CMA ANNOUNCES JIMMY DEAN, FERLIN HUSKY, BILLY SHERRILL, AND
DON WILLIAMS AS NEWEST MEMBERS OF COUNTRY MUSIC HALL OF
FAME
NASHVILLE - The Country Music Association announced today that Jimmy
Dean, Ferlin Husky, Billy Sherrill, and Don Williams will become the newest
members of the coveted Country Music Hall of Fame.
Due to a tie in the voting, both Dean and Husky will be inducted in the
"Veterans Era Artist" category. Williams will be inducted in the "Modern Era
Artist" category. Sherrill will be inducted in the "Non-Performer" category,
which is awarded every third year in a rotation with the "Recording and/or
Touring Musician" and "Songwriter" categories. Dean, Husky, Sherrill, and
Williams will increase membership in the coveted Country Music Hall of Fame
from 108 to 112 inductees.
"These four gentlemen broadened Country Music immensely with their talents,
exposing millions of fans around the world to our format," said Steve Moore,
Chairman of the CMA Board of Directors. "Their contributions to the genre and
to popular culture are immeasurable, and we are proud to award them the
highest honor in Country Music."
Induction ceremonies for Dean, Husky, Sherrill and Williams will take place at
the Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum later this year. Since 2007, the
Museum's Medallion Ceremony, an annual reunion of the Hall of Fame
membership, has served as the official rite of induction for new members.
"The 2010 honorees are Southern men who have used their voices,
songwriting, instruments and life experience to create enduring Country Music
that dominated popularity charts throughout the middle and closing decades
of the 20th Century," said Museum Director Kyle Young. "Their songs,
recordings, live performances, and presence on radio, television, and even in
the movies, are part of the sonic architecture that now frames our music in the
mainstream. We extend our heartiest congratulations to them all and look
forward to the stories and fellowship to come."
"I thought I was already in there," said Dean humorously. "Seriously, it brought
a huge grin to my face. I am honored."
An emotional Husky said, "I'd like to thank my Lord Jesus Christ for dying for
me, saving my soul, and bringing me into the world as a country boy. And
also, for giving me the talent to sing, entertain, and help convert millions
around the world to Country Music. I'm still a country boy and proud of it. In
the words of my close friend, the late Stringbean, 'I sure am glad I'm me!'"
"Anything I have ever accomplished would have been totally impossible
without the help and support of the greatest songwriters and musicians in the
world, and of course what I stole from Owen Bradley," said Sherrill.
"I feel extremely honored and overwhelmed with this news," said Williams. "It
is unbelievable that CMA thought about me in this manner."
CMA created the Country Music Hall of Fame in 1961 to recognize noteworthy
individuals for their outstanding contributions to the format with Country
Music's highest honor.
The categories and voting process were updated in 2009, taking effect with
the 2010 ballot. The current categories are:
* Modern Era - An artist becomes eligible for induction in this category 20
years after they first achieve national prominence. They will remain eligible
for that category for the next 25 years. [This replaced the former "Career
Achieved National Prominence Between 1975 and the Present" category].
* Veterans Era - An artist becomes eligible for induction in this category 45
years after they first achieve national prominence. [This category combined
the former "Career Achieved National Prominence between World War II and
1975" category (which was voted on annually) and "Career Achieved National
Prominence Prior to World War II" sub-category (which was voted on every
third year in rotation) into one group].
* Rotating Categories - The third slot is a rotating category, with each group
in the spotlight every third year. The three rotating categories are
Non-Performer, Songwriter, and Recording and/or Touring Musician. [The
Songwriter category was created in the 2009 update, and will induct its first
member in 2011. Previously, songwriters were included in the Non-Performer
category].
The Veterans Era and Modern Era categories have separate Nominating
Committees, each made up of 12 industry leaders who serve three-year terms.
