Mike Ryan Shares The Adorable Way He Found Out He’ll Be Making His Opry Debut

Country singer/songwriter Mike Ryan was surprised by his two sons with the news that he will get to make his Grand Ole Opry debut on Nov. 8.

When Ryan isn’t spending time on the road or writing hit songs in the studio, he’s focusing on his dad duties for his sons Myles and MJ. Because of the great love he has for his family, finding out that he has been invited to make his Opry debut through them made the moment even more special.

The San Antonio, Texas native recalled the first moment he got to see the historic venue in person and the feeling the overwhelming sense of hope that he too might get to play in the iconic circle one day.

“On my first music business trip to Nashville, I stopped by the Opry just to see it. Back then I just imagined how cool it would be to play that stage,” he told Country Now. “So, it gives me a lot of pride now to be invited to play at such a history-rich venue. My two young sons surprised me with the news, and that made it that much sweeter. They will be there with me when I play in November.”

Ryan grew up immersed in the arts and fell in love with blues, classic rock, and ‘90s country. His parents would regularly take him to see musicals and symphonies and his grandpa worked as the director of the Texas National Guard Band for more than 30 years. 

He learned to play a variety of instruments, like the clarinet, from his grandpa, but when it comes to the guitar, the country singer is self-taught. In building his career, Ryan has achieved nine No. 1 songs atop of the Texas music charts, landed a spot on the Billboard Heetseekers Albums chart for his 2017 project, Blink You’ll Miss It, and has amassed over 265 Million career streams.

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Ahead of his Opry debut, Ryan will drop his upcoming fourth studio album, Longcut on Oct. 28. For the entirety of the 13-song collection, the singer teamed up with collaborators and well-known producers Bart Butler and Ryan Gore. Among the track list is “Jacket On,” which he co-penned alongside songstress Brandy Clark and Brent Anderson, and his recently-released single, “Die Runnin’.” 

“Die Runnin’ has an urgency about it that’s really cool with this fun rock ‘n’ roll driving rhythm to it. There’s definitely some sonic growth on this new album coming, including this new single. We brought in a few new players and different elements that I thought were really crucial in making this album sound as good as it does,” Ryan shared.

On Oct 8, the singer will bring his dynamic talents to the Global Life Stadium in Arlington, TX, where he will directly support Morgan Wallan’s first-ever stadium concert, which has become the fastest sellout in Globe Life Field history.