Ashley Cooke behind the Scenes as She Performs at the Grand Ole Opry

• There was a parking spot sign that said “Grand Ole Opry debut,” the time, and my name when I initially arrived.
• I was quickly made to feel unique and at home.
• Prior to the chaos, Gary LeVox dropped by to say hello.

Entering the door of the artist! There was a parking spot sign that said “Grand Ole Opry debut,” the time, and my name when I initially arrived. I was quickly made to feel unique and at home.

Jim Schermerhorn, the kindest guard and a longtime member of the Opry family, welcomed me and handed me the leaflet that was distributed to everyone in the audience, a poster with the lineup for the evening (with my name on it! ), and a ticket from the box office. I’ll always keep these!

I practically instantly left for the world-famous Opry band’s soundcheck. I held off on stepping into the circle on purpose because I really wanted to keep it for when I made my entrance. When we played my current radio single, “Never Til Now,” it felt a touch too drum-heavy or just “busy” as we went through each song. I’m happy I asked because it felt much more intimate when we reduced it to primarily acoustic music with a few slide bits.

We arrived at Room #4, also known as “Into the Circle,” which serves as the debuting artist’s dressing room. It’s a stunning room filled with numerous images and statements from the debuts of previous artists. It’s as though the legacy is being passed down to you; you can just feel it.

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