The Shires to top the bill at the home of country music - The Grand Ole Opry House

The audience in Nashville can be unforgiving though – Elvis Presley was told not to give up his day job when he performed in 1954

Crissie Rhodes and Ben Earle performing in London last month. The pair hope their Opry performance will boost album sales in the US (Getty)

British duo The Shires will top the bill at one of the United States’ most storied venues next month after receiving an invitation from the Country Music Association in Tennessee.

The Grand Ole Opry House in Nashville has run a weekly radio broadcast since 1925, providing a showcase for country’s biggest names, including Dolly Parton, Johnny Cash and Patsy Cline. The audience can be unforgiving though – Elvis Presley was told not to give up his day job when he performed in 1954.

The pair – Ben Earle and Crissie Rhodes – became the first British country act to secure a top 10 UK album with their debut, Brave, alerting country music fans on both sides of the Atlantic.

Earle, 27, from St Albans, said: “We found out we were playing when a fan told us we were listed on the Opry’s website. We didn’t believe it but our manager told us it was true. It’s a dream for us to play at the home of country music.”

The band watched a concert at the venue when they recorded in Music City last year. “Entering the Opry is like going to church. It’s almost a sacred experience and you have the whole history of country music lining the walls,” Earle said.

“It’s the pinnacle of country and the longest running radio show in the world. We never imagined we would be on the stage a year later.”

Like the other performers at the Saturday night show, broadcast live on satellite radio and as a webcast, The Shires will get just two songs to demonstrate their skills.

“Joe Public might not have a clue who we are,” Earle admitted. “We’re hoping the audience don’t think ‘who are you Brits thinking you can do country music?’ But the response we had out there before was very welcoming.”

Earle and Rhodes formed the band after meeting through Facebook. Their name is a nod to their home counties roots, which they insist their sojourn in Nashville will not change. “Country music for us is about the honesty, the story-telling and the lyrics, not about rhinestones and cowboys,” Earle said.

“It’s so important to maintain our Britishness. We sing about fish and chips in our song ‘Made In England’.”

Earle hopes the Opry performance will act as a “catalyst” for their career in the US, where their song “State Lines” is beginning to get radio play.

No matter how they are received, The Shires can still look forward to playing a gig in June that’s a little closer to home – this year’s Glastonbury Festival.