Musicians Hall of Fame Announces 2016 Inductees

The Musicians Hall of Fame and Museum has announced the 2016 Hall of Fame Inductees.

In alphabetic order, the inductees include: Lou Bradley, Garth Brooks & The G-Men, Don Felder, Mark Miller, Jerry Reed, Allen Reynolds, Ron “Snake” Reynolds, Sigma Sound Studio Rhythm Section, Ricky Skaggs and Joe Tarsia.

The Induction Ceremony and Concert will be held on Wednesday Oct. 26, at 7 p.m. at the Historic Nashville Municipal Auditorium, home to the Musicians Hall of Fame and Museum.

Tickets will be available through Ticketmaster on Sept. 12.

2016 INDUCTEES

Garth Brooks is certified by the RIAA as the top-selling solo artist in U.S. history with over 137 million albums. The G-Men are a group of musicians who have played with Brooks on all of his studio albums. This show will be a rare opportunity to see the G-Men play with Brooks live in concert. Members include Bruce Bouton (steel guitar), Mark Casstevens (rhythm guitar), Mike Chapman (posthumously, bass), Rob Hajacos (fiddle), Chris Leuzinger (lead guitar), Milton Sledge (drums), and Bobby Wood (keyboards).

Jerry Reed, known throughout country music as “the Guitar Man” after his 1967 hit single of the same name, gained recognition not only for a successful solo career, but also as an actor and ace session player. After leaving school, he auditioned for Bill Lowery, founder of Lowery Publishing Co. and Southern Track Studios in Atlanta, Ga., who encouraged him to write more songs and booked him for a tour opening for Ernest Tubb. He died in 2008.

Sigma Sound Studio Rhythm Section (The Sound of Philadelphia) is a group of session musicians created a genre of soul music with funk influences, often with sweeping strings and piercing horns, which sets the unique sound of Philadelphia apart. Members include Ronnie Baker (posthumously, guitar), Tommy Bell (keyboards), Charles Collins (drums), Bobby Eli (guitar), Dennis Harris (guitar), Norman Harris (posthumously, guitar), Vince Montana (posthumously, vibes), TJ Tindall (posthumously, guitar), Larry Washington (posthumously, congas), Jimmy Williams (bass), and Earl Young, the drummer who was credited as the inventor of the disco style of rock drumming.

Ricky Skaggs entered the world of professional music when he was invited to join the band of bluegrass patriarch Ralph Stanley. He moved into country music in the 1970s, first as a member of Emmylou Harris’ Hot Band and later as an individual recording artist on his own.

ENGINEERING AWARD

Lou Bradley began his engineering career working for WPFA radio in Pensacola, Florida, where he built his own recording studio. From there, he moved to Atlanta and worked for Bill Lowery Music Co., where he engineered hits such as “Cherry Hill Park” by Billy Joe Royal and “Be Young, Be Foolish, Be Happy” by The Tams.

Mark Miller, a highly successful Nashville engineer, has engineered “18 Wheels And A Dozen Roses” and “Walk The Way The Wind Blows” for Kathy Mattea, as well as “Small Town Saturday Night” and “Past The Point Of Rescue” for Hal Ketchum.

Ron “Snake” Reynolds has engineered more than 600 Billboard Top 40 hits. He started at Nugget Records owned by Fred Carter, Jr. in Goodlettesville, Tennessee, where he signed an artist development and songwriting contract. In 1972, he started working as a staff engineer with Columbia Records Studios in Nashville.

Joe Tarsia has engineered an amazing number of classic pop music songs, earning him over 150 gold and platinum record awards. His credits include albums such as A Brand New Me by Dusty Springfield, To Know You Is To Love You by B.B. King, and Life Is A Song Worth Singing by Teddy Pendergrass.

PRODUCER AWARD

Allen Reynolds has produced many hits such as “Talking In Your Sleep” and “Don’t It Make My Brown Eyes Blue” by Crystal Gayle, “18 Wheels And A Dozen Roses” by Kathy Mattea, not to mention Garth Brooks’ iconic records “Friends in Low Places” and “The Dance.” Reynolds also wrote the hit single “Five O’Clock World” for the rock band The Vogues in 1965.

ICONIC RIFF AWARD

Don Felder is renowned as a lead guitarist formerly of the Eagles. He is the 2016 Iconic Riff Award recipient for creating the incredible guitar intro and solo in “Hotel California,” which has been referred to as one of the best guitar solos of all time. Before moving to Los Angeles, Felder taught guitar in Gainesville, Florida, where one of his students was Tom Petty.