NASHVILLE, TN – Popular New Haven Records artist, Gordon Mote will be featured during this summer’s Grand Ole Opry Centennial Celebration. Although the talented singer/musician has performed on stage countless times with other popular recording artists, on Tuesday, August 12, Mote will make his debut on the Opry stage as a solo artist. On this special evening, Mote’s long-time friend, the late Porter Wagoner, will be honored. Mote served as Wagoner’s keyboard player for over 8 years and shared the Opry stage with Wagoner many times during that tenure.
During this special evening, which happens to be Wagoner’s birthday, Mote will perform several of Wagoner’s popular tunes and honor the legend with many “Porter” stories, as only Mote can tell. Wagoner, commonly known as “Mr. Grand Ole Opry”, was elected into the Country Music Hall of Fame in 2002, just 5 years before his passing on October 28, 2007, at the age of 80.
Mote served as Wagoner’s pianist during the early 2000s and has toured with such popular artists as Tanya Tucker, Trisha Yearwood, Lee Greenwood and The Gaither Vocal Band. In addition to his own solo tour, Mote is currently touring with the band Alabama. “Door Wide Open” features the Gaither Vocal Band and is currently a radio single from Gordon’s latest recording, “Where You Lead Me I Will Follow.”
Blind from birth, the Alabama native has enjoyed an illustrious career that has taken him all over the world, as he has established himself as one of the most sought-after musicians in Nashville. His piano artistry and producing abilities can be heard on recordings by the likes of Alan Jackson, Brad Paisley, Blake Shelton, Martina McBride, Bob Seger, Rascal Flatts, Carrie Underwood, Lionel Richie, Josh Turner, Darius Rucker, The Gaither Vocal Band and Alison Krauss, just to name a few. With 15 solo recordings to his credit, as well as 21 Academy of Country Music Award nominations as “Keyboard/Piano Player of the Year” and garnering that award 3 times, two Grammy Award nominations, a Gospel Music Dove Award, and 30 years of touring, including 20 years as a solo artist, Mote continues to blaze new trails.
The gifted musician is honored to be a part of the Grand Ole Opry’s Centennial celebration. “We are so grateful to be a part of this special celebration. In 1925, the founder of National Life and Accident Insurance Company convinced the company to launch its own radio station, and they created the slogan We Shield Millions. WSM went live for the first time on October 5 of that year. A month later George D. Hay, a prominent announcer and program director for WLS in Chicago, known for his National Barn Dance program, was hired and Hay launched the WSM Barn Dance. That day was November 28, 1925, widely known as the day The Grand Ole Opry was born. The Opry stage showcases country music’s past, present and future, and it has been home to the art form’s growth and evolution for 100 years. What an honor it is to be able to celebrate and pay tribute to that rich history.”
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