2025 Country Music Hall of Fame Picks & Predictions

It’s that time of year again to consider who might be the newest inductees into the Country Music Hall of Fame. A secret committee commissioned by the CMA (Country Music Association) is going over their final ballots and whittling down the names to the few who will make it into one of country music’s most hallowed institutions.
Unlike other Halls of Fame, the Country Music Hall of Fame tries to keep the institution distinguished by letting only a few names in each year. This way a bad name never slips through the process, hypothetically. This has also caused a glut of good names being left out in recent years, creating consternation in itself. But it also keeps the Hall of Fame honor exclusive and distinguished.
The Rules
The Country Music Hall of Fame inductees are selected through a committee process appointed by the CMA. Since 2010, the selection process has been split up into three categories. 1) Modern Era – Eligible for induction 20 years after they first achieve “national prominence.” 2) Veterans Era – Eligible for induction 40 years after they first achieve “national prominence.” 3) Non-Performer, Songwriter, and Recording and/or Touring Musician active prior to 1980 – Rotates every 3 years. If there is a tie in voting in any category, two names can be selected, as we saw in 2021.
With a musician James Burton selected in 2024, and songwriter Bob McDill selected in 2023, it would be a non-performer selected in 2025, meaning a label executive, media personality, or someone else considered instrumental to country music.
Another important rule to note is that no candidate is eligible for the Hall of Fame a year after they pass away. This is to avoid sympathy votes in the aftermath of an artist dying, so check the 2024 In Memoriam List for those who would be ineligible. In recent years, this has accelerated artists being inducted before they die to avoid the one year penalty, and to honor them while they’re still living.
READ THE FULL HALL OF FAME RULES
Potential Modern Era Inductees
The Modern Era category definitely feels quite “modern” these days with performers who are still very much active in the mainstream constituting legitimate contenders for the Hall of Fame—Kenny Chesney, Shania Twain, Tim McGraw, Keith Urban, and more. Dwight Yoakam and Clint Black feel like old timers in the category. They also should be the top contenders.
• Last Year’s Modern Era Inductee: Toby Keith
• Saving Country Music Prediction: Kenny Chesney or Dwight Yoakam
• Saving Country Music’s Pick: Dwight Yoakam

Dwight Yoakam: You’d think with 25 million records sold, Dwight Yoakam should definitely be considered for Hall of Fame distinction. But being based in California as opposed to Nashville may put him a bit out of the purview of voters, which is always an important factor. Yoakam’s greatest contribution beyond the solid sales numbers comes is the influence he had in country music in his time, and that he still wields today over generations of performers. Dwight Yoakam made country music cool to millions, just like Hall of Famer Buck Owens and other Bakersfield legends did in their time.
Dwight’s also not showing any signs of slowing down, and has earned additional stripes as a country music ambassador through his acting career. Having just released his first original album in 10 years with 2024’s Brighter Days, there would be no better time to celebrate his career with this deserved distinction.

Alison Krauss: There may be no other single performer who did more for spreading the love and appreciation for bluegrass throughout the ’90s and 2000s than Alison Krauss. The solo albums, the work with Union Station, the collaborations with Robert Plant and others have made her one of the most critically-acclaimed artists of our generation, with enough commercial success to also make her a household name.
Krauss has won 27 Grammy Awards, putting her only behind Beyoncé, Quincy Jones and classical conductor Georg Solti as the most-awarded artist in Grammy history. She has also received 42 nominations. This includes a Grammy win for the all-genre Album of the Year Rising Sand with Robert Plant. Krauss was also critical to the O Brother Where Art Thou soundtrack, and is a National Medal of Arts winner. Krauss most certainly has the resumé to be a Hall of Famer, and no better time to finally mint the award than the year she’s reuniting with Union Station for a massive tour and album.

Clint Black: If it wasn’t for his career’s disappearing act, his name would be a no brainier for the Hall of Fame. Instead, Clint Black’s impact is commonly overlooked, and unfairly so. Nobody was more successful in country music in the ’90s decade than Clint Black, save for Garth Brooks. A whopping thirteen #1 singles including his first four consecutively, and a total of 29 Top 10 hits puts Clint Black in an elite class in regards to stats. Clint Black also kept it (mostly) country, and was always seen as a good guy in the industry.
