“I sang the Anne Murray classic Snowbird, Sonny performed 1945 (an original) and we finished with a classic twin guitar instrumental called Raisin’ the Dickens.”
The song 1945 was an obvious choice for their Opry debut.
“It speaks of our family connection through three generations with the Grand Ole Opry.”
Te Nahu said Stuie and Sonny wrote the song 1945 during the lockdown.
“The last verse was fictional until last week as it speaks about Sonny taking centre stage at the Grand Ole Opry.
“Now it has come true.”
She was moved to tears when the “big crowd” responded to their performance with a standing ovation.
“To think what we have achieved, packing up our family of five, moving to America four years ago to do what we love
. . . it doesn’t get any better than this, at the Grand Ole Opry in Nashville,Tennessee.
“To think it all started at the Gisborne Country Music Club with my late parents Richard and Pele Te Nahu when I was eight years old is pretty special.”
Gisborne Country Music president Flo Pahuru said,“We are all stoked for her because she has finally realised her dream.”
She was even more elated when Te Nahu acknowledged on stage that she came from Gisborne, New Zealand.
“It was awesome to hear and know that she hasn’t forgotten her roots. But then she has always acknowledged her identity wherever she has travelled.”
Te Nahu, who grew up in Elgin, moved to Australia in 1999 six weeks after attending the Tamworth Country Music Festival, and becoming inspired by the country music scene there.
A year later she landed a job selling merchandise for Australian country singer songwriter Kasey Chambers. It was the start of her full-time music career leading to her becoming one of Australia’s premier female vocalists.
Ms Pahuru said the family of five moved to Nashville in June 2019, wanting to be around like-minded musicians and to get better at their craft.
“After performing in several places they garnered more attention and in February were invited to perform at the Grand Ole Opry.”
Te Nahu joined the Gisborne Country Music Club as a young girl, Ms Pahuru said. She is a life member.
“She then worked her way through the ranks and won many awards over the course of her musical journey, from winning the entertainer of the year as a junior artist to winning the intermediate as well. She’s been a winning artist.
“She always worked hard for her music, whether it be before her marriage to Stuie or even growing her family band called The French Family Band. We club members are stoked and it means a lot to us,” she said.
On the day of their Grand Ole Opry debut the French Family Band had a lot of supporters including the legendary Ricky Skaggs and his wife Sharon White who came especially to see them, as did Jimmy Fortune from the Statler Brothers.
