Jason Boland & Flatland Cavalry Set Grand Ole Opry Debuts
A couple of deserving bands from the Texas and Red Dirt side of country are finally receiving their due with upcoming opportunities to step into the hallowed circle at the Grand Ole Opry. It’s just the latest sign things are opening up a bit under the new Opry management of Dan Rogers.
Ever since releasing their debut album Humble Folks in 2015, Flatland Cavalry have been considered one of the best new bands in the Texas and Red Dirt world. Not exactly new anymore, their 2021 album Welcome to Countryland has been well-received, and appearing on the Grand Ole Opry stage on October 22nd will only help to continue their current momentum.
Originally formed in Midland, TX and then rising to prominence in Lubbock, many of Flatland Cavalry’s members including frontman Cleto Cordero now reside in Nashville at least part time. Being managed under the same umbrella as Grand Ole Opry member Luke Combs probably didn’t hurt in locking down this bucket list moment for this deserving band.
Jason Boland has waited a bit longer for this opportunity. An early Red Dirt stalwart who always kept it more country than some of his contemporaries, Jason Boland is working on his 3rd decade of making music with his backing band The Stragglers, and playing the Opry will be a dream come true.
Jason Boland recently announced he’s releasing a concept record about being abducted by aliens called The Light Saw Me. The album follows a cowboy living in Texas in the 1890s who is beamed aboard a spaceship and ends up back in Texas in the 1990s. The album will be released on December 3rd, and the on December 7th, Jason Boland will step onto the Grand Ole Opry stage for the first time.
For years we saw Texas and Red Dirt bands sitting on the outside looking in at Grand Ole Opry debuts or opportunities since it’s such a Nashville-centric institution. But allowing some fresh, new blood from the Texoma scene on the stage can only help in the effort to keep the Grand Ole Opry vital and relevant moving forward.
If you can’t be there in person, you can tune in via WSM online for the audio broadcast.
October 12, 2021 @ 9:12 am
Ooh this is good news. I may have missed an article, is there a drastic change of management at the Opry?
I’m getting the impression that we’re now in a golden age of great “independent” country overall and that sooner or later the kind of music you write about will end up getting a lot more mainstream attention than it’s had over the last few years.
October 12, 2021 @ 9:17 am
Great news for Cleto and the Cavalry boys. Welcome To Country Land is one of my favorites of the year and possibly my AOTY. Still can’t get enough of it. Very much looking forward to December when they get here to play live.
October 12, 2021 @ 9:27 am
Great news for both of these artists. I’d like to hear both of them live. Kinda sad I haven’t seen Boland yet since I live smack-dab in the middle of red dirt country.
October 12, 2021 @ 10:46 am
I saw him live only once in northern Italy! A great guy, happy for him.
October 21, 2021 @ 5:25 pm
You’ve got to get out and see him live- great show. I took at trip all the way from Indiana just to sweep through the area on a Memorial day weekend may years ago just to string together as many concerts as I could. Boland was first on Thursday night in Fort Smith, Arkansas. Saturday night was Reckless Kelly in Port Bolivar. Saw a concert in Corpus sunday night with Josh Abbott Band, Kevin Fowler, and Whiskey Myers. It’s rare that any of them come up my way- so I’ve got to go to them!
October 12, 2021 @ 2:00 pm
Nice.
Finally some real country music on the Opry stage.
October 12, 2021 @ 3:37 pm
I’ve seen Jason Boland more times than I can count. 15-ish times probably over the years? Undoubtedly, very deserving. Such a great live show. Tight band, talented musicians. He’s probably one of the Mount Rushmore for the Red Dirt scene.
October 12, 2021 @ 8:27 pm
Can’t wait to hear Rich,Young,Dumb,Nymphomaniac on the Opry.
October 14, 2021 @ 1:43 pm
Jason Boland is great would recommend him anytime.