Glen Campbell Inducted into Country Music Hall of Fame

Press release
Source: Country Music Hall of Fame

Country music superstars celebrated their heroes with joyous music and warm embraces during the Country Music Hall of Fame® and Museum’s annual medallion ceremony on Sunday, May 7. An intimate evening of performances and touching speeches accompanied medal presentations to the family of DeFord Bailey, to Jeff Cook, Teddy Gentry, Mark Herndon and Randy Owen of Alabama and to Glen Campbell, welcoming them as the newest members of the Country Music Hall. Owen described the event as “a celebration of our lives and our family and friends.”

The idea of family, both personal and extended, came up repeatedly inside the Museum’s Ford Theater during the ceremony and in the reception held beforehand in the expansive Curb Conservatory. The annual medallion ceremony brings together Hall of Fame members and their families to celebrate the arrival of new inductees, who bring their families to participate in the special night. “This is the annual family reunion of the members of the Country Music Hall of Fame,” said Chairman of the Board E.W. “Bud” Wendell in his opening remarks.

The Great American Country cable network, which provided a simulcast for ceremony guests in the Museum’s rotunda and backstage area, also taped portions of the evening for a special episode of GAC’s Master Series.

Highlights from the evening will be broadcast on 650 WSM and on Sirius satellite radio on Monday, May 15 at 10:00 p.m. eastern.

Among the Country Music Hall of Fame members in attendance were Bill Anderson, Eddy Arnold, Phil Everly, Jim Foglesong, the Jordanaires’ Gordon Stoker and Ray Walker, Brenda Lee, Charlie Louvin, Frances Preston, Earl Scruggs, Jo Walker-Meador and Wendell.

Other stars attending the one-of-a-kind event included Billy Burnette, Shawn Camp, Kenny Chesney, Chicago harmonica specialist Joe Filisko, Vince Gill, Nanci Griffith, Tom T. Hall, Jamie Hartford, the Jordanaires’ Louis Nunley and Curtis Young, Lonestar’s Michael Britt, Richie McDonald, Keech Rainwater and Dean Sams, John. D. Loudermilk, Rascal Flatts’ Jay DeMarcus, Gary LeVox, and Joe Don Rooney, Charlie McCoy, Sawyer Brown’s Shayne Hill, Hobie Hubbard and Mark Miller, Gary Scruggs, Randy Scruggs, producer Harold Shedd and Bryan White.

The evening began with the red-carpent arrival of Hall of Fame members, who enjoyed the catered food and cocktails while visiting with old friends in the Curb Conservatory. At 8 p.m., guests excitedly moved into the 213-seat Ford Theater and the rotunda, where they heard the Bakersfield beat of the classic country instrumental “Buckaroo” from a 40-year-old recording of a Carnegie Hall concert by Buck Owens & the Buckaroos.

Kyle Young, director of the Country Music Hall of Fame, served as master of ceremonies, welcoming guests and inviting Wendell to the podium, where he heralded the strong turn-out and said, “Music brings us together tonight.”

As he has for the last three years, Vince Gill, president of the Museum’s Board of Officers and Trustees, opened the ceremony with a hymn, “What Are They Doing in Heaven Today?,” accompanied by guitarist Tom Britt. Gill dedicated the song to Vassar Clements, Jimmy Martin, Buck Owens, Louise Scruggs and Cindy Walker, all of whom had passed away since the 2005 medallion ceremony.

Throughout the evening, musical accompaniment was provided by the Medallion All-Star Band, a one-time-only ensemble featuring some of Nashville’s elite players. With ceremony music director John Hobbs on the keys, the Medallion All-Stars included Eddie Bayers, drums; Tom Britt, electric guitar; Russ Pahl, guitars/pedal steel; Michael Rhodes, bass; Biff Watson, acoustic guitar; and Andrea Zonn, fiddle/vocals.

Young then recounted the life and career of DeFord Bailey, the grandson of an emancipated slave, who overcame a bout of childhood polio to rise to the highs of stardom in the early years of the Grand Ole Opry while also dealing with the lows of racism in the Jim Crow South. “He is remembered as both a virtuoso player and as a pioneer of Nashville’s recording industry,” Young said of Bailey, who died in 1982.

Joe Filisko, a Chicago-based harmonica expert who has mastered the DeFord Bailey style, presented a rousing solo take on the Bailey classic “Fox Chase.” DeFord Bailey Jr. then played one of his father’s favorite tunes, the gospel standard “Swing Low, Sweet Chariot.” And Music Row session great Charlie McCoy led the Medallion All-Star Band through a spirited “Pan American Blues,” another of Bailey’s best-loved tunes.

Young acknowledged Bailey’s wife, Ida Lee Haynes, in the audience. He then invited Bailey’s children-daughters Christine Craig and Dezoral Lee Thomas and son DeFord Bailey Jr.-to the podium to accept their father’s medallion. Craig spoke for the family, recalling how her father could play nearly any instrument and often entertained family members with the banjo or by playing rhythm with animal bones around the home. She also pointed out to the crowd that “my daddy loved God” and was a preacher as well as an entertainer, before thanking the Hall of Fame for this special evening.

To begin the tribute to Glen Campbell, Young reported on the singer’s hardscrabble early life. He grew up in a large, sharecropping family in rural Arkansas before his rise to grand crossover success as a session guitarist, a star of TV and film, and a recording artist who has sold more than 50 million albums worldwide.

