Vince Gill, Mel Tillis, Ralph Emery tapped for Hall of Fame
By PETER COOPER
Staff Writer
Published: Tuesday, 08/07/07
Vince Gill, Mel Tillis and Ralph Emery will become the newest members of the Country Music Hall of Fame.
Hall membership is the highest honor in country music, and each new inductee has made significant marks on the genre.
Gill’s guitar playing, singing and songwriting have been integral parts of country music in the ’80s, ’90s and in the new century. Tillis wrote classic songs including “Ruby, Don’t Take Your Love To Town,” “I Ain’t Never” and “Detroit City.” He also scored as a singer, entertainer and actor. Emery is country’s best-known disc jockey, and his radio and television interviews with country artists helped fans to appreciate the personalities behind the hits.
This year, Gill, Tillis and Emery will be formally inducted at a Medallion Ceremony at the Hall, rather than during the nationally televised Country Music Association Awards Show.
“We are honored that the CMA sees our ceremony as the appropriate setting for the official induction of new members,” said Hall Director Kyle Young. “Including the formal induction as part of the evening will certainly seal the event’s reputation as country music’s most prestigious night.”
Inductees are chosen by the CMA’s Hall of Fame Panel of Electors, a group of more than 300 anonymous voters appointed by the CMA Board of Directors. The inductions of Gill, Tillis and Emery will grow the Hall’s membership to 101.
Emery will be inducted in the “Non-Performer” category, awarded every third year. Gill was chosen over acts including Reba McEntire, Garth Brooks, Brooks & Dunn and Alan Jackson to become the third artist to enter in the “Career Achieved National Prominence Between 1975 and the Present” category, and Tillis will be inducted in the “Career Achieved National Prominence Between World War II and 1975” category.
“All three of these extraordinary men are highly deserving of this honor,” said CMA Chief Operating Officer Tammy Genovese.
http://www.dicksonherald.com/apps/pbcs.dll...MENT01/70807023
Full Version: New Hall of Fame members
Congrats to all three deserving honorees. Reba, Garth and Alan's turn will come soon enough. 
Another article 
Vince Gill, Mel Tillis, Ralph Emery Humbled by Hall of Fame Induction
Barbara Mandrell, Brenda Lee Among Presenters During Announcement in Nashville
By: Edward Morris
"I was in my garden ... holding an eggplant when my cell phone went off," said Mel Tillis, recalling how he first heard he'd been selected to the Country Music Hall of Fame. The announcement that Tillis, Vince Gill and radio and TV personality Ralph
Emery are the Hall's newest additions was made Tuesday (Aug. 7) at the Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum's Ford Theater in Nashville. All three honorees were on hand for the event.
The voice at the other end of Tillis' cell call was Tammy Genovese, chief operating officer of the Country Music Association, the organization that bestows the award. During Tuesday's press conference, she told the audience of reporters, music executives and fans that it thrilled her to place the calls to the new inductees. She later told Tillis she should have at least gotten an eggplant in return for her good news.
All three men seemed genuinely moved at being chosen. It took Gill a minute or so to compose himself and wipe away the tears after he began to speak. He was finally able to gain control by praising the other nominees and recounting his first meetings with them.
Emery -- who carried the torch for country music through many local, syndicated and network radio and TV shows, plus a series of bestselling memoirs -- confessed, "I never thought I'd be in the Country Music Hall of Fame, at least not in my lifetime."
Conceding it was difficult for him to convey the intensity of his feelings at receiving the honor, Emery quoted what Barbara Mandrell had told him when he asked her how it felt to fly with the Thunderbirds aerial acrobatics team: "She said it's sort of like explaining what sex feels like to someone who's never had it."
Mandrell presented Emery to the crowd, while Brenda Lee and Country Music Foundation director Kyle Young, respectively, introduced Tillis and Gill. Because they are so short, Mandrell and Lee had to stand on a container to peer over the podium. When the tall Gill came out, he, too, stepped onto the container instead of pushing it aside, a move that made him look like a jack-in-the-box.
Emery thanked John R. Richbourg, the legendary Nashville disc jockey, for getting him his first job at a small radio station in Paris, Tenn. But he reserved his warmest praise for his wife of more than 40 years, Joy. He also introduced the two of his three sons who were in the audience. A pioneer in bringing country music to television, Emery hosted such pace-setting variety shows as Pop! Goes the Country and Nashville Now.
