Soon afterward he began studying classical music formally at Governor Morehead and learned several instruments, eventually mastering the piano. When he was 7, his instructors noticed his musical talents. ĭuring his childhood, Milsap developed a passion for music, particularly the late-night radio broadcasts of country music, gospel music, and rhythm and blues. Abandoned by his mother as an infant, he was raised in poverty by his grandparents in the Smoky Mountains until he was sent to the Governor Morehead School for the blind in Raleigh, North Carolina, at age 5. A congenital disorder left him almost completely blind from birth. Milsap was born January 16, 1943, in Robbinsville, North Carolina, United States. He is the first pedal steel guitar player to become part of the Hall of Fame. He is the first drummer to join the institution.ĭrake, who died in 1988, was a pedal steel guitar player and a member of Nashville's A-team of skilled session musicians, played on hits like "Stand By Your Man" by Tammy Wynette and "He Stopped Loving Her Today" by George Jones. He regularly played on records for The Judds, Ricky Skaggs, George Strait, Alan Jackson and Kenny Chesney. The Hall of Fame also inducted two recordings musicians who were elemental to so many country songs and singers: Eddie Bayers and Pete Drake.īayers, a drummer in Nashville for decades who worked on 300 platinum records, is a member of the Grand Ole Opry band. "He sang country music like it should be sung." "There was one of him and only one," said Milsap. He died in 2004.īrooks sang "Seven Spanish Angels," one of Charles' hits with Willie Nelson, while Bettye LaVette performed "I Can't Stop Loving You."Ĭountry Music Hall of Famer Ronnie Milsap said he met Charles when he was a young singer and that others tried to imitate Charles, but no one could measure up. Charles was posthumously inducted into the Country Music Hall of Fame on Sunday, May 1, 2022, in Nashville, Tenn., along with The Judds.Ĭharles' version of "I Can't Stop Loving You," spent five weeks on top of the Billboard 100 chart and remains one of his most popular songs. The Georgia-born singer and piano player grew up listening to the Grand Ole Opry and in 1962 released "Modern Sounds in Country and Western Music," which became one of the best selling country releases of his era.īlinded and orphaned at a young age, Charles is best known for R&B, gospel and soul, but his decision to record country music changed the way the world thought about the genre, expanding audiences in the Civil Rights era.ĪP Ray Charles sings "America The Beautiful," in the rain at Fenway Park in Boston, April 11, 2003. A single rose was laid on the ground.Ĭharles' induction showcased his genre-defying country releases, which demonstrated the genre's commercial appeal. "Though my heart is broken I will continue to sing," Wynonna Judd said.įans gathered outside the museum, drawn to a white floral bouquet outside the entrance and a small framed photo of Naomi Judd below. Wynonna Judd talked about the family gathering as they said goodbye to her and she and Ashley Judd recited Psalm 23. "I'm sorry that she couldn't hang on until today," Ashley Judd said of her mother to the crowd while crying. On the eve of her induction, the family said in a statement to The Associated Press that Naomi Judd died at the age of 76 due to "the disease of mental illness."ĭaughters Wynonna and Ashley Judd accepted the induction amid tears, holding onto each other and reciting a Bible verse together.
1 hits during their nearly three-decade career. Naomi and Wynonna Judd were among the most popular duos of the 1980s, scoring 14 No. Garth Brooks, Trisha Yearwood, Vince Gill and many more performed their hit songs. The loss of Naomi Judd altered the normally celebratory ceremony, but the music played on, as the genre's singers and musicians mourned the country legend while also celebrating the four inductees: The Judds, Ray Charles, Eddie Bayers and Pete Drake.
Ray Charles and The Judds joined the Country Music Hall of Fame on Sunday in a ceremony filled with tears, music and laughter, just a day after Naomi Judd died unexpectedly.