No musician in the history of making music has ever survived their entire career without a soul-crushing, heartbreaking, all-around bad gig, and on October 2, 1954, Elvis Presley was having his unlucky go-around as he left the Grand Ole Opry in tears for what would be his first and final performance at the hallowed venue. The night was a devastating blow to Presley, who spent his childhood listening to the Grand Ole Opry on the radio.
At 19 years old, Presley received a lesson that every musician has to face at some point in their career. Fortunately for him, an unsuccessful Grand Ole Opry debut did little to cool his career as a rock ‘n’ roll musician. Presley continued to lean into the latter genre, earning his royalty status as the King not long after. Ultimately, pandering too much to the Opry crowd might have pigeonholed him as a country singer, changing his career path forever.
In any case, the experience certainly thickened Presley’s skin, which is an invaluable attribute of any good musician.
https://www.forbes.com/sites/pamwindsor ... -ole-opry/
A new exhibit called “From Memphis to the Ryman” walks visitors through Elvis Presley’s one and only appearance at the iconic venue. It’s done with photos, artifacts, and an audio account narrated by Matthew Ramsey of the group, Old Dominion, telling the story with the help of actual recollections from people who were there.
https://tasteofcountry.com/elvis-presle ... -ole-opry/
https://www.elvis-atouchofgold.com/gran ... -programs/
