Danny Gokey makes his Grand Ole Opry debut

Danny Gokey didn't know much about the Grand Ole Oprywhen he sang Opry member Carrie Underwood's Jesus, Take the Wheel on American Idol back in March. But by the time Danny got to the Ryman Auditorium Friday night for his Opry debut, he'd been brought up to speed.

"He's freaking out right now," manager Rendy Lovelady told me shortly before the show began, while Danny was in a back room with the Opry staff band, running down the two songs he planned to perform.

Danny was used to bands learning songs quickly -- after all, theAmerican Idol band had to learn several new songs each week -- but the speed with which the Nashville musicians picked things up took him by surprise.

"American Idol was a quick process of picking the song, the band doing the rehearsal and coming out," Danny said afterwards. "With the Opry, minutes before the show started, we handed the band the music, they rehearsed it and said, 'We're good.' We didn't even rehearse on the stage! We rehearsed in a room, listened to the track and people wrote notes about the song. That was it! It made me even more nervous to get out there.

"I thought American Idol was a hard stage to be on. But this one, they're so professional, you don't even need to rehearse!"

Introduced by Opry member Mike Snider, Danny performed two songs, first My Best Days Are Ahead of Me, then It's Only. Between them, he addressed the audience, saying: "It is such an honor and a privilege to even be standing here at the Mother Church of Country Music, and it's, For me, I don't feel worthy to be on this stage, but I just want to thank you for having me out here. I want to thank everyone for giving me the opportunity, for giving me this privilege, where so many great people have stood."

Backstage after his performance, Danny clearly was still nervous. "There are so many great people that have performed on this stage, and, honestly, I'm the new guy," he said. "I'm surprised I was invited.

"I hope the second time I go out, I'll be less of a ball of nerves. I know that it's a sacred stage. So for me to be able to walk out there, for people to accept me -- and they cheered me, when they said my name. I was wondering how people were going to receive me."

Danny also sang My Best Days and It's Only during the night's second Opry show, and the I <3 Danny Gokey fan site has audio from both performances.