In her presentation of Tillis, Lee said she met him 51 years ago, when she was 10 years old and joining the tour he was on. Besides Tillis, the tour headlined Faron Young, George Jones and Patsy Cline, all notorious hell-raisers. "You think that wasn't something!" Lee said, rolling her eyes.
Lee reminded the audience that Tillis had triumphed as a songwriter, singer and movie actor. He was elected to the Nashville Songwriters Hall of Fame in 1976 on the strength of such compositions as "I Ain't Never," "Tupelo County Jail," "Detroit City," "Heart Over Mind," "Honey (Open That Door)" and "Ruby, Don't Take Your Love to Town." That same year, the Country Music Associaton voted him entertainer of the year.
As a recording artist, Tillis scored such No. 1 hits as "I Aint' Never," "Coca Cola Cowboy" and "Southern Rains." His movies included W. W. and the Dixie Dance Kings, Smokey and the Bandit II and Every Which Way but Loose.
"The hardest part [about the award]," said Tillis, "is that you're not supposed to tell anybody. I'm not going to lie to you folks, I told my son." He said his band members weren't in the audience because they were driving back from Canada, where he had been on a show Sunday (Aug. 5) with "Dirk somebody" and "that boy from Oklahoma." (As it turned out, he was alluding to Dierks Bentley and Blake Shelton.)
After reciting a long list of gratitudes, Tillis concluded, "Last, I want to thank this little angel on my shoulder who's been with me and took care of me."
The crowd reserved its wildest cheers for Gill. As soon as Young mentioned the name "Vince" and a youthful picture of Gill flashed on the onstage screen, the audience jumped to its feet. Citing the astounding number and variety of artists Gill has worked with, Young said he was "a living prism refracting all that is good in country music."
Like Tillis, Gill is a member of the Grand Ole Opry and the Nashville Songwriters Hall of Fame. He has won 18 Grammys, an equal number of CMA trophies and for 12 years was the host of the annual CMA Awards television show.
Once Gill got past his tears, he hit his usual comic stride. He recalled his first appearance as a guest on Emery's TV show and how he kept bursting in with answers before Emery, who spoke in slow, measured phrases, could complete the questions. "I was a smart ass," he admitted.
Gill said he first met Tillis in 1979 or '80. "I was in a rock band," he continued, "and I thought we could party." But he said he discovered that he and his bandmates in Pure Prairie League were strictly amateurs compared to Tillis and his rambunctious troupe, the Statesiders.
"There was that little element of Deliverance in there that scared the hell out of me," Gill explained. (His reference is to the homicidal tribe of hillbillies that pursued the main characters in the movie, Deliverance.)
Everything he has achieved in music, Gill continued, has been "because it always felt like fun." He added (with a smile) that he hadn't accepted his present post as board president of the Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum to further his chances of being voted into the Hall.
Gill thanked his wife, Amy Grant, who sat in the audience, for providing him "the kindest, most gracious years I've spent on this earth." He noted he made his first record in 1974 while he was still in high school in Oklahoma City and that the song had become a hit on local radio. "I'd take that today," he joked, referring to the fact that his songs get little airplay now.
He spoke of the unparalleled joy he felt when he heard his song on the radio for the first time. He said he had a citizens band radio in his car at the time and immediately went on the air to alert other CB buffs in the area that his record was being played.
Gill said when he was notified he'd been chosen for the Hall of Fame, he got into his car and began driving around and listening to "Willie's Place" on XM Satellite Radio. He said the first three songs he heard on the show carried a special emotional resonance for him. "I just wept," he said.
Following the acceptance remarks, the CMA wheeled out a cake to celebrate Tillis' 75th birthday, which is on Wednesday (Aug. 8). Then, with Brenda Lee leading the way, the celebrants sang "Happy Birthday."
http://www.cmt.com/news/articles/1566571/2...ill_vince.jhtml
Vince Gill, Mel Tillis, Ralph Emery Humbled by Hall of Fame Induction
Barbara Mandrell, Brenda Lee Among Presenters During Announcement in Nashville
By: Edward Morris
"I was in my garden ... holding an eggplant when my cell phone went off," said Mel Tillis, recalling how he first heard he'd been selected to the Country Music Hall of Fame. The announcement that Tillis, Vince Gill and radio and TV personality Ralph
Emery are the Hall's newest additions was made Tuesday (Aug. 7) at the Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum's Ford Theater in Nashville. All three honorees were on hand for the event.
