On The Sara Evans Grand Ole Opry Invitation
It’s busy times in country music. Country music is at the very top of the Billboard all-genre charts via a host of songs. It’s being mentioned on major news channels and publications all across mainstream media day and night, and it’s been this way for weeks and months now. It was the subject of the opening question at a Presidential debate Wednesday night (8-23). Country music is having a moment, and however this moment shakes out might determine just how important country music is to American culture at large in the coming years.
But beyond the big headlines and the culture war back-and-forths, the regular rhythms of country music continue on, like the rare but vaunted invitations to join country music’s most storied institution, The Grand Ole Opry. On August 17th during her sold-out show at the Ryman Auditorium, Sara Evans was surprised by the Opry’s longest living member, Bill Anderson, with an invitation of her own. Evans was there in part celebrating the 20th Anniversary edition of her 2003 Platinum-selling release Restless.
Sara Evans is an interesting pick for the Opry for sure. It won’t get the purists jumping for joy, but it won’t necessarily raise their hackles either. Sara Evans isn’t exactly a current country pop star, but she’s not exactly a “legend” just yet. She’s not even really a beneficiary for the whole ’90s country resurgence since the heart of her career came bookended by the 00s.
If you’re a Sara Evans fan then you’re happy about the invitation of course. But if you’re just a country fan with an average familiarity with Sara’s music, it’s probably hard to know what to feel about it, because it’s hard to know what to feel about Sara Evans.
Right before the surprise Opry invitation came, Sara sang her 2004 #1 hit “Suds in the Bucket” with Carly Pearce. Not only is it one of Evans’ signature songs, it’s super country. Though she was still very much under-the-radar at the time, Sara’s 1997 debut album was titled Three Chords and the Truth, and was truly a traditional country work cover to cover.
But when you consider Sara’s last #1, “A Little Bit Stronger” from 2010, you can definitely tell that she was chasing the Taylor Swift craze of the time. You see Evans live these days, you’ll get some traditional country performances. But you’ll get a lot of pop country ones as well. It’s a pretty glittery, girl boss affair.
But what the induction of Sara Evans as a Grand Ole Opry members really feels like is Sara having the confidence in herself to embrace the idea of maturing with her music instead of trying to case trends. This is one of the things that the Grand Ole Opry is great for, and great at helping to foster in artists that radio has left behind.
Eventually, the whole retro ’90s country thing will begin to cool off, if it hasn’t already. One of the things that was fueling it was how terrible current country was today. But now there are new shoots of life bursting through the creatively barren landscape that was Bro-Country, and growing even taller than the heights that Bro-Country ever achieved. The good country of the early 2000s is also starting to fall within the retro window, like some of the early work of Sara Evans.
What seems to be eternally in style in country music is country music itself. Sometimes popular country music gets away from it, but it always comes back around. Sara Evans has some of that eternally great country music in her catalog, and a great voice to sing it with. If she embraces those aspects of her sound and legacy, and sticks close to her roots when it comes time to record new music, her Opry induction could just be the start of an important second wind to her career.
August 24, 2023 @ 8:29 am
The way I’ve always heard it is that you need to be a “legend” to make the Hall of Fame. But you only need to be (or have been) popular in mainstream circles and willing to commit to a set number of Opry appearances during the year to become a Grand Ole Opry member. Most recent new members have been singers with hits on the charts. That Evans has been invited now despite having no chart presence in 10 years is surprising.
August 24, 2023 @ 8:35 am
Mark Wills made it in 2019. The Opry is going with a youth movement and adding newer stars and other stars who are only early 50s.
August 24, 2023 @ 8:32 am
I’ll always hold her in somewhat high regard due to her being from my home state. Never loved her music but it was decent enough. I think this is a good add for the Opry
August 24, 2023 @ 8:54 am
“Three Chords and the Truth” and “No Place That Far” are both incredible songs done by her. There could certainly be worse Opry choices.
August 24, 2023 @ 8:54 am
Many of the beloved and established Opry stars weren’t exactly massive country singers in terms of sales and hits. Jan Howard, Jeannie Seely, and even Bill Anderson to an extent (I’d say his legend comes mostly from songwriting). Having a new generation of moderately successful artists like Mark Wills, Sara Evans, Mandy Barnett, and others who frequently play the Opry feels like a smart play.
