19 Years Ago: Carrie Underwood Makes Grand Ole Opry Debut

Facebook/Grand Ole Opry

Nineteen years ago, Carrie Underwood experienced an unforgettable night as she stepped onto the Grand Ole Opry stage for the very first time.

Traveling all the way back to June 10, 2005,  Carrie Underwood, a rising country music star at the time, made her debut on the legendary Grand Ole Opry stage. This incredible honor happened just two weeks after she won Season 4 of American Idol, becoming the first country singer to win the competition.

That night, she performed “Inside Your Heaven,” the song she sang when she won Idol, and Roy Orbison’s “Crying,” which she also sang on the show.

“It’s kind of magical,” she said after her performance that night. “I don’t feel like I deserve this at all.”

Since that memorable night, Carrie Underwood has undoubtedly become one of the most iconic performers in country music. Following her Idol win, Underwood released her multi-platinum debut album, Some Hearts, which was just one of many successful albums to come. Today, she has sold over 65 million records worldwide and is considered the highest-earning Idol contestant in the show’s history.

Throughout her two decades in the industry, she has had more than a dozen hit songs, including “Jesus, Take the Wheel,” “Before He Cheats,” and “Cowboy Casanova.”  Additionally, Underwood has won eight Grammy Awards, adding to her impressive list of achievements.

 

View this post on Instagram

 

A post shared by Carrie Underwood (@carrieunderwood)

Less than three years after her Opry debut, the Oklahoma native received the surprise of a lifetime when Randy Travis invited her to join the Grand Ole Opry cast right on its legendary stage.

“Let me think about it,” she jokingly replied before accepting the prestigious invitation.

Later that year in May, Carrie Underwood was introduced to the Grand Ole Opry by Country Music Hall of Famer Bill Anderson and officially inducted by Garth Brooks.