Chris Young got the surprise of a lifetime last night at his performance at the Grand Ole Opry. Country Music Hall of Fame member and Opry veteran Vince Gill surprised Young with an invitation to become the newest member of the Grand Ole Opry.
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Young and Gill were about to perform their hit duet "Sober Saturday Night" from 2015's I'm Comin' Over when Gill brought out Young's gold and platinum records to show the audience.
Afterwards, Gill mentioned Young's good heart in reference to his donation to the hurricane victims, and joked that he had never been paid for his work on the song. "I'm still five years away from social security," he laughed.
"I'll make you a deal," Gill said. "I'll forgive the session fees if you'll be the newest member of the Grand Ole Opry." Young covered his face and dropped to one knee for a moment before springing back up to his feet.
You can bet he must have been excited because he then literally picked up Vince Gill in a huge bear hug.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6uHNf0sPLoE
After a long round of applause and a standing ovation from the audience Young regained his composure and quipped, "You're getting triple scale at this point!"
"As a friend and someone that's been out here for 30 years, you will not believe the friendships, the relationships, and the heart that you will gain from being out here for the rest of your life," Gill added. "It's going to be really powerful to you, so congratulations."
Young bowed his head to Gill and shook his hand and then pointed to the audience in recognition of his fans.
Young has been a staple on the Grand Ole Opry ever since his debut. He has earned several ACM, CMA, CMT and BBMA awards over the course of his storied career. He has six studio albums under his belt with nine No. 1 hits including "I'm Comin' Over" and his collaboration with Vince Gill, "Sober Saturday Night".
"Since making his Opry debut more than a decade ago, Chris Young has won legions of fans around the world and has earned the honest respect of his industry peers," said Opry General Manager Sally Williams in a statement. "Both are evident every time Chris plays the Opry, as our audiences light up and his fellow artists watch from the wings. Chris has an incredible passion and love for the Opry; he lauds its past and is excited about its future. He continues to make significant contributions to country music and to his community, and we could not be more excited to officially welcome Chris to his musical home with his Opry induction in October."
Young was visibly moved to tears as he accepted his induction to the Opry, saying, "I don't cry at anything, man, this is stupid... Oh, dang you got me really good. I love you guys. I love everybody here. I love this place."
