Trisha Yearwood, Friends Celebrate 25 Years at the Grand Ole Opry

Trisha Yearwood hand-selected a few friends to help celebrate her 25th anniversary as a Grand Ole Opry member.

On March 13, 1999, Porter Wagoner inducted Yearwood into the Opry, saying she was the best female vocalist he'd ever heard. Yearwood got another surprise that night when the late Patsy Cline's husband and daughter took the stage to present her with a silver necklace from the country icon.

Yearwood grew up a big fan of Cline's, and after receiving the necklace, she performed one of her songs.

Special guests marked Wednesday night's (March 13) performance, too. Terri Clark, Pam Tillis and Suzy Bogguss shared a stage and a song with Yearwood. Pictures (below) show them standing behind a large, music-themed cake, as well.

Chris Hollo / Hollo Photographic

"This is a family," Yearwood said at a pre-show press conference. "To be a member you have to understand what came before you and to also have a love and appreciation of what came before you."

In 1999, Yearwood was the 183rd person ever invited to join the Opry (Tillis was 184 and Clark 189). For context, Jon Pardi was No. 226 when he was inducted last October.

Yearwood has had a big week in Nashville: Last Thursday (March 7) she joined husband Garth Brooks to open Friends in Low Places, his new bar and honky-tonk in Nashville. She helped curate the menu for the restaurant and spoke with Brooks about the spirit of the venue.

Trisha Yearwood Celebrates 25 Years at the Grand Ole Opry

Trisha Yearwood celebrated 25 years at the Grand Ole Opry with friends like Terri Clark, Pam Tillis and Suzy Bogguss. She was formally inducted on March 13, 1999.

Gallery Credit: Billy Dukes

26 Country Stars You Won't Believe Aren't Grand Ole Opry Members

Fifteen living CMA or ACM Entertainers of the Year are not members of the Grand Ole Opry, and a few of them barely recognize the vaunted stage. George Strait, Kenny Chesney and Willie Nelson are three legends who rarely play the Grand Ole Opry. Why?

That answer is often difficult to determine, but this list suggests reasons where appropriate. Membership into the Grand Ole Opry comes with an obligation to play the show frequently, but that's often set aside (Barbara Mandrell is an inactive member, for example). Only living artists are considered, and once a member dies, they are no longer a member.

As of 2023, there are more than 70 members of the Grand Ole Opry. Historically, nearly 250 men, women and groups were members — so, it's a select group that excludes several Country Music Hall of Famers.

Gallery Credit: Billy Dukes