The Modern Era Nominating Committee also oversees the Rotating
Categories. Final nominations are then submitted to two separate Panels of
Electors, made up of historians and industry professionals that have a historical
perspective on Country Music. One Panel votes for both the Modern Era and
the Rotating Categories, while a second Panel votes for the Veterans Era
category. Both Panels are updated annually by the CMA Awards and
Recognition Committee. Individuals can serve on both Panels. All panelists
remain anonymous.
Non Performer
Billy Sherrill - Born Nov. 5, 1936 in Phil Campbell, Ala., Sherrill was the son of
an evangelist preacher. As a child, he learned to play piano and frequently
performed at his father's revival meetings. After learning to play saxophone, he
formed a rock'n'roll and R&B band called The Fairlanes with his friend,
songwriter/musician Rick Hall. Although he was briefly signed as a solo artist
to a small independent label in the late '50s, he mainly concentrated on
performing and songwriting. Sherrill co-wrote "Sweet and Innocent" (which
would later be a hit for Donny Osmond) with his bandmate Rick Hall, with
whom he created a publishing partnership called Florence Alabama Music
Enterprises (FAME).
Sherrill moved to Nashville in 1962 after receiving a royalty check in the mail
and learning that an unknown Country artist had recorded one of his songs.
Florence-native Sam Phillips hired Sherrill to manage Sun Records' Nashville
studios. One year later, Sherrill moved on to Epic Records Nashville as an
in-house producer and was assigned to record any artist that the label's other
producers had already rejected. He created his own production style based on
his gospel music background and the influences of producers such as Owen
Bradley and Phil Spector. In doing this, he broadened the Nashville sound of
the 1950s by adding a modern, sophisticated sensibility while often using a
generous amount of strings and background vocals. He also wrote or co-wrote
songs to match the style of the artists he produced.
In 1965, he achieved his first big success when David Houston hit No. 3 with
the Sherrill-produced "Livin' in a House Full of Love" (co-written by Sherrill
and Glenn Sutton). One year later, Sherrill produced Houston's hit "Almost
Persuaded" (also co-written by Sherrill and Sutton) which spent nine weeks at
No. 1 and was recognized with three Grammy Awards in 1966: Best Country &
Western Song (for Sherrill and Sutton); Best Country & Western Recording and
Best Country & Western Vocal Performance, Male (both for Houston). The
song soon became a standard and was recorded more than 100 times by artists
as diverse as Louis Armstrong, Merle Haggard, and Etta James, among others.
In 1966, Sherrill discovered the woman who would later be known as the First
Lady of Country Music when a hairdresser named Wynette Byrd knocked on his
door and asked for an audition. Sherrill soon signed the singer and, inspired by
the Debbie Reynolds movie "Tammy and the Bachelor," suggested she
change her name to Tammy Wynette. Under Sherrill's production, Wynette's
first single "Apartment No. 9" was released in December 1966 and peaked at
No. 44. Her second single, "Your Good Girl's Gonna Go Bad" (a
Sherrill/Sutton composition), reached No. 3 and launched a string of Top 10
hits. Wynette's duet with Houston on "My Elusive Dreams" became her first No.
1 hit in the summer of 1967, and earned Sherrill and co-writer Curly Putman
their first CMA Award nomination for Song of the Year. Sherrill and Wynette's
partnership continued as he produced her hit songs including "I Don't Wanna
Play House," "Take Me to Your World," "D-I-V-O-R-C-E," and her signature
song "Stand By Your Man," which Sherrill and Wynette wrote in the studio in
15 minutes. That song earned Sherrill and Wynette a CMA Award nomination
for Song of the Year in 1969, and the recording was inducted into the
Grammy Hall of Fame in 1999. Wynette continued having hits under Sherrill's
production in the '70s, most notably "Til I Can Make It On My Own," written by
Sherrill, Wynette, and George Richey, which received a nomination for CMA
Song of the Year in 1976.