Jamie Hartford led the Medallion All-Stars through “Gentle on My Mind,” the classic song written by his father, the late John Hartford, that became closely associated with Campbell. Hartford, who displayed some hot guitar licks during the song, remarked about how he remains in awe of Campbell’s ability as a guitarist and singer.

Singer-songwriter Shawn Camp followed with a band performance of “By the Time I Get to Phoenix,” another Campbell classic and one of many written for him by songwriter Jimmy Webb. Camp, an Arkansas native, talked about how Campbell had inspired him as an artist and in making the move from his home state to Nashville to pursue a music career.

Next, famed songwriter John D. Loudermilk performed a solo version of his composition “I Wanna Live,” which became Campbell’s first #1 country hit, in 1968. Loudermilk recalled a trip to Dublin where he was surprised to hear a park full of Irish Protestants and Catholics singing “I Wanna Live” during a peace demonstration, suggesting that you never know where a country song may end up being heard.

Fellow Hall of Famer Brenda Lee, who first met Campbell in 1962 when he played guitar on one of her pop recordings, introduced him with a heartfelt and humorous testimony to his achievements. On accepting his medallion, Campbell said, “It has been an incredible ride . . . some of it wonderful, some of it hurtful.” Speaking without prepared remarks, Campbell choked up at one point, saying he hadn’t expected to cry but couldn’t hold back when images of his mother and father passed through his mind. He then performed a dynamic version of “Rhinestone Cowboy” that brought the house to a loud standing ovation.

For the Alabama celebration, Young traced the band from its formation in 1969 by three cousins-singer Randy Owen, bassist Teddy Gentry and guitarist-fiddler Jeff Cook-who were joined by drummer Mark Herndon in 1979. He told of how a decade of hard work and struggle led to the quartet ushering Nashville into a new era as the first successful country-rock band to score big on the country music charts. They’ve since earned 50 Top 10 hits, 32 of them reaching #1 in Billboard.

The members of Lonestar kicked off the musical tribute with a spirited take on Alabama’s chart-topping “Mountain Music.” “You guys had such a huge effect and were such a big inspiration to so many of us on this stage tonight,” said Lonestar singer Richie McDonald, who was joined by bandmates Michael Britt, Keech Rainwater and Dean Sams. McDonald assured the band that they remain as popular as ever, as Lonestar gets an uproarious reaction each night when they include an Alabama medley in their shows.

Next up were Shayne Hill, Hobie Hubbard and Mark Miller of Sawyer Brown, who, backed by the Medallion All-Stars, performed a harmony-rich “Dixieland Delight.” Also citing Alabama’s influence and inspiration, Miller said it was intimidating to “sing this song right in front of our good friends.”

Superstar Kenny Chesney then came out with just an acoustic guitar to play the Alabama ballad “Lady Down on Love,” one of many Alabama songs he grew up admiring and learning to sing. Chesney humorously recalled touring with Alabama in his first year as a Nashville recording artist and how intimidating that could be to a newcomer. He ended by telling the quartet that their music “touched a kid from East Tennessee more than you would ever know.”

The final musical tribute came from country supergroup Rascal Flatts, which currently has the #1-selling album in country music with Me and My Gang. Also citing the band as “a huge musical influence on us, and huge inspirations,” singer Gary LeVox noted that they, too, are a band of cousins and a close friend. They performed the Hall of Fame band’s signature hit, “My Home’s in Alabama.”

Hall of Fame members Frances Preston, the former president of BMI, and Jo Walker-Meador, former executive director of the Country Music Association, presented Alabama with their medallions while talking about the personal family bond that Alabama created with them and many others in the Nashville music industry.

After donning their new medals, Mark Herndon spoke first, fighting tears as he talked about how there was “a lot of love in the room.” Bassist Teddy Gentry, joking about his reputation for being soft-spoken, credited his bandmates for being “hangers,” saying, “When the tough get going, they hang.”

Jeff Cook also struggled with emotion and tears while wishing that their fathers could have witnessed this event and the monumental achievement it signified. Owen, acknowledging that the band sometimes went their own ways off-stage, credited them all for always coming together for the music. The band and its extended network of supporters, he said, “has been such an intimate part of our lives for so long,” and he went to great lengths to cite all those who played a crucial role in the band’s career. “Tonight I celebrate the love of all the years-25, 35, whatever it is-and Mark, Teddy and Jeff for being such a big part of my life,” he said.

The evening ended with the honorees, performers and members of the Country Music Hall of Fame standing on stage performing “Will the Circle Be Unbroken?” Afterward, they enjoyed dessert and coffee in the Curb Conservatory. Attendees said goodbye while once again speaking of their country music family, promising to return again for next year’s celebration.

Accredited by the American Association of Museums, the Country Music Hall of Fame® and Museum is operated by the Country Music Foundation, a not-for-profit 501(c)(3) educational organization chartered by the state of Tennessee in 1964. The Museum’s mission is the preservation of the history of country and related vernacular music rooted in southern culture. With the same educational mission, the Foundation also operates CMF Records, the Museum’s Frist Library and Archive, CMF Press, Historic RCA Studio B, and Hatch Show Print.

The Ford Division of the Ford Motor Co. is a Founding Partner of the $37 million Country Music Hall of Fame® and Museum, which opened on May 17, 2001.

More information about the Country Music Hall of Fame® and Museum is available at www.countrymusichalloffame.com or by calling (615) 416-2001.