‘It’s Unbelievable!’ Steven Curtis Chapman on His Opry Induction & Lifelong Music Journey (EXCLUSIVE)
The beloved Christian singer looks back on a career that led him to the Grand Ole Opry stage
On November 1, Steven Curtis Chapman will see a dream come true as the Grammy Award-winning singer-songwriter becomes the newest member of the Grand Ole Opry.
“It’s unbelievable! I’m just blown away,” Chapman tells Woman’s World of his reaction to Ricky Skaggs surprising him with an invitation to join the famed country music institution. “I’m so honored and grateful. What an amazing family to be a part of.”
The Paducah, NY native is the most awarded artist in Christian music history, having scored 50 number-one hits and winning 59 Gospel Music Association Dove Awards (including a record seven Artist of the Year titles), five Grammy Awards and an American Music Award.
In 2022, he received the BMI Icon Award, becoming the first Christian artist to earn that honor, joining a list of recipients that includes Dolly Parton, Stevie Nicks, Sting and Carole King. His current album, Still, includes his 50th chart-topping single, “Don’t Lose Heart.”
Steven Curtis Chapman’s early Opry roots
In a tremendously accomplished career, becoming a member of the Grand Ole Opry holds a special place in the artist’s heart. “I worked at Opryland and played on the Opry whenever I was 19,” he says of the early days of his career when he performed at the now-closed Opryland theme park and earned a spot on the Opry stage.
“When I was a kid, I can remember my dad driving home on a Saturday night and we were in an area where my dad knew that if you tuned the radio in and the weather was just right, you could pick up [Nashville’s] WSM radio in Kentucky where we were,” Chapman recalls. “I remember hearing the sounds through the static and Dad saying, ‘Hey guys, listen. That’s the Grand Ole Opry!’ There was this reverence and awe that my dad had about the music of the Grand Ole Opry because his dream was to someday be on the Opry. That represented the highest point you could reach in the music that he loved so much. So that seed got planted in my heart and mind. It was like a magical place where the best music happened.”
Needless to say, when 19-year-old Chapman, an aspiring singer-songwriter in Nashville, got a chance to perform on the Grand Ole Opry, it was a monumental moment for the young artist. “I had a job at Opryland Park and got invited to play on the Opry,” he remembers. “My mom and dad came to watch me, and I forgot the words to George Jones’ hit ‘He Stopped Loving Her Today.’ I felt like my career was over because I forgot the words on the Grand Ole Opry stage.”
Grand Ole Opry legend Roy Acuff was quick to encourage the embarrassed young artist, commending how he handled the gaffe. “I remember Roy saying, ‘Son, if you could do that at 19 years old, if you can come up with that and be that quick on your feet, I think you’ll do alright in this business.’ It was a moment that I’ll never forget,” Chapman shares.
“So, all these years later, it’s full circle for me to now get invited to be a part of this family that from the earliest memories of my life has been a part of my musical DNA, even though I ended up in gospel music.”
The influence of Steven Curtis Chapman’s parents
Chapman recalls his dad initially encouraging him to pursue a career in country music and used Ricky Skaggs as an example. “My dad knew I loved the Lord, but said, ‘Maybe you are supposed to do country music. Look at Ricky Skaggs. He’s a very committed Christian who does country music.’ I remember telling Dad, ‘I really feel like this is what I’m supposed to do with the talent that God has given me, is to write these kinds of songs and still do those opportunities when I can, but I really feel like gospel music is where I belong,’” Chapman says.
“So all those years later for Ricky Skaggs—the very guy that my dad referenced—to be the one who invited me to join the Grand Ole Opry, it’s only a story that God could write. It’s just that cool!”
What made the moment he was asked to join the Opry even sweeter is that Chapman’s parents just happened to be listening that night at their home in Kentucky. “They decided to tune it on their phones through the app and heard Ricky inviting me to be a member of the Opry,” he says. “I called them afterwards and they were both crying and said, ‘That’s just the greatest thing ever!’”
Getting his start at Opryland
Being inducted into the Grand Ole Opry is a landmark moment for Chapman, who began performing at a local amusement park in Kentucky before moving to Nashville. His first professional gig was performing at Opryland.