Sherrill brought Wynette's then-husband George Jones to Epic in 1971, and
produced his solo albums for nearly two decades. Sherrill produced such solo
Jones hits as "We Can Make It," "A Picture of Me (Without You)," "The Grand
Tour," "These Days I Barely Get By," "Memories of Us," "Same Ol Me," "If
Drinkin' Don't Kill Me (Her Memory Will)," "Who's Gonna Fill Their Shoes," and
the legendary "He Stopped Loving Her Today." He also produced the
Jones/Wynette duet projects, beginning with their first hit "Take Me." The
couple would record together off and on through 1980, even after their 1975
divorce, delivering such Sherrill-produced classics as "The Ceremony," "We're
Gonna Hold On," "(We're Not) The Jet Set," "Golden Ring," "Two Story
House," and more.
Sherrill signed Charlie Rich to Epic in 1968. Though it took a few years, this
pairing resulted in huge success in 1973 with the release of the album Behind
Closed Doors. The album propelled Rich to superstardom and contained three
hit singles including the title track, "I Take It On Home," and "The Most
Beautiful Girl." The latter song, written by Sherrill, Norro Wilson, and Rory
Bourke, spent three weeks at the top of the Country singles chart, two weeks
atop the pop singles chart, and received a nomination for CMA Song of the
Year in 1974. In addition, Sherrill and Wilson received a Grammy Award in
1974 for Best Country Song for "A Very Special Love Song," also recorded by
Rich.
Sherrill signed Barbara Mandrell to Columbia Records in 1968. He produced
and wrote many of her early hits, including her first Top 40 single "Playing
Around with Love," before she left the label four years later.
At this point, Sherrill had become one of the most reliable hitmakers in
Nashville. Throughout the '70s, he either produced, wrote songs (or both) for a
wide variety of artists including Johnny Cash, David Allan Coe, Janie Fricke,
Johnny Paycheck, Marty Robbins, Johnny Rodriguez, Joe Stampley, Tanya
Tucker, Bobby Vinton, Andy Williams, and more. In 1980, he was named Vice
President/Executive Producer of CBS Records Nashville (the parent company
of Epic and Columbia). He produced Elvis Costello's Country album, Almost
Blue, in 1981. Three years later, he produced Ray Charles' Friendship, which
featured Charles performing duets with Chet Atkins, Cash, Jones, Merle
Haggard, Willie Nelson, the Oak Ridge Boys, Hank Williams Jr., and others.
After leaving CBS, Sherrill continued as an independent producer. He
introduced the world to Shelby Lynne by producing both her 1988 duet with
Jones on "If I Could Bottle This Up" as well as her first album, Sunrise, in 1989.
Sherrill was inducted into the Nashville Songwriters Association International's
Songwriters Hall of Fame in 1984, the Alabama Music Hall of Fame in 1995,
and the Musicians Hall of Fame in 2008. He has 84 BMI Awards (66 Country,
17 Pop, and 1 R&B), more than any other Country songwriter. In 1999, Sherrill
was named the BMI Country Songwriter of the Century.
Veterans Era Artist
Jimmy Dean - Jimmy Ray Dean was born in Olton, Texas on Aug. 10, 1928,
and raised by his mother in Plainview. His mother taught him piano at age 10,
which led him to pick up harmonica and accordion in his teen years. Dropping
out of high school at age 16, Dean joined the Merchant Marines for two years
before enlisting in the U.S. Air Force. Stationed at a base in Washington D.C.,
Dean first performed publicly with a band called the Tennessee Haymakers at
clubs around the area. He remained in the area after he left the Air Force in
1948 and created a new band called the Texas Wildcats, which performed
both in clubs and on WARL Radio in Arlington, Va.
In 1952, Dean toured the U.S. military bases in the Carribbean before
returning to Washington, D.C. to record his first single for Four Star Records.
