Road to the Hall of Fame

Rite of Remembrance and Salute

On Sunday, October 22, 2023, three new members of the Country Music Hall of Fame will be formally inducted, receiving country music’s highest honor during the Medallion Ceremony. For the two weeks leading up to their Medallion Ceremony, initiates of the Museum’s Circle Guard conduct the Road to the Hall of Fame: Rite of Remembrance and Salute. This daily ceremony, hosted in the Museum’s Hall of Fame Rotunda at 1:00 p.m., honors all of the Country Music Hall of Fame members who have come before this newest class. The Circle Guard shares each Hall of Fame member’s biography in the order of their induction, from 1961 through present day. For these events, the Circle Guard wears ceremonial garb designed by couturier Sandi Spika Borchetta, and the plaques of the Hall of Fame members being celebrated are illuminated and adorned for emphasis.

2022 CIRCLE GUARD PRESENTATION SCHEDULE

The Road to the Hall of Fame: Rite of Remembrance and Salute will be conducted daily at 1:00 p.m.—from Sunday, October 2 to Saturday, October 15, 2022—in the Museum’s Hall of Fame Rotunda.

Sunday, Oct. 2: Class of 1961-1966

  • Class of 1961 – Jimmie Rodgers, Fred Rose, Hank Williams
  • Class of 1962 – Roy Acuff
  • Class of 1963 – None elected
  • Class of 1964 – Tex Ritter
  • Class of 1965 – Ernest Tubb
  • Class of 1966 – Eddy Arnold, James R. Denny, George D. Hay, Uncle Dave Macon

Monday, Oct. 3: Class of 1967-1973

  • Class of 1967 – Red Foley, J.L. Frank, Jim Reeves, Stephen H. Sholes
  • Class of 1968 – Bob Wills
  • Class of 1969 – Gene Autry
  • Class of 1970 – Bill Monroe, Original Carter Family
  • Class of 1971 – Arthur Edward Satherley
  • Class of 1972 – Jimmie Davis
  • Class of 1973 – Chet Atkins, Patsy Cline

Tuesday, Oct. 4: Class of 1974-1979

  • Class of 1974 – Owen Bradley, Frank “Pee Wee” King
  • Class of 1975 – Minnie Pearl
  • Class of 1976 – Paul Cohen, Kitty Wells
  • Class of 1977 – Merle Travis
  • Class of 1978 – Grandpa Jones
  • Class of 1979 – Hubert Long, Hank Snow

Wednesday, Oct. 5: Class of 1980-1984

  • Class of 1980 – Johnny Cash, Connie B. Gay, Original Sons of the Pioneers
  • Class of 1981 – Vernon Dalhart, Grant Turner
  • Class of 1982 – Lefty Frizzell, Roy Horton, Marty Robbins
  • Class of 1983 – Little Jimmy Dickens
  • Class of 1984 – Ralph S. Peer, Floyd Tillman

Thursday, Oct. 6: Class of 1985-1991

  • Class of 1985 – Lester Flatt & Earl Scruggs
  • Class of 1986 – The Duke of Paducah (Whitey Ford), Wesley H. Rose
  • Class of 1987 – Rod Brasfield
  • Class of 1988 – Loretta Lynn, Roy Rogers
  • Class of 1989 – Jack Stapp, Cliffie Stone, Hank Thompson
  • Class of 1990 – Tennessee Ernie Ford
  • Class of 1991 – Boudleaux and Felice Bryant

Friday, Oct. 7: Class of 1992-1997

  • Class of 1992 – George Jones, Frances Williams Preston
  • Class of 1993 – Willie Nelson
  • Class of 1994 – Merle Haggard
  • Class of 1995 – Roger Miller, Jo Walker-Meador
  • Class of 1996 – Patsy Montana, Buck Owens, Ray Price
  • Class of 1997 – Harlan Howard, Brenda Lee, Cindy Walker

Saturday, Oct. 8: Class of 1998-2000

  • Class of 1998 – George Morgan, Elvis Presley, E.W. “Bud” Wendell, Tammy Wynette
  • Class of 1999 – Johnny Bond, Dolly Parton, Conway Twitty
  • Class of 2000 – Charley Pride, Faron Young

Sunday, Oct. 9: Class of 2001

  • Class of 2001 – Bill Anderson, The Delmore Brothers, The Everly Brothers, Don Gibson, Homer & Jethro, Waylon Jennings, The Jordanaires, Don Law, The Louvin Brothers, Ken Nelson, Sam Phillips, Webb Pierce

Monday, Oct. 10: Class of 2002-2005

  • Class of 2002 – Bill Carlisle, Porter Wagoner
  • Class of 2003 – Floyd Cramer, Carl Smith
  • Class of 2004 – Jim Foglesong, Kris Kristofferson
  • Class of 2005 – Alabama, DeFord Bailey, Glen Campbell

Tuesday, Oct. 11: Class of 2006-2008

  • Class of 2006 – Harold Bradley, Sonny James, George Strait
  • Class of 2007 – Ralph Emery, Vince Gill, Mel Tillis
  • Class of 2008 – Tom T. Hall, Emmylou Harris, The Statler Brothers, Ernest V. “Pop” Stoneman

Wednesday, Oct. 12: Class of 2009-2011

  • Class of 2009 – Roy Clark, Barbara Mandrell, Charlie McCoy
  • Class of 2010 – Jimmy Dean, Ferlin Husky, Billy Sherrill, Don Williams
  • Class of 2011 – Bobby Braddock, Reba McEntire, Jean Shepard

Thursday, Oct. 13: Class of 2012-2015

  • Class of 2012 – Garth Brooks, Hargus “Pig” Robbins, Connie Smith
  • Class of 2013 – Bobby Bare, Cowboy Jack Clement, Kenny Rogers
  • Class of 2014 – Hank Cochran, Ronnie Milsap, Mac Wiseman
  • Class of 2015 – Jim Ed Brown and The Browns, Grady Martin, The Oak Ridge Bo

Friday, Oct. 14: Class of 2016-2019

  • Class of 2016 – Charlie Daniels, Fred Foster, Randy Travis
  • Class of 2017 – Alan Jackson, Jerry Reed, Don Schlitz
  • Class of 2018 – Johnny Gimble, Ricky Skaggs, Dottie West
  • Class of 2019 – Jerry Bradley, Brooks & Dunn, Ray Stevens

Saturday, Oct. 15: Class of 2020-2021

  • Class of 2020 – Dean Dillon, Marty Stuart, Hank Williams Jr.
  • Class of 2021 – Eddie Bayers, Ray Charles, Pete Drake, The Judds

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