Bob DiPiero, Lester Flatt & Earl Scruggs and Hank Williams, Jr. were honored for their songwriting contributions and welcomed to the esteemed ranks of the Nashville Songwriters Hall Fame during the 38th Annual Hall of Fame Dinner and Induction Ceremony held Sunday, October 14.  Members of the Nashville songwriting and publishing community filled the ballroom of the Renaissance Nashville hotel to celebrate the musical contributions of the newest inductees.

During the evening's ceremonies, each new member of the Nashville Songwriters Hall of Fame was inducted by a fellow artist, friend or family member, while star-studded performances highlighted their respective repertoires.

Bluegrass icons Lester Flatt & Earl Scruggs were inducted by Marty Stuart, who joined Flatt's band at the age of 13.  The Grammy®-winning Del McCoury Band took the stage to perform the Flatt & Scruggs hits "If I Should Wander Back Tonight," "Earl's Breakdown," "Little Cabin Home on the Hill," "Don't Get Above Your Raisin'" and the Martha White jingle before Stuart joined them on "Foggy Mountain Breakdown."  Flatt's widow Gladys Flatt and granddaughter Tammy Brumfield joined Scruggs to accept the Nashville Songwriters Hall of Fame Manny Award.  "It's been a wonderful ride," Scruggs said.  "Thank you all very much."

Hank Williams, Jr. was inducted in "family tradition" by his daughter, Holly Williams.  "It's a surprise that I'm inducting my dad tonight," she said.  "I'm a songwriter myself. It's my passion, and I am a true fan of my dad."  She then performed three of his songs-"Feelin' Better," "Whiskey Bent and Hell Bound" and "Blues Man"-before country chart-topper Gretchen Wilson took the stage to perform the Bocephus classic, "All My Rowdy Friends Have Settled Down."  With his induction, Williams joins his legendary father as the only father/son members of the Nashville Songwriters Hall of Fame.  As he accepted his award, Williams told the crowd that he had taken banjo lessons from Scruggs at the age of 19.  "I'm from the old school," he said.  "I know a lot of you are saying that these awards don't mean anything to old Hank, but this one is special.  I need this, thank you, and I need y'all."

Bob DiPiero's career began when he arrived in Music City in 1979 and found an early supporter in Amy Kurland, owner of the renowned Bluebird Café, so it was fitting that she presided over his induction.  DiPiero's friends in the Hit Men of Music Row-Craig Wiseman, Tony Mullins and Jeffrey Steele-performed a medley of his hits including "American Made," " Take Me As I Am" and "Blue Clear Sky" before Neal McCoy performed his #1 hit "Wink," which was named BMI Country Song of the Year in 1995. "Coming from Youngstown, Ohio, I thought I might be indicted, but not inducted," DiPiero quipped as he accepted his award.   "I definitely didn't get here by myself," he said, before acknowledging a long list of supporters, mentors and fellow writers.  "I love all of you.  Thank you for this honor."

In addition to the Nashville Songwriters Hall of Fame inductions, the hall's sister organization, the Nashville Songwriters Association International (NSAI), presented its annual Songwriter Achievement Awards.  The organization's professional songwriter members named "Bless the Broken Road," by Bobby E. Boyd, Jeff Hanna and Marcus Hummon, their Song of the Year.  BMI singer/songwriter Taylor Swift shared the Songwriter/Artist of the Year honor with Alan Jackson. 2007 was a breakthrough year for Swift, who wrote or co-wrote every song on her platinum-selling eponymous debut. Taylor is the youngest recipient of the award to date.

NSAI's Professional Songwriters Division also voted for their favorite songs of the year. Informally dubbed "The Songs I Wish I'd Written," members select 10 hits each year that fit the bill. Bobby E. Boyd, Jeff Hanna and Marcus Hummon's "Bless the Broken Road," recorded by Selah with Melodie Crittenden; Casey Beathard and Ed Hill's "Find Out Who Your Friends Are," recorded by Tracy Lawrence; Bill Anderson and Jamey Johnson's "Give It Away," recorded by George Strait; Luke Bryan's "Good Directions," recorded by Billy Currington; Bobby Pinson and Trent Tomlinson's "One Wing in the Fire," recorded by Tomlinson; Sarah Buxton's "Stupid Boy," recorded by Keith Urban; Merle Haggard's "The Seashores of Old Mexico," recorded by George Strait; and John Scott Sherrill and Shawn Camp's "Would You Go With Me," recorded by Josh Turner all scored the colleague-voted nods.

