Kentucky Headhunters Return to the Opry for Bill Monroe Tribute

The Kentucky Headhunters, the GRAMMY® Award-winning band that has long blurred the lines between southern rock, blues, and country, are set to return to the stage of the Grand Ole Opry next week for a performance honoring one of their greatest musical influences. On Tuesday, September 16, the group will take part in “Opry 100 Honors Bill Monroe,” a celebration of the man known around the world as the “Father of Bluegrass.”

For the Headhunters, this will mark only the third time in their nearly four-decade career that they’ve appeared on the Opry stage. Founding member Richard Young credits Monroe with playing a pivotal role in shaping the band’s path to success. Their rendition of Monroe and Jake Landers’ “Walk Softly on This Heart of Mine,” first recorded for their independent debut Pickin’ on Nashville, helped the band land a major record deal after catching the attention of Mercury Records president Harold Shedd.

“Without a doubt, that song had a huge bearing on us being signed,” Young reflected. While Monroe was initially hesitant about the group’s rock-infused interpretation, his attitude shifted after learning the Headhunters were fellow Kentuckians. “He took us under his wing and claimed us as ok cats,” Young recalled.

The Opry event will also feature Ricky Skaggs, the Del McCoury Band, Carly Pearce, Rhonda Vincent, Riders in the Sky, Wyatt Ellis, and The Brothers Comatose—an impressive lineup bridging traditional bluegrass with its modern heirs.

The Kentucky Headhunters themselves are no strangers to bridging musical worlds. Originally formed in 1968 as Itchy Brother by brothers Fred and Richard Young and cousins Greg Martin and Anthony Kenney, the band rebranded as The Kentucky Headhunters in the late 1980s. Their 1989 debut, Pickin’ on Nashville, became an unexpected hit, selling more than two million copies and earning a GRAMMY® Award, three CMA Awards, an American Music Award, and an ACM Award. With hits like “Dumas Walker” and “Rock ‘n’ Roll Angel,” they carved out a place in both country and rock circles.

Today, the group—consisting of Richard Young, Fred Young, Greg Martin, and Doug Phelps—continues to tour and record, with more than 13 million records sold worldwide according to the RIAA. For a band that Billboard once called “the great American rock ’n’ roll band,” stepping onto the Opry stage in honor of Bill Monroe feels like a fitting full-circle moment, linking their own Kentucky roots to the foundation of bluegrass itself.

Next week, the Grand Ole Opry won’t just be paying tribute to a legend—it will be celebrating how Monroe’s music continues to ripple through generations, inspiring artists like The Kentucky Headhunters to push boundaries while honoring tradition.