When Dustin Lynch walked into the Grand Ole Opry on Sept. 18 for his Opry induction, the first gift he saw was from fellow Opry member Carrie Underwood.
“I walked in today, and the first thing I received was a very generous bottle from a beautiful girl by the name of Carrie Underwood with a sweet note,” Lynch shared with PopCulture.com and other media. “Very, very classy, and the note said ‘Welcome to the family.’ It’s so cool that Carrie Underwood knows who I am.”
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Lynch was invited to join last month by Trace Adkins, with the news quickly spreading while Lynch was still on stage. By the time the Tennessee native got to his phone, numerous people had reached out to congratulate him, including several of his famous friends.
“I had 80 text messages from what had happened when I got backstage on my phone,” Lynch recalled. “But a lot of the members, believe it or not, I’ve become friends with over the years. I hate to start naming names ’cause I’m gonna forget some people, but Darius Rucker, Brad Paisley, Chris [Janson] were a few of the names I think that hit me right away that night. It’s just very cool. I know I’m forgetting some, because it was just, still is a blur. These last few weeks are still blurry, as is today. Chris Young as well.”
“It’s great to have those members be so in tune with what’s going on here,” he continued. “Who’s a part of the family — it’s really, really cool. It really puts a smile on my face whenever the craziness of it all is going down, that those guys and girls are truly happy for me and welcoming me into the family.”
Lynch’s invitation to join the Grand Ole Opry was more than just a bucket-list item for him. The inclusion into such an historic — and sacred — institution, validated all of Lynch’s hard work.
“I knew it was something that my team knew was important to me. We obviously put it on the list of dreams to chase down,” Lynch told PopCulture.com. “I just feel like I’m getting started. I feel like I just started this journey. So to be asked to be a member of the Opry, which is at the top of my bucket list, is mind-blowing to me.”
Lynch will kick off his Reason to Drink … Another Tour in October with Cole Swindell. Find dates at DustinLynch.com.
Photo Credit: Getty images/Erika Goldring