August 24, 2023 @ 1:56 pm
I think Sara Evans is great. She should be a member of grand ole opry.
August 24, 2023 @ 3:18 pm
Bill Anderson may actually surprise you. He had 31 top ten singles. But I agree he is more respected as a writer.
August 24, 2023 @ 7:56 pm
Indeed. I like “Whispering Bill,” but even he’s admitted he wasn’t much of a “singer.”
August 24, 2023 @ 9:16 am
I’ve been a huge fan of Sara Evans ever since I was a little kid. I was 4 years old in 2000 when I first heard “Born To Fly” on the radio in my parents’ car and I fell in love with it instantly. It’s literally the earliest memory I have of listening to country music on the radio. And I really think the rest of her singles catalog really holds up.
No Place That Far
Born To Fly
I Could Not Ask For More
Saints & Angels
Suds In The Bucket
Perfect
A Real Fine Place To Start
Backseat Of A Greyhound Bus
All fantastic songs in my book. I just love her voice in general. Probably one of my favorite country artists of the 2000s.
Congratulations to Sara Evans on this Opry invite, I think she more than deserves it
August 24, 2023 @ 12:12 pm
honestly, I’ll get laughed out of this comment section with this, but “A Little Bit Stronger” slaps. I don’t know if it’s true country or whatever and I don’t really care. My wife and I jam to that song all the time—holds up.
August 24, 2023 @ 1:01 pm
Written by Hillary Scott of lady antebellum too.
August 24, 2023 @ 1:05 pm
I actually do like that song too, I just don’t think it’s her best
Definitely glad she notched a solid hit in the 2010s though
August 24, 2023 @ 5:56 pm
Ditto. I remember enjoying “A Little Bit Stronger” when it came out, but I haven’t heard it in probably ten years. Then Trigger claimed it was part of the “Taylor Swift craze” and I had to go back. I remember it having pop/rock leanings with some country instrumentation in there as well, however buried. There’s a steel guitar line that runs throughout pretty much the whole song. It’s very much country pop, but I think the Taylor Swift comparison is toothless. “Stronger” is more Carrie Underwood-lite than anything.
August 24, 2023 @ 8:33 pm
Don’t forget Cheatin from the Real Fine Place record, written by Don Schlitz and Brett James, with a great video.
August 24, 2023 @ 9:17 am
I think inviting Sara Evans to the Opry was an alright thing to do.
The thing that pisses me off is the Opry not inviting Elizabeth Cook to their roster. She’s played well over 400 performances and is always there when needed or asked for. She’s a fantastic songwriter and vocalist. This I do not understand?!?!?!? Who cares she’s never had a top 10 single…it’s the commitment she’s made to the Opry that counts and they should see that. Trigger if you have any control over Opry management seeing this I wish you would forward them my posting. It really burns me up that they would treat Ms. Cook this way. Thanks so much!!!!! I’d love to know everyone else’s feelings about this?
August 24, 2023 @ 1:45 pm
Troy,
Interesting point about Elizabeth Cook. I like her as well. Here’s a thought. She doesn’t have the big name recognition with “mainstream radio” fans. Of course shes a big name with Americana people, Sirius XM listeners, and fans of underground and indie Country, and I suppose the exposure on Circle Tv might help her brand a bit. But in terms of the big time, she’s always just flying under the radar. Its true, she does play The Opry quite a bit, and they invite other under the radar acts as well, but in terms of membership, it seems they favor name recognition as they wanna fill seats. Honestly, shes exceptional and is quite a personality, and I tend to agree she would be a good choice. As for Sara Evans, she has great songs in her catalog that fans instantly can connect with, again looking at the Opry demographic, which in fairness is aging, but the goal is to fill the seats and they are gonna go with the biggest draw power acts over cooler more niche and under the radar names.
I think Mandy Barnett is an exception to the rule, but her sheer talent and the fact shes been prominently associated with the Patsy Cline thing helped get her in.
August 24, 2023 @ 9:49 am
I was a huge Sara Evans fan from 97- 05 until her personal life and marriage went off the rails. Real personal stuff about porn, aggregated assaults, and mental breakdowns over her disastrous marriage really turned me off from listening to her music. She was really giving Tammy Wynette a run for her money.
