The Country Music Hall of Fame typically announces its new class of inductees around the end of March every year. I thought it would be fun to gather some of my favorite (and best) country music bloggers on the Internet to come up with our own class of inductees and publish our fictional ballots for such a class giving reasoning to why we’ve made our picks. The Country Music Hall of Fame inducts three people annually, one in each category of Modern Era, Veterans Era and Non-Performer, and while I personally don’t agree with this way of selecting hall of famers (I’d prefer a percentage of votes to be inducted like the Baseball Hall of Fame does) we’re going to adhere to it for our ballots. – Julian Spivey Joining me for this piece are Megan Bledsoe of Country Exclusive, Zackary Kephart of The Musical Divide and Nathan Kanuch of Shore2Shore Country. Please check out their fine work, which is linked on their website names Modern Era:If I had to make a guess as to which country artist would be inducted via the Modern Era category this year it would be country music’s most successful duo of all-time Brooks & Dunn. And, while there’s no denying that Brooks & Dunn should be Country Music Hall of Famers, they don’t get my vote quite yet. That’s because Dwight Yoakam has been eligible for hall induction for about eight or so years now and has been passed over for musicians such as Ricky Skaggs, Alan Jackson, Randy Travis and Oak Ridge Boys – all of which are deserving, except for the Oak Ridge Boys (the worst inductees in modern history for me). Yoakam was one of the most important musicians in country music for helping to save country music long before it became a popular thing to try to do, along with Travis and Steve Earle (who should be a hall of famer too, but likely never will), with bringing back traditional sounds after the Urban Cowboy era. Nearly 35 years after his debut Yoakam is still recording terrific songs and albums long after many of his era have seen their careers enter legacy phases or simply have faded away. The thing that’s keeping Yoakam out of the Hall of Fame, though I do believe he’ll one day be enshrined, is he’s always sort of been a Nashville outsider – coming from California and adopting the Bakersfield Sound created by Buck Owens and Merle Haggard and keeping it alive – and he’s never been one to do things the way most do on Music Row. He’s also had fewer hits than most who see enshrinement into the Hall with only a shocking two No. 1 hits (both coming in 1988). My predicted pick Brooks & Dunn had 20 No. 1s. For helping to save country music, keep an important part and sound of country music alive and continuing to do things his way to this day and record incredible music Yoakam would have my vote if I had one. – Julian Spivey In my mind, there’s no artist who deserves this honor more than Dwight Yoakam does at the moment. Not only does Yoakam still consistently make great music, he’s part of the underrated class of ’86 in country music, a class that shifted the paradigms of country music. Thankfully, Randy Travis has already been inducted, and Steve Earle will likely always be too much of a wild card for consideration. Yoakam on the other hand was quintessential for making country music “cool” to the general public. Before releasing his debut album, Yoakam honed his craft in Los Angeles, away from the Urban Cowboy movement going on in country music in Nashville at the time. He played punk rock venues and clubs with acts like X and The Blasters. He was appealing to an audience vastly different than the one that was tuning into country radio, and the result equated to Yoakam finding his niche and audience. It’s that independent spirit and drive that’s made Yoakam such an outstanding figure in the genre. And if you think his punk rock roots deter him from being considered for any “country” music distinctions, just listen to his albums, particularly his debut. It’s some of the finest music ever produced in the genre. If I had a second pick though, I’d easily give my vote to Marty Stuart. – Zackary Kephart I have been a proponent of inducting Keith Whitley into the Hall of Fame for years. I even wrote a detailed case for his induction in 2017. The question with Whitley is always: Did he do enough in his young career to merit Hall of Fame distinction? In addition to giving us the country standards "Don't Close Your Eyes," "I'm No Stranger to the Rain" and "When You Say Nothing at All," Whitley's influence cannot be overstated. This influence was mainly on the class of ‘89, including Garth Brooks, Alan Jackson, Travis Tritt and Clint Black. Brooks and Jackson are now in, and Garth specifically named Whitley in his own induction