Garth Brooks Surprises Jon Pardi At Opry Induction

Chris Hutto/Opry

The Grand Ole Opry family grew once again as Jon Pardi became the newest member during Tuesday night’s show (Oct. 24).

Six months ago, Jon Pardi was on mid-set at Stagecoach when celebrity chef Guy Fieri surprised him onstage by saying that Alan Jackson had a message for him. Jackson appeared on the large screen and issued an official invitation for Pardi to join the Grand Ole Opry.

“The Grand Ole Opry has always meant a whole lot to me and everybody in country music. And I’ve been appreciating your music ever since you were touring with me a few years ago. So I get the honor to invite you in front of all your Stagecoach friends out there to be the first native of California to become an official member of the Grand Ole Opry,” Jackson said.

Pardi fought back tears as Opry VP & Executive Producer Dan Rogers came on stage to inform the singer that his invitation was history in the making.

“And tonight is historic because Jon, not only are you the first person ever invited to become an Opry member here at Stagecoach, this guy is the first native Californian ever to be a member of the Grand Ole Opry,” Rogers said.

 

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Jon Pardi was in for another surprise during his official induction ceremony as Garth Brooks had the honor of welcoming him to the Opry family.

Garth Brooks spent a few minutes telling the crowd about some of his first memories of Jon Pardi. Brooks recalled Pardi opening for him in Knoxville, Tennessee, and how the young singer captured the attention of a packed stadium of 85,000 fans. He then turned to Pardi and presented him with the replica of the Opry’s iconic microphone as he said, “This is me and you joined in holy matrimony, by the common love of country music.”

Jon chose to perform his first No. 1 hit, “Head Over Boots,” as his first song as an official Opry member. Watch video of Garth Brooks surprising Jon Pardi on the Opry stage in the video below.