The Country Music Hall of Fame formally inducted three new members on Oct. 21: Ricky Skaggs (modern era), Dottie West (veteran era, decreased) and Johnny Gimble (musician, deceased).
A number of Hall of Fame members and other country artists were in attendance for the celebration, including Randy Travis, Charlie Daniels, Garth Brooks, Vince Gill, Emmylou Harris, the Oak Ridge Boys, Dierks Bentley, Chris Stapleton and more.
Johnny Gimble was recognized by:
- The Time Jumpers and David Ball performed “Right or Wrong”
- Michael Cleveland and Jeff White performed “Gardenia Waltz”
- Connie Smith and Deannie Richardson performed “If It Ain’t Love”
- Medallion Presentation: Connie Smith
Dottie West was recognized by:
- Jeannie Seely performed “Here Comes My Baby”
- Larry Gatlin and Steve Wariner performed “Country Sunshine”
- The War and Treaty performed “Lesson in Leavin’”
- Medallion Presentation: Brenda Lee
Ricky Skaggs was recognized by:
- Garth Brooks, Larry Cordle and Sierra Hull performed “Highway 40 Blues”
- Dierks Bentley performed “You’ve Got a Lover”
- Chris Stapleton performed “Darkest Hour Is Just Before Dawn”
- Medallion Presentation: Garth Brooks
After Garth presented Ricky with his medallion, the Hall of Fame offered Ricky the chance to play Bill Monroe’s Gibson F-5 mandolin, which is on display at the Hall of Fame. With the help of Garth Brooks on vocals, Ricky took his hero’s mandolin and performed “Will the Circle Be Unbroken,” which you can watch below (video courtesy of the Hall of Fame).