BMI recognized too that the emerging center of country music—Nashville—was to become one of the hubs of the music industry. An office was started there in 1958, and permanent facilities were constructed for BMI on Music Row in 1964 just in time for the emergence of some of “Music City U.S.A.’s” most legendary writers. That list includes writers like Willie Nelson, who before he became a star in his own right, created hits like “Crazy” for Patsy Cline and “Hello Walls” for Ray Price, and the late Harlan Howard, who penned a string of songs over more than five decades that many of country’s major stars recorded, including “I Fall to Pieces” and “Heartaches by the Number.” From that day on, BMI has assisted in the careers of many of country’s creative legends and recognized that this genre was no flash in the pan, but instead, an indisputable piece of America’s musical fabric. The fact that 87% of the members of the Country Music Hall of Fame are BMI songwriters attests to that fact.

BMI’s list of songwriters and composers also includes such country giants as Hank Williams Jr., Loretta Lynn, Felice & Boudleaux Bryant, Dolly Parton, Kris Kristofferson, Maybelle Carter, Lester Flatt, Earl Scruggs, Conway Twitty, Merle Haggard, the Stanley Brothers, Bob Wills, Bill Anderson, Doc Watson, Jimmy Martin, Mac Wiseman, Jim & Jesse McReynolds, Buck Owens, Faith Hill, Toby Keith, Tim McGraw, Alabama, Shania Twain, Vince Gill, Charlie Daniels, Don Gibson, Curly Putman, Bill Monroe, Brooks & Dunn, John Michael Montgomery and Alison Krauss.

Founded in l939 as a non-profit-making organization, BMI opened the door to performing rights representation for songwriters and composers of all types of music, many of whom were not eligible under the membership guidelines of the older American PROs. BMI offered first-time representation to songwriters of blues, jazz, r&b, gospel, folk, country and Spanish-language music, and as several of these musical trends converged to produce a new music called “rock & roll,” BMI became the preeminent performing right organization for songwriters of this new genre. The company quickly made reciprocal agreements with sister societies around the world.

The success of BMI’s songwriters and composers is unequaled, as evidenced by their dominance of the industry’s most prestigious awards and honors over the years, representing 51% of the Grammy Awards, 67% of the Country Music Association Awards, 69% of the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame inductees, 87% of the R&B Foundation’s Pioneer Awards and 95% of the Blues Music Awards.

There's British-billy Elton John joining the maestro in the down-home Elton/Bernie Taupin tour de fields "Country Comfort." Sounding anything like a "Sir," Elton launches visions of a rocker gone country, adorned not in glitter but in jeans, and rocking not on stage but in a wooden chair on an Appalachian front porch.

Enter Kentucky hillbilly Dwight Yoakam, joining forces on "Borrowed Love," a Yoakam/Scruggs (Earl and son Randy) dirge, warning that borrowed love is never cheap. A real Billy - Billy Bob Thornton - adds his unique Texas/Hollywood take to the Merle Kilgore/June Carter Cash classic "Ring of Fire."

Those anticipating the high, lonesome sound of traditional bluegrass, elevated so elegantly through the years by such masters as Scruggs, Lester Flatt and Bill Monroe, are in for a shock with the appearances of global superstars who rushed to record with Scruggs: Rocker-billies Sting, Don Henley and John Fogerty; movie-billy Steve Martin, who handles his banjo solo with aplomb; cosmic-billy Leon Russell and veteran country-crooner blueblood billies like Rosanne Cash, Johnny Cash, Marty Stuart, Vince Gill, and Travis Tritt.

This is not an album review. Its just one indication of the importance the music world regards the legend of Earl Scruggs.

Add Paul Shaffer and Melissa Etheridge to the heady company for the still-unassuming North Carolina native whose farmer/bookkeeper father also played some pretty mean banjo and fiddle, as did Earl's brothers and sisters. Early on, Earl lost his father, then lost himself in the banjo, rubbing melodies from his genie of wood and strings. At the tender age of 10, he honed a three-finger picking style that revolutionized the role of that instrument. Earl's obsession with the five-string banjo increased during his high school years in Boiling Springs, N.C., where he improved his stylings every chance between schoolwork and farm chores.

