Scott Stapp perched on the edge of the green velvet couch in his backstage dressing room at the Grand Ole Opry Wednesday night, having just walked off the stage from his Grand Ole Opry debut.
Friends surrounded The Creed rocker in his dressing room after his set. He got emotional as the room slowly cleared, thinking about his grandparents. The Opry was a tradition for them, and they introduced the singer to country music as a child in Florida.
“I’m about to cry now because I’m thinking, ‘I wish my grandparents could have seen that,’” he said. “They made it a thing on Saturday nights.”
Wednesday night, The Opry celebrated Breast Cancer Awareness month by turning its famous barn backdrop pink for the occasion. Stapp played third on the beloved radio show, opening with his new duet with fellow rocker Dorothy, “If These Walls Could Talk.” Their voices blended and soared on the ballad that leans into Stapp’s childhood country influences. He changed his stance at the microphone, invited Natalie Stovall on stage, and followed with a hard-rocking version of Creed’s hit “My Sacrifice.” While the genre isn’t common on the country stage, the audience rewarded Stapp and Stovall with a standing ovation.
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The historic room is a far cry from the cavernous arenas Stapp has been headlining with Creed. But when he remembers his childhood Saturday nights with his grandparents, the Opry stage felt like home.
His grandma would have been cooking all day back then. He remembers mashed potatoes, gravy, vegetables, and beef on the dinner table that his grandparents harvested from their farm.
Stapp’s grandma played bluegrass guitar and had a little amplifier that she’d carry to the porch swing where she sat and picked. His grandpa joined her on harmonica.
Scott Stapp Grew Up Listening to Country Music
“They would do that together when I was a little boy,” he said. “And I would just love it. I would just swing and rock and listen. And then my grandma would sing. There’s probably a lot more to their story in connection to Nashville than I even know.”
The collision of nostalgic memories and the present moment made such an impact on the singer that thinking back to his time on the stage, everything was a blur.
The performance was the first time Stapp and Dorothy had sung “If These Walls Could Talk” in the same room. They share a mutual producer and recorded their vocal parts for the song on different coasts. Stapp first considered taking a sharp turn into country music with the song but decided it was more important to find the right duet partner and then serve the song in the recording process without added attention to genre. Dorothy is enjoying singular success right now with her “MUD” resting at No. 4 on rock radio. Stapp’s “Black Butterfly” from his Higher Power album is approaching the Top 10.
“She’s kicking all the dudes’ butts right now,” Stapp said of his singing partner who sat quietly in the corner. “She’s keeping me out of the Top 10. I’m sitting there at 12 going, ‘Dorothy, what are you doing?’ No, but I want you to win.”
To be acknowledged by the country music community and welcomed at the Grand Ole Opry as a rock singer, is one of the greatest honors a songwriter can have, Stapp explained.
“That’s probably one of the greatest honors that I could ever have in my career,” he continued. “I’m overwhelmed by that. It’s a lifetime dream and a lifetime achievement to be acknowledged by the best songwriters in the world to invite you to come play one of your songs on their stage. I’m overwhelmed, but also just incredibly humbled and blessed.”
(Photo by Keith Griner)
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