How the Opry and WSM made it 100 years

The Grand Ole Opry is more than just the longest-running radio show in America.

It became the calling card for trailblazing WSM, the radio station that reached the wider world with old-time hillbilly music. Just five short years after the first commercial radio broadcast, WSM launched with the “WSM Barn Dance,” the precursor to the Opry, and began to attract musicians and fans to the city. And it put Nashville on a national stage. Today, we sift through the archives to highlight the Opry and a century of stories behind the radio station that laid the groundwork for what Music City has become. Join us for the incredible 100-year history of the Opry and WSM.

Guests

Kyle Cantrell, former Opry announcer, founder of banjoradio.com
Craig Havighurst, editorial director, WMOT, author of Air Castle of the South
Jewly Hight, senior music writer, Nashville Public Radio
Eric Marcum, general manager, WSM

Further listening and reading

• NPR: At 100 years old, the Grand Ole Opry is the keeper of country music’s legacy
• Guardian: Urban cowboys, harmonica wizards and queer trailblazers: 100 years of the Grand Ole Opry
• WPLN: Whisperin’ Bill Anderson, the Grand Ole Opry’s longest serving legend
• Air Castle of the South: WSM and the Making of Music City
• The Grand Ole Opry, The Early Years 1925 – 1935

This episode was produced by Jewly Hight and Blake Farmer.