Country Music Hall of Fame kommer äntligen att ta in Jerry Lee Lewis. Han väljs in tillsammans med Keith Whitley (som avled vid 34 års ålder 1989) och branschpersonen Joe Galante. Den senare var yngste chef någonsin för RCA Nashville när han fick posten vid 32 års ålder. Han har signat bl.a Clint Black, Kenny Chesney, Lorrie Morgan, Keith Whitley, Vince Gill, The Judds, Martina McBride och var också den som var chef när gruppen Alabama fick många miljonsäljare perioden 1980-1999. På 90-talet flyttade han tillbaka till New York där han för RCA bl.a arbetade med Dave Matthews Band
Jerry Lee tyckte själv at det var på tiden och utttalade sig på presskonferensen där han deltog och introducerades av Brooks & Dunn.
“Lewis, 86, nicknamed “The Killer,” wore a red sequined jacket and white shoes at Tuesday’s announcement, where he was introduced by duo Brooks & Dunn.
“I was wondering if they were ever going to induct me,” Lewis said at the press conference. “But they’ve come around and I was really glad and grateful for it.”
Om Keith Whitleys inval uttalade sig bl.a hans änka Lorrie Morgan:
“Whitley had a short career, spanning just four years and seven months on the Billboard charts before his death at the age of 34 in 1989. But the singer from Sandy Hook, Kentucky, found commercial breakthrough with hits like “When You Say Nothing at All” and “I’m No Stranger to the Rain.” He met Ricky Skaggs when they were both teenagers and they both were hired to be part of bluegrass legend Ralph Stanley’s band, the Clinch Mountain Boys.
The induction for Whitley has been a long time coming for many artists and fans who were captivated by his emotional voice and singing, including artists like Garth Brooks, who has been championing for Whitley’s induction. His widow, fellow country singer Lorrie Morgan, described during the press conference on Tuesday how much it meant to her family and their two children to have him inducted.
“Keith never knew how good he was,” said Morgan. “He would absolutely blown away if he were here today.”
Whitley met Morgan, then a receptionist at a studio, was while he was recording the demo of “Does Fort Worth Ever Cross Your Mind,” which became a hit for George Strait. They married in November 1986.
Morgan said that fans still visit Whitley’s grave site regularly, leaving mementos and paying their respects. She said that she also planned to visit his grave after the press conference to sit on a blanket with her family and cry.”
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