Hopefully she found peace in her personal life and this induction to the Grand Ole Opry is a step in the tight direction for her career.
August 26, 2023 @ 6:21 am
HTT, I agree. After the controversy of her first divorce, she remarried and appeared to settle down. Then last year, after the incident with the second husband, something just seems off to me. She seems disingenuous. I usually don’t care too much about an artist’s personal life, their beliefs, etc, but there’s just something going on there that has changed my view of her and her music.
August 24, 2023 @ 9:58 am
It’s a wonder she wasn’t a member a long time ago.
August 24, 2023 @ 9:58 am
Always felt that her record company / management / advisors kept her too buttoned up back in the day, and that she would have been a superstar today if she had instead gotten to do her own thing.
August 24, 2023 @ 10:20 am
I vacation in Nashville last week and went to this show just because seeing a show at the Ryman auditorium has been a bucket list item for me. It was a really good show and when Bill Anderson asked her it was a special moment at a special place.
August 24, 2023 @ 10:36 am
Since I left mainstream country radio behind years ago, the country radio has disappeared from my market, so i’m not up to the moment on how it is right now. But has it really come around, as you say? I’m skeptical; i’d bet a good majority of the songs on there still aren’t country.
August 24, 2023 @ 10:39 am
I feel even at her most Adult Contemporary and pop crossover-ish, Evans’ performances had some sincerity underpinning them that made it impossible to dislike her. With “A Little Bit Stronger”, sure: the lyrics are riddled with cliches and the production was toothless, but there was some conviction to her vocal performance that made it feel endogenous and believable.
And that’s the main reason why I have no objection to this announcement despite her music rarely having replay value for me with how easy-listening it is: even as she sought a crossover sound, she still cut songs that spoke to her personally and remained emotionally committed as a vocalist. At the end of the day that’s what I ask for more than anything: sincerity and emotional investment in the music that speaks to you, and I do feel Evans has always been genuine.
August 24, 2023 @ 12:14 pm
I agree. And it’s not like her songs didn’t have AC leanings before “A Little Bit Stronger” – I mean, she covered Edwin McCain, and “Saints and Angels” got played on Canadian AC stations due to being Canadian content (Victoria Banks). Still, it’s not like she ever got to the Kelsea Ballerini or Maren Morris level of pure pop.
August 24, 2023 @ 2:23 pm
To be fair, Kelsea Ballerini’s most recent EP “Rolling Up The Welcome Mat”, to me, felt genuinely personal and offers a promising glimpse as to how she can step her songwriting and sound up from here on out.
But I do get your point overall. Evans did lend a hand to writing more than half of her greatest chart hits but, more importantly, she lent an air of conviction in her vocals that make them all truly feel lived-in as opposed to this feeling you often get from AC-leaning releases where you have an obligatory amount of love songs, an obligatory amount of heartbreak songs and then a couple of crossover-ready life-affirming anthems that have nary an ounce of face or stakes to them.
With Rascal Flatts, Faith Hill, much of Shania Twain’s discography, etc………………I don’t know. I felt often their efforts came across as a bit too clinical and synthetic to me, target-demographic oriented. With Evans, though, I’ve always felt this air of believability to what she’s singing even if the music itself bores me.
August 24, 2023 @ 10:55 am
What I’ve often wondered about Opry announcements is how spontaneous they actually are. Are the invitees -always- surprised? Does anyone on the committee deciding membership slip an encrypted email to the artist’s management, booking agent, etc. indicating an invitation -might- be on the radar soon?
I mean, it’s an honor no matter how it’s coordinated but I would think this kind of thing would be hard to keep secret.
August 24, 2023 @ 11:54 am
These are 100% executed with managers and PR teams. There are definitely artists who know that membership is in the works – Lauren Alaina talked in an interview how hard her manager worked to get her invitation. These memberships are often coordinated with other rollouts in their career – albums and tours. I’m sure Jon Paris’s upcoming induction date was scheduled on that particular October date so it would be fresh in CMA voter’s minds, since voting closes three days later.
August 24, 2023 @ 12:13 pm
I concur with AT. The artists might be genuinely surprised when the actual invitation is sprung on them, but it’s often part of a bigger strategy, and that is why I think it speaks to how Sara Evans is looking at her career.
