Grand Ole Opry Celebrates Ronnie Milsap’s 50th Opry Anniversary & NextStage Class Of 2026

/by

Opry Members Darrin Vincent, Vince Gill, Mark Wills, Trace Adkins, Blake Shelton, T Graham Brown, and Members of the Tennessee School for the Blind Jazz Band perform with Ronnie Milsap

The Grand Ole Opry honored Ronnie Milsap’s 50th Opry anniversary and also welcomed a new wave of talent in the Opry NextStage class of 2026, presented by Tecovas, last night (Feb. 24).

The generational evening featured Opry members Trace Adkins, Vince Gill, Blake Shelton, Mark Wills and Keith Urban, along with Opry NextStage alum Ella Langley, who all performed their favorite Milsap songs to honor the six-time Grammy winner and country legend, who has more than 35 No. 1 hits. The TN School for the Blind Jazz Band also made a surprise appearance for Milsap, and hits performed during the special tribute show included “Stranger In My House,” “Almost Like A Song,” “Any Day Now,” “Smoky Mountain Rain” and more.

Pictured (L-R): Dan Rogers/ Senior Vice President and Executive Producer, Opry Nicole Judd/ Associate Producer, Show Development, Opry, Gina Keltner/ Associate Producer, Talent, Opry, Kelly Sutton/ Opry Announcer, Hudson Westbrook, Graham Barham, Opry member Vince Gill, Emily Ann Roberts, Carter Faith, Jake Worthington, Samantha Kane/ Manager of Artist and Industry Relations, Opry, Lexi Lampin/ Manager, Industry and Artist Relations, Opry, and Jennifer Tressler/Senior Manager, Artist & Label Strategy, Opry

The Opry NextStage Class of 2026 includes Willow Avalon, Graham Barham, Tyler Braden, Carter Faith, Alexandra Kay, Vincent Mason, Emily Ann Roberts, Hudson Westbrook and Jake Worthington.

For the remainder of the year, the Opry NextStage class will receive dedicated support from Opry Entertainment Group and Tecovas through Opry performances, NextStage shows, and promotion to fans across brand platforms. Since its launch in 2019, Opry NextStage artists have achieved a combined 42 No. 1 hits, spending a total of 52 weeks atop the Country Aircheck/Mediabase airplay chart.

Lorie Hollabaugh
Latest posts by Lorie Hollabaugh (see all)