"Bummin' Around" was released in 1952 and hit No. 5 on the Country singles
chart. Broadcast pioneer Connie B. Gay offered Dean the opportunity to host
"Town and Country Time," a three-hour weekly television show broadcast every
Saturday night on the local ABC affiliate, WMAL-TV. Patsy Cline and Roy
Clark were among the artists who regularly appeared on the show. The popular
Dean was later hired away to Washington D.C.'s CBS affiliate to host a live
Country show. In 1957, he moved to New York, signed with Columbia Records,
and hosted "The Morning Show," an early morning television variety show for
CBS.
In 1961, Dean wrote and recorded his signature song "Big Bad John" in
Nashville. The song, which established his flair for spoken narratives, went to
No. 1 on both the Country and pop singles charts. Dean and "Big Bad John"
received the 1961 Grammy Award for Best Country & Western Recording.
Additional popular singles followed in the next few years. "Dear Ivan," "Little
Black Book," and 'P.T. 109" (about John F. Kennedy's military adventure) all
reached the Top 10 on the Country singles charts while "To a Sleeping
Beauty," and "The Cajun Queen" charted in the Top 20. All five of these
songs also hit the Top 40 on the pop singles charts, with "P.T. 109" making the
pop Top 10 as well.
During the early '60s, Dean became the first guest host of "The Tonight Show"
for NBC Television. From 1963-1966, "The Jimmy Dean Show" aired on ABC
Television, and its host earned the nickname "The Dean of Country Music."
This variety show regularly featured Country Music artists as guests, introducing
the likes of George Jones, Roger Miller, Buck Owens, Charlie Rich and many
more to a national mainstream audience. The show also featured frequent
appearances from puppeteer Jim Henson, which made his piano-playing dog
Rowlf the first Muppet to become a household name.
In 1966, Dean signed with RCA Records and placed "Stand Beside Me" in the
Country Top 10 that year. Additional hits followed, including "A Thing Called
Love," "Born to Be by Your Side," and "A Hammer and Nails." By now a top
name in Hollywood, Dean was also a headliner at major venues such as the
Hollywood Bowl, Carnegie Hall, and the London Palladium, and became the
first Country performer to play the Las Vegas strip. He was a frequent guest on
the talk show circuit, appearing often on "Merv Griffin," "Dinah Shore Show,"
"Mike Douglas Show," and the like. He became a recurring character on the
"Daniel Boone" television series in the late 60s, acted in several television
movies-of-the-week, and in 1971 appeared as reclusive billionare Willard
Whyte in the James Bond film "Diamonds Are Forever" with Sean Connery.
That same year he and Dottie West achieved a Top 40 duet on the Country
singles charts with "Slowly." His final hit was in 1976 with "I.O.U.," a narrative
tribute honoring his mother that reached the Top 10 on the Country charts.
During the late '60s, Dean broadened his interests after buying a Texas hog
farm and transforming it into the Jimmy Dean Meat Company in 1969. While
he continued to record and act during the '70s and '80s, he spent much of his
time on this new business as his sausage recipes, inspired by his grandfather,
achieved mass popularity. The company soon became the most successful
sausage company in America. Sara Lee Corporation acquired the Jimmy
Dean Meat Company in 1984, but Dean continued to be company
spokesperson and Chairman of the Board for nearly 20 years.
Dean married former Mercury/Polygram recording artist Donna Meade in 1991
and moved to an area just outside Richmond, Va. The couple co-wrote his
autobiography, 30 Years of Sausage, 50 Years of Ham, which was released in
2004. The Deans recently wrote the song "Virginia," which is slated to become
that state's next anthem. He was appointed by the Virginia governor to the
Board of Game and Inland Fisheries in 1998. Dean was inducted into the
Virginia Country Music Hall of Fame in 1997, the Texas Country Music Hall of
Fame in 2005, and the Meat Industry Hall of Fame in 2009.