When Clint Black’s wife Lisa Hartman had their first child in May of 2001, he decided to take three years off to enjoy his young family. Aside from “Spend My Time” in 2003 that peaked at #16, the rest of Clint’s singles all stayed outside the Top 40 after the hiatus. “It ended up not being a smart career move, but it was a real smart dad move. … I wouldn’t go back and try to do anything for my career in exchange for that,” Black says. It shouldn’t cost him a Hall of Fame induction either. He should join his fellow “Class of ’89” member Garth Brooks and Alan Jackson in the Hall of Fame.

Tim McGraw: McGraw never had that consecutive string of years when he was the biggest thing in country music like other Hall of Fame inductees, but he has shown a longevity in his career that few others have matched. McGraw’s had 27 #1 hits in a span covering over 20 years. This includes some universally-recognized hits like “Don’t Take The Girl,” “Live Like You Were Dying,” and “Humble and Kind” written by Lori McKenna. McGraw also won the CMA’s Entertainer of the Year in 2001.
Similar to other Modern Era hopefuls, the question is if Tim McGraw is still considered a current artist, while other artists who’ve been patiently waiting their turn (i.e. Dwight Yoakam) continue to be passed over. McGraw is getting in, but voters may wait a couple more years before making it official.

Kenny Chesney: Though it may feel like Kenny Chesney is more of a current artist than a Hall of Fame candidate, he was officially eligible for the Hall of Fame now 10 years ago. Chesney released his first major label album with BNA in 1995, and had two Top 10 singles, “Fall In Love” and “All I Need to Know.” With 4 out of 5 CMA Entertainer of the Year Awards between 2004 and 2008, 32 #1 hits, and over 30 million albums sold, Chesney’s resume for the Hall of Fame is undeniable.
Consider this: Kenny Chesney has been country music’s only active and consistent stadium draw for going on 20 years. From the mid to late aughts before Taylor Swift came onto the scene, Chesney was far and away the biggest artist in country music. Possibly the only thing keeping Kenny Chesney back is that he feels like a current artist as opposed to an aged-out performer that deserves to be venerated. But there’s no denying Kenny is getting in, and if not this year, then in the next year or two.

Shania Twain – Make no mistake about it, Shania Twain will be in the Country Music Hall of Fame some day. During her era, nobody was a bigger commercial success except for Garth Brooks. With over 100 million records sold, she is the best-selling woman in country music of all time, and one of the best selling music artists in all of music, period. She is the undisputed queen of country pop. And though traditionalists love to shake their angry little fists at her for ushering in the pop era of country, her influence is undeniable.
Something to always consider when talking about the Hall of Fame is proximity to voters. As a Canadian who also keeps a residence in Switzerland, Shania may not be in the best position to lobby for her spot in the rotunda. But in 2022 she was inducted into the Nashville Songwriters Hall of Fame. The Country Music Hall of Fame is sure to be next on her list.

Travis Tritt: Since two of his brethren from the “Class of ’89” are in (Garth Brooks and Alan Jackson), as well as his “No Hat” buddy in Marty Stuart, Travis Tritt will start to be much more heavily considered in the next few years. There’s probably still a few names ahead of him, and since his commercial career cooled off somewhat quickly, his induction ceremony may still be some years away. It also probably doesn’t help that Travis Tritt has been one to speak about the ills of the country music industry, which may draw the ire of some voters. Tritt is also divisive politically.
And why not consider Tritt, with two Grammy Awards, four CMAs, five #1 singles, and 19 Top 10’s? Travis Tritt helped put the drive into country, both sonically and commercially.
The [Dixie] Chicks – As the winner of the 2000 CMA Entertainer of the Year, Album of the Year for Fly, a four-time winner for Vocal Group of the Year, along with 10 total CMA wins, The Chicks are definitely legitimate contenders for the Hall of Fame sooner than later. Some folks forget that before their cancellation in 2003, they were the biggest act in country music. They’ve sold 33 million albums, and are the best-selling all-woman band and best-selling country group since Nielsen SoundScan began recording sales in 1991.
The fact that history looks back at how their career was destroyed due to the comments of Natalie Maines about the Iraq War as a blight in country music certainly influences their chances of eventually being recognized by the Hall of Fame. It would be a way to help make it right, even if the group these days is not especially “country” anymore.
Other Potential Modern Era Inductees:
Keith Urban – Some bigger names are going to have to get in before Urban is considered a serious contender. But with 22 No. 1 singles according to Billboard, he’s probably getting in at some point. Urban’s also been heavily involved in the “All for the Hall” fundraising events for the Hall of Fame over the years, likely earning him some champions in the ranks of voters.
