funny because he actually “liked” my comment on facebook! LOL.
August 31, 2017 @ 9:12 am
I like a decent amount of Chris Young’s songs, mostly his older stuff, so I am pleased with his selection. Honestly, I am surprised that he wasn’t already in the Grand Ole Opry.
I haven’t heard much from Young lately. Has he released any new material?
August 31, 2017 @ 11:24 am
Yes he has, and you’re lucky you haven’t heard it
August 31, 2017 @ 1:49 pm
His last 2 albums each had 3 number 1 songs on them. A lot of people do not agree with you.
August 31, 2017 @ 4:09 pm
Sam Hunt has #1’s. So your point is invalid
August 31, 2017 @ 10:13 pm
Yes. Its absolute trash. You would never know its Chris Young unless someone told you. He makes nothing but full blown pop country now, not the neo-traditional music he used to put out.
August 31, 2017 @ 9:18 am
I think I’ve commented on every article you’ve written about Chris Young.
Anyway, I used to love the guy, back in the “cowboy hat years when he was being produced by Buddy Cannon and James Stroud.” There was good shit on those albums. Not blow-your-mind classic country level good, but good nonetheless.
But for the past couple years, Chris Young has grown to occupy the same space in my mind as Randy Houser: guys who were born to sing country music, but waste their god-given country voices on poppy bullshit.
I get it, you bow to trends, you make more money. But why can’t any of these guys (Young, Houser, and whoever else) look at things LONG TERM? The mainstream audience is fickle; they move on to the next big thing week to week and leave last week’s star in the dust. But the traditional fans? We tend to stick around. We follow artists our (or their) entire lives, even when they drop out of the spotlight.
Maybe one day these guys will open their eyes and start making good music again. I’ll be there for them, but they should be careful, not all of their old fans will.
August 31, 2017 @ 2:11 pm
I agree with you 100% I simply cannot stand the “Bro-country” crap artists like Florida-Georgia line, Jason Aldean, Luke Bryan latest of Keith Urban (I like his older stuff) Eric Church (Again, I liked his older stuff not the newer stuff) I realize country music has to evolve but I simply can’t stand to listen to it. I liked Rhett Akins but his son, forget it. I do like Darius Rucker but he’s 1 out of 100 Even Kenny Chesney Tim McGraw and Brad Paisley have disappointed me as of late and I was a big fan of all 3 of those guys at one time. I’ll tell you someone who I absolutely love to the point that I’ve got a major crush and that’s Teea Goins I know she’s played the Opry but I don’t know how many times. What about Mark Chesnutt, Tracy Lawerence, Doug Stone Tracy Byrd or Clay Walker how come they were never invited to join the opry? Even George Strait has never been invited and that’s criminal.
September 1, 2017 @ 7:12 am
Actually, George Strait was invited. He declined the invitation because he felt he wouldn’t be able to honor the commitment required since he isn’t around Nashville enough to perform there. Moot point now with so many artists not playing when they are members, but back in his day, it was a huge deal to be invited and had to honor the commitment. So George was asked to be a member, but he politely declined.
August 31, 2017 @ 2:53 pm
The problem isn’t them (Chris & Houser), they play whatever their label asks them to. It’s a shame that he sold out, but the real shame is that Bobby Bones has a point. Ouch!
August 31, 2017 @ 9:25 am
good thoughts but I have to say this is a good decision.
he’s made good traditional stuff and still had some hits.
he’s an easy way for both sides of the aisle to be happy.
in a lot of ways, even if he isn’t remarkably famous he’s a good way to please a wide variety of listeners and fans.
maybe he won’t save the opry but they might save him and give his career the kick in the pants it needs to make good music like more Whitley covers like he did before.
August 31, 2017 @ 9:26 am
I agree he’s a nice enough guy and he has a good voice with several hits, but someone like Miranda Lambert would make a more dynamic relevant choice. I’d love for Jason Isbell and Sunny Sweeney to be asked (Sunny just celebrated her 50th Opry performance) but alas the powers that be do not celebrate the Americana/Texas artists the way they could with membership.