Ferlin Husky - Born Dec. 3, 1925 in Cantwell, Mo., and raised on a farm, Husky
learned to play guitar as a child from his uncle. He later moved to St. Louis
and worked odd jobs. From 1943-1948, he served in the Merchant Marines,
U.S. Army, and Coast Guard. During this time he fought under more than 48
hours of gunfire during the D-Day invasion of Normandy at Cherbourg in June
1944. During his time in the military, he occasionally entertained the troops
on his ship.
After the war ended, Husky returned to St. Louis and worked in radio alongside
Gene Autry's sidekick, Smiley Burnett. He moved to California in 1949 and
acted in some bit parts in several western movies before settling in Bakersfield
where he worked as a radio disc jockey. He also regularly hosted and
performed a family-style show in area clubs such as the Rainbow Garden that
featured musical performances, talent shows for kids, and more. Changing his
name first to Tex Terry and then to Terry Preston, he signed with Four Star
Records in 1950. Although he had little success at Four Star, he did meet
Cliffie Stone, a performer who also managed Tennessee Ernie Ford, served as
an A&R executive at Capitol Records, and hosted the "Hometown Jamboree"
radio and television show each Saturday night on KXLA Radio/Pasadena and
KTLA-TV (Los Angeles).
Stone signed Husky to Capitol with Ken Nelson as his producer. Although his
first few singles were released under the Preston name, Husky soon reverted
back to his birth name under Nelson's urging. He soon moved to Springfield,
Missouri where he performed often on the Ozark Jubilee. In 1952, he moved to
Nashville to be closer to the Country Music industry and became a frequent
guest performer on the Grand Ole Opry.
In 1953, Husky performed a recitation in the song "A Dear John Letter" sung by
Jean Shepard. The song went to No. 1 on Billboard's Country singles chart and
No. 4 on Billboard's pop singles chart, launching both artists' careers. The two
reunited later that year for the follow up answer song, "Forgive Me John,"
which went Top 10. In 1955, Husky returned to the Top 10 with "I Feel Better
All Over" and "Little Tom," and achieved a Top 20 hit with "I'll Babysit with
You." He also had a No. 5 hit, "Cuzz Yore So Sweet," under his comic
alter-ego name Simon Crum.
Husky topped the Billboard Country singles chart for 10 weeks in 1957 with
"Gone." The song also reached No. 4 on the Billboard pop singles chart. A
year later, he had a No. 2 hit as Crum with "Country Music is Here to Stay."
Back as himself in 1960, Husky released his signature hit, "Wings of a Dove,"
which was once again No. 1 on the Billboard Country singles chart for 10
weeks and reached No. 12 on the Billboard pop singles chart. He hit No. 4 on
the Country singles chart in 1966 with "Once," and had his final Top 10 hit in
1967 with "Just for You." Husky remained on Capitol Records until 1972,
continuing to have success with songs including "Heavenly Sunshine," "Sweet
Misery," "White Fences and Evergreen Trees," "Every Step of the Way," "I
Promised You the World," and more. He then signed with ABC, remaining with
them through 1975. His last Top 20 hit was "Rosie Cries a Lot" in 1973.
Husky made appearances on several of the top television variety shows of the
time, including "The Steve Allen Show" and "Toast of the Town," and also
served as a summer replacement host for Arthur Godfrey on his self-titled CBS
show in 1957. That same year, Husky branched out into acting, beginning with
a role on an episode of "Kraft TV Theater" and an appearance as himself in
the film "Mr Rock & Roll." One year later, he acted in the movie "Country
Music Holiday." After a few years break, Husky returned to the movies in 1965,
appearing as himself in "Country Music on Broadway" and acting as Crum in
"Forty Acre Feud." He portrayed the character Woody in "The Las Vegas
Hillbillys" (1966) and "Hillbillys in a Haunted House" (1967). His last film role
was in "Swamp Girl" (1971).
In 1960, Husky was among the first Country artists inducted into the Hollywood
Walk of Fame. Throughout his career, he toured in more than 62 countries. In
2005 at the age of 80, he released the album The Way It Was (Is the Way It Is),
featuring both old and new material, on the Heart of Texas record label.
