By Christina Mlynski
A Quarter of a Century Later, Lani Stacy is Back and BiggerbrThan Ever
Dressed in a stark blue chiffon blouse, Lani Stacybrstrategically crafts her ideal fajita at Esparza's Restaurante Mexicano inbrGrapevine. The corn tortilla begins to stack high as the sizzle sound from thebrpiping-hot pan begins to idle. As she builds her perfect taco, she jumps frombrone topic to the next, smiling with her eyes. The phrase “Grapevine Opry”surfaces as the topic of conversation, and her demeanor changes: This bubblybrwoman becomes confident, proud.
For most, the Grapevine Opry isbrseen as an iconic tourism staple for the city, but for this entertainer, the Oprybrfar exceeds an entertainment spot — it's a place she's come to know as home.
Stacy began singing at the age of 5,brtaking vocal lessons to prepare her for singing at church and family events. Inbr1987 and at just 9 years old, she made her debut on stage at the Grapevine Oprybrduring the inaugural show after the location underwent a major remodeling.
“There's abrlot of great singers out there, but for me, my biggest goal is that people feelbrwhat I'm singing,” Stacy says. “If it's a sad song, they're crying by the timebrI'm done. If it's a fast song, they're dancing in their seats. That's whatbrdrives me. It's not just singing songs to sing songs, but to try and makebrpeople feel the music.”
Over thebryears, Stacy started frequenting the Opry less and less, exploring otherbrentertainment opportunities. When she was 13, she started a band that featuredbrperformers all under the age of 21. They performed at concert venues such as CowboysbrStadium, Billy Bob's and Seaworld. She also opened up for many country icons,brincluding Reba McEntire, Mark Chestnut, Bryan White, Joe Diffie and Shenandoah.br
Afterbrgaining exposure by opening up for prestigious Nashville stars, she decided itbrwas time to put her talents in the limelight. Stacy met with numerous recordbrlabels and was offered dozens of deals, but the right offer never came along.brFor this musical powerhouse, she wouldn't sacrifice her true character tobrbecome a symbol for the music industry.
“Music isbrall about creating a name for yourself and creating your own position in thebrmusic world,” Stacy says. “It's not waiting for someone to find you or waitingbrfor your big moment. It's about getting yourself out there and creating whatbryou want to look like.”
When Stacybrrealized Nashville wasn't worth sacrificing her true self, she came back tobrTexas and served as an associate worship pastor and eventually became the worshipbrpastor at Metroplex Chapel in Euless.
Even though Stacy wasn't pursuingbrentertainment as her main career, she never stopped performing. During her timebras a worship pastor she still made time for her first love.
Over the past five years, this season's girlbrstarted getting a stirring feeling that she wanted to be back on stage — that'sbrwhen she placed the phone call to Rocky.
“I just told him, ‘Hey, when youbrretire, I want to be the first one you tell,'” she explains. “I didn't know ifbrI'd be in a position where I could take it or if I even wanted it, or what wasbrgoing to be going on in my life, but I at least wanted him to tell me.”
Last summer, she received a callbrfrom recently retired Opry owner Rocky Gribble who knew for nearly two yearsbrthat when he finally decided to hang up his hat, she would take hold of thebrreigns.
When Gribble's wife was diagnosedbrwith breast cancer last year, an intimate conversation between Stacy's motherbrand Rocky's wife turned into a chance of a lifetime. Brena Gribble explainedbrthat they had plans to retire given the state of her health and knew that theybrwanted someone to carry on the tradition and name they made for the Opry.
“When I received the call frombrRocky, it was perfect timing,” Stacy explains. “I left my full-time gig withbrthe church, so I was sitting in a position to be able to do anything I wantedbrto do.”
She adds, “I'm a season's girl. Ibrthink that when doors open up, that's the path that I go down, but thebrperformance side of things has always been my niche.”
On Jan. 1, 2014, Stacy become thebrnew producer of the Grapevine Opry. While her company Dream Big Productions willbrcontinue to carry out a legacy at the Opry, she is redefining a show that isbrcoming into a new age of entertainment. The productions are fresh, fast-pacedbrand provide the most important quality: laughter.
The current shows include “CountrybrMusic in Texas,” which features songs from legends that were born and raised inbrTexas like George Strait, Willie Nelson, Miranda Lambert and many more. Additionally,brthe show “1950's Mix Up” will feature favorite songs from the ‘50s, along withbriconic movie sets such as “Grease,” “Blue Hawaii” and “Teen Beach Movie.”
“Now, as Lani has taken over andbrcreated the all-new Grapevine Opry Show, the excitement and variety of thesebrshows will reach a brand new audience and honor the Grapevine Opry's devotedbrfan base,” says Leigh Lyons, communications manager for the GrapevinebrConvention & Visitors Bureau. “The show's high-energy format features abrvariety of music genres performed by an amazing professional cast.”
The lineup of performers will varybrthroughout the season, but singer Casey Rivers — first runner-up in season fourbrof “Nashville Star” — and emcee Clint White are a few of the mainstays.
As Stacy finally makes her way backbrto where her entertainment career began, the main priority is to pay thebrmusical experiences forward. Consequently, she mentors aspiring musicians andbralso offers the Opry as a place for them to exercise their musical talents. Forbrinstance, 15-year-old Abby Cohen has been taken under this music veteran'sbrwing. Cohen performs at festivals and is paving a path on the country scene,brwhich is proving to be a challenge.
Dozens ofbrtelevision shows such as “The Voice” and “X Factor” are scooping up raw talent,brwhich provides an easy system for record labels to discover the next big thing.brConsequently, Stacy is on a quest to prove to aspiring musicians like Cohenbrthat heading to major cities and compromising your character isn't the only waybrto stardom.