Steve Wariner – With a surprising nine #1 singles throughout the 80’s, Wariner is not one of those flashy characters that immediately jumps out at you as a Hall of Fame contender, but he quietly put together a Hall of Fame-caliber career. He’s also a guy who hangs around the right places in Nashville to make sure selection committee members don’t forget about him, so don’t be surprised if his name pops up as an inductee.
Martina McBride: With five #1 songs, and twenty Top 20 singles, Martina McBride has comparable numbers to other recent Modern Era inductees and current candidates. But it isn’t just the numbers when it comes to Martina. It’s the voice, and the emotion it carries that makes Martina McBride a viable Hall of Fame candidate.
Trisha Yearwood: It’s the timeless songs, and how Yearwood was one of the most important women throughout the ’90s that makes her an eligible candidate for the Hall of Fame. Her debut single “She’s In Love with the Boy,” is a bonafide country music standard, and one of five #1’s she enjoyed. Her 1991 self-titled album became the first debut female country album to sell one million copies, and has since gone double platinum.
Lorrie Morgan – With 6 millions records sold worldwide and 40 charting singles, she’s a contender for the future for sure. Morgan helped get her former husband Keith Whitley in, so she clearly has the ear of voters.
John Michael Montgomery – Few assembled as memorable of a list of hits in the ’90s as John Michael Montgomery. “I Love the Way You Love Me,” “Sold (The Grundy County Auction Incident),” “I Swear,” “I Can Love You Like That,” and “Be My Baby Tonight” all hit #1, and deservedly so from one of the era’s most passionate singers.
Faith Hill, Tracy Lawrence, and Brad Paisley are some other names that are officially eligible.
Potential Veterans Era Inductees
The last couple of years, both the Veteran’s Era inductees felt like Shoo In’s with Hank Williams Jr. and Tanya Tucker. Both felt like they had waited well past their time to be inducted. Now with both of them out of the way, the field feels much more open, though the list of deserving inductees perhaps has never been so long.
• Last Year’s Inductee: John Anderson
• Saving Country Music Prediction: Nitty Gritty Dirt Band, Vern Gosdin
• Saving Country Music’s Picks: Johnny Horton, Maddox Brothers & Rose, The Stanley Brothers
The Maddox Brothers & Rose – The Maddox Brothers & Rose set the very foundations for country and rock music in America, along with The Bakersfield Sound and California Country at large. Their flamboyant stage dress inspired by the cowboys of the silver screen directly sparked the Nudie Suit craze in country music that is still en vogue today, and directly inspired Elvis Presley’s stage costumes. Rose Maddox was also one of the very first successful women in country music, and opened up the role of women as country entertainers for generations to come.
If groups like The Jordanaires and The Sons of the Pioneers are in The Hall, certainly The Maddox Brothers & Rose should be. Their worthiness for the Hall of Fame was underscored in the 2019 Ken Burns country music documentary where the group was featured prominently.
Vern Gosdin – Think of all the incredible voices that have graced country music over the decades: the intrinsic pain found in the singing of George Jones, the uncanny pentameter of John Anderson, the caramel tone of Dwight Yoakam, or Johnny Cash, who sounded like God himself. And of course, let’s not forget the angelic sounds of Patsy Cline, Loretta Lynn, Tammy Wynette, and Dolly.
But there’s only one artist in the history of country music who is unarguably referred to simply as “The Voice.” That’s how revered the singing of Vern Gosdin is. Despite his 19 Top 10 hits and multiple #1’s—and a consensus behind the conclusion by fans and fellow artists alike that he’s one of the best singers in the history of country music—Gosdin is one of those characters who seems to be continuously overlooked in country history. Luckily though, there is finally some buzz that Vern is being seriously considered for the Hall of Fame.
Johnny Horton – Horton is one of the most recognizable country artists from the ’50s and early ’60s. But since he died in 1960 in an automobile accident, he never had the opportunity to fulfill the promise of his career. Nonetheless, many believe that what Johnny Horton contributed before he passed was Hall of Fame worthy, similar to Keith Whitley and Patsy Cline.
