Not a performance you want to miss.
As a touring artist, there will always be hiccups on the road that can hinder them from taking the stage. Sickness, a popped tire, unforeseen weather conditions, and many other issues can arise. However, when you get invited to grace the most historic stage in country music, you do everything possible to get there on time, if not early.
However, for Reba McEntire, who made sure she was on time for her Grand Ole Opry debut, she still had bumps in the road. And unfortunately for her, it was not just missing a word or two from a song. She almost missed her entire debut. Forty-seven years ago today, Reba took to the historic circle for the first time, but her debut was far from what anyone would expect for their first time at the Opry.
When Reba showed up at the venue, the guards would not let her backstage as her name was not on the list of artists performing that night. After panicking at this information, she hurried to find a nearby phone to call her booking agent to resolve the matter.
Once her team talked to security to allow her backstage, she dashed to prepare for the stage. However, once backstage, she would run into another bump in the road. Her two-act performance was cut short to just one song, her cover of Roger Miller’s “Invitation to the Blues,” because Dolly Parton was making a surprise appearance and taking over one of her songs during the radio show.
“I was supposed to sing two songs, but they came to me when I got there and said, ‘Oh, we’re going to have to cut you down to one song because Dolly Parton just pulled up into the driveway, and she’s going to take one of your songs.'”
Reba remembers her response being:
“Okay, she can take both of them. Can I meet her?”
However, Reba recalled in a 2014 Tennesseean interview that Parton only took one of her songs, allowing her to grace the stage still.
“Dolly came walking in, and she was like a vision. It was worth the drive from Oklahoma just to see Dolly.”
With her performance cut short, Reba’s sister and mother drove a 1,400-mile round trip from Oklahoma to see her take the stage for three minutes. Those three minutes, however, would be the highlight of her career thus far.
Reba’s career would continue to hit new highs in the years to come, eventually solidifying her name as an icon among female country artists.
I think Reba might have one of the most memorable Grand Ole Opry debuts from the hoops she jumped through to make it on stage.
While you’re here, check out her first filmed time at the Grand Ole Opry, a year after she made her debut.