August 31, 2017 @ 10:20 am
I’m quite surprised that Miranda Lambert isn’t already a member, but all three of the artists you mentioned are certainly worthy.
August 31, 2017 @ 9:34 am
I will disagree here with you here Trigger. You at times are critical of a narrow window that these artists are forced into by Music Row labels, and I agree. With that said, your SCM taste buds are narrow. It seems that you and some others window of expectations are Johnny Cash and Waylon both of which never sustained membership in the Opry. I Love Cash And Waylon Jennings, but You are wrong here. Chris Young has some of the best country pipes that have come out in years. Chris is one of the few shining lights left in traditional country, and his unreleased tracks imo are his best work. And he is well well respected by his peers both in the mainstream, Texas Country and independents a like. And for people that never heard of Him? You don’t listen to country. Nothing wrong with that, but he has been out for over 10 years and his been pretty darn consistent traditional artist with the exception of his last album. Has his music transitioned more pop? Yes, but that doesn’t mean he cannot sing. I assure you also he would be a hell of alot better member than Blake Shelton. I love Mo Pitney and William Michael Morgan, but they haven’t quite earned their stripes like Chris Young. Both will be excellant picks in the future. The others will be good options as well. But Saying Chris Young isn’t deserving over the others is ludicrous. Chris Young is not the problem with Nasvhille, its the bro country tards. And find me a current artist that is a better true country singer? If there are, they aren’t that many. Love your work Trigger, but we will agree to disagree here.
August 31, 2017 @ 9:43 am
I appreciate your feedback and perspective. But just for the record, I never said Chris Young couldn’t sing. I believe my tastes ranges way beyond just Waylon and Cash, and I think I’ve illustrated that over the years, but whatever. We all have different tastes. My main concern with any of these new Opry members is will they pay their dues? Will they commit to the Opry like the Opry has committed to them? And seeing how scores of individuals who played the Opry 10 or more times last year got passed over for Chris while Chris played zero times makes this concerning, while his indistinguishable style and personality will make this pick an afterthought in a matter of weeks. All that said, there would have been many worse picks.
August 31, 2017 @ 9:44 am
Sadly Chris Young has been playing from the generic Shelton play book for a while. His new single is garbage. I fear the old, actual artist Chris, is gone for good.
August 31, 2017 @ 10:19 am
Spot on with this comment. Used to enjoy his older stuff.
August 31, 2017 @ 10:38 am
I think a lot of folks are angry at me for this opinion (especially on Facebook) because they’re fans of the old Chris Young. As I went out of my way to say here, I would have had no problem inducting the 2009 Chris Young in the the Opry. But that guy is long gone. I don’t want to go back and revise history, or take away the joy someone feels for his older records, but all you have to do is hear his latest single “Losing Sleep” to understand the machine got the best of him, and he’s now just another generic pop star in country music. I understand this is a disappointing development. I wish this wasn’t the case, but he’s now so indistinguishable from all the other stars, most country fans literally don’t know who he is.
I don’t hate Chris Young. I don’t think this is a bad pick, I just don’t think it makes the kind of waves you need an Opry pick to make to get people’s attention, while he hasn’t shown enough commitment to the institution to deserve it.
August 31, 2017 @ 9:34 am
Never heard of him.
August 31, 2017 @ 1:48 pm
I’d give drinking me lonely, flowers, dashboard, and neon a listen. All really solid country songs.
August 31, 2017 @ 9:39 am
That’s right, heard Young was about to drop a CD. I’m getting sick of these invites coming around album releases. Again not to beat a dead horses but (besides Crystal Gale) no solo females since Carrie in 2008. We have enough generic male artists-thank you very much. Many female artists to choose from. Sunny Sweeney just played her 50th show. The current new crop of members (besides Carrie) has been so blatant in their lack of commitment that it is shameful.