as someone who should have been given the honor before him. Brooks even tried to turn his induction down. Ricky Skaggs, another of Whitley's contemporaries, joined the Hall last year, and it seems like Whitley should be a front-runner. Another, and very close second, pick would be Dwight Yoakam. – Megan Bledsoe Keith Whitley will get in one day. His legacy has sparked a renewed interest in his career and tragic life. But now, with Alan Jackson, Ricky Skaggs and Randy Travis all having been deservingly inducted over the past several years, it’s Dwight Yoakam’s year. When looking at Yoakam’s career, it’s the full body of work that is most striking. He has the hits. He has a fantastic collection of records to his name. And he’s done it by always staying true to himself. No compromises. On top of his music, Yoakam has been a fantastic ambassador for country music. Not just the genre itself but country’s roots as well. He’s stayed the course and never wavered. You’ve done Buck proud, Dwight. – Nathan Kanuch Veterans Era:It's hard to even begin to compile a case for inducting Hank Williams Jr. because it has grown almost ludicrous that he isn't already in the Hall. With multiple Entertainer of the Year Awards from both the CMA and the ACM, as well as millions of records sold and numerous singles topping the charts, it seems like Hank Jr. should just be in by now. Like Keith Whitley, his influence on generations is unquestioned. The Hall of Fame's legitimacy is being called into question by the lack of Bocephus, and the voters just need to fix this. Other candidates on my ballot would be Jerry Lee Lewis, Linda Ronstadt and Tanya Tucker, but at this point, it feels like they'd all be cutting Hank Jr. in line. – Megan Bledsoe Much like Waylon Jennings’ attitude toward the institution, Hank Williams Jr. could care less if he ever gets into the Country Music Hall of Fame. As soon as Hank Jr. started going his way, the industry did all it could to ignore him. But he wouldn’t be denied. And Nashville was forced to take notice. Thirteen No. 1 albums and 10 No. 1 singles. Plus, two CMA Entertainer of the Year Awards and three ACM Entertainer of the Year Awards. And he did it all without the support of mainstream Nashville. Hank Jr. has always had his detractors. From the people who were unhappy he didn’t sound like his dad to those today who don’t like his politics. But, as always, Hank Jr. really doesn’t care. He created his own sound and own identity. And he should be in the Country Music Hall of Fame. – Nathan Kanuch I know Gary Stewart is a wild card pick, but this piece centers around artists we wish would make it into the Hall of Fame, not necessarily who will. It’s a shame that Stewart only has one No. 1 to his credit, because he’s hands down one of the most underrated performers in the genre. He was the love child of Jerry Lee Lewis and Hank Williams who injected his music with his own flair of honky tonk depression. Out of Hand is a top five country album of all time in my book, and “Ten Years Of This” is considered one of Bob Dylan’s favorite songs. Forget commercial relevance; what other proof do you need? My second vote would likely be split between Tanya Tucker and Vern Gosdin. – Zackary Kephart I can’t help but wonder how much of Hank Williams Jr.’s not caring if he ever makes the Country Music Hall of Fame and unwillingness to play the Nashville game has hurt him in his case, much like it did in taking Waylon Jennings many years to be inducted. But, much like it was with Waylon, it’s ridiculous that Hank Jr. isn’t in the Country Music Hall of Fame. Now, this isn’t exactly like a Baseball Hall of Fame without Willie Mays or Hank Aaron, but it does sort of make the entire place seem a bit incomplete without Hank Jr. His bucket load of awards, hits and top-selling albums should have him as a lock. Hank Williams Jr. has done and said some dumbass stuff, some of which have come out in his songs, in the past that has likely hurt his case, but so has Charlie Daniels, who was inducted three years ago. It’s time the Country Music Hall of Fame voting committee put this controversy to rest and let Hank Jr. in. – Julian Spivey Non-Performer:Unlike many of today’s country music “journalists,” Chet Flippo understood and respected the roots of country music. He also didn’t use country music as a vessel to promote his own personal agenda. For Flippo, the music came first. Flippo’s contributions cannot be ignored. By writing about artists like Waylon Jennings and Willie Nelson while with Rolling Stone in the ‘70s, Flippo successfully exposed the country genre to an audience more obviously disposed to rock. Then years later, Flippo worked for CMT, penning his “Nashville Skyline” column. He basically wrote about whatever topic he felt like, whether it was an album review or analysis of an event happening in the genre. He was open-minded but also held strong beliefs about the genre. Flippo would be a fitting inductee. – Nathan Kanuch There’s little doubt in my mind that this honor will go to a producer, songwriter or sessions player as it frequently does, but I think it’s time to think a bit outside of the box and give it to someone who’s had a positive affect and grown the genre of country music in their own way and that person is Chet Flippo. I’m a journalism nerd. I love the medium that might be the most hated medium in the world. I have incredible respect for those who do the job and do it well and when it comes to country music few, if any, journalists have ever written about it as well as Flippo, who covered the genre for Rolling Stone for years and who I enjoyed reading as a teenager on CMT.com. Country music has always been sort of the “uncool” music genre – mostly because people don’t know what they’re talking about – but, Flippo helped to make it a bit cooler by writing about acts like Waylon Jennings, Willie Nelson, Dolly Parton and others in Rolling Stone in pages next to the likes of The Rolling Stones and Bob Dylan. He’s just as important for the growth of the genre as many of the musicians who’ve long been inducted into the hallowed halls of the Country Music Hall of Fame. – Julian Spivey To be honest, it was tough narrowing this choice down, even more so than the others. It’s inevitable that country music scholars don’t get the respect they deserve. Music Row is more concerned with the next big thing than preserving the country music genre’s roots. My personal pick, therefore, is Charles K. Wolfe. I’ve personally read a few of Wolfe’s books, including A Good Natured Riot: The Birth of the Grand Ole Opry and Classic Country: Legends of Country Music as well as his contributions to other books. If nothing else, Wolfe was certainly one of country music’s most prolific writers, publishing 19 works of his own and reportedly working on several more at the time of his death. What I personally like about Wolfe’s works are that he focuses on wide-ranging specific topics in country music and doesn’t leave a stone unturned. His attention to detail and ability to guide the listener through a story (despite it being pure history) is magic. For anyone looking to educate themselves on the true origins of country music and some of its earliest events, Wolfe is definitely an author you need to check out. – Zackary Kephart Admittedly, my knowledge in this category is very limited, and there are surely lots of deserving candidates of which I am not even aware. But Shelby Singleton, already a member of the Rockabilly Hall of Fame, should be a contender for the Country Music Hall. He is most famous for being the man behind Jeannie C. Riley's massive 1968 crossover hit, "Harper Valley PTA," but he worked, first at Mercury and later on his own label, with many other artists throughout the ‘60s, both in country and blues. He later purchased Sun Records and is responsible for releasing some of the earliest recordings of Elvis, Johnny Cash and Jerry Lee Lewis. He had a reputation for knowing hit songs when he heard them and pairing the right artists with songs. Upon his death, his friend and successor at Mercury Jerry Kennedy called him "the all-around record man." There is no doubt many others who also deserve induction in this category, but my nomination goes to Singleton. – Megan Bledsoe Well, it seems we have ourselves a consensus with at least two of us agreeing on an artist or figure in each of the three Hall of Fame categories. So, if the Country Music Hall of Fame voting committee consisted of Megan, Nathan, Zachary and me our 2019 Country Music Hall of Fame inductees would be Dwight Yoakam, Hank Williams Jr. and Chet Flippo. It wouldn’t surprise me if there isn’t a single person, we voted for in this entire piece not inducted into the Country Music Hall of Fame this year, but I’d put our 2019 class up against any other possible one. – Julian Spivey Who do you think should be inducted into the Country Music Hall of Fame this year? Let us know in the comments section!
1 Comment
Frank the Tank
3/18/2019 08:53:34 pm
Nice discussion! I'm not knowledgeable enough about the third category to comment on that one, but Dwight Yoakam gets my vote for the modern category. (Disclaimer - Dwight Yoakam is one of my 2 or 3 favourite artists of all time, but he's worthy regardless). I agree that his unwillingness to play the Nashville game has helped to delay his induction.
Reply
Leave a Reply. |
Archives
April 2024
|