"Forever and Ever, Amen": James Dupré and Randy Travis Share the Opry Stage Again
Two shows, one circle, and a night James Dupré says he wishes he could bottle up and keep forever.
On Saturday, August 22, James Dupré played back-to-back sets at the Grand Ole Opry, a 7 pm and a 9:30 pm show, sharing the bill with Randy Travis, Carrie Underwood, Jenna Davis, Charles Esten, Wyatt McCubbin, T. Graham Brown, and John Conlee. For the Bayou Chicot native, it was another night back in the circle he first stepped into in 2023, sharing it with the man who put him there.
A Night He's Still Holding Onto
James posted about the evening the next day in a Facebook post, and the emotion in it was plain.
"Some nights you just wish you could bottle up and keep forever."
He went on to write that he was grateful for the life he gets to live, the people he gets to share it with, and the nights that remind him how lucky he is to do what he loves. He closed the post the way Randy's own signature song does, with Forever and Ever, Amen.
That closing line wasn't just a turn of phrase. It described exactly what happened onstage.
One Final "Amen"
By the end of the night, Randy made his way out to join James. As the band closed out Forever and Ever, Amen, Randy sang the song's final word himself. It's a moment he has offered before, most memorably with Carrie Underwood during the Opry's 100th anniversary celebration, and one that carries extra weight given the aphasia he's lived with since his 2013 stroke. For James, who has spent years carrying Randy's catalog on the road, having Randy step in to finish the song beside him turned it into a shared moment rather than a solo one.
Photos from backstage that night show exactly what that meant to both of them, Randy laughing, James close beside him, the kind of easy warmth that only comes from years of trust.
The Story Behind the Stage
For readers who haven't followed James's journey with Randy closely, here's the short version. In 2019, Randy and his wife Mary personally selected James to carry Randy's songs on the road as lead vocalist for what's now known as the More Life Tour, performing alongside Randy's original touring band. That trust carried into 2023, when James made his own Grand Ole Opry debut with Randy and Mary introducing him, and again in 2024, when James recorded the vocal foundation behind Where That Came From, Randy's first new release in over a decade.
We covered that whole arc, from James's early viral videos to that Opry debut, in our artist spotlight on James Dupré earlier this year. Saturday's shows were another chapter in that same story, one built less around a single big moment and more around a friendship that keeps showing up, night after night, in the same circle.
Still Writing His Own Story
Carrying Randy's songs has never been the whole story. James keeps performing and releasing music under his own name too, and nights like Saturday's simply sit alongside that work rather than replacing it. Both halves of his career are built the same way: one night, one song, one trusted moment at a time.
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Frequently Asked Questions
Did James Dupré perform with Randy Travis at the Grand Ole Opry in August 2026?
Yes. James Dupré played two shows at the Grand Ole Opry on Saturday, August 22, 2026, sharing the bill with Randy Travis, Carrie Underwood, and several other artists.
Did Randy Travis sing during the show?
Randy Travis joined James Dupré onstage as the band closed out Forever and Ever, Amen and sang the song's final word himself, something he has done before at select Opry appearances.
How did James Dupré and Randy Travis start working together?
Randy and his wife Mary personally selected James Dupré in 2019 to serve as lead vocalist for the More Life Tour, performing Randy's catalog alongside his original touring band.
Does James Dupré still release his own music?
Yes. Alongside his work carrying Randy Travis's catalog, James Dupré continues to write, record, and perform music under his own name.
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