August 31, 2017 @ 9:46 am
I like Chris just fine. He has some boring songs, but he also has some incredible ones, like Neon. Sure, there are better picks and more deserving artists (Ashley Monroe, Kacey Musgraves, for example), but at least Sam Hunt, Puke Bryan, FGL, or Cole Shitdell hasn’t been invited to join the Opry (which should never happen and is a cardinal sin to country music under any circumstance).
In a few more years, I would be absolutely over the moon if William Michael Morgan was invited to join the Opry. It’s too soon for that now, but in a few years, he will make an excellent choice. Mo Pitney would be good too.
August 31, 2017 @ 3:01 pm
I doubt William Michael Morgan will last that long. This is coming from a good place but given the way his album sold and ‘missing’ charting miserably I won’t be surprised if he’s dropped. If he isn’t dropped I fear he might sellout…just my two cents!
August 31, 2017 @ 8:04 pm
Which is really sad, considering the fact that he has more talent than 90% of the mainstream.
I blame FGL, Puke Bryan, Sam Hunt, and that gosh-awful Thomas Rhett for the way mainstream country music has turned out.
July 14, 2023 @ 7:59 am
Casey Musgraves? If the Opry invites her I quit listening- I saw her in person & she acted like she couldn’t be bothered to give her time to the audience & this was before she even got half as big as she is now – she only seems to do anything that shows herself off – big ego – big show off! The Opry family is supposed to be about giving back – doesn’t seem to be what she is about ????
August 31, 2017 @ 10:16 am
I still don’t understand why Rhonda Vincent is not a Opry member.As many times as Rhonda has been on the Opry,she has more than paid her dues.
August 31, 2017 @ 10:34 am
Couldn’t agree more. Rhonda always seems to be at the Opry and definitely has a great respect for country music and its history. I even read somewhere that one of the retiring Opry members actually asked for her place to be taken by Rhonda but for some reason that never happened. Maybe now her brother is a member, she’ll be on the Opry management’s radar.
I also think Elizabeth Cook would be a good member as she’s played well over 100 times.
August 31, 2017 @ 11:41 am
It’s definitely not right that Darrin Vincent was invited before his sister. Nothing against Dailey & Vincent, they just haven’t reached the same level as Rhonda.
August 31, 2017 @ 2:15 pm
I saw Rhonda Vincent in person she’s fantastic
September 1, 2017 @ 12:21 am
rhonda’s show was /is one of the absolute best shows I’ve been to in terms of sheer talent across the stage -musically and vocally- personality , and rhonda’s boundless energy . she gives gives gives and appears to thrive on it . she epitomizes COUNTRY music , IMO , particularly in these times . how messed up is it that a pop singer is inducted before an iconic talented and dedicated country/bluegrass lifer like rhonda ? I mean ….really ….wtf ?
September 1, 2017 @ 2:58 pm
Rhonda’s absolutely the kind of member the Opry needs – if you don’t know her going in, you’re a fan coming out. You want to come back and see her again. You look around the crowd at her shows and EVERYONE is having a hoot, young and old.
August 31, 2017 @ 10:23 am
The sad thing about his last two records is that so many of these songs would be great country songs, songs we’d remember 50 years from now, without their boring modern arrangements. “Sober Saturday Night” should be an incredible song, but its arrangement fails it at every turn. The same could be said for songs like “Forgiveness” and “Goodbye.”
That is the most frustrating thing for me when it comes to Chris Young. Most of the songs aren’t terrible, but dear god are their arrangements lacking. Time to go back to the Neon sound.
August 31, 2017 @ 10:56 am
Chris Young?!
A format star with a couple of #1 hits & gold albums…but…he is only one bad selling album or one radio-bomb away from getting lost in the shuffle.
Chris Young is what the Opry needs & Chris Young will be happy to be part of the Opry sooner or later. A household name for the Opry audience with a middle of the road sound, a good voice & enough experience to entertain the people.
