Musician Charlie McCoy, Songwriter Don Schlitz Invited To Join Grand Ole Opry

(L-R) McCoy, Gill and Schlitz (©Grand Ole Opry Photo By: Chris Hollo)

Musician CHARLIE McCOY and acclaimed songwriter DON SCHLITZ were each invited on SATURDAY night (6/11) to join the cast of THE GRAND OLE OPRY. Both are already members of the COUNTRY MUSIC HALL OF FAME. The OPRY invitation came from longtime member VINCE GILL, and marked the first time two people have received an OPRY invitation in the same night since the OPRY began making those invitations publicly.

Both McCOY and SCHLITZ will be inducted into the OPRY later this summer. Watch their surprise invitations here.

Primarily known for his harmonica skills, McCOY also plays several other instruments, and has been a studio musician mainstay in NASHVILLE for nearly five decades, with credits that include “The Boxer,” “He Stopped Loving Her Today,” “Orange Blossom Special,”  and “I Was Country When Country Wasn’t Cool.” Among the hit Country songs penned by SCHLITZ are “The Gambler,” “Forever and Ever, Amen,” “When You Say Nothing At All,” "Strong Enough To Bend" and “On The Other Hand.” He has 50 Top 10 hits to his credit, 24 of which went #1,

After receiving the news from GILL onstage, McCOY said, “I’ve had so many amazing things happen, but I want to tell you what-- this is the icing on the cake. I cannot thank everyone enough for this honor. I am blown away." Later in the evening, after receiving similar news from GILL, SCHLITZ said, “Like CHARLIE said, ‘This is the icing.’”

Said OPRY Executive Producer DAN ROGERS, “It is not an exaggeration at all to say CHARLIE McCOY has played on the soundtrack to almost every Country music fan’s life and that DON SCHLITZ has written at least a portion of each of those soundtracks. Every time CHARLIE or DON plays the OPRY, each showcase something incredibly special about the OPRY and our hometown of NASHVILLE.” 

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