Young Scruggs played his banjo with abandon until he suddenly realized he was using three digits instead of two. For an entire week, he perfected the song "Ruben" using the three-finger method. He applied it to other songs, in different tunings, smoothing and straightening rollicking melodies into what has become known as the "Scruggs Style."

More expertise came as a member of Bill Monroe's Bluegrass Boys, where he and fellow member Lester Flatt later split to form the famed Flatt & Scruggs duo, scoring the first number one bluegrass smash, "The Ballad of Jed Clampett," the theme song to the hit TV show The Beverly Hillbillies. Earl's evergreen "Foggy Mountain Breakdown" gained international fame when featured in the movie Bonnie and Clyde. Flatt & Scruggs broke up in 1969 when Earl formed the Earl Scruggs Review, backed by his sons, Randy (producer of the new album and an acclaimed musician himself), Gary and the late Steve. Keeping it in the family, Earl's wife, Louise, has been his long-term manager - not an easy calling in the then-female glass-ceiling Nashville days of the '50s and '60s.

From the Grand Ole Opry to grand new Grammys, Scruggs has enjoyed a career that's now at its zenith: BMI, CMA and Grammy awards, appearances on Letterman and Leno, and a role in the new Faye Dunaway movie, Colored Eggs.

Bluegrass music has come and gone in favor more often than Michael Jordan comebacks. But Scruggs has the perspective gained by a half century on the job: "It will always have its peaks and valleys," he observes. "But any good music is going to stay around."

IBMM Board Chairman Steven Brechter (with scissors) and Gov. Paul Patton (at mic) declare the museum open

Virtually all writers enshrined in the Hall of Honor are BMI affiliates, including Bill Monroe, Earl Scruggs, Lester Flatt, Ralph and Carter Stanley, Don Reno, Mac Wiseman, Jim and Jesse McReynolds, Sonny and Bobby Osborne, Jimmy Martin, Peter V. Kuykendall, "The Classic" Country Gentlemen Charlie Waller, John Duffey and Eddie Adcock, Chubby Wise and Maybelle Carter.

BMI's David Preston, IBMM Board Chairman Steven Brechter, Owensboro Mayor Waymond Morris, BMI's Mark Mason

BMI's Mark Mason, IBMM Board Chairman Steven Brechter, Del McCoury, BMI's David Preston

BMI's Paul Corbin, Tom T. & Dixie Hall, BMI's Mark Mason and David Preston

Preparing to broadcast live on WSM 650: Hairl Hensley, Eddie Stubbs, Johnnie Wright & Kitty Wells

BMI's Mark Mason, IBMA Executive Director Dan Hays, Sugar Hill Records's Bev Paul, BMI's David Preston

Everly Brothers

Louvin Brothers

Homer and Jethro

Formal induction for the 12 new members will take place during special ceremonies at a dinner October 4 in Nashville. The honorees will also be recognized during the 35th Annual CMA Awards on Wednesday, November 7 on CBS-TV.

Sam Phillips

Webb Pierce

Bill Anderson

Don Gibson

The 10 individuals eligible for the special induction have all been final nominees for the Hall of Fame at least three times before. Anderson and Phillips were part of the regular induction process this year in the Open and Non-Performer Categories. All inductees were chosen by the Hall of Fame panel of electors -- more than 300 anonymous voters appointed by the CMA Board of Directors.

"Since 1961, only 74 individuals, duos or groups have been elected to the Country Music Hall of Fame. With the special induction of 10 members along with our regular inductions for 2001, we are able to significantly increase the breadth and range of honorees in the Country Music Hall of Fame," observed CMA Executive Director Ed Benson. "Recognizing them during a special celebration event affords us the time necessary to honor their extraordinary contributions to Country Music with participation from the entire industry."

Alabama natives Alton and Rabon Delmore began singing and picking together as children, quickly mastering a fast-fingered guitar style. They first recorded with Columbia in 1931, joining the Grand Ole Opry a year later. The Delmore Brothers went on to record some of their best-known songs for Bluebird in the late 1930s, including "Big River Blues" and "Nashville Blues." They scored a huge hit in 1949 with "Blues Stay Away from Me," and found renewed popularity with boogie and blues recordings for Cincinnati's King Records after World War II. The Delmore Brothers are considered one of the most popular country music brother duos. Rabon died in 1952, and Alton 12 years later.