August 31, 2017 @ 1:41 pm
He has an exceptional voice but no personal story. It doesn’t surprise me he’s a format singer. I like some of the songs he’s sung quite a bit, but not the ones that try too hard to be hip. The vibe I get from him is that he’s primarily a businessman. But, like I said, his voice is athletic and excellent. He’s worth better material … I think. Hard to tell.
August 31, 2017 @ 3:05 pm
He has an exceptional voice but no personal story…
I think this is the best thing I’ve heard about him so far. It’s like the songs he sings are impersonal
August 31, 2017 @ 1:42 pm
It’s a shame what is happening to the Opry. The burden for carrying the show is being shouldered by so few; it’s basically the same handful of artists week after week after week. I mean no disrespect to these legends, but some of them are so far past their peak, it’s tdifficult to listen to them sometimes.
August 31, 2017 @ 3:00 pm
I like William Michael Morgan & mo Pitney & Carly pierce …. but you could combine all of them and not reach 20k in first week album sales, let alone headline a tour of any size. Chris young has become generic b-list with a wonderful voice, but he’s far and away a bigger name than any of those folk. Pardi would have been a good choice for a younger guy looking like breaking out.
The problem is the young people looking to become stars, if it happens, means they’ll be touring constantly, & they’ll start blowing off the opry.
Yes it would make true country fans spin, but if you’re going to go mainstream, might as well actually go get a big name who will generate the buzz aka a Luke, balanced out with an older traditional type. Chris young feels like playing the middle & that generally means mediocrity.
August 31, 2017 @ 6:05 pm
I’d agree with you here seak, but the assumption here is that Opry should decide inclusion by sales figures. I thought Opry was bigger than that.
August 31, 2017 @ 9:21 pm
Only way opry would be “bigger” than that would be if they had some other way of funding operations…& than they’d just be beholden to that person/groups whims instead.
And opry is supposed to show country music & like it or not (& I know how most pple on this board feel) Luke etc are big names in modern country music. Lots of other people like them. Opry wouldn’t be doing its job if they just ignored those names.
August 31, 2017 @ 3:17 pm
Seems like some current members of the Opry only appear on stage when they have something new to promote. If the Opry wants to get my attention, they need to drop current members who don’t fulfill their promise to the place. Trigger wrote a great post on that subject a while back. Until the Opry purges the dead wood from its membership, why get excited just because they add another member? The Opry has become something between a good-old boys club and a tourist trap. It could be something really special again if they’d pull up their socks.
August 31, 2017 @ 7:22 pm
Hasn’t Elizabeth Cook played the Opry 200+ times? I don’t know what she has to do to get some respect/love.
August 31, 2017 @ 7:42 pm
she needs to lose the whatever heroin addict sister todd snider boho trust fund vibe and get serious as a writer, musician, and figure
she has deep talent and is in danger of pissing it away
September 1, 2017 @ 2:11 am
Now THAT’S an answer, although I’m surprised about the Trust Fund part. Isn’t she one of about 11 kids?
Has somebody told her that?
September 1, 2017 @ 5:33 am
the careless bohemian vibe is mostly for people who can afford to be careless and bohemian. that’s all I mean by trust fund. whoever wrote “before I go that far” has a level of insight, honest, and talent that shouldn’t be frittered away. Elizabeth is open about her initial stiff-arming her parents, who told her she should be doing music. my guess is she still only 60% believes in her gift. if it were 100%, her quality would be obvious to everyone. my two cents anyway.
August 31, 2017 @ 8:04 pm
Chris Young is just another sellout that I’ve never heard of.
I only listen to our classic country station or our mostly bluegrass station. And for the last few years, our “hybrid” country station plays outlaw country starting at 6:00pm. Anyway, I missed Chris Young.
August 31, 2017 @ 8:06 pm
I feel like Chris Young was bigger back when he was putting out music like “Tomorrow,” “You,” “Voices,” “Neon,” etc. Everyone loved the guy back then, but once he started going in this different direction he became so forgettable.
August 31, 2017 @ 8:11 pm
Neon is one hell of a song. Drinkin’ Me Lonely is fantastic, too. Chris has an excellent voice, he just needs to record better current material.
