News on Country Hall of Fame, Elvis, Gun Club
Porter Wagoner and Bill Carlisle are the newest inductees to the Country Music Hall of Fame. The announcement was made over the weekend during the Dixie Chicks' performance at Nashville's Grand Ole Opry. The pair will be formally inducted Nov. 6 during the 36th annual Country Music Association (CMA) awards, to be broadcast live on CBS.
Wagoner was a featured performer on Red Foley's "Ozark Jubilee" television show in the early '50s before moving to the Grand Ole Opry in 1957. He hosted his own "Porter Wagoner" show from 1961-1981, all the while hitting the country charts with such tracks as "Green, Green Grass of Home" and "The Cold Hard Facts of Life." Wagoner is credited with discovering Dolly Parton and recorded a series of hits duets with her in the late '60s and early '70s. He will release a new album, "Unplugged," on Sept. 10.
Carlisle, now 93, grew to prominence with radio performances during the Great Depression, often in tandem with his brother Cliff. By the '50s, he'd notched such hits as "Knothole," "Shake-a-Leg," and "Honey Love," joining the Grand Ole Opry in 1953. There, he earned the nickname "Jumpin' Bill" for his excitable on-stage demeanor. Carlisle continues to perform on the Grand Ole Opry, where he is the oldest living member.
"The Hall of Fame is welcoming two of Country Music's most dynamic entertainers whose careers demonstrate the characteristics of uniqueness and longevity that so define and shape our business," CMA executive director Ed Benson in a statement.
-- Jonathan Cohen, N.Y.