I also think it is cool that they do membership and debut invitations this way. In previous eras, it just happened as a handshake backstage. It’s really helped raise the profile of the Grand Ole Opry once again, and convey the importance of it to the public.
August 24, 2023 @ 11:14 am
18 years too late, but I’m happy for Sara. Even though she abandoned her original love of traditional country to fit in (something even she admitted back in the day), she still had a lot of good songs and a great voice. This seems an odd choice to make right now, but it’s better than some newer label creation with no real mileage.
August 24, 2023 @ 12:15 pm
So happy to see you finally picked one well deserved. She has been in country music forever it seems and was always overshadowed somehow. She has a beautiful voice.
August 24, 2023 @ 1:13 pm
Always liked Sara Evans. Three chords and the truth is a really good traditional country album. I also recommend “The Early Years” album, it has some really great songs
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=P1AvmI4x5Og
August 24, 2023 @ 1:36 pm
I remember picking up her debut Three Chords and The Truth at a used CD store after noticing that Peter Anderson produced it. I only knew her as the singer of that mellow crooner No Place That Far. I was pleasantly surprised, and (speaking of Pete Anderson) remember hearing her cover of Dwight’s Distance Between You and Me, which like her debut rocks and is honky-tonk AF. Glad to see she’s getting recognition. She seems like a nice person but I just wish she would have stayed a bit more country. She has the ability to churn out some honky-tonk bangers.
August 24, 2023 @ 2:39 pm
Honestly her first 4 albums are pretty darn country. I bought a box set a while back because it was cheap, and was shocked how traditional they were. Her voice and delivery has always been killer. Good choice.
I do agree it seems like she’s trying to rebuild her career now for some reason. Lots more touring, showing up in festival lineups, etc. This just seems to add to that.
August 24, 2023 @ 4:06 pm
I’m not a Sara stan, but this article and comments section has annoyed me.
“she’s trying to rebuild her career now for some reason”.
This is a stupid fucking comment. Wtf is wrong with rebooting a career? What gripe would you have with a seasoned female vet getting back in the game? Do you not have any grasp on the career arc of the traditional Country artist? Ups and downs are integral. Goddam what a stupid comment.
August 24, 2023 @ 4:29 pm
RIP Jerry Clower, who died 25 years ago today.
Look I don’t think we need to get punchy over this. I don’t think there’s anything wrong with her rebooting her career, or using an Opry induction to do it. I think this is a much better option than trying to be like Keith Urban and Luke Bryan out there acting like they’re still 23.
August 24, 2023 @ 4:39 pm
I’m extremely curious to know how that factoid came to your attention, because I honestly had no idea lol.
For those of you who aren’t aware, Jerry Clower is the most underrated comedian and storyteller of the 20th century. He is the creative descendant of Mark Train and the direct influence of Theo Von. Thank you Trigger for bringing more attention to The Mouth Of Mississippi.
August 24, 2023 @ 7:05 pm
Well, it’s my job to keep up with these kinds of things. And if I had run across it earlier than this afternoon, I may have tried to do a 25-year retrospective on Clower in commemoration. Maybe I’ll try to do one anyway in the coming days.
August 25, 2023 @ 9:21 am
I’m always down for Jerry Clower content. I’ve read before that Clower recordings are considered the best example we have of Southern storytelling from the Depression
August 24, 2023 @ 5:16 pm
Lol WTF are you talking about? I have no problem with anything she’s doing and I don’t know how you got that from what I wrote. I was literally just agreeing with the observation that it could be part of a larger strategy to get back in the public eye.
August 24, 2023 @ 6:29 pm
????
August 25, 2023 @ 2:18 pm
“This is a stupid fucking comment.” Speaking of stupid fucking comments.???? They’re doing wonderful things with medication these days. Seriously seek help.
August 24, 2023 @ 3:04 pm
I wasn’t expecting this nomination. Like Trigger said, she isn’t a new singer or a 90s star.
“Suds in the Bucket” is a jam.
