Blairsville youth Will Potts will soon be performing at the legendary Grand Ole Opry alongside Trey Hensley and the Appalachian Road Show. The 22-year-old has maintained a lifelong passion for music, and he is now heading to one of the most prestigious stages in the country to play.
Though there’s no way to stream or watch a televised performance of Potts’ appearance, a few dedicated fans are driving up to Nashville to see him live on-stage, and locals can listen from home via 650 AM on internet radio apps TuneIn and iHeart Radio at 7 p.m. June 24 and July 1.
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“He was really always interested in music,” recalls his father, Gerald Potts. “He always had some kind of guitar, even when he was just real little. He was shown a few chords and just did it like it was natural to him.”
Officially, Potts developed an interest in the electric bass at age 12, and two weeks after picking it up, he began performing in church. Going on to specialize in the same instrument in the Union County Middle School Jazz Band, he made his mark early on as the first person to play the electric bass in the Union County High School Marching Band.
Family friend Tom Anderson urged Potts to give the upright bass a try, inviting him to play with his gospel group, North 40, at the Union County Farmers Market.
“He needed to practice but took off with it,” Gerald describes, adding that while his son enjoys all genres, his favorite is bluegrass.
In fact, after he graduated here in 2021, he entered the Bluegrass, Old Time & Roots Music Studies Program at East Tennessee State University.
From there, his opportunities have grown, and he’s performed with the likes of Ralph Stanley II, Tim Stafford, Kristin Scott Benson, Wayne Benson, Becky Buller, Rhonda Vincent, Barry Abernathy, Darrell Webb and Shawn Camp.
Along with famous faces, Potts has played his music at several notable venues, including the Station Inn, the Lincoln Theatre, Cameo Theater and even the Carter Family Fold and Music Center, well known through the family of June Carter and performances of Johnny Cash.
Potts also has his own YouTube channel over at Will Potts Music, where he posts some of his performances, and people will recall his time in the local band John Cochran and The Cowhands.
When it comes to his upcoming debut at the Grand Ole Opry, Potts’ time at ETSU may have helped him; Trey Hensley, one of his teachers, was his first connection, and Hensley himself made his Opry debut at the age of 11.
In addition, Potts is dating Chassady Abernathy, a fellow ETSU bluegrass student and the daughter of Appalachian Road Show owner Barry Abernathy; that group has also had a few appearances at the Opry.
Be sure to support Potts’ musical career by listening to his music and tuning in to his two performances at the Grand Ole Opry on June 24 and July 1.
