Ralph Emery, Mel Tillis, Vince Gill To Join Country Music Hall of Fame

Ralph Emery, Mel Tillis and Vince Gill will be the newest inductees in the Country Music Hall of Fame this fall.

The Country Music Association made an announcement today. Vince Gill will join two other artists in the contemporary category honoring achievements from 1975 on.

Gill says the relatively new category is a sign that the CMA is keeping up with the times.

“It just makes sense. There have been so many people after 1975 that have had as equal of an impact on country music as those before that so I thought that was a great thing that they did. And even in that category I felt like there were so many people that would go long before I did so this is a bit of a shock to me.”

Radio and television personality Ralph Emery will enter the hall of fame in the non-performance category. For years he hosted a WSM radio show and television program Nashville Now where Gill made his first television appearance.

Florida native Mel Tillis rounds out the 2007 class. He gained his reputation as a songwriter in the 1950s and 60s, penning such hits as “Ruby Don’t Take Your Love to Town” for Kenny Rogers. He later launched his own successful recording career and appeared in some movies alongside Clint Eastwood and Burt Reynolds.

Tillis is also known for his chronic stuttering as a result of childhood malaria. He turned this to his advantage, using it as part of his stage personality.

The three will be formally inducted in October during an invitation-only ceremony.