Horton’s greatest contributions were his historical songs that have gone on to become mainstays of the American music songbook. “The Battle of New Orleans” won the 1960 Grammy for Best Country & Western Recording, won the Grammy Hall of Fame Award in 2001, and was named one of the RIAA’s “Songs of the Century.” Other songs like “Sink the Bismark” and “North to Alaska” hold great historical significance. Horton is already a member of the Rockabilly Hall of Fame, and the Louisiana Hall of Fame.
Ralph Stanley / The Stanley Brothers – Ralph Stanley and The Stanley Brothers continue to be a glaring omission in the ranks of Hall of Fame members. Ralph Stanley was a seminal figure in the emergence of bluegrass in both the original era, and during its second wind after the success of O Brother Where Art Thou. Universally beloved inside Nashville and beyond, a former Grand Ole Opry member, and a powerful name to represent the bluegrass side of country, Ralph Stanley would be a strong pick few would quibble with, and is well past due.
Ralph Stanley started his musical career with his brother Carter Stanley who passed away in 1966. The two brothers spent two decades together as performers. The Stanley Brothers as a pair would probably be how they are inducted as opposed to Ralph Stanley alone. This is what the family of both Ralph and Carter have been advocating for.
Nitty Gritty Dirt Band – From folk rock at their inception, to bluegrass revivalists in the ’70s, to country radio hitmakers in the ’80s, The Nitty Gritty Dirt Band have just about done it all, and in a way that has been revered and wildly influential throughout music. Jerry Jeff Walker may have written “Mr. Bojangles,” but it was the Nitty Gritty Dirt Band that popularized the song and had a hit with it in 1970.
The band perhaps released their pinnacle contribution to country with 1972’s Will The Circle Be Unbroken. The landmark album saw appearances by country and bluegrass legends such as Roy Acuff, Doc Watson, Earl Scruggs, Mother Maybelle Carter, Jimmy Martin, and many more. The album became like a road map for many folk and rock fans to find their way into country, as well as a bridging together of two generations of performers.
With their recently-announced farewell tour, now would be as good a time as any to induct them into the Hall of Fame.
June Carter Cash – Though one of the most famous daughters and wives in country music is already in the Hall of Fame in spirit with the induction of The Carter Family in 1970, there seems to be a big push to put June Carter Cash in individually for her contributions to country music outside of the legendary family band. This push has perhaps been bolstered by a recent Grammy-nominated documentary on the late country singer.
June Carter Cash does not have the kind of gaudy numbers other candidates boast. She only released four solo albums, though released four more as collaborations with her husband Johnny Cash. But June Carter has all the intangibles that often go into a successful Hall of Fame candidate. She is part of country music’s First Family, and was the face of the Carters for generations.
Lynn Anderson – Lynn Anderson was the singer of 12 country music #1’s, and known as the “Great Lady of Country Music.” Anderson also performed on over 40 albums over her career which resulted in over 50 Top 40 hits. Beyond the chart hits and awards, she also helped break down barriers for women in country. “(I Never Promised You a) Rose Garden” was a huge crossover success, and in 1974 Lynn was the first country female to sell out Madison Square Garden.
Though the hits began to slow down for Lynn Anderson later in life, she never did, continuing to perform and make appearances as a country music legend. Though she was never inducted into the Country Music Hall of Fame, her name always seemed to be in the mix when the finalists were being considered, and it deserves to be.
Jimmy Buffett – Though Jimmy Buffett only ever scored one official #1 hit, this is a significantly misleading stat compared to the host of signature songs Buffett accrued over his career, and the ultimate success and impact he had with them. Despite the lack of radio play beyond “Jimmy Buffett
Margaritaville,” or a proper genre to call his home, Jimmy Buffett scored nine Certified Platinum albums over his career, and an additional eight Certified Gold albums. This includes the whopping 7X Platinum Songs You Know By Heart Greatest Hits compilation, which as the name implies, includes songs that many people in the United States know front to back.
Perhaps the stat that’s the best summation of Jimmy Buffett’s career is that he was one of music’s few billionaires. Sure, a lion’s share of that billion was built off of his Margaritaville resorts, restaurants, and licensing deals. But you don’t make that happen unless a song you wrote resonates so wide that it becomes an indelible part of American culture. This is what Jimmy Buffett did.