Phil and Don Everly's career began early, performing with their parents, and later landing a contract with Cadence Records after high school. Publishers at Acuff-Rose introduced them to Felice and Boudleaux Bryant, who would later write their smash "Bye Bye Love." The song topped the pop and country music charts, making it one of the biggest hits of 1957, and launching the Everly Brothers to teen idol status. The Everly Brothers' unique blend of country and folk scored them countless hits including "Wake Up Little Susie," "Bird Dog" and "All I Have to Do is Dream." The duo split in 1973, but reunited in 1983 to record several albums together. The Everly Brothers continue to tour, serving as a major country influence on generations of pop and rock 'n' roll musicians. Each has won the BMI Country Song of the Year award: Phil in 1976 with "When Will I Be Loved" and Don in 1990 with "Cathy's Clown."

North Carolina native Don Gibson got his start on WNOX radio in Knoxville. By the mid-'50s, he expanded his audience through a string of recordings for RCA, Columbia and MGM, becoming one of the area's most popular performers. Already a talented guitarist, Gibson gained notoriety as a songwriter when Faron Young hit the Top 10 in 1956 with the classic, "Sweet Dreams." His song "I Can't Stop Loving You" was a hit for both Ray Charles and Kitty Wells. His own version of the song in 1958 appeared on the flipside of "Oh Lonesome Me." This double-sided hit marked his first national success as a recording artist, paving the way for him to join the Grand Ole Opry that same year. Gibson continued to tour and perform on the Grand Ole Opry until the 1990s. A living legend, Gibson is considered one of the top record-sellers in country music history. He was named BMI Country Songwriter of the Year in 1967 and has earned more than two dozen BMI Country and Pop honors.

Henry (Homer) Haynes and Kenneth (Jethro) Burns teamed up in 1932 to become a new comedic/musical act, performing on Knoxville radio station WNOX with the Stringdusters Band. Though best known for their comedy, Homer was a phenomenal rhythm guitarist and Jethro was considered to be a great mandolin stylist. They made their first recording for King Records in 1946, subsequently signing with RCA in 1949. Homer and Jethro's many hits include the parodies "That Hound Dog in the Window," "Let Me Go Blubber," "The Battle of Kookamonga" and "Jam-Bowl-Liar." They were also sidemen on many hits by other artists, including Chet Atkins. Except for a brief time during Word War II, their career together spanned 38 years until Homer's death in 1971. Jethro went on to record several more albums before passing away in 1989.

A native of Littlefield, Texas, Waylon Jennings made his first musical mark as a bass player for Buddy Holly's band from 1958-1959. Jennings, who gave up his seat on Holly's fatal plane to J.P. "The Big Bopper" Richardson, went on to pursue his desire to become a singer after Holly's death. Jennings moved to Nashville in 1965 when Bobby Bare helped sign him to the RCA label. His lean, bass-driven sound, long dark hair, and black attire in the 1970s helped define Jennings' image as an outlaw. His success continued with hits such as "I'm A Ramblin' Man" and "Are You Sure Hank Done It This Way." In 1976, Jennings' work was part of country music's first platinum album Wanted: The Outlaws. Over the years, Jennings has scored countless hits with Johnny Cash, Willie Nelson, Jerry Reed, Hank Williams Jr., wife Jessi Colter, and The Highwaymen (with Cash, Nelson, and Kris Kristofferson), and has collected more than 15 BMI Country and Pop Awards. He continues to be a major force in country music today.

The legendary quartet The Jordanaires was formed in Springfield, Missouri. Known for singing spirituals, barbershop numbers and Country tunes, they experienced their first major recording success singing backup for Red Foley on "Just A Closer Walk With Thee." The Jordanaires are probably best known as long-time, vocal backup for Elvis Presley and they were regulars on the Grand Ole Opry. They experienced enormous international success, often ranking alongside The Beatles and Rolling Stones on lists of the Top 10 Most Popular Recording Groups in the World. From the early days of "Hound Dog" and "All Shook Up," to the success of "Four Walls" and "Crazy," The Jordanaires have probably been heard on more recordings than any other vocal group in the world. They remain very active with personal appearances and recording sessions. The quartet's personnel has changed a number of times since the group's founding in 1948: Gordon Stoker (BMI), Ray Walker and deceased members Neal Matthews, Jr. (BMI) and Hoyt Hawkins will be the lineup that enters the Hall.

