Sara Evans was just a year into what would become a long string of hits when she made her debut on the hallowed stage of the Grand Ole Opry in 1998.
When Did Sara Evans First Visit the Grand Ole Opry?
According to the Boot, the singer first visited the Opry when she was 11 years old, and she loved hearing her grandfather’s stories about the classic stars of the Opry.
READ MORE: Sara Evans Joins Priscilla Block at Ryman Debut
That trip helped Evans set an ambition of her own to become a country singer, and she moved to Nashville in 1991 from her native Missouri, where she had first begun singing with her family band in her teens.
She landed a deal with RCA Records, releasing her debut album, Three Chords and the Truth, in 1997. Evans was working on her sophomore album when the Opry gave the then 27-year-old singer the chance to perform on its historic stage.
When Did Sara Evans Debut on the Grand Ole Opry?
Evans sang the Hank Williams classic “Your Cheatin’ Heart” during her Grand Ole Opry debut on March 7, 1998, honoring the traditional country music that had inspired her to launch a career in the first place.
Released later that year in October of 1998, Evans’ second album, No Place That Far, proved her commercial breakthrough.
The album’s title song scored Evans her first No. 1 hit when it was released as the second single from the project, launching Evans on a career trajectory that would see her become one of the most popular female artists in country music.
Evans went on to score a long list of hits that includes “Born to Fly,” “I Could Not Ask for More,” “Suds in the Bucket,” “A Real Fine Place to Start,” “A Little Bit Stronger” and more.
Country Music’s Most Volatile Marriages
Country music is all about three chords and the truth, and sometimes the truth isn’t pretty. Read on to see which country stars have had the most volatile marriages over the decades.
Gallery Credit: Sterling Whitaker