Johnny Paycheck: Johnny Paycheck (real name Donald Eugene Lytle) was never a hit machine. He only had one #1, but it was a massive one in “Take This Job and Shove It”—which might be one of the most recognized country songs of all time. “She’s All I Got” was also a big hit. But similar to inductees like Keith Whitley and Marty Stuart, it is the intangibles, and the work with others that make Paycheck Hall of Fame worthy. While playing bass and steel guitar for George Jones, it’s said that Paycheck helped influence George’s singing (though some dispute this). Johnny Paycheck is synonymous with country music, and seems like a glaring omission in the Hall of Fame.
As other guys with checkered pasts have seen their musical legacies supersede these concerns and finally see induction, it has moved Paycheck further up in contention to the point now where he’s been rumored to have made it as one of the finalists for consideration over the last few years. If Jerry Lee Lewis can get in, so can Paycheck.
Linda Ronstadt: It could be easy to cast off Linda Ronstadt as a legitimate candidate for being a country artist who eventually crossed over into pop and rock. But few paid their dues as much as Linda did early in her career, including her years in the Stone Poneys, her debut solo album in 1969, Hand Sown…Home Grown, 1970’s Silk Purse that included cover songs of “Lovesick Blues” and “Mental Revenge,” and her 1972 self-titled album where she recorded “Crazy Arms” and “I Fall To Pieces.” Even when she achieved her breakout pop rock success, Linda Ronstadt was always honest about the genre and approach of her music, and then returned to country in the groundbreaking “Trio” project with Hall of Famers Dolly Parton and Emmylou Harris.
Other Veterans Era-eligible artists may deserve an induction more than Ronstadt at the moment due to the crowded backlog. But with the wild way the Veterans Era is picked, don’t be surprised if she ends up as an inductee in the coming years. She has been rumored to have made it onto the final ballot recently.
Eddie Rabbitt: Aside from maybe Gary Stewart, the case could be made that Eddie Rabbitt is the most wrongfully overlooked star in country music history. Gary Stewart only had one #1 song in his career though. Eddie Rabbitt had 20 of them, and 34 total Top 10 hits, most of which he wrote himself. And all 34 of Rabbitt’s Top 10 hits came in a row, one after another, between 1976’s “Drinkin’ My Baby (Off My Mind)” and 1990 “Runnin’ With The Wind.”
Eddie Rabbitt’s career wasn’t just accomplished, it was downright Hall of Fame worthy. But you never hear Eddie Rabbitt’s name brought up in the context of the Hall of Fame. Actually, you barely ever hear his name at all, in part because he passed away at the relatively young age of 56. But Eddie Rabbitt definitely deserves to be in the Hall of Fame discussion.
Larry Gatlin & The Gatlin Brothers: With 33 Top 40 singles, 15 Top 5’s and three #1’s, Larry Gatlin likely accrued the numbers throughout the 70’s and the 80’s to be a Hall of Fame contender, not to speak of the influence he wielded in country music through that period, both as a solo artist, and with brothers Steve and Rudy. But also bolstering Larry Gatlin’s case is he’s one of these “men about town” types that seems to be at every function and gala in the country music realm, is active in the community, and is willing to help keep the legacy of country music alive, which the Hall of Fame selection committee often rewards. Larry Gatlin is a name that is hard to forget, and rumors have had his name on the final ballot over the last few years.
Gram Parsons: Gram’s inclusion in Hall of Fame consideration is always a topic of great discussion. In 2013 there was a greater push than ever to induct him, with influential country music writer Chet Flippo personally making the case for Parsons. But it wasn’t meant to be, and it may be many years before it is, especially with the current backlog in the Veterans Era. But his name is always in the field for this accolade, and looking at the influence Gram had turning on millions of rock and roll fans to the importance and coolness of country music, it always should be.
Other Potential Veterans Era Inductees:
- Earl Thomas Conley (Petition) – It’s easy to forget just how big Conley was in the ’80s. He had 18 #1 hit songs, and a string where 19 consecutive songs either went #1 or #2. Songs Conley wrote were also recorded by Conway Twitty, Mel Street, and others.
- Rosanne Cash- Folks sometimes forget just how big Rosanne Cash got in the ’80s with ten #1 hits, and a huge influence on the genre at the time. She’s not just Johnny Cash’s daughter, or an Americana icon. Rosanne Cash could be a legitimate Hall of Famer in her own right.
- Mickey Gilley – With 42 Top 40 singles and the role he played during the Urban Cowboy era, Mickey should be considered a contender.
- Gene Watson – With five #1’s across country and Gospel and 76 total charted singles, Gene Watson was an understated superstar, and the fact that he continues to remain active in trying to keep both is own legacy and the legacy of country music alive makes him a name worth considering.