Don Law was born in the British Isles and rose to prominence as an executive with the American Record Corporation and Columbia Records. During Law's tenure, he conducted dozens of sessions and made many talent discoveries of his own. He eventually took over the Country division of Columbia, when his mentor Arthur Satherley retired in 1952. Law went on to produce many of the label's biggest stars including Carl Smith, Ray Price, Lefty Frizzell, Lester Flatt, Earl Scruggs, Marty Robbins, Jimmy Dean, Johnny Cash and Carl Perkins. Law also guided The Everly Brothers, Gordon Terry and Buddy Emmons through their first solo recordings. Law retired in 1965 after producing some of the biggest hits of his era including "El Paso," "Big Bad John" and many more. He died in 1982.

Born in Henegar, Alabama, Ira and Charlie Loudermilk each had their own talents: Ira, with his high tenor voice and mandolin abilities and Charlie, with his lead baritone and guitar playing. Together, as The Louvin Brothers, they formed a unique sound that would eventually position them among the most influential singer/songwriters in country music history. From 1951-1963, the brothers recorded for Apollo Records, Decca and later for MGM, under the supervision of Nashville producer Fred Rose. Rose later helped them secure a record deal with Capitol. By 1955, their radio work prepared them for a career-launching appearance on the Grand Ole Opry. During the 1950s, The Louvin Brothers rode high on such hits as "When I Stop Dreaming," "Hoping That You're Hoping" and "You're Running Wild," and they co-wrote five BMI Country Award-winning tunes. The Louvin Brothers were among the first country acts to do concept albums including "Tragic Songs of Life" and tribute albums to The Delmore Brothers and Roy Acuff. Charlie's career continued after Ira's tragic death in 1965 from an automobile accident. The Louvin sound lives on in Charlie's numerous appearances and performances.

Minnesota native Ken Nelson moved to Chicago as a small boy. At 12 he began his musical career with the Melrose Brothers Music Company, where he worked for five years. Nelson later became a radio announcer, followed by stints as music director for WAAF in Chicago, WJJD (also in Chicago) and WIND in Gary, Ind. In 1946, Nelson began working for Capitol Records, and six years later became the head of Capitol's Country division. There, he produced hit records by Tex Ritter, Hank Thompson, Buck Owens, Jean Shepard, Merle Travis, The Louvin Brothers and Merle Haggard. A major country music recording executive and a principal figure in establishing the Country Music Association, Nelson diligently pursued the expansion of country music. He served as a founding director and two-term president of CMA and as a trustee and chairman of the Country Music Foundation. Nelson was also instrumental in convincing the National Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences to open a chapter in Nashville in 1964. At age 90, Nelson enjoys retirement in Southern California.

Louisiana native Webb Pierce was raised on country music, but got his own start in the music industry on local radio. In 1944 Pierce moved to Shreveport, the town where he made his debut on Louisiana Hayride on KWKH, and began his recording career with 4-Star Records. In 1950, Pierce started his own label, Pacemaker, with Louisiana Hayride director Horace Logan. Pierce moved to Decca in 1951, where he scored his first major hit "Wondering." Pierce went on to claim 13 No. 1 hits (including a remake of Jimmie Rodgers' "In the Jailhouse Now," which stayed atop the Billboard charts for 21 weeks) and earn nearly two dozen BMI Country Awards. His unmatched string of hits led him to Nashville, where he became a member of the Grand Ole Opry in 1952. Pierce garnered more No. 1 records than any other artist in the 1950s. An astute businessman, he owned several radio stations and was part owner of Cedarwood Publishing Company. Pierce bowed out of the public eye -- with the exception of one chart single with Willie Nelson in 1982 -- enjoying his retirement from 1976 until his death in 1991.

Selected in the Open Category for 2001, South Carolina native "Whisperin'" Bill Anderson worked his way through the University of Georgia as a disc Jockey, sports writer and performer. Soon after Anderson recorded his own "City Lights" for TNT Records, Ray Price scored a No. 1 hit with the song in 1958. Anderson soon signed with Decca Records and joined the Grand Ole Opry in 1961. He wrote many of his own hits including "Mama Sang A Song," "Still" and "Po' Folks," while penning classic songs for Connie Smith, Lefty Frizzell, Roy Clark and others. He ahs continued his songwriting successes into the new millennium with a new generation of artists including Steve Wariner and Brad Paisley. He has more than 40 BMI Country songwriting awards, winning his first in 1959 at BMI's debut Country Awards dinner and his latest two Citations in 2000. Anderson had his own syndicated TV show and has been a popular host for programs on ABC-TV and TNN.

