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Membership into the Grand Ole Opry<\/a> is hardly a given for country music’s most popular and successful singers. In fact, this list of stars who aren’t members is nearly as impressive as a list of stars who are.<\/p>\n True or false:\u00a0Blake Shelton<\/a> is a member of the Grand Ole Opry.\u00a0What about Toby Keith<\/a>, Rascal Flatts<\/a> and George Strait<\/a>? Are they members, and if not, why?<\/p>\n Two of these four artists are among the 76 members (as of March 2025) of the Grand Ole Opry, and two are not.<\/p>\n The Opry explains\u00a0how it chooses new members<\/a> and what someone needs to do to earn membership, but explanations for why an icon like Hank Williams Jr.<\/a> isn’t a member can only be offered by the man himself.<\/p>\n Keep scrolling. We asked Hank this question, and his answer is perfect!<\/p>\n Rules and guidelines for earning Grand Ole Opry membership are subjective.<\/p>\n The website shares that they want a generational balance among members. That’s visible in a list of new members from 2020 to 2025:\u00a0Lainey Wilson, T. Graham Brown, Scotty McCreery, Jon Pardi, Sara Evans, G\u1ea3y Mule Deer, Henry Cho, Jamey Johnson and Don Schlitz are just a few.<\/p>\n The Opry also looks at past success and potential for future success, although “success” is not defined. One thing is certain: an artist needs to want it. Actually, they need to really<\/em> want it.<\/p>\n Dozens of great country music singers and Grand Ole Opry performers have never been invited, but we picked the\u00a031 most iconic stars.<\/p>\n It’s a list that features 15 Entertainers of the Year and\u00a0eight Country Music Hall of Famers.<\/p>\n Remember, only living artists can become members. That sounds obvious, but it means there will be no posthumous inductions.<\/p>\n That answer is often difficult to determine, but this list of stars you won’t believe aren’t members suggests reasons where appropriate. <\/p>\n\n
31 Country Stars You Won’t Believe Aren’t Grand Ole Opry Members<\/h2>\n