Musicians Hall of Fame Inductees Include Dolly Parton, Keith Urban, Dan Huff, and More

Congratulations to some of country music's most talented! On April 28, the Musicians Hall of Fame welcomed a dozen new members. This is the 9th induction class. The ceremony was held at the Fisher Center for the Performing Arts at Belmont University.

Inductees include Dann Huff, George Thorgood & the Destroyers, Keith Urban, Leland Sklar, Michael McDonald, and the late Nicky Hopkins. Dolly Parton was also inducted and received the industry icon award. Along with John Boylan being inducted and receiving the producer award.

CEO and co-founder of Musicians Hall of Fame & Museum, Linda Chambers, presented each inductee with a medallion and a custom-made jacket. Chambers was accompanied by 2016 inductees Ricky Skaggs and Don Felder for the special achievement.

An all-star concert also took place throughout the evening. The Musicians Hall of Fame all-star band includes some of your favorites, such as Brent Rader, Mark Beckett, Paul Franklin, Mark Hill, Chris Leuzinger, John Jarvis, and many more.

Country singer Garth Brooks also took the stage to perform a rendition of "How Sweet It Is." Brooks also gave a special message to the inductees. "You guys all light the paths that the rest of us try to follow," said Brooks.

Dolly Parton was recognized for her achievements far beyond just her vocals. Sheryl Crow presented the honor to Parton, recognizing her for her writing, performing, and instrumental talent. Parton is known to be able to play the banjo, dulcimer, guitar, piano, and more.

“I am very humbled to be inducted into the Musicians Hall of Fame,” Parton said in a video message. “My songwriting is more important to me than anything, but as much as I’ve crafted lyrics in my mind, and then eventually started writing them down on paper, I realized early on that if I was going to write songs, I needed to be able to play instruments to bring them to life. I knew this would allow people to hear them in ways that I heard them playing in my head… I understood how important it was to speak to the instrumentation and I learned to communicate what I wanted to hear on records because I could play them.”

Following the induction of new members, the Musicians Hall of Fame has officially inducted 200 musicians, producers, engineers, and others into their class.

“Each new class of inductees reminds us why we do what we do — preserving and celebrating the legacy of the musicians who bring songs to life,” Chambers said in a statement. “We couldn’t be more excited to welcome these artists into the Musicians Hall of Fame.”