It’s been two months since Jackson Dean made his debut at the Grand Ole Opry, where he performed “Wings” off his debut album, Greenbroke, and his debut single, “Don’t Come Lookin’,” Getting the chance to stand in the hallowed circle on the stage of the Opry and perform his songs is a memory Jackson will treasure forever.

“It was pretty heavy. I stood in that circle when I was 15, the first time I went to Nashville, and I had told myself I wouldn’t step back in that circle until I played it. And then, it was magic. It felt like magic. And I definitely felt the weight of that on my shoulders. I mean, I got to stand in a spot and sang my song where everybody we idolize got to stand in that circle. And I ain’t never gonna forget that. I’m a dude from Maryland. Like, what does a dude from Maryland have any business standing in that circle? But I’m just really grateful for it. It was something I’ll never forget.”

The circle Jackson refers to is the 6-foot circle of wood that was carefully preserved from the stage of the Ryman Auditorium, the original home of the Grand Ole Opry from 1943 – 1974, and embedded in the center of the stage of the Opry’s new home out at the Grand Ole Opry House, when the show was relocated to the bigger venue in 1974. Every artist that has ever performed on the Grand Ole Opry, whether at the Ryman or the Grand Ole Opry House, has stood in that circle of wood.

Watch Jackson’s “My Opry Debut” video at the top of the page.