USA - The Grand Ole Opry 100th Celebration, broadcast live on NBC and streamed on Peacock, featured a procession of artists who relied on Shure audio technology as they honoured the legacy of the country music institution. Both founded in 1925, the Grand Ole Opry and Shure share a rich history together, with music and cultural stars trusting Shure microphones on the Opry stage.
“Two icons in the entertainment industry both celebrating 100 years is quite an honour,” said Chris Schyvinck, president and CEO at Shure. “We literally grew up together. From day one, the Grand Ole Opry has provided the world with wonderful talent and significant impacts on the world of music. We congratulate the Grand Ole Opry and all its members and fans for a century of success and hope for another 100 years of country music entertainment.”
Chuck Young, director of production & technical services at Opry Entertainment Group, reminisced about his experience working with Shure: “Shure has supported country music for decades. Reps from Shure’s Evanston factory would drive a truckload of gear to Nashville for Fan Fair every year to help facilitate that event. Even before the Grand Ole Opry House was built in 1974, Shure supplied microphones and a Vocal Master PA at our original Ryman Auditorium home.
“That partnership has flourished for more than 50 years, and we still use Shure mics and IEMs for the longest-running radio show in history. With more than 300 Opry shows per year, hundreds of performers, and three-minute set changes, gear performance and reliability are paramount in our venues. We get that, along with great engineering support from Shure.
“Congratulations to Shure on 100 years of excellence in engineering! At the Grand Ole Opry, it is also our 100th anniversary, so it is a great time to take a minute and recognise a storied partnership. Thank you and congratulations to all of our friends at Shure!”
Audio production for Opry 100: A Live Celebration was managed by a star-studded team of engineers, including J. Mark King (production mixer), Chip Matthews (audio producer), Brett ‘Scoop’ Blanden (FOH engineer), Michael Zuehsow (monitor engineer), Matt Manix (music mixer) and Jason Glass (RF coordinator).
The team deployed 40 channels of the Shure Axient Digital Wireless Microphone System and 24 channels of the Shure PSM 1000 Advanced In-Ear Personal Monitoring System.
“I wasn’t surprised to see a majority of artists choose Shure wireless systems and capsules for their performances,” said Chip Matthews. “The audio quality and reliability of Shure makes our job so much easier.”
Additionally, the celebration included performances from the historic Ryman Auditorium, the home of the Grand Ole Opry from 1943 to 1974, in the heart of Nashville. The engineers at the Ryman operated 10 channels of Axient Digital and 10 channels of PSM 1000. The team included Bob Bussiere (monitors), Kevin McGinty (FOH) and Michael Davis (music mixer).
“I'm always happy to use Shure wireless products for large deployments. They so easily integrate with their predictable behaviour in complex systems,” said Jason Glass, RF coordinator at Clean Wireless Audio. “Their reliability gives me comfort when facing the stresses and high stakes of live television broadcast. They have unique features that can be used in clever ways to make gigs easier, such as having telemetry include transmitter device ID shown at each receiver. This is helpful when you must use multiple guitar body packs on the same frequency, linked to one receiver channel. You can always tell which of the body packs is active.”
Between both the Grand Ole Opry and Ryman performances, the event heavily relied on Shure microphone capsules.
Artists using the SM58 Vocal Microphone capsule, a staple in country music live performance, included Trisha Yearwood, Garth Brooks, Jamey Johnson, Trace Adkins, Lainey Wilson, Marty Stuart, Keith Urban, Ashley McBryde, Vince Gill, Sonya Isaacs, Ricky Skaggs, Steve Curtis Chapman, and The War and Treaty.
Artists trusting the Shure Beta 58A Vocal Microphone capsule, another staple country mic, included Dierks Bentley, Terri Clark, Yolanda Adams, Alan Jackson, Brad Paisley, and Carly Pierce.
Travis Tritt used the Shure KSM8 Dualdyne Dynamic Vocal Microphone, which has become increasingly popular with country artists for its unmatched ability to control proximity effect and presence peaks.
Luke Combs trusted the Shure KSM11 Cardioid Condenser Vocal microphone capsule, the same premium microphone he has been using on tour.
The new Shure Nexadyne Instrument and Vocal microphones also helped capture the Grand Ole Opry’s house band’s background vocals, as well as kick and tom drums. Reba McEntire and Alison Krauss sang into a Nexadyne 8/C capsule. Notably, Alison’s backing vocalists also used Nexadyne microphones.
“Shure continues to enjoy a wonderful relationship with the Opry and the Ryman, as well as many of the artists who performed at this show. We are honoured to be part of such a rich, deep history of music and family,” said Ryan Smith, manager of artist & entertainment relations at Shure, who is based in Nashville.