- Crystal Gayle – Loretta Lynn’s sister and “Don’t It Make My Brown Eyes Blue” singer has fans and allies in the industry, and expect her name to be bandied about for the Hall of Fame in the coming years.
- Jimmy Martin – You might have to put Ralph Stanley and the Stanley Brothers in before Jimmy Martin gets considered. His personal antics might also hold him back as well. But the “King of Bluegrass” should be put in eventually.
- Tompall Glaser & The Glaser Brothers: Perhaps a long shot, or at least until the Veteran’s Era backlog is cleared, brothers-in-Outlaw-country-arms Bobby Bare and “Cowboy” Jack Clement were inducted over the last decade, so many the proprietor of Hillbilly Central will get his due in the coming years.
- Charlie Poole
- Anne Murray
- John Hartford
- The Bellamy Brothers
- Johnny Rodriguez
- June Carter Cash
- John Denver
- David Allan Coe
- Lulu Bell and Scotty Wiseman
- Gary Stewart
- Jack Greene
- Skeeter Davis
- Donna Fargo
- Slim Whitman
- Wanda Jackson
- Wynn Stewart – (Petition)
- Jimmy C. Newman
- Sammi Smith
- Jeannie Seely
- George Hamilton IV
- The Wilburn Brothers
- Leroy Van Dyke
- Stonewall Jackson
- Asleep at the Wheel
- Boxcar Willie
Potential Non-Performer Inductees
The non-performer inductee is likely to be an industry personality like a label head, a producer, or some other individual who made a significant impact on country music behind-the-scenes. But if Saving Country Music had a vote, it would be for country music writer Chet Flippo, or clothing designer Nudie Cohn.
Chet Flippo: Along with writing the liner notes to many of country music’s most iconic albums, including Wanted: The Outlaws and Red Headed Stranger, Chet’s work with Rolling Stone in the 70’s exposed country music to entirely new crowd and generation. Chet Flippo helped make country music cool, and continued in a journalistic capacity to become an elder statesman and one of the most respected opinion makers in the business.
Flippo was an editor and writer for Rolling Stone until 1980 when he left to write a biography of Hank Williams, but continued to contribute to the magazine over the years. From 1991 to 1994, Flippo was a lecturer in journalism at the University of Tennessee in Knoxville, before moving to Nashville. From 1995 until 2000, he was the Nashville Bureau Chief for Billboard, leaving in 2000.
Flippo was later known for his work on CMT.com in his always-enlightening Nashville Skyline columns. For 12 years he oversaw editorial content for CMT. A writer who had seen it all with the courage to say what he believed, Flippo had the ability to stimulate discussion like none other in his field. Though he never seemed exactly at home on CMT with his more traditional country mindset, Flippo’s air brought a sense of legitimacy to the whole CMT operation. If there ever was a music writer who deserved Hall of Fame induction, it is Chet Flippo. He passed away in 2013.
Nudie Cohn – When you go to the Country Music Hall of Fame in Nashville, there is one man’s influence you will see more than anyone else’s. No, it’s not the Father of Country Music Jimmie Rodgers, or the first King of Country Hank Williams. It’s the timeless work of Ukrainian refugee turned Western clothier Nudie Cohn.
It was the music of artists such as Hank Williams, Elvis Presley, Porter Wagoner, and Gram Parsons that made them famous. But the image we all conjure of these artists whenever their music comes to mind sprang from the imagination of Nudie Cohn. Hank’s famous white suit with the black musical notes waterfalling down the sleeves and legs was a master work of Nudie Cohn.
Porter Wagoner eventually owned 52 Nudie Suits, with each one costing roughly $11,000 to $18,000 (not adjusted for inflation). The Gram Parsons suit worn as part of the Flying Burrito Brothers’ The Gilded Palace of Sin album in 1969 with the pills and marijuana leaves emblazoning the coat was a Nudie Suit. The artists who didn’t wear Nudie Suits in country music’s classical era were easier to count than the ones that did, while wearing the suits crossed well over into the rock and popular music world.
When Nudie Cohn passed away on May 9th, 1984 at the age of 81, many country music stars attended the funeral, and mourned his passing as if he was one of their own—not a servant or a side participant in the music, but an equal player. Much of Nudie Cohn’s work is already in the Hall of Fame, including the Pontiac Bonneville convertible with the pistol door handles and rifle sidebars designed for Webb Pierce. It’s time now that Nudie Cohn the man be enshrined in the Hall of Fame as well.
