New Country Music Hall of Famers Announced

Tweet

The announcement of the new Country Music Hall of Fame members was made today (3/29) in the rotunda at the Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum in Nashville. The ceremony, hosted by Brenda Lee, welcomed three new inductees, one each from three categories. NON-PERFORMER (the rotating category): FRED FOSTER. Foster is a producer of several hit records, including the Grammy-winning You Don't Know Me: The Songs of Cindy Walker by Willie Nelson. He was also founder of Monument Records, a record label credited with launching the career of Roy Orbison (Foster produced Orbison's hits on Monument), Kris Kristofferson, and Dolly Parton. MODERN ERA: RANDY TRAVIS. Beginning with "On the Other Hand" and "Digging Up Bones," Travis was one of the "big three" (along with George Strait and Ricky Skaggs) spearheading the return to a more authentic country music sound after the so-called "Urban Cowboy era." Travis' string of hits ran will into the 1990s, and in 2004 his song "Three Wooden Crosses" won countless awards in country and gospel music. Travis, who suffered a massive stroke in 2013, was present at the ceremony. Although sitting in a wheelchair, Travis (who was given up for dead by his doctors when he suffered the stroke on the heels of a heart attack) walked to the podium to a standing ovation. He managed to say, "Thank you" to the crowd (his speech is still severely affected by the stroke) before his wife read an acceptance speech. It was truly the highlight of the ceremony. VETERANS ERA: CHARLIE DANIELS. A fiddler who began as a session musician, Daniels blended country and southern rock into a successful career. His biggest hit, "The Devil Went Down to Georgia," was a top three song in country and rock in 1979. Additionally, he organized and hosted the popular "Volunteer Jam" for nearly 40 years. I've been scratching my head about this one since it was announced. Daniels has never had a "major" career. He's a star, certainly (I don't have to spend three hours explaining who he is the way I would someone like the late Kim Williams, who wrote Travis' mega hit "Three Wooden Crosses"), but a hall of fame career star? NO. I know more about the inner workings (spelled "politics") of the Nashville music scene than is healthy. I know that there are people who've ruffled feathers over the years, and as such they aren't getting their just rewards. Hank Williams Jr. is a prime example. He mentioned his "outsider" status in the song "Family Tradition" ("country music singers have always been a real close family, but lately some of my kinfolk have disowned a few others and me"). I'm not a fan of his post-accident material but in his youth he was staunchly country. Regardless of my opinion (it's not a hall of my favorites, it's a hall of fame), Hank Williams Jr. is a name that everyone knows. They may not like him (my dad certainly doesn't), but, again, it's not a hall of "quality." Williams isn't the only one in that boat. The Wilburn Brothers, who had an infinitely bigger career than Charlie Daniels, and hosted one of the most popular syndicated country music TV shows of the 60s (The Wilburn Brothers Show [original, isn't it? ]), AND founded Sure-Fire Music Publishing (one of the few acts in those days who owned their own music publishing company [the other two were Roy Acuff and Webb Pierce]), A N D ! ! ! featured, as their "girl singer" on their show, Ms. Loretta Lynn. Along the way they ruffled more than a few feathers. So did Webb Pierce, but they eventually buried the hatchet and inducted him (ten years after he died). Teddy Wilburn died in 2003, and Doyle died in 1982. It's way past time for bygones to be forgotten in their case and induct them. I am also resigned to the fact that there will be more and more country-rock (if not southern rock) acts inducted into the Hall of Fame in years to come. However, if they're going to take the road down that slippery slope, they should start with Gram Parsons, who, like Jimmie Rodgers (who was the first inductee in to the Hall of Fame in 1961), was the "first" (Parsons pioneered the country-rock scene). I'm elated that Fred Foster (who's 84) and Randy Travis (who's still obviously suffering the after-effects of his 2013 stroke) were inducted. The Charlie Daniels thing, however, leaves a bitter taste in my mouth and overshadows the good that was done this year. Rant over. Congratulations to the inductees. Here's Randy Travis's big hit, "Diggin' Up Bones."