The Country Music Hall of Fame has three new inductors.
The Country Music Association announced Wednesday that Hank Williams Jr., Marty Stuart, and songwriter Dean Dillon have all been honored with the prestigious honor.
Williams, often referred to as Hank Jr. as the nickname Bocephus, will join his father, country legend Hank Williams Sr., in the Hall of Fame rotunda.
“Bocephus has been watching this for a while. It’s a bright spot in a difficult year, “Williams said in a statement. Williams’ 27-year-old daughter Katherine died in a car accident in June.
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“I’ve been making Top 10 records for 56 years,” said Williams, 71. “I fell off a mountain and tried to rediscover myself as a truly individual artist and one who stepped out of the shadows of a very famous man. “One of the greatest. I have to thank all those happy friends who, year after year, still stand up for me. It is an honor to carry on this family tradition. It is much appreciated.”
From left: songwriter Dean Dillon, singer Hank Williams, Jr., and singer Marty Stuart, who are the latest inductees to the Country Music Hall of Fame.
(AP)
Williams is best known for his songs such as “A Country Boy Can Survive,” “Family Tradition,” and “All My Rowdy Friends Are Comin ‘Over Tonight,” which later became the opening theme song for “Monday Night Football.” He has 10 no. 1 Billboard Hot Country song featuring his first which came out in 1970 at the age of 21.
Although Williams’ influence on country music was undeniable, his absence from the Hall of Fame in previous years was widely regarded as a snub based on his outspoken policies. Williams has been a vocal critic of former President Barack Obama, who falsely called him a “Muslim president” off the stage and compared a golf trip between Obama and John Boehner to Hitler playing golf with Benjamin Netanyahu. As a result, ESPN pulled its song “Monday Night Football,” though it has since returned.
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He won the CMA Awards entertainer of the year twice, in 1987 and 1988, and the Academy of Country Music Awards three times between 1986 and 1988. In 1989, he won the CMA vocal event of the year for “There’s a Tear in My Beer, ”a virtual duet with his late father, who also earned him a Grammy for best country vocal collaboration.
Stuart, a five-time Grammy winner, began his career as a sideman with playing in bands led by bluegrass legend Lester Flatt and Johnny Cash before embarking on his own artistic career in the 1980s. Stuart featured six top 10 Billboard Country songs, most notably in the 1990s, with songs such as “Hillbilly Rock,” “Little Things” and “Tempted.”
“It’s the ultimate honor in country music,” Stuart, 61, said in a statement. ‘I’m so honored to be included in this class and I’m honored to be next to Hank Jr. and Dean Dillon to be included. I love those people. To be officially inducted into the Country Music Hall of Fame has been banned. I usually do not lose words. ‘
He has won Grammys for his collaborations with Asleep at the Wheel, Earl Scruggs and Travis Tritt, including their famous duet “The Whiskey Ain’t Workin ‘. Stuart is also a photographer, producer and archivist of country music history, with plans to open a museum in his hometown of Philadelphia, Mississippi.
Dillon is known for being the tunesmith behind George Strait’s dozens of hits, including “The Chair,” “Ocean Front Property” and “Here For a Good Time.” With Linda Hargrove, he also wrote the timeless classic ‘Tennessee Whiskey’, provided by David Allan Coe, George Jones and Chris Stapleton, which turned it into a seven-time platinum hit.
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Other hits he co-wrote included Kenny Chesney’s “A Lot of Things Different” and “I’m Alive,” and Toby Keith’s “A Little Too Late” and “Get My Drink On.”
“I was just speechless,” Dillon, 65, said in a statement. ‘Try to enjoy the words I just heard. My life flashed before my eyes. You could kill me with a feather. ”
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