MORE LIKELY INDUCTEES:
Bob Kingsley – The long-time radio host of America’s Country Countdown, and a well-beloved member of the country radio DJ community, Kingsley would be a great pick that the public would actually know as opposed to another label executive.
Tony Brown – Perhaps the greatest modern music producer in country music, Tony Brown is responsible for the vast majority of the catalogs of artists such as George Strait, Vince Gill, and Reba McEntire, along with selections from Brooks & Dunn, The Mavericks, Steve Earle, Patty Loveless, and many more. He was also the President of MCA Nashville for a stint, so if you want to induct another label executive, Tony Brown would qualify too. He’s a behind-the-scenes guy that even most moderate country fans are aware of.
Irving Waugh – A fixture of WSM, he started as a radio announcer in for the legendary radio station in 1941. He would go on to serve as as commercial manager, general manager, vice president, and president of WSM’s radio and TV operations, including president from 1968 to 1978. There is a CMA Award named after him that recognizes, “An individual who is the originator and caretaker of demonstrated ideas and actions that have dramatically broadened and improved Country Music’s influence on a national or international level for the benefit of the industry as a whole.”
One name that will hopefully NOT be considered is Mike Curb. Despite his philanthropic practices towards the Hall of Fame, his dubious past of dealing with artists should preclude him from any consideration.
January 28, 2025 @ 8:36 am
Hopefully, Dwight’s new album will help put him back on the radar of the voters. It may have hurt in previous years that his output had slowed, but with a new album out, there’s a chance that he could be back in their line of sight and maybe this will be his year.
January 28, 2025 @ 8:43 pm
I think people that have contributed to country music that have been recognized but overlooked she be considered such as Bashful Brother Oswald who was a popular as Roy Acuff when you heard the wahbash cannonball Oswald is the first thing you heard plus a great old time banjo player and entertainer.
Also Miss Charley McClain such been inducted who had a ton of hits in the eighties.
Others that have been overlooked are Romona Jones wife of Grandpa Jones she is literally the greatest fiddler ever.
Also The Osborne Brothers, Jim and Jesse,Miss Dale Wood and Emory Gordy Jr. who played behind Emmylou Harris,John Denver and Elvis and produced tons of records.
January 29, 2025 @ 7:47 am
Edmond,
I enjoyed your comment. Charly McClain is just one of many 80s acts that seemingly are forgotten. I bring up some of these folks in my comments here, but it’s interesting how many people talk about 90s artists with great sentiment, they talk about 70s artists excitedly, but 80s? It’s crickets….chirp chirp.
I think this is because of keyboards and that 80s compressed guitar sound that dominated the early 80s. But…all things come around and I think in due time these 80s artists may get some attention again.
You named some great musicians. There is a musicians Hall of Fame in Nashville and I think many of them could end up there. Side players in particular are not likely to end up in the CMHOF. Emory Gordy as a significant producer would be a good choice for the CMHOF.
January 29, 2025 @ 11:08 am
Agree with Edmond.
Jim and Jesse McReyolds and the Osborne Bros to me are more likely candidates than Jimmy Martin. Jimmy was great but the other two had bigger impact.
January 28, 2025 @ 8:53 am
I’m hoping it will be Dwight in the modern era. I’m sure the veteran’s era nominee will be a worthy pick. I suppose I’ll let my hometown pride show and lobby for Earl Thomas Conley. But really there is still a gigantic backlog and there needs to be a year or a stretch of several years where we address this.
Any chances of Don Pierce getting in for the non-performer slot?
January 28, 2025 @ 9:19 am
Any thoughts on Travis Tritt’s chances? I never hear his name mentioned for consideration. It seems he should at least be part of the conversation.
January 28, 2025 @ 11:20 am
Call someone who cares.
January 28, 2025 @ 11:51 am
For some reason, Travis Tritt’s entry under the Modern Era nominees got eaten while working on this article. I just re-added it.
That said, I honestly think Travis Tritt is still probably 3-5 years out from being considered a serious contender.
January 28, 2025 @ 9:29 am
Any of the ones from the Veterans category. Pretty stacked list
January 30, 2025 @ 1:48 pm
Gene Watson!!
January 28, 2025 @ 9:30 am
It would be good to see Gene Watson, who has one of the finest voices in country music honoured in the veterans category, and Dwight would be deserving in the modern. There are many deserving candidates.
