Welcome back to Country Music 4 Ever! Kathy Mattea just became the newest member of the Grand Ole Opry, but she won’t be the newest member for long. During her induction night performance, she interrupted her performance of “Eighteen Wheels and a Dozen Roses” to surprise her friend and fellow country star, Suzy Bogguss, with an invitation to become the newest Opry member.

Before I go any farther, I just want to say I think both of these women are extremely talented, and they deserve this honor. However, this got me thinking about how Opry management chooses their members. Neither Kathy nor Suzy are relevant names in the country music industry, so why are they just now being chosen to receive this honor?Things the Opry looks at when considering someone for membership are radio airplay, recorded music sales, touring success, industry recognition (awards), career accomplishments, and career success, but most importantly, they look at things like an artist's passion for country music fans, their connection to country music history, and their willingness to make sacrifices to uphold their membership.

Obviously, Kathy and Suzy aren’t getting much radio airplay anymore, and they aren’t touring as much, but in my opinion, their invitations came at the perfect time in their careers, and I’ll explain why.

When an artist is at the peak of their career, they are being pulled in a thousand different ways because everybody wants them for something. They appear at award shows, they do radio and TV interviews, they play festivals, they go on tour for months at a time, and on top of all of that, they still have a hundred other things to do. So, it’s not always possible for an artist to commit to being an Opry member at the peak of their career because they can’t keep the promise of making appearances at the Opry.

I feel this is the perfect time for Kathy and Suzy to become members because their careers have settled down and they can commit to the Opry. I’m not saying they haven’t always been committed to the Opry because I’m sure they have been. Furthermore, I find it a little surprising the Opry chose them this far into their careers, but I’m sure they will not disappoint the Opry or its fans.

Thanks for reading. I’ll be back soon!