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Chris Young gets standing ovation, speechless during Opry induction

Cindy Watts
The Tennessean

 

Brad Paisley inducts Chris Young into The Grand Ole Opry.

Chris Young walked on stage at the Grand Ole Opry House Tuesday night and got a standing ovation without singing a note. The warm audience welcome kicked off an unforgettable evening for Young who was inducted into the Grand Ole Opry Tuesday night as he stood in the Opry’s famed circle.

“Chris loves this so much, this is history in the making,” Brad Paisley told the audience before Young walked out. “You are in the building where someone’s ultimate dream is about to come true.”

Vince Gill invited Young to be the next member of the Grand Ole Opry Aug. 29 and in Young’s excitement, the 32-year-old singer lifted Gill off the stage and over his head.

Paisley was on hand to officially induct Young into country music’s most esteemed club. And while Young didn’t pick up Paisley, he appeared emotional and pointed out he hadn’t left the Opry’s historic circle since he walked on stage.

Before the induction ceremony, the Murfreesboro native played a short set of songs crucial to his success. “Gettin’ You Home (the Black Dress Song)” was his first No. 1 hit. He covered songs by his biggest influences: “Devil Woman” by Marty Robbins and “When You Say Nothing at All” by Keith Whitley. He followed up with his platinum-selling No. 1 “I’m Comin’ Over.” Paisley interrupted Young’s set to tell the crowd about Young’s strong character and explain that’s what the Opry family needs to stay strong. 

“When I was first made a member of this crazy family, I had no idea the actual way this is a family,” Paisley said. “Quickly, I was accepted and asked to be a part of so many things. He is one of those people that will make the most of this. (He) is a great human being.”

Chris Young places his nameplate on the wall in the member gallery at the Grand Ole Opry House.

Paisley said that at the Opry everyone liked to hang out back stage and the perks included an annual bird hunt. But he also said that soon after he joined, he was asked to come to the hospital for a couple of Opry members who were at the end of their lives. 

“That’s what we do,” Paisley said, remembering that Jeannie Seely pulled him aside on one of those solemn visits and explained that those duties come with being part of the Opry family. Then Paisley told Young: “You are part of something that’s living and breathing. You will have a home on this stage for the rest of your life. You can come out and sing anything you want to sing. And, we will be so proud to have you here.”

Young was so overwhelmed he was speechless, only able to muster a thank you into the microphone.

After he left the stage, the singer said his Opry induction will probably leave him speechless for the rest of his life.

“Now it’s not just that I went to Bill Anderson’s fan club party, which I did before I had my record deal. It’s not just that I went fishing with Little Jimmy Dickens,” Young said. “It’s not just those stories now. It’s that I’m also in that family, and it means the world to me.”

Young's seventh album "Losing Sleep" will be available Friday.