Remember When Reba McEntire Joined the Grand Ole Opry?

Reba McEntire was already well into her career as a country music singer by the time she was formally inducted into the Grand Ole Opry on Jan. 17, 1986.

Her induction came nearly a decade after her first appearance on the hallowed stage, and the night was not without controversy.

When Did Reba McEntire Join the Grand Ole Opry?

McEntire’s induction took place on a night that marked a special milestone for the Opry.

She joined the cast of the country music institution during a televised broadcast celebrating the 60th anniversary of the Grand Ole Opry, and while it was the realization of a lifelong dream for the country superstar, it was a difficult evening for another leading light of the genre.

READ MORE: How Reba McEntire Fought to Record Her First No. 1 Hit

As the Boot reports, classic country star Hank Snow bowed out of his planned appearance after the show’s producers asked him to limit his performance of “I’m Moving On” to one verse.

When Did Reba McEntire Debut on the Grand Ole Opry?

McEntire’s triumphant evening came nine years after her first-ever appearance on the Grand Ole Opry on Sept. 17, 1977.

That evening also had a couple of glitches; McEntire was not well-known at the time, and when she got to the venue, an Opry guard refused to admit her backstage when he couldn’t find her name on his list. McEntire had to call her booking agent on a pay phone to get the situation corrected in time to perform.

She sang a cover of Roger Miller’s “Invitation to the Blues,” and she had planned to sing a second song before Dolly Parton showed up to perform by surprise, which resulted in McEntire’s second song getting cut to make room.

McEntire says the Opry is still one of her favorite places.

“The Grand Ole Opry is a home,” she states. “It’s a family. It’s like a family reunion, when you come back and get to see everybody.”