Twenty-four years ago today, on Sept. 13, 1996, LeAnn Rimes made her debut on the Grand Ole Opry.
Rimes, who was 14 years old at the time and signed to Curb Records, sang her then-current single, “Blue,” the title track of her freshman album, along with “I Wanna Be a Cowboy’s Sweetheart” and “Blue Moon of Kentucky.” The singer was already well known by the time she took the Opry stage, as ”Blue” had spent six consecutive weeks at the top of the charts by the time of her performance.
Shortly after Rimes’ Opry debut, a new single, “One Way Ticket (Because I Can),” was released from Blue, and also became a chart-topping hit. The Blue album itself has since been certified six times platinum.
Rimes remained a regular at the Opry for several years following her debut, performing her own singles along with covers of other Opry members’ music, including an unforgettable version of George Jones‘ “He Stopped Loving Her Today.” Rimes has also participated in the annual Opry Goes Pink event, in honor of breast cancer awareness, and was given the honor of flipping the switch in 2013.