The 2010 Country Music Hall of Fame inductees, clockwise from upper right: Don Williams, Ferlin Husky, Billy Sherrill and Jimmy Dean. Photos courtesy of the CMA.

Don Williams, Jimmy Dean, Ferlin Husky and record producer Billy Sherrill are the latest additions to the Country Music Hall of Fame. The Country Music Association announced the honor Tuesday via press release, with a formal induction ceremony promised later this year.

“I thought I was already in there!” Jimmy joked. “Seriously, it brought a huge grin to my face. I am honored.”

Each of the four has contributed significantly to the genre. Jimmy, whose name is synonymous with a line of sausage, gave country music plenty of TV exposure as the host of several different programs, most notably “The Jimmy Dean Show,” a 1960s ABC variety series. He often featured the likes of Roger Miller, Buck Owens or Faron Young. One 1964 episode aired live from the Grand Ole Opry, while a 1965 installment captured Eddy Arnold’s recording session for “Make The World Go Away.” The CMA also used “The Jimmy Dean Show” as a vehicle to announce the Hall of Fame inductees in 1966. As a recording artist, Jimmy is best known for “Big Bad John,” a recitation about a coal-mining accident that sold a million copies after crossing into the pop charts.

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Loretta Lynn photo courtesy of Interscope Records.

More than 100 trophies will be handed out on Sunday at the 52nd annual Grammy Awards to honor the best in music in 2009. Overlooked, but maybe just as important, are a few honors that recognize artists and musicians — including Loretta Lynn, the Nitty Gritty Dirt Band and guitarist Harold Bradley — for efforts that span a much broader scope of time.

The Dirt Band’s “Mr. Bojangles” has been added to the Grammy Hall of Fame, certifying it as a recording of long-term influence. Loretta and the late Roy Orbison are among the artists who will be hailed Saturday in Los Angeles with Grammy Lifetime Achievement Awards. That same night, Harold will receive a Trustee’s Award for his work as a session musician, studio owner and former president of the Nashville chapters of the Recording Academy and the Musicians Union.

As if that’s not enough, the Georgia Music Hall of Fame and the Alabama Music Hall of Fame have both been featured in the news in the last week.

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John Fogerty photo courtesy of Shore Fire Media.

He’s a member of the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame, but that doesn’t mean John Fogerty doesn’t know a little somethin’ about country music.

His latest album, The Blue Ridge Rangers Rides Again, is dominated by classic country songs, including John Denver’s “Back Home Again,” the Kendalls’ “Heaven’s Just A Sin Away,” Ray Price’s “I’ll Be There (If You Ever Want Me)” and Buck Owens’ “I Don’t Care (Just As Long As You Love Me).” He enlisted a band that includes Americana stalwart Buddy Miller and standup bass player Dennis Crouch, and it actually leans closer to pure country than a lot of the material that’s now accepted as commercial country.

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

Songwriter Aaron Schroeder, bass player Jack Cooke and recording artist Big Bill Lister — musical figures who played a role in the careers of Elvis Presley, Ralph Stanley and Hank Williams — each died in the last week, leaving cultural contributions they accomplished while working in the shadows of some very significant artists.

Their biggest moments spanned from the early 1950s to the current decade, with pop hits, Grammy-winning recordings and a much-loved novelty hit on their resumes.

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Tim McGraw photo by Danny Clinch, courtesy of Curb Records.

Tim McGraw’s latest single is the title track from his upcoming album, Southern Voice, and it gives credit to such historic figures from Dixie as Hank Williams, Hank Aaron and Rosa Parks.

Each of them rose from modest beginnings to make a significant impact on American culture, and they fit well with Tim’s rootsy vision for the album.

“I hope it’s a record you get lost in,” he told the national radio show GAC Nights: Live From Nashville. “I hope it’s a record that you can put on and just sort of melt into. Continue Reading

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Hank Williams Sr. and Ray Price. Photo: courtesy of the Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum.

By Deborah Evans Price

© 2009 CMA Close Up® News Service / Country Music Association®, Inc.

Ray Price could relax and look back on an incredible career. Instead, the Country Music Hall of Fame member is looking ahead. He’s starting his own record label, recording new music and performing for his enthusiastic fans.

But doesn’t he ever think about taking it easy, maybe doing a little fishing? “I’d be wondering why the hell I ain’t out there singing — that’s what I’d be doing on a fishing boat,” he said. “I love making music. It’s my life. I was born for it, I guess. I want to do it better and better and better and better. I’m not satisfied. I don’t think anybody should be.” Continue Reading

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Tammy Wynette photo courtesy of tammywynette.com.

Eleven years after her death, Tammy Wynette — whose “Stand By Your Man” ranks among the best-known country songs in history — will finally enter the Nashville Songwriters Hall of Fame during a ceremony Oct. 18 at the Renaissance Nashville Hotel.

Tammy will be inducted alongside two full-time songwriters who wrote their own iconic pieces: Kye Fleming was responsible for Barbara Mandrell’s theme song, “I Was Country When Country Wasn’t Cool”; and Mark D. Sanders authored Lee Ann Womack‘s mega-hit “I Hope You Dance.” Continue Reading

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