The voice at the other end of Tillis' cell call was Tammy Genovese, chief operating officer of the Country Music Association, the organization that bestows the award. During Tuesday's press conference, she told the audience of reporters, music executives and fans that it thrilled her to place the calls to the new inductees. She later told Tillis she should have at least gotten an eggplant in return for her good news.
All three men seemed genuinely moved at being chosen. It took Gill a minute or so to compose himself and wipe away the tears after he began to speak. He was finally able to gain control by praising the other nominees and recounting his first meetings with them.
Emery -- who carried the torch for country music through many local, syndicated and network radio and TV shows, plus a series of bestselling memoirs -- confessed, "I never thought I'd be in the Country Music Hall of Fame, at least not in my lifetime."
Conceding it was difficult for him to convey the intensity of his feelings at receiving the honor, Emery quoted what Barbara Mandrell had told him when he asked her how it felt to fly with the Thunderbirds aerial acrobatics team: "She said it's sort of like explaining what sex feels like to someone who's never had it."
Mandrell presented Emery to the crowd, while Brenda Lee and Country Music Foundation director Kyle Young, respectively, introduced Tillis and Gill. Because they are so short, Mandrell and Lee had to stand on a container to peer over the podium. When the tall Gill came out, he, too, stepped onto the container instead of pushing it aside, a move that made him look like a jack-in-the-box.
Emery thanked John R. Richbourg, the legendary Nashville disc jockey, for getting him his first job at a small radio station in Paris, Tenn. But he reserved his warmest praise for his wife of more than 40 years, Joy. He also introduced the two of his three sons who were in the audience. A pioneer in bringing country music to television, Emery hosted such pace-setting variety shows as Pop! Goes the Country and Nashville Now.
In her presentation of Tillis, Lee said she met him 51 years ago, when she was 10 years old and joining the tour he was on. Besides Tillis, the tour headlined Faron Young, George Jones and Patsy Cline, all notorious hell-raisers. "You think that wasn't something!" Lee said, rolling her eyes.
Lee reminded the audience that Tillis had triumphed as a songwriter, singer and movie actor. He was elected to the Nashville Songwriters Hall of Fame in 1976 on the strength of such compositions as "I Ain't Never," "Tupelo County Jail," "Detroit City," "Heart Over Mind," "Honey (Open That Door)" and "Ruby, Don't Take Your Love to Town." That same year, the Country Music Associaton voted him entertainer of the year.
As a recording artist, Tillis scored such No. 1 hits as "I Aint' Never," "Coca Cola Cowboy" and "Southern Rains." His movies included W. W. and the Dixie Dance Kings, Smokey and the Bandit II and Every Which Way but Loose.
"The hardest part [about the award]," said Tillis, "is that you're not supposed to tell anybody. I'm not going to lie to you folks, I told my son." He said his band members weren't in the audience because they were driving back from Canada, where he had been on a show Sunday (Aug. 5) with "Dirk somebody" and "that boy from Oklahoma." (As it turned out, he was alluding to Dierks Bentley and Blake Shelton.)
After reciting a long list of gratitudes, Tillis concluded, "Last, I want to thank this little angel on my shoulder who's been with me and took care of me."
The crowd reserved its wildest cheers for Gill. As soon as Young mentioned the name "Vince" and a youthful picture of Gill flashed on the onstage screen, the audience jumped to its feet. Citing the astounding number and variety of artists Gill has worked with, Young said he was "a living prism refracting all that is good in country music."
Like Tillis, Gill is a member of the Grand Ole Opry and the Nashville Songwriters Hall of Fame. He has won 18 Grammys, an equal number of CMA trophies and for 12 years was the host of the annual CMA Awards television show.
