The Grand Ole Opry officially turned 100, and to celebrate the legendary venue’s milestone anniversary, more than two dozen country icons came together for a special broadcast honoring those who paved the way for the genre.
The event took place on November 28, which is the official anniversary of the Opry; however, since not everyone was able to tune in live, the Opry has been sharing clips of performances from that special night for fans on their social media.
One of the latest moments they shared was a powerful group performance of George Jones’ “Who’s Gonna Fill Their Shoes.” The group included a mix of longtime Opry members and newer faces, all singing together.
Who’s Gonna Fill Their Shoes” is a song written by Troy Seals and Max D. Barnes. George Jones recorded the song and released it in June 1985 as the title track and first single from his album of the same name.
In the song, Jones name-drops music legends like Waylon Jennings, Johnny Cash, Elvis Presley, Conway Twitty, and more. He wonders how future artists could ever live up to the impact they made on the music world.
Scotty McCreery, Mandy Barnett, T. Graham Brown, and Mark Wills stood front and center to lead the special tribute.
Each took turns singing a solo part of the song. The legends standing behind them joined in on the chorus. Among those joining were longtime Opry members Vince Gill, Bill Anderson, Ricky Skaggs, and many others.
After the performance, Scotty shared a touching speech with the crowd in honor of the artists they were celebrating that night.
That song we all just sang was released 40 years ago this year and has been a staple of country music ever since,” he began.
“The song was a big part of my induction last year, and the question the song asks is, ‘Who’s Gonna Fill Their Shoes?’ It can weigh heavily on anyone who loves country music or the Grand Ole Opry…“Well, my answer to that question is no one could ever fill their shoes. Those artists were so loved, they were so unique, so important, so gifted that no one could ever take their place.”
Watch 25+ Opry members sing George Jones’ “Who’s Gonna Fill Their Shoes” in the video below.
