Christmas has come early for Dalton Dover. The rising country music artist’s dreams came true earlier this month when he made his Grand Ole Opry debut.
Dover played his first-ever show inside the historic venue on Saturday, (Dec. 3) night, singing to a packed crowd.
The moment comes just one year after the singer/songwriter, 23, took a tour of the Opry with his wife, high school sweetheart Faith, and their two kids Taylor and Alyiah.
“Last year, I brought my family, and we walked through on the tour at the Opry. Little did I know that a year later, I’d be making my Opry debut. It’s pretty special, to say the least,” Dover said of the full-circle moment in an interview ahead of his performance.
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For his set on the famous stage, Dover performed two new songs. They were “Giving Up On That” and “Dirt Roads & Jesus.” The first of the two is Dover’s debut single released on his new label home, Universal Music Group (UMG). Before launching into the second offering, Dover had a few words to say.
“Never in a million years did I think I’d be standing here in this circle. I wrote this song right here with two of my best friends, Matt McVaney and Alex Maxwell,” Dover said through tears. “I’ve seen some things in my life, been through things in my life. And through it all, God’s always brought me out the other side. This next song is about that.”
Since achieving his latest milestone, Dover has taken to social media to reflect on his journey in country music.
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“When I started this whole journey back in 2014, it was only in my wildest dreams that I even saw this day coming,” Dover wrote, looking back on his career in a post on Instagram. “There’ve been several bumps in the road, God has removed people from my life, and he’s also put people in my life… I’m grateful for where this is going, my dreams are happening, and I’m thankful to have each of you behind me… ⚡️🖤”
Following his Opry performance, Dover took to Instagram, sharing a message of gratitude to the people who showed up to support him on one of the biggest nights of his life.
“My @opry debut was the most wildest, emotional, & exciting nights I’ve ever had…,” he captioned the post. “Thank you to everyone that came and showed love. I couldn’t be more thankful for each of you. I still can’t believe I stepped in that circle 🤍.”
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Dover included a slideshow of videos and photos in his post.
In one clip, he says, “It’s been a long road to get here. It’s kind of surreal just standing here tonight. I remember about five years ago, I told my mom that I was going to be here one day. My mom is here with me tonight. She’s in the next room, so man, this is pretty crazy.”
Dover’s journey in country music saw him achieve prominence first when he appeared on Season 16 of The Voice. He received a chair turn from longtime coach Blake Shelton. Although the Georgian did not win the show, he toured for Luke Combs and took up a month-long residency at Shelton’s popular Ole Red Bar in Nashville, Tenn., where he continued to fine-tune his craft.
And, it appears Shelton had a hand in Dover’s latest milestone.
It was Shelton, who surprised Dover with his Opry invitation. The moment happened in late August 2022 during Dover’s set at Ole Red bar. Shelton called into a stage phone for the surprise. Once Dover picked up the phone, Shelton appeared on a screen behind him to share the good news.
@musicmayhemmagazine @blakeshelton surprised @daltondover during his show at OleRedNashville. Shelton brought Dalton to tears with an invitation to make his @opryofficial debut. #BlakeShelton #DaltonDover
“I didn’t want to interrupt your set, but I just wanted to call in and say hi to you and tell you congratulations on everything. Oh, yeah. Also, I was wantin’ to know what you’re doing on December 3rd. Do you have plans?” Shelton asked to which Dover replied, “mmm, no.”
“Okay, well, that’d be cool because we’d like to have you come to perform at the Grand Ole Opry,” Shelton said as Dover, overcome with excitement, broke down into happy tears.
Dover recently completed his run as a supporting act on Priscilla Block’s headlining Welcome To The Block Party Tour. His next show takes place on December 16 in Bristol, TN.
