Rhett Akins received the surprise of a lifetime on Sunday evening when his friend and Opry member Jon Pardi invited him to become a member of the Grand Ole Opry.

Akins, a Nashville Songwriters Hall of Fame member responsible for writing 35 chart-topping hits for artists like Blake Shelton, Luke Bryan, and his son Thomas Rhett, was wrapping up his Opry performance when Jon Pardi made a surprise entrance to the stage to deliver the invitation.

“Rhett has always been somebody who has always been a mentor and taught a lot to me about how to write songs, how to be a co-writer. He has over 30 No. 1’s,” Pardi said. “You’ve always been family to me, but I’m here to invite you to be part of a different family. Rhett Akins I am here to invite you to become a member of the Grand Ole Opry.”

As Akins’ wife, Sonya, and his children joined him on stage, he was overcome with emotion. He took his hat off, wiped away tears, and embraced Pardi. He then knelt to the ground and appeared to be holding back tears as he said, “All I do everyday is write words and I can’t think of any words right now except, ‘Thank you Lord Jesus.’”

The “That Ain’t My Truck” singer continued, “I have been listening to the Grand Ole Opry since I was a little kid with my grandparents. Watching it when it used to be on TNN. Anytime they’d ask me to play, if I was in Alaska, I’d fly home immediately. I love country music with all my heart and all I ever wanted to do was meet Hank Jr.. Meet George Strait. I never dreamed I’d be in this circle right here with Bill Monroe, Minnie Pearl, Roy Acuff, Garth and Alan…and Jon Pardi. This is just unbelievable.”

After the show, Akins continued the celebration at a post-show party with fans in Opry House Studio A, where Jon Pardi joined him for a medley of songs and a high-energy performance of “Dirt On My Boots,” written by Akins, Jesse Frasure, and Ashley Gorley, which went on to become Pardi’s second career No. 1 and one of his biggest hits.

Later in the Studio A set, Akins welcomed his son, Thomas Rhett, to the stage, where the pair teamed up for additional hits including “What’s Your Country Song?” as well as the Merle Haggard classic “Misery and Gin.”

Before Rhett Akins’ surprise Opry invitation, Thomas Rhett, who was in on the secret, opened up about what the moment meant to him on Y’all Access with Kelly Sutton.

“Every time I talk to my dad and he works his butt off, he’s still writing two a day, every Monday through Friday. I was like, ‘What’s the rest that you want to achieve?’ And for him, it has always been I want to be a member of the Grand Ole Opry. And I think just as a son to a dad, knowing how much that means to him and the hours that he’s put in from the artistry to the songwriting, to get to be able to watch him do that, it will be the coolest moment to me as a son,” he shared.

Akins will officially be inducted into the Opry family later this year, with a date to be announced.