Once Gill got past his tears, he hit his usual comic stride. He recalled his first appearance as a guest on Emery's TV show and how he kept bursting in with answers before Emery, who spoke in slow, measured phrases, could complete the questions. "I was a smart ass," he admitted.
Gill said he first met Tillis in 1979 or '80. "I was in a rock band," he continued, "and I thought we could party." But he said he discovered that he and his bandmates in Pure Prairie League were strictly amateurs compared to Tillis and his rambunctious troupe, the Statesiders.
"There was that little element of Deliverance in there that scared the hell out of me," Gill explained. (His reference is to the homicidal tribe of hillbillies that pursued the main characters in the movie, Deliverance.)
Everything he has achieved in music, Gill continued, has been "because it always felt like fun." He added (with a smile) that he hadn't accepted his present post as board president of the Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum to further his chances of being voted into the Hall.
Gill thanked his wife, Amy Grant, who sat in the audience, for providing him "the kindest, most gracious years I've spent on this earth." He noted he made his first record in 1974 while he was still in high school in Oklahoma City and that the song had become a hit on local radio. "I'd take that today," he joked, referring to the fact that his songs get little airplay now.
He spoke of the unparalleled joy he felt when he heard his song on the radio for the first time. He said he had a citizens band radio in his car at the time and immediately went on the air to alert other CB buffs in the area that his record was being played.
Gill said when he was notified he'd been chosen for the Hall of Fame, he got into his car and began driving around and listening to "Willie's Place" on XM Satellite Radio. He said the first three songs he heard on the show carried a special emotional resonance for him. "I just wept," he said.
Following the acceptance remarks, the CMA wheeled out a cake to celebrate Tillis' 75th birthday, which is on Wednesday (Aug. 8). Then, with Brenda Lee leading the way, the celebrants sang "Happy Birthday."
http://www.cmt.com/news/articles/1566571/2...ill_vince.jhtml
To be sure, Gill belongs in the Hall Of Fame…someday. But to induct him now is not only premature, but a slap in the face to those who are much older and experienced, who are also deserving. …
If the CMA was going to induct someone who is still young and still has a career, then the obvious choice was Garth Brooks. Love him or hate him, he did more for country music than any other artist in the 80s and 90s. Then there is Miss Reba McEntire, also overlooked.
http://www.musiccitybloggers.com/2007/08/0...aint-ready-yet/
If the CMA was going to induct someone who is still young and still has a career, then the obvious choice was Garth Brooks. Love him or hate him, he did more for country music than any other artist in the 80s and 90s. Then there is Miss Reba McEntire, also overlooked.
http://www.musiccitybloggers.com/2007/08/0...aint-ready-yet/
Ok, Vince Gill is probably one of the most deserving inductees in the history of the Hall. I agree there are probably some veterans out there who deserve it, too, but Vince has done so much for country music. Not only has he influenced modern country music, he's worked tirelessly to preserve the history and integrity of the genre. I think all three of these men are so deserving of this honor, but I really couldn't be happier for Vince!
I'm happy for Vince! He's a big supporter of the Hall of Fame, & all things country music. Garth get there one day I'm sure, maybe Trisha too!
Since I'm a big fan of Vince I am very happy for him. I totally agree that he is very deserving.
WHOOO HOO!!!! I am so happy for Vince!!!
I'm a big fan of Vince and Amy's - so I'm kinda prejudiced - I'm very happy for him! I also think he is great musically - and you can find him on so many other performer's work! He really is so talented! Congratulations to all the new members of the Hall of Fame! (although I have to admit, I love Reba too - and many other older artists as well) But I'm very happy for Vince!
I am just loving this post 1975 rule 
Its ridiculous. There is no shortage of veterans out there. Dottie West for instance.
Vince is deserving but maybe he could have waited 10 or 15 years. So obviously we can all predict that the future inductees before the end of the decade is McEntire,Brooks, and for 2010 I would say Brooks and Dunn
Its ridiculous. There is no shortage of veterans out there. Dottie West for instance.
