Newest Members Of The Country Music Hall Of Fame
Last week, the Country Music Hall Of Fame announced it’s four newest inductees. Three mild surprises, and one that should have already been in. The three that were a bit of a surprise were Jimmy Dean, Ferlin Husky, and Don Williams, while the the one who should have already been in, was producer Billy Sherrill.
Let me make clear that by stating mild surprises, I’m not necessarily saying they weren’t deserving, but rather, I’m not sure many of us would have put them high on the list of potential inductees. However, a closer examination of the three will hopefully shed light on why they were inducted.
First, Jimmy Dean. From purely a hit-making standpoint, Jimmy’s output is nowhere near what we would normally consider hall of fame material. Yes, there were a few big hits, “Big Bad John” was a number one country and pop smash, and “The First Thing Every Morning”, “ P. T. 109”, and “Stand Beside Me” were certainly worthy hits, as well. Overall, though, Jimmy only made 18 appearances on the country top 40, with only 8 top ten hits, and 2 number ones. However, Jimmy is much more than just a singer. Remember, he was one of country music’s first successful television personalities. Back in the 1950′s and 1960′s, it was somewhat unusual for a country music personality to have much exposure on television, outside of an occasional guest spot on shows like “Ed Sullivan”, where they did little more than sing. Certainly it was rare if one was allowed to talk. Dean showed the world that just because you were from the south, and sang country, it didn’t mean you were dumb or a bumpkin. Dean
hosted television shows on both CBS and later, ABC. Eddy Arnold was the first country singer to have a network show, but it was Dean who was able to expand on what Eddy started, which would ultimately open the door for opportunities for the likes of Buck Owens, Roy Clark, Johnny Cash, and Glen Campbell. And as far as I’m concerned, for that, Jimmy Dean is more than worthy of induction.
Probably the biggest surprise to me was Ferlin Husky. While the Missouri-born singer had a very good career, much like Dean, it’s one of those that’s not quite to the same level of contemporaries such as George Jones, Faron Young, or Johnny Cash. Husky made 41 appearances on the country top 40, between 1953 and 1975. Eleven times he would reach the top 10, with three reaching number one. And it’s likely those three number ones were the deciding factor for many of the voters, because those three hits were monsters. The first, which also happened to be Husky’s first hit of any kind, was the 1953 duet with Jean Shepard, “A Dear John Letter”. It spent six weeks on top of the country charts, while also reaching the pop top ten. The next number one is a true country classic, “Gone”. Released in 1957, it spent 10 weeks at number one, while reaching the top 5 on the pop charts. Many consider it to be the first hit to use what would become known as “The Nashville Sound”. The third number one hit came in 1960, with the country-gospel classic “Wings Of A Dove”. Like “Gone”, it spent 10 weeks on top of the country charts, and like both previous hits, it also made the top twenty on the pop charts.
If I were the one picking, I admittedly probably wouldn’t have picked him, because the overall body of work just isn’t as impressive as many others, but then again, it is hard to ignore three monster hits. After all, there are artists who had more overall hits that never had one monster, much less three.
With 45 top ten hits, and 17 number ones, Don Williams is certainly deserving of hall of fame recognition. I think Don is one of the best singers of the 70′s and 80′s, with that smooth, easy, laid-back style. And some outstanding songs, too. “Some Broken Hearts Never Mend”, “Amanda”, “You’re My Best Friend”, “I Believe In You”, “It Must Be Love”…..need I say more? My only surprise is the list of artists from that same time frame, that Don was inducted before. I have to admit that I would have guessed that Ronnie Milsap, The Oak Ridge Boys, and Reba McEntire might have gotten the nod ahead of Don. In fact, I could have seen him being much like Sonny James in being pushed into the background behind other acts, and wind up not getting inducted until many years after he should have. Fortunately, it didn’t turn out that way. To quote one of his hits, “Atta Way To Go.”
Now there is absolutely no doubt that Billy Sherrill should be there, and frankly, should have already been there. As a songwriter, his work has been outstanding. Songs that he either wrote or co-wrote include “Almost Persuaded”, “Stand By Your Man”, “I Don’t Wanna Play House”, “Soul Song”, “The Most Beautiful Girl”, and “My Elusive Dreams”, among others. However, it’s his work as a producer that is nothing short of legendary. It was Billy who guided Tammy Wynette during her most prolific period of hits; who produced the first hits of Tanya Tucker and Barbara Mandrell; who took a journeyman pop/R & B singer in Charlie Rich and made him a country superstar; and he took a veteran country star in George Jones and helped him become a legend. Sherrill took what was called “The Nashville Sound”, with the strings and softer sounds, and made it sound more sophisticated. And then, he could take anyone from an R & B singer like Rich, a hard country singer like Jones or Moe Bandy, and make them sound great with his arrangements. In fact, it was Sherrill who convinced Jones to record “He Stopped Loving Her Today”. George didn’t like the song and didn’t really want to record it, but Sherrill would get him to work on it from time to time, then eventually put all of the pieces together, and the result was what many consider to be the greatest country hit of all-time.
Congrats to all four of these wonderful contributors to country music, who each, in his own way, has left us something that will never be forgotten.
