Pictured (L-R): Country Music Hall of Fame 2020 Inductees Dean Dillon, Marty Stuart and Hank Williams Jr. Photo: Jason Kempin/Getty Images for Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum

Chapter 650

The long-delayed inductions of the 2020 Country Music Hall of Fame honorees were finally staged — in style — on Sunday evening (Nov. 21) at the museum’s CMA Theater.

Performances by 10 stars honored Marty Stuart, Dean Dillon and Hank Williams Jr. during a three-hour presentation attended by a who’s-who of the Nashville music biz. Standing ovations abounded from the vaccinated crowd.

Marty, Dean and Hank were told they were to become the latest members of the Hall in February 2020. Then came the COVID lockdown, so no ceremony was staged. As we all know now, that interruption of our regular lives is now approaching its second anniversary.

Connie Smith performs onstage for the 2021 Medallion Ceremony. Photo: Terry Wyatt/Getty Images for Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum

“I hope you guys enjoy this long-awaited night as much as I plan to,” said the CMA’s Sarah Trahern in welcoming the throng. The delay has been so long that Hall of Fame CEO Kyle Young asked for a moment of silence for the six ( ! ) Hall of Famers who have died since we last gathered — Kenny Rogers, Harold Reid of The Statler Brothers, Charlie Daniels, Tom T. Hall, Don Everly and Charley Pride.

As always, Young presided over the ceremony. Following a video biography about Marty, Pastor Evelyn Hubbard of Tunica, Mississippi took to her B-3 organ to lead the band in a rousing version of his gospel song “It’s Time to Go Home.” Accompanied by Charlie Worsham on lead guitar and harmony vocals, Emmylou Harris rocked out on “Tempted.” Ashley McBryde ably interpreted the honoree’s song “The Observations of a Crow.”

Connie Smith inducted her husband. “This is a special moment,” she said. “Reconciliation is a gift from God, and Marty has that gift. He brings people together. Marty makes people feel better whenever he’s around. I’m as proud of who he is as I am of his accomplishments.”

“I love country music — I still feel like I am an ambassador for it,” commented Marty, adding that the artform deserves the same attention and respect as jazz, classical music and other genres. “I believe God loves country music,” he added. “This [honor] is The Ultimate.”

Dean Dillon (Larry Dean Flynn) was introduced by Young and a video bio that underscored his lonely, unsettled childhood. Kenny Chesney sang the contemplative “A Lot of Things Different” (co-written by Dillon and Hall of Famer Bill Anderson). Inspired by Chris Stapleton’s version of “Tennessee Whiskey” (cowritten by Dillon and Linda Hargrove), Brittney Spencer offered a deep-soul rendition of the song. Then George Strait took the stage to sing the beautifully crafted “The Chair” (Dillon with Hall of Famer Hank Cochran), one of 20 charting titles that the songwriter has penned for the superstar.

Pictured: George Strait speaks onstage for the 2021 Medallion Ceremony. Photo: Terry Wyatt/Getty Images for Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum

King George inducted Dean. “All those years and all those songs, and here we are,” said George. “It’s so hard to dream about [but] I knew you’d be in the Hall of Fame.”

“When I hitch-hiked here in 1973, I wanted to be… a singer and an artist,” Dean reflected, adding that he eventually gave up making records to concentrate fully on songwriting. “It’s the smartest decision I’ve ever made in my life. I want to thank my sweet Lord for giving me this wonderful gift.” The songwriter became teary-eyed as he concluded, “Thank y’all so much.”

Did you know that a teenaged Hank Jr. made a pop, 45-r.p.m. single on Verve Records billed as “Bocephus?” Me neither, but that’s what his video bio revealed.

Shooter Jennings saluted Hank with “Feelin’ Better,” a song that appeared on Hank’s 1977 LP The New South. Eric Church performed with just his guitar, singing an impassioned “A Country Boy Can Survive,” augmented by an autobiographical sung intro. Alan Jackson and his Strayhorns band conjured a lovely mood with an expressive version of “The Blues Man.” Brenda Lee inducted Hank Jr.

“All my rowdy friends ARE coming over tonight,” said Hank. “I WAS born to boogie. And THIS is a family tradition,” he added, referring to his legendary Country Music Hall of Fame father.

Pictured: Alan Jackson performs onstage for the 2021 Medallion Ceremony. Photo: Jason Kempin/Getty Images for Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum

Connie Smith returned to the stage to sing the event’s traditional finale, “Will the Circle Be Unbroken.”

No pressure, performers: The audience included such Hall of Fame legends as Brenda, Connie, Emmylou, Anderson, Ray Stevens, Kix Brooks & Ronnie Dunn, Don Schlitz, Charlie McCoy, Jimmy Fortune of The Statler Brothers, Teddy Gentry & Randy Owen of Alabama, Jerry Bradley and Randy Travis. Not to mention such talents as Jonell Mosser, Paul Kennerley, Jim Horn, Cheryl White, Shawn Camp, bodacious Hannah Dasher, Jeannie Seely, Donna Stoneman, John Hall and Andrea Zonn, plus DeFord Bailey’s musical kids.

“Tonight is Homecoming,” said Trahern. “Tonight IS the Night,” said Hall of Fame board chair Mary Ann McCready.