Leona Williams, who wrote the title cut, performed with him on two tracks.
Modern Era Artist
Don Williams - The man who would later be known as "The Gentle Giant" was
born May 27, 1939 in Floydada, Texas. Williams learned guitar from his
mother during his childhood and performed in a variety of Country, folk, and
rock'n'roll bands during his teen years.
Living in Corpus Christi after high school, he partnered with Lofton Kline to
form a musical duo called The Strangers Two. In 1965, they added Susan
Taylor to the group and renamed themselves the Pozo-Seco Singers. The
folk-pop group signed with Edmark Records, a local record label, and had a
regional hit with their single "Time." With that success, Columbia Records
signed the group in 1966 and re-released the song nationally where it charted
in the Top 50 on the pop charts. The threesome had two additional Top 40
pop hits with "I Can Make It with You" and "Look What You've Done" before
disbanding in 1970 after releasing their fourth album.
Williams moved to Nashville and signed as a songwriter with Jack Music, Inc.
owned by legendary producer/publisher Jack Clement. In 1972 he signed with
JMI as a solo artist. While his first single "Don't You Believe" did not receive
much airplay, the 1973 follow up "The Shelter of Your Eyes" reached No. 14
on the Country singles chart. He released a few more singles to varying
degrees of success before hitting No. 5 with "We Should Be Together" in
1974. This success led to a recording deal with ABC/Dot Records. His debut
single on the new label, "I Wouldn't Want to Live If You Didn't Love Me,"
topped the Country singles chart in the summer of 1974.
During the 1970s, Williams grew into one of the most popular Country artists in
the world with No. 1 songs such as "You're My Best Friend," "Love Me
Tonight," "Till the Rivers All Run Dry" (which he co-wrote with Wayland
Holyfield), "Say It Again," "Some Broken Hearts Never Mend," "I'm Just a
Country Boy," "Tulsa Time," "It Must Be Love" and "Love Me Over Again"
(written by Williams). In addition to his American success, he gained a huge
following in the United Kingdom and Europe. He was named CMA Male
Vocalist of the Year in 1978. Williams also appeared in movies such as "W.W.
and the Dixie Dancekings," and "Smokey and the Bandit II."
Williams wrote several of his hits, including "I've Got a Winner in You" (with
Holyfield), and "Lay Down Beside Me," both of which hit the Top 10 in 1978.
But he also frequently recorded songs written by Bob McDill, Holyfield, Roger
Cook, Dave Loggins, John Prine, and Allen Reynolds (who produced several of
Williams' early albums). For more than 17 years beginning in the mid-70s,
Williams co-produced his albums with Garth Fundis.
In 1980, Williams released his most successful single "I Believe in You," which
topped the Country singles chart and reached No. 24 on the pop singles chart.
1981 saw two more No. 1 singles ("Lord, I Hope This Day is Good" and
"Miracles"); a No. 3 duet with Emmylou Harris on "If I Needed You"; and the
CMA Album of the Year Award for I Believe In You. Additional No. 1 singles in
the '80s included "If Hollywood Don't Need You," "Love is On a Roll," "That's
the Thing About Love," and "Heartbeat in the Darkness." He switched labels,
moving from MCA (which had acquired ABC/Dot) to Capitol in 1986, and then
to RCA in 1989. His last Top 10 single was in 1992 with "Lord Have Mercy on
a Country Boy."
Williams announced his "Farewell Tour to the World" in early 2006 and
performed around the globe before wrapping up with his sold-out, final concert
in Memphis, Tenn. at the Cannon Center for Performing Arts on Nov. 21, 2006.
He then retired from live performing, recording, and public life. Among his
many career accomplishments were 17 No. 1 hits and 13 CMA Award
nominations. He and his wife Joy will celebrate 50 years of marriage on April
10, 2010.
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