Inducted into the Non-Performer Category for 2001, Sam Phillips ignited the rockabilly explosion of the 1950s. Phillips profoundly shaped the evolution of American Music. The Alabama-born producer recorded blues acts like B.B. King and Howlin' Wolf for R&B labels before establishing Sun Records in Memphis in 1952. Soon he launched the careers of Elvis Presley, Johnny Cash, Carl Perkins, Jerry Lee Lewis, Charlie Rich, Roy Orbison and others who drew from the roots-based, African-American sounds Phillips loved. He inspired other labels to sign young rockabilly acts and widened Country's Audience. He retired after selling Sun Records in 1969, but his influence still affects musicians in many fields.

Induction into the Country Music Hall of Fame is regarded as the ultimate recognition of outstanding contributions to Country Music. There are currently 74 individuals, duos or groups in the Hall of Fame including BMI President and CEO Frances W. Preston who was inducted in 1992. Established in 1961, the Country Music Hall of Fame is managed by the CMA, which conducts the annual election of members into the Hall of Fame.

Newly inducted into the Mississippi Musicians Hall of Fame, Stuart tallied hits on major labels and crafted such ambitious projects as his critically acclaimed concept album The Pilgrim.

"My bedrock is all of the above, and what I'm doing at the moment," explains Stuart, whose state of the art moment is now writing songs. Although The Pilgrim didn't climb into the upper reaches of the charts, the ambitious effort earned two Grammy nominations and led him into new avenues of creativity. "I knew that was a commercial disaster" he says, "but I knew I had to do it because it would pull back in some of the credibility I had squandered. After that album, I made a conscience call . . . and wiped the board completely clean."

Marty and his wife, Grand Ole Opry great Connie Smith, then headed to Hawaii for a month. "When I came back and started following my heart, it turned into the busiest and most productive period of my life," notes Stuart. "You find out how much fire you've got left and where it really burns."

Recent creative highlights include scoring the Billy Bob Thornton movie All The Pretty Horses, writing and performing the end-title ballad and producing the soundtrack CD, which earned a Golden Globe nomination. He also worked with Faye Dunaway on music for her short film production of Tennessee Williams's Yellow Bird.

As a producer, Stuart has collaborated on two albums with Thornton. "We have that southern connection," advises Marty. "He's a man of vision and integrity. He fights, and lives and breathes for the same principles in Hollywood that I love here."

Marty's TV credits run from A&E's Biography to Austin City Limits. Journalist Marty has graced the pages of the prestigious Oxford American while photographer Marty has shot engaging images for books, magazines, album covers and gallery exhibitions. And songwriter Stuart has won numerous BMI Awards.

A leading historian of country music, Marty serves as President of the Country Music Foundation, and applauds the opening of Nashville's new Country Music Hall of Fame, which contains artifacts from his own collection. The multi-talented minstrel, who started touring at age 13 playing mandolin for Lester Flatt, appears destined to one day become a member of that elite group of country greats.

"When it's all said and done," he observes, "that's where we want to be. That's where our treasures go and our legacy lives."

More than 700 people attended the brunch event at the Opryland Hotel, with proceeds going to The Performers Benefit Fund, which provides adequate health care for qualifying members of the Grand Ole Opry and is administered through a board of directors elected by Opry members.

Anderson presented the non-musician Golden Circle Award to Charlie Lamb for his contributions in furthering country music through his work as a journalist, publisher and promoter. Lamb, who was an early champion of the careers of Kitty Wells, Ed Bruce, Connie Smith and Anderson, was an innovator of the layout of modern sales charts as publisher of the trade magazine Music Reporter.

BMI's Golden Voice Awards Winners

Career Achievement Award
Jimmy Dickens

Golden Voice Entertainer
Ferlin Husky

Male Golden Voice
Gene Watson

Male Golden Legacy
Marty Robbins

Female Golden Voice
Skeeter Davis

Female Golden Legacy
Dottie West

Golden Group Legacy
Wilburn Brothers

Bluegrass Golden Voice
Mac Wiseman

Bluegrass Golden Legacy
Lester Flatt

Golden Musicians
Drums: Larrie Londin
Fiddle: Benny Martin
Lead Guitar: Leon Rhodes
Keyboards: Floyd Cramer
Steel Guitar: Buddy Emmons