It’s been 26 years since Dan Rogers, the Grand Ole Opry’s newly promoted senior vp/executive producer, began working at the hallowed institution, and in that time, he’s seen thousands of shows.
But the Opry has experienced a particularly fertile time since he became vp/executive producer in 2019, and his highlights range from the shivers he experiences every time a new member gets invited to join the Opry to some significant milestones for artists like Dolly Parton, a big anniversary for the Opry itself and seeing new artists like Lainey Wilson claim the stage as their own.
He’s also part of the team that kept the Opry up and running for its Saturday night broadcasts through the COVID pandemic, even when artists had to social distance and no audiences were allowed in the Nashville venue. “We just assumed the flood of 2010 would be the most devastating thing and the most challenging time in our careers,” Rogers says, referencing the historic flood that devastated Nashville as the Cumberland River rose over its bands and filled the Grand Ole Opry House with 10 feet of water. “But it was truly the uncertainty and just the sadness of COVID that made it so difficult for us.”
The highs have been far more than the lows, and the only issue Rogers had with picking his top 10 moments since he became executive producer five years ago was narrowing it down.
Below, he picks some of his favorite moments. (While they are unranked, as he notes in his comments, one night stands a little above the rest.)
