Darius Rucker, Chris Young to Honor Ray Charles With Special Opry Salute
"When you think of musical legends, you think of Ray Charles," says Rucker.
Ray Charles is one of music’s most prolific contributors with a career and catalog that extends more than seven decades. His legendary life and legacy will be celebrated at the Grand Ole Opry with a special Monday night show, “An Opry Salute to Ray Charles,” on Oct. 8
Hosted by Darius Rucker, the show will feature special performances and collaborations of Charles’ music, featuring Boyz II Men, Cam, Brett Eldredge, Leela James, Lukas Nelson, Allen Stone, Travis Tritt, Chris Young, Ronnie Milsap, LeAnn Rimes, Charlie Wilson and more.
“When you think of musical legends, you think of Ray Charles,” says Rucker in a press release. “To host this great event celebrating his legacy at the Opry makes it even more special. Being asked to join the Opry six years ago was one of the greatest highlights of my career and it’s an honor any time I get to step onto that stage, especially for a night like this.”
“An Opry Salute to Ray Charles” will also be filmed for a television special scheduled to air in November on PBS.
Charles’s ties to country music run deep. While best known for his role in soul and R&B music, the legendary performer released a two-album project, Modern Sounds in Country & Western Music. The first volume spent 14 weeks at No.1 on the all-genre Billboard chart and earned Charles eight Top 40 pop singles with covers of Don Gibson’s “I Can’t Stop Loving You,” Eddy Arnold’s “You Don’t Know Me,” Johnny Cash’s “Busted” and Buck Owens’s “Cryin’ Time.”
Fans hoping to attend “An Opry Salute to Ray Charles” on Oct. 8 can pick up tickets by calling 615-871-OPRY or visiting opry.com.