Vince is deserving but maybe he could have waited 10 or 15 years. So obviously we can all predict that the future inductees before the end of the decade is McEntire,Brooks, and for 2010 I would say Brooks and Dunn
I loved Dottie and her music. I had the fortunate opportunity to spend time with Dottie back in 1986. There used to be a tv show called Music City USA - where country artists would perform. Well we would go to the studio and watch the recordings. Talking to Dottie was so wonderful - as we were talking, she started laughing and said to me "I can't believe we're acting like this, it seems like we've know each other forever". We were just having a blast telling jokes, stories, etc. She made an impact on my life somewhat because of that day and even though her personal life was not the best, when she did perform - it was all about the music.
Vince Gill - I've been a fan of his since he was a member of Pure Prairie League so I glad to see receive this honor!!!
Ralph Emory and Mel are very cool and deserving as well!!!!!
Vince Gill - I've been a fan of his since he was a member of Pure Prairie League so I glad to see receive this honor!!!
Ralph Emory and Mel are very cool and deserving as well!!!!!
DId you guys check out Trisha's congratulations on VG's site...listen to his homepage.
That was great; thanks Amber!
Ronnie Dunn's was hysterical, too!
Ronnie Dunn's was hysterical, too!
Oh cool! Thanks Amber!
Thanks Amber, will have to check that out.
Just listened - very, very cool. I'm so happy for Vince!
I like Trisha's Hey Buddy...... lol Vince and Amy do a lot of charitable things here in Nashville and since I've been a fan of Vince's during his Pure Prairie League days, that's how I was introduced to Amy Grant's music - in their duo - House of Love. Totally cool!
QUOTE(TRISHAFAN4LIFE @ Aug 14 2007, 05:50 PM) 
I loved Dottie and her music. I had the fortunate opportunity to spend time with Dottie back in 1986. There used to be a tv show called Music City USA - where country artists would perform. Well we would go to the studio and watch the recordings. Talking to Dottie was so wonderful - as we were talking, she started laughing and said to me "I can't believe we're acting like this, it seems like we've know each other forever". We were just having a blast telling jokes, stories, etc. She made an impact on my life somewhat because of that day and even though her personal life was not the best, when she did perform - it was all about the music.
Vince Gill - I've been a fan of his since he was a member of Pure Prairie League so I glad to see receive this honor!!!
Ralph Emory and Mel are very cool and deserving as well!!!!!
Vince Gill - I've been a fan of his since he was a member of Pure Prairie League so I glad to see receive this honor!!!
Ralph Emory and Mel are very cool and deserving as well!!!!!
GASP GA OMG LOL GASP!
Sorry but only one singer comes before Dottie in my book and thats Trisha! I was way too young when she was alive and not even born during her peak years but I have a tremedous respect for that voice!!!!!!!
You got a PM
Honestly, I AM SO HAPPY FOR VINCE!!! I think he totally deserves to be inducted...even if this early! There's few other artists that compare to Vince's OVERALL appeal...there's not a person, or another artist, that I know of or can think of that doesn't like Vince...or at the very least, respect him as an artist. Vince is a gifted man, a great singer, heck of a songwriter and one of the best darn guitar players ever...even Chet Atkins said so, and Eric Clapton too! Vince has done SO much for country music and its heritage and truly respects the tradition and sacredness of country music as it was and can be today! I think this is awesome! That being said, yes, OF COURSE Garth SHOULD and WILL be inducted very, very soon...but Vince is a few years older than Garth and started a bit before Garth did, nothing against Garth, y'all, Garth is one of my favorite males in country music, or any genre! My ponit is...we ALL know darn good and well Garth will be inducted sooner or later, and we all know he has already earned it many times over! Also, without starting a debate or getting my post deleted, the Hall of Fame is kind of known for typically picking male canidates over female ones, so I'm really not suprised Reba wasn't picked...but she, as well as Brooks & Dunn (and Alan Jackson) WILL ALSO be inducted sooner or later. I really believe that everyone has their time and the Hall of Fame isn't a one time deal...it's a lifetime honor, a lifelong thing, not a one time award that if one person gets over another, the other person loses out on it, you know. My point is, Vince is totally deserving and I couldn't be happier for him! What an honor and what a gracious response Vince had--as usual! Even my boyfriend, who can't stand country music, loves and adores Vince and all of his music! So there you! I say, CONGRATS VINCE!!! It's about time!
Peace & Blessings,
-Sarah Liz
Peace & Blessings,
-Sarah Liz
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