Mandy Barnett Invited Into Grand Ole Opry Membership By Connie Smith

After 500 appearances on the Grand Ole Opry stage, Mandy Barnett was invited to become a member of the historic membership tonight by Connie Smith, who just might have been as choked up about it as Mandy was... 

BREAKING: @mandybarnett has been invited to become the newest member of the Grand Ole Opry by @RealConnieSmith! pic.twitter.com/oxABjD2aMI

— Grand Ole Opry (@opry) September 29, 2021

Barnett has been singing since she was a child, performing at churches, local venues, as well as Dollywood. In her musical career, she has released eight albums and charted three singles on the Billboard country charts. Her highest-charting country single is "Now That's All Right With Me", which reached No. 43 in 1996. Barnett has also held the titular role in the musical Always… Patsy Cline, a musical based on the life of Patsy Cline, which opened in 1994 at the Ryman Auditorium in Nashville. She has performed the role in nearly 500 performances over a 20-year period. In addition, she has been a regular on the Grand Ole Opry, appearing nearly 500 times since her debut in 1994. Barnett continues to tour, performing with bands and symphonies around the world, including the Nashville Symphony and Detroit Symphony Orchestra. On August 13, 2019, Barnett made her cabaret debut at Feinstein's/54 Below in New York City. Barnett, along with Garth Brooks, Emmylou Harris, Vince Gill and others performed at the 2019 Musicians Hall of Fame and Museum Concert and Induction Ceremony; among the inductees were producer Owen Bradley, Steve Wariner and Alabama. On September 28, 2020 The Tennessee Department of Tourist Development honored Barnett with the unveiling of a “Tennessee Music Pathways” marker at the historic downtown square in her Tennessee hometown of Crossville.  Barnett released her eighth studio album on May 7, 2021 titled "Every Star Above", paying tribute to Billie Holiday's "Lady in Satin." It was the final album orchestrated by Sammy Nestico prior to his death. The album reached number one on the iTunes Jazz Charts one day after its release, and it was named one of the best albums of 2021 by Variety magazine.