NASHVILLE, TN (November 3, 2022) — Bringing his boots-on-the-ground writing style and big, barrel-chested voice into the circle for the first time, Shane Profitt made his debut on the historic Grand Ole Opry stage on Tuesday (11/1). Performing his No. 1-most-added country radio hit, “How It Oughta Be,” and a stripped-down version of the to-be-released “Good Luck and God,” the Maury County, Tennessee native received a standing ovation from the packed-in crowd. A dry eye in the house was hard to spot as Profitt recounted being in the Opry audience for the first time himself, when he watched his mentor, Chris Janson, perform.
“I want to thank y’all for coming out tonight,” he explained to the audience through tears. “I know what it’s like to save up for months for a ticket to this show, and y’all being here tonight means the world to me.”
Profitt’s performance was followed by a celebration in The Circle Room, where management and label employees surprised him by donning “Shane Train” sweatshirts— a moniker that’s been adopted by his ever-growing fanbase. BMLG CEO Scott Borchetta sounded a vintage train whistle as he thanked everyone for “coming aboard” to rally for the rising star.
A salt-of-the-earth Southerner with a straight-shooting swagger and kind smile, Profitt’s musical toolbox is full of all-natural talent. At the end of 2021, he was still pulling overtime at his job with the city, busting his back about an hour south of Nashville and living for the weekend – with a few decades left to go. But now, the 22-year-old is rocking sold-out crowds at the historic Ryman Auditorium, touring with his chart-topping hero Chris Janson and writing modern country tunes so genuine, they slip on like a pair of broken-in work boots. Because no one has to tell this singer-songwriter what a blue-collar life is all about. Calling himself a sucker for “Keith Whitley-style heartbreaker,” his first self-penned song was the start of a new life, and within a few months, Profitt had begun a new kind of shift work— writing songs. And he’s just getting started.
