NASHVILLE, Tennessee
Possibly the biggest highlight of a country music artist’s career is their first time performing at the Grand Ole Opry. It’s an important step toward seeing their hard work come to fruition.
One of my favorite artists, country-rocker Jacob Bryant, debuted at the Grand Ole Opry on Friday, February 18, just one month after the release of his Bar Stool Preacher album. Bryant was announced by Grand Ole Opry member and No. 1 Billboard charting artist, Mark Wills.
Naturally, he was a little overwhelmed and went straight to singing his swoon-worthy, powerful romantic ballad “Heartbeat.”
In between his two-song debut, Bryant admitted, “God knows how to make a grown man cry, don’t he? I had a long conversation with (Opry members) Mark Wills and Ricky Skaggs, which is absolutely insane. It was about understanding why God put me right here, right now. And this song right here is for God. It’s called ‘Sometimes I Pray.’”
The honest confession of a song resonated with so many that it earned Bryant a standing ovation.
Later he shared, “I’m beyond grateful to have performed at such a historic venue like the Opry, which has played such a huge part in country music. To have had my wife, daughter, and son as well as my team to experience this with me is an absolute blessing. God is good.”
Released on Jan. 14 via Thirty Tigers and American Roots Records, Bar Stool Preacher “tells deeply personal stories about his long, hard road to this phase of his life and career (Wide Open Country).” With over 2 million streams in less than one month, Bar Stool Preacher has landed in the Top 30 on Billboard‘s Current Country Albums and Top New Artist Albums and received recognition from Billboard, People.com, The Boot/ Taste of Country, CMT.com, American Songwriter and many more. In support of the release, Bryant is currently on his Bar Stool Preacher tour. See the full list of tour dates below and to purchase tickets, click here.
To learn more about the artist and how he got his start, read my Music Spotlight column from October 2021.
You can follow Jacob Bryant on his website, YouTube, Facebook, Instagram, and all streaming platforms.
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Bethany Bowman is a freelance entertainment writer. You can follow her blog, Instagram, and Twitter.
