{"id":857455,"date":"2026-09-23T06:10:18","date_gmt":"2026-09-23T06:10:18","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/857455\/"},"modified":"2026-09-23T06:10:18","modified_gmt":"2026-09-23T06:10:18","slug":"such-a-special-night-longview-country-singer-neal-mccoy-invited-to-join-grand-ole-opry","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/857455\/","title":{"rendered":"\u2018Such a special night\u2019: Longview country singer Neal McCoy invited to join Grand Ole Opry"},"content":{"rendered":"

For the past five years or so, Neal McCoy\u2019s fans have been asking the leaders of the Grand Ole Opry to induct the singer they know and love into the legendary country music show.<\/p>\n

Their effort paid off Tuesday, when Longview\u2019s own country music star \u2014 who\u2019s had hits with songs such as \u201cThe Shake,\u201d \u201cWink,\u201d \u201cNo Doubt About It\u201d and more \u2014 got his wish. He was invited to become the 100-year-old Opry\u2019s newest member.<\/p>\n

McCoy has performed as a guest at the Opry numerous times throughout his 45-year career, and he\u2019s aspired to be a member for some time now. But he didn\u2019t know when he made his Tuesday night stop there that he\u2019d soon join its ranks. The whole ordeal was kept a secret from him, his road manager and his family.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt was a lot bigger deal to me than I thought it would be,\u201d McCoy said late Tuesday night as he started the all-night trip on his tour bus from Nashville, Tennessee, back to Longview. \u201cIt was such a special night to be at the Grand Ole Opry because it was honoring Charley Pride night.\u201d<\/p>\n

After all, it was Pride \u2014 the pioneering Black country singer \u2014 who gave McCoy his start in the music business.<\/p>\n

Tuesday\u2019s Opry paid tribute to Pride, singer of songs such as \u201cKiss an Angel Good Mornin’\u201d and \u201cMountain of Love.\u201d McCoy, one of Pride\u2019s mentees, was a natural choice for a tribute show.<\/p>\n


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McCoy and his wife, Melinda, met Charley and his wife, Rozene Cohran Pride, in 1981, when McCoy was a young artist setting out to make a music career. McCoy became one of Pride\u2019s opening acts, and Charley and Rozene worked hard to get him a record deal, to get him in front of crowds, \u201cto try to help me get a break,\u201d McCoy said.<\/p>\n

McCoy signed with Atlantic Records in 1990, and his 1994 album \u201cNo Doubt About It\u201d was his breakout album. It included some of his most noted tunes, including \u201cWink\u201d and \u201cThe City Put the Country Back in Me.\u201d In 2005, he released \u201cBilly\u2019s Got His Beer Goggles On\u201d under his own label, and the tune was a Top 10 country hit.<\/p>\n

In a nod to his friend and mentor, McCoy recorded a Pride tribute album in 2013, seven years before Pride died. McCoy sang three Pride tunes during Tuesday\u2019s tribute.<\/p>\n

Before McCoy went on stage, he visited with Rozene, who didn\u2019t tell him what she learned when she arrived: that she\u2019d be part of his invitation to the Opry. She joined country star Pam Tillis on stage when Tillis extended the invitation. McCoy hugged Rozene and kissed her head, and he cried; the moment was overwhelming, he said.<\/p>\n

\u201cShe did a great job of keeping it from me,\u201d McCoy said. \u201cI think she felt as good about it as I did because she had known how hard in the early years that her and Charley had worked to try to get me a record deal.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt was almost like it came around full circle because we were there honoring Charley Pride.\u201d<\/p>\n

The Opry is celebrating a century of making music, and the greatest names in the country genre \u2014 from Johnny Cash and Dolly Parton to Carrie Underwood and Garth Brooks \u2014 have sung on its stage. Having accepted his invitation, McCoy is the Opry\u2019s newest member, but he\u2019ll be formally inducted during an upcoming ceremony, with a date to be determined. It\u2019ll be a true family affair, McCoy said, as he\u2019ll bring his family on stage.<\/p>\n

McCoy will perform at the Opry several times per year from now on; all Opry members have a certain number of performances to make, coming from near and far to croon the country music lovers who fill the sprawling venue in Music City.<\/p>\n

That means McCoy and his fans will get to say the Pledge of Allegiance together in Nashville a little more often.<\/p>\n

McCoy is known not only for his music, but also for his patriotism. He\u2019s said the Pledge of Allegiance on his Facebook page live every day since Jan. 7, 2016. Fans tune in to say the pledge with him and hear him talk about daily life. He said the pledge at the White House in January.<\/p>\n

McCoy previously told the News-Journal that he was raised on American values. His father, Pete, served in the Army Corps of Engineers in the Philippines, where he met Virginia, Neal\u2019s mother. Virginia raised her children to love God and country, McCoy said. From a young age, the fact that people in other countries have tougher lives and less freedom was impressed upon them.<\/p>\n

McCoy is known for his charitable endeavors as well, and his annual East Texas Angel Network benefit concert will be at 7 p.m. Saturday at the LeTourneau University Belcher Center. The concert raises funds for the nonprofit network, which pays living and travel expenses for families of children with severe or terminal medical issues. The organization serves families within a 75-mile radius of Longview. McCoy established the organization with his wife in 1994.<\/p>\n

McCoy will sing with two fellow \u201890s country singers Saturday: Larry Stewart, former lead singer of Restless Heart, and Tim Rushlow, former lead singer of Little Texas. A third singer \u2014 Richie McDonald, former lead singer of Lonestar \u2014 previously committed to attend the event but had to change plans to attend his son\u2019s wedding, McCoy said.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe\u2019re just trying to help children with life-threatening, life-challenging illnesses, and a lot of people, they want to help also,\u201d McCoy said. \u201cWe\u2019re trying to make it easier for them.\u201d<\/p>\n

McCoy, Stewart and Rushlow have sold millions of records and had dozens of hits. They\u2019ll perform tunes by Restless Heart such as \u201cThe Bluest Eyes in Texas,\u201d \u201cThat Rock Won\u2019t Roll,\u201d \u201cI\u2019ll Still Be Loving You\u201d and \u201cWhy Does It Have to Be (Wrong or Right)\u201d; and Little Texas hits including \u201cGod Blessed Texas,\u201d \u201cAmy\u2019s Back in Austin\u201d and \u201cWhat Might Have Been.\u201d<\/p>\n

To purchase tickets, visit belchercenter.com or call 903-233-3080. To learn more about the East Texas Angel Network, visit easttexasangelnetwork.com.<\/p>\n

As McCoy rolled westward to Longview Tuesday night \u2014 he has to get back in time to get ready for Saturday\u2019s big show here \u2014 he was still ebullient from his big night at the Opry.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe thrill of getting invited now, at 68 years old, it just makes you feel like you\u2019ve earned it. You\u2019ve put your time in,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

That wouldn\u2019t be possible without the support of his fans and family and a commitment to giving people a great show.<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019m not in this business to get awards or get recognized,\u201d he said. \u201cThat old adage, \u2018It\u2019s not where you get to, it\u2019s how you get there,\u2019 I think we\u2019ve done that, too. I think we\u2019ve gotten there the right way.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"For the past five years or so, Neal McCoy\u2019s fans have been asking the leaders of the Grand…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":857456,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[2],"tags":[4,450,451,3,452,453],"class_list":["post-857455","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-breaking-news","tag-breaking-news","tag-breakingnews","tag-headlines","tag-news","tag-top-stories","tag-topstories"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/857455","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=857455"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/857455\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/857456"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=857455"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=857455"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=857455"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}