Published: August 20, 2008 09:40 am            

Olive Hill native among Hall of Fame inductees

Tom T. Hall, Statler Brothers added

NASHVILLE — Love, laughter and music filled the Ford Theater in the Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum June 29, as Tom T. Hall and the Statler Brothers were inducted into the Country Music Hall of Fame.

It was heard it in the remarks of Ralph Emery, minutes before he presented Hall with the Medallion that symbolizes his membership. “The induction tonight is very personal to me,” Emery said. “Tom has been my friend for over 40 years. I have no siblings, so Tom fills a void in my life to have a brother.”

Reba McEntire thanked the Statler Brothers for inviting her to open for them at a time when she was seriously considering abandoning her career. Stretching her arms toward them, she smiled and said, “You showed me how to be professional and to treat it like a business. And I’ll never forget it.”

In his opening comments, Kyle Young, Director, Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum, included previously inducted new members Emmylou Harris and the late Ernest V. “Pop” Stoneman with Hall and the Statler Brothers in describing the entire “Class of 2008” as representing “a rich and enduring tapestry of music that will always recount the story of our homeland and its people over a period of almost 100 years.”

Steve Turner, who had recently succeeded Trustee Emeritus E.W. “Bud” Wendell as Chairman of the Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum, drew laughter when he outlined his credentials for the job: “My business background, my love of Country Music and its artists. I own a Manuel suit and I’m a pretty darn good shower singer.”

CMA CEO Tammy Genovese added a personal flavor. “When CMA made the announcement earlier this year about who would be inducted into the Country Music Hall of Fame in 2008,” she noted, “Don Reid said that they have always thought of the Hall as the place where their heroes lived.”

Then, turning to the front row, where Reid, his fellow Statler Brothers, Hall and their families sat, she smiled and added, “Well, tonight this is your house. Welcome home.”

The next few hours passed quickly, each one filled with nostalgic recollections, hilarious anecdotes and wistful moments. And there was music, as a succession of artists performed, most of them accompanied by the Medallion All-Star Band: Musical Director John Hobbs on keyboards, Eddie Bayers on drums, Paul Franklin on steel guitar and dobro, Brent Mason on electric guitar, Biff Watson on acoustic guitar, Michael Rhodes on bass and Deanie Richardson on fiddle and mandolin, with Tania Hancheroff and Wes Hightower providing background vocals.

The opener featured Vince Gill, his wife Amy Grant, Michael Black, Louis Nunley and Gordon Stoker and Ray Walker of The Jordanaires in a stirring rendering of “Rock of Ages.” At one point, Gill sang a line with such passionate virtuosity that, even as the music rolled on, The Jordanaires joined the audience in applause.

To celebrate Hall, Michelle Nixon delivered a sassy “Harper Valley P.T.A.” During his rendition of “That’s How I Got to Memphis,” Bobby Bare fixed his gaze somewhere distant, perhaps scanning back through the 45 years of friendship he and Hall have shared. Then came a duo, with Heather Berry on acoustic guitar and husband Tony Mabe on autoharp, their voices twining through “Can You Hear Me Now,” a song written for them by Hall and his wife Dixie Hall that has a Carter Family feel and triggered the first standing ovation of the evening.

The Statler Brothers — Phil Balsley, Jimmy Fortune, Don Reid, Harold Reid and the late Lew DeWitt — were honored by McEntire’s romp through “Flowers on the Wall” with Gill joining in on harmony; the thrilling high harmonies lofted by Dailey & Vincent through “Do You Know You Are My Sunshine;” and “The Statler Brothers Song,” written and performed by duo Grandstaff, cousins Wil and Langdon Reid, sons respectively of Harold and Don.

“You know,” Wil mused, strumming his guitar before they began, “you’ve got to sell a lot of records - millions of records - to get into the Hall of Fame. So, if y’all like this song we’re getting ready to sing, it’ll be available at iTunes.”

“Stop it,” Langdon interrupted, looking shocked. “That’s horribly inappropriate.”

“Well, our dads are in the Hall of Fame,” Wil answered. “Somebody’s got to go to work.”

Following the presentation of his Medallion, Hall said, “They asked me if I’d prepared a speech. And I said, ‘No, I don’t have to make a speech. I’m in the Country Music Hall of Fame.’”

To close, he shared an ironic thought. “You know, three weeks from now, I will be standing out on my farm, feeding the chickens and hoeing the ground,” he mused. “I will have thought of 500 witty, profound exclamations for this very evening - and there won’t be anybody there listening.”

After Brenda Lee summoned the Statler Brothers to receive their Medallions with an affectionate command ("Come up here and let me hang you boys"), their comments proved as varied as their voices. Balsley made a brief but heartfelt statement of thanks.

Fortune, his voice breaking, wished that his parents might have been able to share this evening with him. Don spoke at greater length, his reflections witty and then wise and finally deeply moved as he acknowledged his wife Deborah as “the reason I get up every morning. She gives me love. She gives me strength.”

As the applause washed away, Harold stepped slowly to the microphone, head bent and hands clasped, and intoned in his rumbling bass, “His wife also gives me love and strength.” The laughter went on for what seemed like a minute, only to erupt again as he solemnly added, “Don, I’m certainly sorry you had to find out this way.”

More music marked another high point of the evening. Though Hall and the Statler Brothers retired years ago from the stage, they paid their respects to those who had honored them by returning briefly to the spotlight. With Jelly Roll Johnson mirroring the vocals on harmonica, Hall talked, sang in his gruffly poetic voice and brought to life his immortal “(Old Dogs, Children and) Watermelon Wine.” The audience witnessed his final wave and exit through a soft-focus filter of tears.

As the Statler Brothers lined up to sing for the first time together since their farewell concert in 2002, the band broke into the gospel groove of “I’ll Go to My Grave Loving You.” The group had barely hit their first notes when cheers began to rise through the room, and as they drew together while singing the bridge, their arms flung around each other’s shoulders and Fortune’s tenor soaring above the unmistakable vocal blend, the accolade escalated into a standing ovation that never stopped until long after the last chord had sounded.

This, like the subsequent gathering of Hall of Fame members - Harold Bradley, Little Jimmy Dickens, Ralph Emery, Jim Foglesong, Vince Gill, Tom T. Hall, Emmylou Harris, Sonny James, The Jordanaires’ Gordon Stoker and Ray Walker, Brenda Lee, Earl Scruggs, the Statler Brothers, Jo Walker-Meador and E.W. “Bud” Wendell — and guests to sing “Will the Circle Be Unbroken,” was all about history, love, tradition — things which add up to the unique genius of Country Music.

The Country Music Hall of Fame Medallion and Induction Ceremony was taped for future broadcast by the Great American Country (GAC) cable network and WSM-AM 650.

        

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