Scotty McCreery asked to join Grand Ole Opry by country music legend Garth Brooks

NASHVILLE, Tenn. (WTVD) -- Scotty McCreery, the "American Idol" champion and Garner native, now has a new honor under his list of country music accomplishments.

He is a member of the Grand Ole Opry!

Superstar Garth Brooks made the announcement during the Opry's annual Country Christmas show this year.

The Grand Ole Opry is a staple in country music. It also calls its membership list "one of the most coveted invitations in all of music."

According to our newsgathering partners at the News & Observer, McCreery is the first country artist and youngest male artist in any genre to have his first album debut at No. 1 on the Billboard Top 200 chart. Three of his five studio albums earned No. 1 spots, with the other two reaching into the top 10.

Earlier this year, McCreery was inducted into the North Carolina Music Hall of Fame.