Carrie Underwood On Opry: ‘It’s Like Going To Church’

Carrie Underwood is heading back to the Grand Ole Opry next week during CMA Fest week (6/6) in Nashville for two shows. She recently celebrated her 15th Anniversary as a member of the Grand Ole Opry with a two-show performance on May 13th. While she says it's unbelievable she's been a member for a decade and a half, it's something that has always meant so much to her.

Carrie told us, "It's hard to believe that it's been fifteen years that I have been a member of the Grand Ole Opry, but it has always been just something that's meant so much to me. I feel like I've been very blessed to take part in a lot of awards shows and things like that over the years, but kind of having this thing in my career that I feel like I was able to accomplish is just one of the most important things that I think I have ever done."

She added, "I love the Opry. I love the family. I love that it signifies being a part of country music, and we call it the Mother Church, and we do so for very good reason. It is like going to church, and you can pay your respects to those that came before, those that are playing now, and whoever's going to come later on. It's just a really cool thing just being able to be a part of that family. I always love going to the shows, and you never know who's going to be on stage, and you hear a lot of people doing what they love. It's like singing in your living room. It's very comfortable and relaxed and very sweet."

Underwood made her Grand Ole Opry performance debut on June 10, 2005, just two weeks after winning American Idol. She was officially inducted into the Opry family on May 8, 2008, by fellow Oklahoman Opry member Garth Brooks.

When Underwood celebrated her 15th anniversary of becoming an Opry member, she had a cake backstage. Also, she met a soap opera legend.

Carrie posted several photos to Instagram, including one of her standing next to a cake with several layers of cupcakes. She also posted a photo of herself and Suan Lucci in the Opry greenroom. And pictures of her performing on stage. She also snapped a photo of a special note her fan club "Care Bears" sent her with flowers and a donation to her C.A.T.S Foundation.

Underwood captioned the post, "Happy Anniversary to me!!! It's been a magical 15 years of being an @opry member! It remains one of the greatest accomplishments of my career!!! Thanks to all who came out to celebrate! I truly feel honored…and loved!"

"Also, I met @therealsusanlucci tonight!!! What a sweet and gorgeous (and legendary) woman!" #GrandOleOpry #Nashville #CountryMusic."

See that post here.

Many country music superstars embrace the Grand Ole Opry and openly weep when invited to become members of the Nashville institution. However, a handful of country superstars are not members of the Opry.

To become a member of the Grand Ole Opry, you have to be invited, and that decision comes down to Opry management. According to the Opry website, "Opry membership requires a passion for country music's fans, a connection to the music's history, and it requires commitment – even a willingness to make significant sacrifices to uphold that commitment. Often, the Opry seeks out those who seek out the Opry, though decisions aren't based on which artists appear most on the show, either."

In picking new members of the Opry, their site says, "The Opry doesn't simply pass out invitations to the biggest stars with the most hits. Opry management looks for a musical and a generational balance. Opry membership requires a passion for country music's fans and a connection to the music's history. It requires commitment – even a willingness to make significant sacrifices to uphold that commitment."

To become a member, there is a rule that artists need to commit to playing the Grand Ole Opry stage several times a year. However, that rule is often broken by current Opry members (primarily icons and superstars), and it's just okay.

For some country superstars, it may be the commitment they shy away from or not having enough passion for the Opry history to leave the Grand Ole Opry out of their careers. We look at five country music superstars that are not members of the Grand Ole Opry. While all have played it at least once, these five acts rarely play the Grand Ole Opry stage.

Tim made his Grand Ole Opry debut in December 2003. After that, he played it a few times, but never that much, and now he doesn't play the Grand Ole Opry at all. Not sure why.

Faith played the Opry in the late 1990s when her career started to hit. She didn't play the Opry stage much after that.

Vince Bucci/Getty Images

George played the Grand Ole Opry show once, his debut performance on the stage in October of 1982. That was the first and last time, and no one really knows why. There is a theory that he could not make the Opry commitment to play the stage very much because he never lived in Nashville; he has always resided in Texas.

Miranda played the Grand Ole Opry several times in her career, and some of her most recent performances on the Opry stage were in 2014 with then-husband Blake Shelton and in 2015 and 2016. She does not play it often now, and in 2015, she told me when asked about the Grand Ole Opry and someday becoming a member, "It's sort of something I don't talk about or have never asked or say that out loud. It was always a big deal to Blake, so that was something we always talked about, and he became a member, but I'd never really set it out for myself." She added, "It wasn't on my radar before because I focused on that for him, but I would definitely never say no to being a member of the Grand Ole Opry."

Scott Gries/Getty Images

Kenny made his Opry debut in 1996. He has been on the Opry stage a handful of times and once when he paid tribute to George Jones singing his classic, "White Lightning." These days it's very rare to see Chesney on the Grand Ole Opry stage.