The Country Music Hall of Fame announced its 2021 inductees on Monday. Ray Charles, the Judds and instrumentalists Pete Drake and Eddie Bayers will be added to the coveted group.
These four artists pushed past conformity and rigid stylistic restrictions to connect with global audiences, according to Kyle Young, CEO of the Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum.
“In revealing their originality, they taught us about commonality,” Young said. “Lately, we’ve been through a time of division, a time of isolation. But in the music of these greats, we find connection and inclusion.”
Courtesy The Ray Charles Foundation Ray Charles, a musician who blended many genres, began studying classical piano formally after he lost his sight at age 7.
Charles, who is better known for shaping soul music in the 1950s, blended many musical genres in his work. He explored country vibrations in his 1962 album, “Modern Sounds in Country and Western Music.”
The Judds, a mom-and-daughter duo from eastern Kentucky, began releasing records in the 1980s and reunited for a tour in 2017.
This year’s group also includes two firsts. Pete Drake, who played in Tammy Wynette’s “Stand By Your Man” and Bob Dylan’s “Lay Lady Lay,” became the first pedal steel guitar player inducted.
Eddie Bayers, who has been playing drums in Nashville for 50 years, became the first drummer inducted.
On Air - 90.3 WPLN-FM