Scotty McCreery Honors Late Grandfather With Performance At Opry
on Jun 23, 2016 • Updated Aug 27, 2019
A Major Loss Inspires Song
January 11, 2015 was a sad day for Scotty McCreery. That day, his beloved grandfather passed away unexpectedly at the age of 86.
Bill McCreery had severed for 20 years in the U.S. Air Force and then spent 10 years working for the U.S. Civil Service. After Bill passed away, Scotty remembered him as a hard worker and a dedicated family man.
Scotty McCreery remembers his late grandfather’s gifts of golf lessons and a deep voice http://t.co/UwidPTtT1N pic.twitter.com/MQljjd55zd
— The News & Observer (@newsobserver) January 15, 2015
Scotty took his grandfather’s death hard, since the two of them were close. He turned to music in order to help him cope, and ended up writing a touching song inspired by his grandfather.
A few weeks after Bill passed away, Scotty wrote a song called “Five More Minutes,” which he debuted during an appearance at the Grand Ole Opry. Scotty spoke to the crowd about the inspiration behind the song, saying he knew his grandfather was there with him at that moment.
“I know he’s watching and very proud of me, the fact that I’m at the Grand Ole Opry tonight,” he said.
A Song That Speaks To The Heart
With that, Scotty transitioned into “Five More Minutes,” which is surprisingly not as emotional as you would think…at least not at first. Scotty starts off singing about times in life that you want “five more minutes,” like when you’re out fishing and your mom calls you in for supper.
It isn’t until the end that Scotty mentions his grandfather, singing about how his family gathered around, knowing the end was near. With time slipping away, Scotty makes an emotional plea to God to give him just “five more minutes” with his grandfather.
Although Scotty didn’t cry during the performance, you can tell he was deeply moved by the words. Scotty’s emotional connection to the song resulted in the performance of a lifetime for him.
Many who were at the Opry that day reported he earned a standing ovation, and one audience member even commented that “the standing ovation was the longest and most passionate I have ever seen at the Opry.”
Will never firget the first time I heard @ScottyMcCreery sing Five More Minutes at the @opry! #goosebumps
— Swatto (@paris2753) March 6, 2019
Once you watch Scotty’s performance below, you’ll be able to fully understand why he generated such a reaction. Because of this performance, he was eventually able to record the song for his album Seasons Change, released it as a single, and had it become his first #1 hit.
When you watch him sing the song in the clip below, it’s easy to see why it has touched so many people.