September 1, 2017 @ 1:42 am
I’d say that he became comfortable with mediocre music around the time he got rid of the cowboy hat. Although a different scenario is being seen with Dustin Lynch as he’s yet to lose his…
August 31, 2017 @ 8:08 pm
How many times has Ashley Monroe played the Opry? She’s so excellent and underrated, and criminally overlooked by the industry. However, I believe she’d make a wonderful Opry member.
August 31, 2017 @ 9:35 pm
Maybe they should’ve started him out slowly as a new artist on Austin City Limits. See how the listening audience responds. If it’s favorable then maybe he’s Grand Ole Opry material. It’s a big risk they’re taking. Lord, I hope they know what they’re doing.
August 31, 2017 @ 10:08 pm
Let’s face it, many of these country artists don’t even want join the Opry simply for what is demanded of them to belong. George Strait is the perfect example of someone who I know has been invited, but declined for the simple reason that he would have to appear an unreasonable number of times.So what do you wind up with, artists such as Chris Young who you can say, at his best he can be fairly good and at the opposite he is at best just mediocre. I just hope he realizes what he is getting into.
September 1, 2017 @ 2:52 am
Actually, George Strait accepted the Opry’s invitation to become a member, but there was a disagreement between his management and the Opry. Seems George and the Opry had even agreed on an induction date, but his management booked him for an out of town concert on that same night and he couldn’t get out of it. I believe the Opry ended up rescinding the invitation.
September 1, 2017 @ 3:12 am
Neon was bad ass but that’s about it
September 1, 2017 @ 5:37 am
somebody told Chris, “always look at the camera like you’re hitting on a girl.”
the first twenty seconds of that video cracked me up. the road goes on forever, and the racket never ends
some things never change
September 2, 2017 @ 8:13 pm
Corncaster, you’re not actually from the country are you, Honey…
September 1, 2017 @ 6:41 am
I don’t think his newer songs really showcase that deep voice that should be setting him apart either
September 1, 2017 @ 10:04 am
I liked him when he made country music
September 3, 2017 @ 11:49 am
And he still does, you should listen to his latest “Losing Sleep”, which is also the name of his new album which will be released on October 20, 2017
September 1, 2017 @ 8:00 pm
I like Chris young he was a good solid country singer until his last cd. “I’m coming over is generic and his new single Losing Sleep is terrible.
September 2, 2017 @ 9:01 pm
Once again everyone is completely wrong on this site. He’s not a ho hum choice for the Opry. What’s wrong with you people? I’ve been a big fan of Chris Young’s for exactly one day now, and the entire Country music mystery has been solved for me. Now I have to silently apologize to my country music loving friends and their parents and neighbors. You just have to read all his lyrics and you can follow a country life ups and downs from 21 to 32. It looks like he was struggling, having fun with friends in bars and on the lake, lessons from his family, he’s been in big love, and then it looks like a big break up, recent years he’s despondently walking through disappointment and generic relationships. You can see if he gets through it ok, (if there is something special in his life or more of the same), on his next album. It’s pre internet country fandom. He’s probably gets shade from those playing a game. Country music is actually in his blood. It’s not just one album, or his older stuff country fans approve of, it’s his life experience and whatever occurred to go from Neon to the drunk generic relationships, those are life’s up and downs, and the Opry folks might understand. That would be very cool stuff. (btw, for everyone who “know” he’s not what he pretends to be and the Opry is a “black hearted money making machine” – at least it’s very good fiction, I’m very entertained reading the lyrics.)
September 5, 2017 @ 11:23 am
I love his music
October 24, 2017 @ 3:29 am
Chris Young has the best vocals in country music. His songwriting skills are what is mediocre. Young belongs at the Opry by virtue of talent and luck bestowed and gifted upon him by birth. Prince William is a royal who did nothing to earn his title. It is the same sort of principle with Chris Young. He was born with a great set of pipes and it doesn’t take much effort for him to wow when he flexes them.