Darius Rucker’s Invite to be Member of Grand Ole Opry Brings Controversy [VIDEO] [POLL]

Last night, Darius Rucker was performing at the Grand Ole Opry and he got a big surprise! Brad Paisley came on stage unannounced and invited Darius to become a member of the Opry.

The induction will be October 16 and the show will air live on GAC.

Sweet! Ah, but the controversy? The website SavingCountryMusic.com states there are other artists more deserving. The website's reasoning:

The problem with this invitation is not that Rucker is black, it’s that he’s a country interloper, a carpetbagger who came to the genre like so many others to save a dying pop rock career. And we don’t even know how long he will stay. He said in late July that Hootie & The Blowfish are reuniting and recording new music. But here we are, handing Hootie country’s most coveted invitation with a lifetime guarantee when there’s so many other artists out there so much more deserving.

George Strait is on their list of  "25 Artists Deserving Opry Membership." Wait, George isn't a member? No, he isn't. From what I've read, to become a member of the Opry, you must agree to do a certain number of appearances there a year. Touring can get in the way of that. Plus, George lives in Texas. Maybe he doesn't want the commute? Also on the list Willie, Merle and Hank Jr. I've read that Merle has declined the invitation. I'm not sure about the others. If you have any insight to this, please let me know? I really can't find much information on why these guys aren't members of the Opry.