Clearly delighted in seeing one another after so long an absence were David & Susana Ross, David & Karen Conrad, Peter & Karen Cronin, John Peets, John Zarling, John Marks, Bill Ivey, Bill Denny, Steve Lasssiter, Mike Milom, Mike Molinar, Michael McCall, Troy Tomlinson, Del Bryant, Melanie Howard, Barry Mazur, Alan Stoker, Lon Helton, Rod Essig, Keith Bilbrey, Jessica Nicholson, Joe Galante, Debbie Linn, Diane Pearson, Tom Roland, Gary Overton, Tony Brown, Jerry & Ernie Williams, Aaron Hartley, Seab Tuck and Ken Levitan. The fashion plate of the night was Dave Pomeroy, resplendent in a red lame jacket and crimson pork-pie hat.

This was the 25th annual Medallion Ceremony, but it was the first for Ken Burns country documentary mastermind Dayton Duncan. He said he was only expecting some acceptance speeches, not the fabulous musical cornucopia that this event always is. I assured him that this is the way Music City does things, year-in, year-out.

Being mindful of health / safety, the usual post-ceremony cocktail supper was scrapped. Perhaps it will return when we induct Ray Charles, Eddie Bayers, Pete Drake and The Judds early next year. Stay tuned.

Deana Carter

Beloved entertainer Deana Carter is commemorating the 25th anniversary of her 5x Platinum debut album Did I Shave My Legs for This?, containing country No. 1s “We Danced Anyway,” “How Do I Get There,” and her titanic “Strawberry Wine.”

To celebrate, Carter released 25th anniversary edition of the album, which included unreleased tracks and a version of “Strawberry Wine” with Ashley McBryde, Lauren Alaina, Martina McBride, Kylie Morgan, and Vince Gill. A new version of the title track is also included with guest vocals from McBryde, Gill, Sara Evans and Terri Clark.

Carter is also headlining the Ryman tonight (Nov. 18) for the very first time to celebrate the release. Special guests Charles Esten, Breland and more are set to appear.

In an interview with MusicRow, Carter spoke about the staying power of her debut album, ’90s country, and her Ryman show tonight.

MusicRow: You and Lainey Wilson were a smash as presenters at the CMA Awards last week, even getting the whole audience to sing “Strawberry Wine” along with you. How fun was that?

I was absolutely blown away by the whole arena singing “Strawberry Wine” with us, all of the artists singing & being so supportive…and the standing ovation just blew me away! The writer for the show, David Wild, told me the CMA’s have never had a standing ovation during a presenter spot. What an unforgettable moment!

I will never be able to thank Robert Deaton enough for giving me the opportunity to have another iconic CMA moment with my new best friend Laney Wilson. When we were rehearsing on Tuesday night, we realized we have family in Louisiana in the same area. It was so great spending time with her and I think that authentic connection made our few minutes presenting the award to Chris Stapleton for Single of the Year really special.

You welcomed a slew of guest artists on the re-release of Did I Shave My Legs for This? What did these voices bring to the project?

It was really important to me to have guest artists on this 25th anniversary re-release and to have ones that I connected with at some point or another.

I have written with Lauren Alaina and she and Ashley McBryde did a special appearance at the ACM Honors show, so that was a great segue to have them join me again. Martina McBride came out a little before me and I always looked up to her. I have also written with her in the past…so I really wanted her to be a part of it.

Terri Clark and Sara Evans and I have worked together over the years and I truly love their unique artistry and senses of humor, so they had to be with me on Shave.

Kylie Morgan is a new artist with such a distinct voice that really stands out, so that was important to include a brand new unique artist in the mix.

And having Vince Gill play guitar on the new collab tracks meant everything to me because he supported the Shave album when it came out in 1996 by stopping by my in-store at Tower Records on West End and had so many great things to say about me as a new artist from the very beginning. That was a HUGE deal in the community embracing my record, I believe. Also, I lost my daddy in 2010 (Fred Carter, Jr.) who was one the amazing A-team Nashville guys on the Row, so I just had to have Vince featured in his absence. That was super special to me.

What songs were you most excited to re-release with this project?

I am so excited for the world to hear our new versions of “Strawberry Wine” and “Did I Shave My Legs For This?” with the collaborations. I so hope that radio will play the new versions so the other artists get their moment in the spotlight on these songs. They are just so special.

I want them to climb the charts, I want them to get nominated for awards. I am just so happy to share these!

Some Spotify data recently came out that showed a resurgence of popularity of ’90s country with Gen-Z. “Strawberry Wine” was one of the most-discovered ’90s country songs in the U.S. in the past 3 months. Why do you think that song has been so evergreen?

Thanks to outlets like Spotify and recurrent radio airplay, artists have had the good fortune of being heard through changes in the marketplace. That is not lost on me and I am very grateful to have one of the most recurrently played albums in the genre.

I also believe that the truth in the songs, “Strawberry Wine” in particular, strike such a chord with people is because it either takes them back to a place and time if they’re older, or it connects them to a place and time, like their parents, or good memories, or their friends and family if they’re younger. That song has grown to mean more to more people because it speaks truth about the sweetness of youth and that even when life doesn’t pan out like you thought, it is still okay to hope that it will always pan out for the best.

I will never tire of singing that song and loving all of the fans in groups singing it together, whether families or friends or couples or kids or grandparents or whatever.

You’re headlining the Ryman tonight for the first time ever. How does it feel to get to do that?

I am so excited to be doing my first headline show at the Ryman! Being a Nashville native and a ‘Row kid’, I truly treasure the historical and cultural significance of that beautiful place. I have definitely sung at the Ryman, but never had my own show there. Having Charles Esten, Breland, and some other special guests is going to be even sweeter.