“I was at Opryland off and on for about three years. I worked that first summer, and then a couple of summers I didn’t, and then I came back the year that Mary Beth and I got married,” he says. “I can remember Mary Beth was pregnant with our first child, Emily, and she would waddle in and lay on the bench in the back row of the theater by the lake. I remember when she’d come see me in those days if there weren’t many people, she’d take a whole bench to herself and just kind of lay down,” he says with a laugh.
It was his gig at Opryland that led to him being discovered as a songwriter. A man who had seen him perform noticed in the Opryland program that Chapman’s bio said he was an aspiring songwriter with an interest in gospel music. He approached Chapman after the show. “I just sat down at a piano and played a couple of songs for him,” Chapman recalls, adding that they went for pizza afterward and promised to keep in touch.
“Unbeknownst to me, this guy lived in Anderson, Indiana, and one of his very good friends was Bill Gaither. That’s what led me to getting my first phone call from Bill, saying, ‘Hey I’d like to meet with you and talk to you about maybe publishing some of your music. I think you have a gift and I’d like to encourage you with it,’ which is what led me to go to Anderson College.”
Chapman began gaining notice as a songwriter and got a song recorded by The Imperials. He signed a publishing contract and record deal with Sparrow Records and in 1987, released his debut album, First Hand. It included the hit “Weak Days,” which peaked at number 2 on the Christian chart. His sophomore album, Real Life Conversations, yielded four more hit singles, including “His Eyes,” which won the Dove Award for Contemporary Recorded Song of the Year in 1989, the same year Steven took home the Dove for Songwriter of the Year.
Since then, the talented artist has had songs recorded by Amy Grant, Sandi Patty, Glen Campbell, Casting Crowns, MercyMe, Tasha Cobbs Leonard and many others. He’s populated radio with numerous hits, among them “The Great Adventure,” “For the Sake of the Call,” “Heaven in the Real World,” “Dive” and so many others, including his stellar new single, “Do It Again.” In 2017, he chronicled his life in the best-selling memoir Between Heaven and the Real World: My Story.
Steven Curtis Chapman takes a walk down memory lane
As Chapman reflects on his career, he is thankful for the many highlights, including performing for 100,000 people before acclaimed evangelist Billy Graham took the stage, singing at Carnegie Hall and winning his first Grammy. He recalls his wife Mary Beth standing on her chair and cheering when he won.
“She sat down and got a tap on her shoulder and when she turned around it was Bonnie Raitt! She loses her mind because Mary Beth is a huge Bonnie Raitt fan,” he smiles. “Bonnie Raitt says, ‘You sure are excited. Do you know him?’ And she’s like, ‘That’s my husband!’ So that was a sweet, sweet memory for us.”
Though he has 37 years of great memories, Chapman is not resting on his laurels. His new single, “Do It Again,” is climbing the charts. He’s recently been in the studio recording with Lady A’s Hillary Scott.
This fall, he’s been on the road with his “An Evening with Steven Curtis Chapman Tour” and on November 14 in Johnson City, TN, he’ll join Brandon Heath, Point of Grace, Chosen Road, Jason Crabb and others for “Mountain Aid: Music for Healing, Strength for Tomorrow,” a concert to benefit relief efforts in Appalachia in the wake of Hurricane Helene. On December 4, Chapman will embark on his Acoustic Christmas Tour. He’s also slated to perform on Opry Country Christmas on December 22.
This Friday night, he’ll take center stage as he becomes the newest member of the Grand Ole Opry, and he’s using his induction night to promote a cause dear to his heart as he teams with the Opry to kick off National Adoption Month. The Opry is donating $5 from each ticket sold to Show Hope, the nonprofit organization founded in 2003 by Chapman and his wife, Mary Beth, that provides care and support to children who have been orphaned and families impacted by adoption and foster care.
As he excitedly looks forward to his induction, Chapman is humble and still seems surprised by the blessing. “There’s that great verse in the Bible that says, ‘We make our plans, but God directs our steps,’” he says. “Being invited to join the Opry is just another one of those confirmations of that for me. I couldn’t have scripted it or figured it out back when I first came to Nashville camping out and trying to get my songs heard. It’s just amazing to look back to see how God directed my steps and just how He blessed those efforts in a way that I could have never imagined. This caught me completely by surprise and I’m so thankful.”
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