Grand Ole Opry Member Spotlight: Ronnie Milsap

Grand Ole Opry Country Music Show - Nashville

Dierks Bentley - The Opry's Youngest Member

With 40 Number 1 hits and six Grammy Awards under his belt, Ronnie Milsap has secured his position as one of the most successfully and critically acclaimed artists in country music history. Milsap's style fuses the smoothness of soul and R&B with country music, and his unique sound was enough to garner him a following of fans from around the world.

Background and Early Career

• Ronnie Milsap was born January 16, 1943 in Robbinsville, North Carolina, with a congenital defect that left him without sight from birth. He began attending the State School for the Blind at the age of 10, and although the school focused on classical instrumentation, Milsap quickly became entranced by the sounds of gospel, country, and R&B.
• The young musician gave up a scholarship to study law at Emory University in order to pursue his love of music, and while living in Memphis earned a living by playing on session tracks, including Elvis Presley's "Kentucky Rain." By 1973, Milsap had moved to Nashville, signed with RCA Records, and began to release singles that would launch a career that would see 40 singles reach #1.

Grand Ole Opry Induction

• Ronnie Milsap was inducted as a member of the Grand Ole Opry on February 6, 1976.

Ronnie Milsap at the Opry

• Ronnie Milsap can still be found sharing his hits with audiences at the Grand Ole Opry, including a 2006 Opry Signature Show tribute to Ray Charles which brought the sell-out crowd to its feet for several moments of thunderous applause following Milsap's performance. Find out when Ronnie Milsap will be at the Opry next at the VME Grand Ole Opry Blog.

Notable Hits

• "Pure Love"
• "Daydreams About Night Things"
• "Smoky Mountain Rain"
• "I Wouldn't Have Missed It for the World"
• "Any Day Now"
• "Stranger In My House"
• "Lost in the Fifties Tonight (In the Still of the Night)"
• "(There's) No Gettin' Over Me"
• "It Was Almost Like a Song"
• "Don't You Ever Get Tired of Hurting Me"

More Information

• The home of Ronnie Milsap is often featured on the Homes of the Stars Tour in the Nashville area.
• See the complete list of current Grand Ole Opry members!