You are living under a rock if you don’t know Marcus King by now. His blues/rock sound has taken country music by storm, and he has blown up.
In honor of his album dropping next month, I thought it would be fun to walk down memory lane to when King took to country music’s most historic stage, the Grand Ole Opry.
In 2019, King was only 23 years old, had released the hit “Goodbye Carolina” with the Marcus King Band, and was the new kid on the block. The Grand Ole Opry’s team documented his day leading up to his stepping on the Opry Stage.
“The first time I will walk into the Opry, I’ll be able to play it, which means a lot to me,” King states in the video opening.
The day of his opry debut starts at Carter Vintage Guitars in Nashville, TN. He sits down and picks a little while, giving the viewer a little backstory about his musical upbringing.
He talks about his family and the male figures in his life and how they shaped him growing up, “I never saw a good way to express your feelings other than playing music.”
King has had a guitar in his hand and has been writing lyrics for as long as he can remember.
After picking up his guitar, it is off to sound check. Every Opry performance comes with the tradition of a backstage jam session to loosen off the nerves. Maggie Rose, who would later accompany King on stage, popped by to sing with her friend.
Within a few hours, the announcer beckons the “23-year-old, 4th generation musician…simply a phenomenon” onto the stage.
With that, King made his debut at the Grand Ole Opry. A dream coming to life.
“Goodbye Carolina” at the Grand Ole Opry:
