Elvis Presley image used by permission, Elvis Presley Enterprises, Inc.

In a bittersweet ceremony the day before a make-or-break court proceeding, four sets of session musicians received new awards Thursday at the Musicians Hall of Fame in Nashville. The players — who collectively backed such artists as Patsy Cline, Elvis Presley, the Beach Boys and Johnny Cash — are among those recognized in the structure, which is likely to be demolished to make way for a new convention center.

“To have it all torn down,” said Elvis’ drummer D.J. Fontana, “is a damn shame.”

The venue, located within walking distance of the Country Music Hall of Fame, is one of numerous properties the city has taken over to accommodate the new convention center, a controversial building that was only approved Jan. 19. In an earlier incarnation, it would have been located directly across the street from the music showcase, Musicians Hall of Fame owner Joe Chambers said. But the center was eventually redesigned, and the Hall property is now in the middle of the city-approved site, which will cover approximately six blocks.

Joe and the city have been unable to agree on a suitable price. Assuming they did not reach a deal overnight, the case was slated to go to court Friday. It appeared that Joe would be forced to surrender the building and to move out the artifacts it contains, including the control-room door and the red recording light from the studio where Tammy Wynette cut “Stand By Your Man,” the piano on which Hargus “Pig” Robbins played the intro to Charlie Rich’s “Behind Closed Doors” and the stand-up bass used in Hank Williams’ final session.

An appraiser hired by the Musicians Hall originally determined it would cost $8.9 million to replace the facility, while a city appraiser placed the value at $4.8 million, Joe noted. The two sides have come closer, though they remained too far apart as of Thursday to reach an agreement. Joe is doubtful he could afford to rebuild in Nashville for the price the city has offered, and he said he has reached out to other communities to potentially move the facility, though he declined to name those markets. It’s particularly frustrating to him because in an earlier period in the discussions, the city had seriously considered housing the Hall of Fame within the convention center, essentially showcasing for out-of-towners the nuts and bolts of the industry that gave Music City its nickname.

“We were told that they would provide us a place to go for free while the construction was goin’ on for the convention center for the next three years, and then we would move into the new convention center,” Joe said. “They brought plans over, they had the plans drawn out for us. We agreed that it would look the way we want it to look.”

Instead of that scenario, construction work began this week around the Hall of Fame. And Thursday’s ceremony — which honored Nashville’s A-Team musicians, Los Angeles’ Wrecking Crew, the Memphis Boys and Johnny Cash’s former players, the Tennessee Two — might well have represented a fond farewell from Middle Tennessee to the Musicians Hall.

“Nashville became Music City through the work of these people [the Hall honors], on the backs of these musicians who never got the kind of credit that the stars got,” said Dave Pomeroy, President of the Nashville chapter of the Musicians Union. “If they don’t come to a settlement, all people are gonna remember is that the city of Nashville took a building that was honoring musicians in an eminent-domain court proceeding and that to me is a black mark on the city of Nashville. It will be perceived that way, and it’s not [a perception] that’s gonna go away overnight.”

The players who were honored Thursday were 2007 Hall of Fame inductees. They had previously received medallions and were finally being given trophies that match those bestowed upon the 2008 and 2009 honorees.

The musicians recognized include:

• Nashville’s A-Team: Harold Bradley, Floyd Cramer, Pete Drake, Ray Edenton, Hank Garland, Bob Moore, Buddy Harman, Jerry Kennedy, Tommy Jackson, Grady Martin, Charlie McCoy, Boots Randolph and Hargus “Pig” Robbins. Their collective credits include such figures as Loretta Lynn, Willie Nelson, Barbara Mandrell and George Jones.

• The Memphis Boys: Bobby Emmons, Gene Chrisman, Bobby Wood, Tommy Cogbill, Mike Leech, Reggie Young, Bill Black and D.J. Fontana. They worked with the likes of Elvis Presley, Hank Williams Jr., B.J. Thomas and Crystal Gayle.

• The Tennessee Two: Marshall Grant and Luther Perkins. They backed Johnny Cash.

• Los Angeles’ Wrecking Crew: James Burton, Billy Strange, Al de Lory. (Some other members had already received their honors in person). They appeared on recordings by the Beach Boys, Glen Campbell, Merle Haggard and Ricky Nelson.

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