Tony Brown, June Carter Cash and Kenny Chesney became the 156th, 157th and 158th members of the Country Music Hall of Fame as they were formally inducted during a star-studded Medallion Ceremony in the Country Music Hall of Fame® and Museum’s CMA Theater.
Brown, Cash and Chesney received country music’s highest distinction and were honored with heartfelt remarks and inspired performances of songs associated with their careers. The following is a list of the artists (listed in the order they performed), as well as the Hall of Fame members who were personally selected by each inductee to present them with their medallions.
Tony Brown (Non-Performer category)
Born in North Carolina and schooled as a keyboard player in the topnotch road bands of Elvis Presley and Emmylou Harris, Tony Brown became a key record executive in shaping the sound of modern country music. As a record producer, he supervised many best-selling recordings by Country Music Hall of Fame members Vince Gill, Wynonna Judd, Patty Loveless, Reba McEntire, George Strait, Marty Stuart and others. As a label executive and talent scout at MCA Records, he also brought daring, outsider talents into mainstream country music, including Steve Earle, Nanci Griffith, Lyle Lovett, the Mavericks and Kelly Willis.
Lyle Lovett performed “If I Had a Boat”
Steve Earle sang “Guitar Town”
Trisha Yearwood with “Perfect Love”
George Strait performed “Troubadour”
Medallion presentation: Country Music Hall of Fame member Vince Gill
June Carter Cash (Veterans Era Artist category)
June Carter Cash was a vibrant presence in country music for over 60 years as a singer, comedienne and songwriter. She began performing at age 10 in 1939, singing with her mother, Maybelle Carter of the Carter Family, and her two sisters on Mexican border radio. Mother Maybelle & the Carter Sisters later starred on the Grand Ole Opry and joined Johnny Cash’s roadshow. June Carter wrote more than 100 songs, including “Ring of Fire,” a #1 hit for Cash, whom she married in 1968. They recorded several hit duets, including “Jackson” and “If I Were a Carpenter,” both of which won Grammys.
Kacey Musgraves and Daniel Tashian sang “Ring of Fire”
Keb’ Mo’ and Ruby Amanfu with “Keep on the Sunny Side”
Lukas Nelson performed “It Ain’t Me Babe”
Medallion presentation: Country Music Hall of Fame member Emmylou Harris
Kenny Chesney (Modern Era Artist category)
A former high school athlete from Luttrell, Tennessee, Kenny Chesney parlayed a resonant baritone voice and a competitive spirit into one of the biggest careers in country music since the year 2000. He has earned 16 platinum albums, more than 50 Top Ten country hits and 23 #1s on Billboard’s Hot Country Songs chart. Among his best-known hits are “The Good Stuff,” “There Goes My Life” and “The Boys of Fall,” all of which crossed over to the pop charts. A perennial top touring attraction, he’s been voted the CMA Entertainer of the Year four times — 2004, 2006, 2007 and 2008.
Kelsea Ballerini with “Somewhere with You”
Megan Moroney performed “Knowing You”
Eric Church sang a medley of “I Go Back,” “Anything But Mine,” “El Cerrito Place,” “Never Wanted Nothing More,” “The Boys of Fall” and “Old Blue Chair”
Medallion presentation: Country Music Hall of Fame member Joe Galante
The ceremony concluded with a performance of “Will the Circle Be Unbroken,” led by Country Music Hall of Fame member John Anderson.
The Medallion All-Star Band consisted of Paul Franklin (steel guitar), Jen Gunderman (keyboards), Tania Hancheroff (vocals), Brent Mason (electric guitar), Jerry Pentecost (drums), Alison Prestwood (bass), Deanie Richardson (fiddle and mandolin), Mica Roberts (vocals), Biff Watson (bandleader and acoustic guitar), Jeff White (acoustic guitar and vocals) and Charlie Worsham (guitar and vocals).
Produced by the staff of the Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum, the annual Medallion Ceremony celebrates the unique talents, personalities and backgrounds of each Hall of Fame inductee, as well as the important turning points and the breakthrough artistic achievements that defined their careers. The ceremony includes speeches, live musical tributes and original video biographies, created by the museum staff using recorded performances, past televised interviews and historic photos culled from materials in the museum’s Frist Library and Archive. The ceremony is made possible in part by underwriting from the Country Music Association and City National Bank.
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