Barabara Mandrell‘s appearance during the Grand Ole Opry‘s television concert on Wednesday (March 19) brought back all kinds of memories for her fans and fans of great ’80s country music.

She was there as Kelsea Ballerini performed “I Was Country When Country Wasn’t Cool,” her hit from 1981. In fact, NBC even forwarded video of Mandrell seated on a stool in a blue pant suit, swaying along to the young singer’s tribute.

The 76-year-old smiled in appreciation as fans stood to applaud her return to the stage.

She’s an Opry member who performs very rarely. In fact, Mandrell sightings are so uncommon you can be forgiven for wondering, “What happened?”

Barbara Mandrell’s Best Songs

Mandrell is a two-time CMA Entertainer of the Year that few people mention when talking about the greatest women of country music, and that’s a shame.

The “Sleeping Single in a Double Bed” singer was a crossover force for more than a decade, long after events that some say derailed her white-hot career. If we’re being honest, what happened immediately after said events has more to do with why no one sees or hears from Mandrell much any longer.

The diminutive Texan played an assortment of instruments with a fluency that’d make any guitar picker jealous. She sang, danced, did some acting — just flat-out entertained on any stage she took, including on television for two years. “(If Loving You Is Wrong) I Don’t Want to Be Right,” “Years,” “Till You’re Gone” and “One of a Kind Pair of Fools” are a few more of Mandrell’s greatest hits.

What Happened to Barbara Mandrell?

A tragic car crash in 1984 changed her forever, and a lawsuit that followed tarnished her reputation at that time. But she’d still drop five Top 5 singles and cut nine more albums before calling it quits.

Why did Barbara Mandrell quit? That was the topic of a Secret History of Country Music video that Taste of Country shared in 2021.

The real short answer is that Mandrell walked away for good after an October 1997 performance because she wanted to focus on family, particularly her high school-aged son. She was nearing 50 years old at the time — far past the age most country singers maintain dominance on the charts. She went as far as to sell all her instruments, too, and aside from one or two tributes, she has not sung a note since.

There’s been little to suggest she’s in poor health, and the 2025 visit to the Opry finds her looking strong. It’s hard to digest that she just didn’t want to do it any longer, but there’s nothing to suggest another reason.