August 24, 2023 @ 4:00 pm
She IS a 90s star
https://open.spotify.com/album/5lxFK2ZEsfmdS2Yevlj2mU?si=r3dKEyoTQ_yP1O6nEgAo0Q&context=spotify%3Aalbum%3A5lxFK2ZEsfmdS2Yevlj2mU
August 24, 2023 @ 9:45 pm
She isn’t going to sleep with you, Jerry,
The late 90s were when things started going to hell. The early 90s were the golden era and she wasn’t around for those.
August 24, 2023 @ 3:58 pm
“No Place That Far” will always be the defining Sara Evans song and album for me. It’s just as, if not more, traditional than any song from the 90s, and she is probably the least sinful female act from this era that you could pick a bone with.
August 24, 2023 @ 6:03 pm
OK, this is super-pedantic, but I think you meant shoots of life not chutes. Shoots like new plants coming up after the winter, not chutes like where you put your trash in an apartment building.
August 24, 2023 @ 7:20 pm
I like this new found civility on SCM. Where grammar is the only thing being corrected.
Strong work
August 24, 2023 @ 8:44 pm
Why thank you. I can be a little bit snarky at times but I am my father’s son, who was THE heavy-handed enforcer of grammar and vocabulary norms around our house.
Carry on. Sara Evans, and all that.
August 25, 2023 @ 12:27 am
Really admire the deft songwriting of Suds In The Bucket. And it only took two people to write it! Not five or six!
August 25, 2023 @ 3:12 am
Sara Evans can FLAT sing. Never heard her sing actually in pitch live ever.
August 25, 2023 @ 1:34 pm
True that
August 25, 2023 @ 5:55 am
“What seems to be eternally in style in country music is country music itself.”
Been saying this for years now. Regardless of radio or Music Row, as long as there are porches and dive bars and honkeytonks, real country music will never die.
August 25, 2023 @ 9:21 am
At this moment in time, I think Evans is a surprising choice, but I have no problem with it. The Opry can just keep adding members – the more the merrier. I think an invitation acknowledges that the artist has been an ambassador for country music and that they will continue to honor the genre. Sara Evans has always done so, even if some think her style fit too much with the time. So what…nearly everyone else did too. A real fine choice for the A Real Fine Place To Start singer.
August 25, 2023 @ 9:37 am
Great singer. Three Chords and the Truth is a super song. Well deserved.
August 25, 2023 @ 10:10 am
I think this is the exact sort of member the Opry needs tbh – someone who is a recognizable name that people will be excited to see on a lineup preforming a few of the hits that everyone knows her for, but not someone too big that she’s constantly on tour and can’t actually play the Opry very often. It’s a bit random that this is happening now but I’m happy that this particular dream of hers is coming true.
Still waiting for Elizabeth Cook to be invited though. Not sure how someone can play over 400 times and not be considered committed enough. If you read the Opry blog, Charles Esten has also been pretty consistently notching 10+ appearances each year (the expected number required for members) so I’d like to expect an invitation for him – perhaps in the new year to coincide with his debut album? I think the Opry could also do with replenishing its bluegrass ranks following the deaths of Jesse McReynolds and Bobby Osborne.
August 25, 2023 @ 2:28 pm
How many albums has Elizabeth Cook sold? How many sold-out tours has she done? It’s not about who has played the most times or even how talented an artist is (and Cook is talented), but about getting tourist asses in the seats by bringing in the latest flash in the pan, which is why the Evans induction seems so far out of left field.
The Opry hasn’t been about celebrating the best in country music in a long while. Most of their choices in the last 15 years have been dubious, and are simply done to try and boost the bottom line. The list of artists who should be inducted is longer than the artists who already have been.
August 25, 2023 @ 2:40 pm
This assessment feels about four or five years old. The new General Manager Dan Rogers has been bringing in all kinds of people that don’t fit the “current” mold like Jamey Johnson, Don Schlitz, Charlie McCoy, Gary Muledeer, and even some of the newer artists they’ve brought in like Ashley McBryde.
August 25, 2023 @ 6:48 pm
Sara Evans has fantastic pipes and writes/co writes great songs. Her album Words didn’t fly off the shelves ( and she was lamenting the absence of women airplay on the radio at the time) but it is some of her best work lyrically and vocally. She likes all kinds of music but respects country music and will contribute to the Opry. Good pick.
Didn’t know Elizabeth Cook was that involved. She’s awesome too.