On September 1, 2006, a 16-year-old named Taylor Alison Swift stepped on stage at the Grand Ole Opry for the first time to play her debut single "Tim McGraw." The songwriter's self-titled album wouldn't be released until October 2006, but this performance kick-started her long career of success in the country and pop world. You can watch behind-the-scenes footage of Swift's Opry debut below.
Swift's first single, "Tim McGraw," shot to the No. 6 spot on the Billboard Hot Country Songs chart. Her next single "Teardrops on My Guitar" peaked at No. 2, but her third single "Our Song" gave the teen her first No. 1 hit. The album went on to sell over 5 million copies.
LAS VEGAS - MAY 14: Music artist Taylor Swift performs during the Academy of Country Music New Artists' Party for a Cause show at the MGM Grand Conference Center May 14, 2007 in Las Vegas, Nevada. (Photo by Ethan Miller/Getty Images)
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Swift continued to perform on the Opry stage until the release of her 2014 album 1989, which made her an international pop star. After a 7 year break from Nashville, the artist made a return to the most famous stage in country music for the 55th Annual Academy of Country Music Awards ceremony. With just her guitar in hand, Swift performed a flawless rendition of her song "betty" from her album folklore.
In 2021, Swift released Fearless (Taylor's Version) and Red (Taylor's Version). The following year, she released the Grammy-nominated Midnights.
The Grammy Award-winning artist may have had her biggest year yet in 2023. She launched the first leg of her record-breaking Eras Tour, debuted the Eras Tour concert film and released Speak Now (Taylor's Version) and 1989 (Taylor's Version). She was also named Time Magazine's Person of the Year.
Editor's Note: This article was originally published in July of 2021. It was updated on Dec. 13, 2023.
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