Carrie Underwood made her Grand Ole Opry debut fifteen years ago on June 10, 2005, and was inducted about three years later on May 10, 2008. The country star has since become a regular at the iconic Nashville venue.
In a recent interview with People, Underwood reflected on her Opry debut and an unexpected encounter she had with a country legend backstage.
"It was a such whirlwind because it was right after I was on American Idol," Underwood recalls of her Opry debut. "I was backstage, and there were so many people I was meeting and taking pictures with. I just felt like everyone was excited I was there, which was great, because I was excited that I was there!"
She went on to reveal her favorite Opry surprise, which occurred before she was officially inducted. "Definitely the night I was asked to become an Opry member by Randy Travis," she shared. "He walked out on stage right after I was done singing his song 'I Told You So.'"
Underwood also opened up about an unforgettable encounter she had with a country legend while backstage at the Opry, saying "it definitely caught me off guard."
"I was talking to Vince Gill ," she says, pausing to joke about her casual name-dropping, "and somebody walked by me and smacked my rear."
"It definitely caught me off guard for a second," Underwood recalls, adding, "and then I turned around, and that was my first time meeting Ms. Loretta Lynn!"
Underwood looks back at her Opry moments fondly, specifically remembering her debut appearance as "magical."
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