New Hall of Fame members Jean Shepard, Bobby Braddock and Reba McEntire at the 2011 Country Music Hall of Fame Medallion Ceremony, held on Sunday, May 22 at the Hall of Fame in Nashville. Photo by Donn Jones Photography (Donn Jones, Richard Suter, Terry Wyatt).

Members of the Country Music Hall of Fame and some of country’s biggest stars reunited at the Country Music Hall of Fame^® and Museum on Sunday, May 22, 2011 to salute Country Music Hall of Fame inductees Bobby Braddock, Reba McEntire and Jean Shepard. Click HERE to see our star-studded photo gallery from the night!

At the invitation of the Country Music Association, the private Medallion Ceremony became the official rite of induction for new members of the Country Music Hall of Fame in 2007.  The evening included musical salutes to Braddock, McEntire and Shepard. The new members were inducted and welcomed as peers by members of the Hall of Fame, who also presented keepsake medals:  Bill Anderson inducted Braddock; Dolly Parton inducted Reba; and George Jones inducted Jean.

Artists paying tribute to Braddock included Billy Currington, Miranda Lambert and Blake Shelton, Tracy Lawrence, and George Jones with Jimmy Capps, Charlie McCoy and Millie Kirkham; artists saluting Reba included Garth Brooks, Kelly Clarkson and Martina McBride, Vince Gill, and Trisha Yearwood; and artists honoring Shepard included Bill Anderson and Elizabeth Cook, Vince Gill, and Ranger Doug Green of Riders in the Sky.  All the performers were backed by John Hobbs and the 2011 Medallion All-Star Band.  With ceremony musical director Hobbs on keyboards, the Medallion All-Stars included Eddie Bayers Jr., drums; Paul Franklin, steel guitar; Steve Gibson, electric guitar; Michael Rhodes, bass guitar; Deanie Richardson, fiddle; Dawn Sears, background vocals; Biff Watson, acoustic guitar; and Jeff White, background vocals. Vince and the McCrary Sisters sang the traditional opening hymn, performing “Down by the Riverside.”

In addition to Anderson, Braddock, Gill, Jones, McCoy, McEntire, Parton and Shepard, other Hall of Fame members who attended included Harold Bradley, Ralph Emery, Jimmy Fortune of the Statler Brothers, Sonny James, Brenda Lee, Barbara Mandrell, Gordon Stoker of the Jordanaires and Jo Walker-Meador.

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Vince Gill performs with Albert Lee at Eric Clapton's 2010 Crossroads Guitar Festival. Photo courtesy of Erin Morris.

Brooks & Dunn, Vince Gill, Emmylou Harris, Paul McCartney: several halls of fame are bursting with news about their programs or their members.

The Oklahoma Music Hall of Fame and the Georgia Music Hall of Fame have new inductees on the way, the Country Music Hall of Fame & Museum has a couple of fundraisers on the docket in Nashville and Los Angeles, and one Rock & Roll Hall of Fame member invoked the names of two Country Hall of Famers when he played next door to Nashville’s best-known museum.

Here’s a bundle of Hall of Fame-related music news:

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Rodney Atkins photo courtesy of Curb Nashville.

Chevy: The Official Ride of Country Music will help kick off the 2010 CMA Music Festival on June 9 with “The Sixth Annual CMA Music Festival Kick-Off Parade” at 11:30 a.m. Central through the streets of downtown Nashville.

Brenda Lee will serve as Grand Marshal and other artists participating in the parade include Lynn Anderson, Katie Armiger, Rodney Atkins, The Band Perry, Bo Bice, Ash Bowers, Carter Twins, Jeff Cook, Diana DeGarmo, Fast Ryde, Colt Ford, Brantley Gilbert, Gloriana, Josh Gracin, The Grascals, The Harters, Buddy Jewell, KingBilly, Jesse Lee, LoCash Cowboys, Lonestar, Jerrod Niemann, James Otto, Danielle Peck, Point of Grace, Marty Raybon, Pam Tillis, Trent Tomlinson, and Chuck Wicks. Members of the National Guard will drive artists along the parade route in Chevy vehicles, including the all new 2011 Silverado HD and the Military Specialty Camaro. Continue Reading

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Tyler Dickerson photo courtesy of Lyric Street Records.

It’s no secret that the current version of mainstream country music leans heavily toward pop. Acts such as Taylor Swift, Rascal Flatts and Love And Theft have borrowed quite willfully from ‘80s and ‘90s versions of pop and rock, and Keith Urban’s “Kiss A Girl” doesn’t sound all that different in texture from the latest release by pop singer-songwriter Colbie Caillat.

There’s nothing wrong with that. Acts such as Willie Nelson, Patsy Cline and Waylon Jennings — all now considered traditional country — liberally took sounds and approaches from outside of country.

But there’s a growing frustration among some hardcore country fans that they’re being left behind in the current marketplace. A few diehard traditional acts such as George Strait, Brad Paisley, Joe Nichols and Alan Jackson are still adhering to a honky-tonk center, but there aren’t a lot of new artists who fall into that category.

Which makes last Friday’s showcase by Lyric Street’s new artist, Tyler Dickerson, such a breath of fresh air. Just 16 years old, he delivered an acoustic set for media types at John Rich’s private club, the Spot, a second-floor venue across the street from Tootsie’s Orchid Lounge, a legendary bar at which Tyler has been honing his craft. Between the cowboy hat and the skinny frame, Tyler cut a Hank Williams visage, and he backed it with a sly, authentic voice and a clear taste for music with Southern roots — a little Southern-rock boogie, a little country and even little hints of western swing. And he delivered a cover of “Always On My Mind,” running down a list of the artists who delivered the best-known versions — Willie, Elvis Presley, Brenda Lee and the Pet Shop Boys — all of whom had their runs with the song prior to Tyler’s 1993 birth.

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Trisha Yearwood attends the October 15, 2009 press conference for husband Garth Brooks where he announced his new one-man show at the Wynn in Las Vegas, Nev. Photo courtesy of garthbrooks.com.

When Trisha Yearwood left Nashville to become part of Garth Brooks’ family in Oklahoma, she committed to helping him raise his three daughters, effectively giving her own career a lower priority.

Now that Garth has agreed to a five-year deal with Wynn Las Vegas, Trisha will wait even longer before she eventually pursues her current dream of landing a gig on the Great White Way. Trisha will join him on stage periodically during his engagement, which has him playing five weekends a year beginning Dec. 11.

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Taylor Swift photo courtesy of Big Machine Records.

The American Music Awards! The Musicians Hall of Fame! The CMA Broadcast Awards! The Inspirational Country Music Awards!

Another wave of awards news rolled in this week. As always (unless Kanye West is involved), that means something good for Taylor Swift. This time around is no exception: Taylor snagged a total of six nominations Tuesday in the American Music Awards, putting her ahead of Michael Jackson, Eminem and a gaggle of pop and rock stars in the all-genre competition.

Taylor entertained her way into the Pop or Rock Music field and the Adult Contemporary category in addition to garnering expected country tabs. The Zac Brown Band snared a pair of country nods plus a nomination for T-Mobile Breakthrough Artist. Rascal Flatts was also a double nominee for the show, which airs on ABC Nov. 22.

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