George Strait photo by Danny Clinch, courtesy of UMG Nashville.

Some of the biggest stars in country music history — George Strait, Hank Williams, Willie Nelson and Tammy Wynette — are among a slew of Country Music Hall of Fame members who’ve made their way into the headlines of late.

George set an unprecedented mark on the country charts, Hank earned a prestigious honor and Willie went to a Texas courtroom, where he could have been called on to testify in a trial involving a shooting outside a bar.

Here’s a roundup of Hall of Famers who continue to make an impact in a variety of ways:

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

Tim McGraw releases his new Southern Voice album Tuesday, and in gearing up for the street date, he’ll appear this weekend with host Nan Kelley on GAC’s Top 20 Country Countdown.

The album’s first single, “It’s A Business Doing Pleasure With You,” was written in part by Chad Kroeger of the rock band Nickelback, and his current hit, “Southern Voice,” namechecks such rockers as Chuck Berry, Tom Petty, Jerry Lee Lewis and the Allman Brothers. In fact, Gregg Allman will sit in with Tim when he performs “Southern Voice” on “The Jay Leno Show” Oct. 27.

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Johnny Cash

Jukebox musicals featuring the songs of Johnny Cash and Elvis Presley have been launched on Broadway in recent years, and their legacies return to the Great White Way next spring in yet another show called Million Dollar Quartet.

The production, currently being presented at Chicago’s Apollo Theatre, revolves around a legendary recording session on Dec. 4, 1956, in which the brightest stars associated with Sun Records — Elvis, Johnny, Jerry Lee Lewis and Carl Perkins — performed songs in an impromptu gathering around the piano at Sam Phillips’ Memphis studio. Continue Reading

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