January 28, 2025 @ 9:40 am
My hopes are:
Modern: Dwight Yoakam or Martina McBride
Veteran: Rosanne Cash or Maddox Bros & Rose
Non-performer: Brian Ahern or historian Bill C Malone
January 28, 2025 @ 11:52 am
Bill C Malone is an interesting name to consider.
January 28, 2025 @ 4:33 pm
Eddie Stubbs too
January 28, 2025 @ 10:11 am
…it is dwight yoakam’s turn this time. picture him wearing a nudie jacket on the occasion of the official induction ceremony in autumn with nudie cohen also being inducted this time. what a historical moment that would be at an already historical moment and place.
January 28, 2025 @ 10:26 am
Veterans Era — The Stanley Bros. or John Denver
Modern Era — Dwight Yoakam or Clint Black
Non-Performer — John Lair or Nudie Cohn
January 28, 2025 @ 10:29 am
Just a guess based on names mentioned here:
Tim McGraw
Vern Gosdin
Tony Brown
January 28, 2025 @ 10:56 am
Put me down for Dwight and Vern Gosdin, numerous old timers due, Gary Stewart and Gene Watson being my picks,Hall needs to add more than one a year to clear back log
January 28, 2025 @ 6:44 pm
I don’t know if Vern Gosdin might ever came close to being inducted into the H-o-F, but I think Trig killed–or wiped out–his chances with his podcast and article here a few years ago that recounted the incident in 1980 where Gosdin was alleged to have paid two hitmen to knock off artist-producer and industry figure Gary Paxton, who held a contract to record and produce Vern. Paxton was beaten and shot and left for dead, but somehow survive–and even managed to outlive Vern.
It’s a real eye-opener. Yes, one is innocent until proven guilty–and in that era before cell phones and GPS, the prosecutor did not have evidence to corroborate or disprove the hitmen’s story that they were paid by hired by Gosdin. (Though Paxton was sure that they were, and Gosdin wouldn’t discuss it.) But it obviously takes a serious, behind-the-scenes push to on one’s behalf to get a lone artist from a past era elected to the H-o-F. I think that a campaign on behalf of Vern would garner enough pushback to render it moot.
January 28, 2025 @ 10:57 am
When are you eligible Trigger
January 28, 2025 @ 11:05 am
How is John Prine not in the Hall of Fame?
January 28, 2025 @ 11:54 am
There needs to be a avenue for performer songwriters to get in. Every three years we get a songwriter, but it’s usually a behind-the-scenes guy, not someone like Prine, Guy Clark, Townes Van Zandt, etc. that feel like they deserve a spot.
January 28, 2025 @ 7:27 pm
What about Mickey Newbury? Not a lot of commercial success in regards to his own recordings, but a massively influential catalogue of writing. And regardless, Looks Like Rain is a hell of an album.
January 28, 2025 @ 8:21 pm
Or Rodney Crowell. Big success as a recording artist in his own right–but for a very brief time: five #1 singles off of one album, “Diamonds and Dirt.”. And he’s also written or co-written different songs that topped a chart for himself, of course, but also for a diverse array of superstar talent from Highway 101, to Bob Seeger (“Shame on the Moon”), Juice Newton, Crystal Gayle, Tim McGraw, to Waylon Jennings to the Oak Ridge Boys. “Leavin’ Louisiana in the Broad Daylight.”) And he’s continued to put out albums of his own new material on independent labels for 30-some years that get nominated for awards in the Americana field.
January 28, 2025 @ 11:23 am
I’d like to see Dwight and Clint get in first on the contemporarry side, but if we’re moving on to late ’90s-2000’s stars, I think McGraw comes before Chesney. Your short write-up understates how big McGraw was. When Garth Brooks cooled off (and even retired), McGraw became the #1 album and singles male artist in country music with one multi-platinum album and slew of # singles after another (exceeded only by Shania in album sales). I was never a big fan of his, but I think people saw a lot of his songs like “Angry All the Time,” “Live Like You Were Dying,” and “Humble and Kind” as having depth.
McGraw was kind of the mentor.big brother to Chesney and took him out on tour before Chesney went out on his own.
January 28, 2025 @ 2:03 pm
I find “Angry All The Time” to be a deeply affecting song. From the perspective of where the genre has been in the past decade, it’s amazing a song that dour and understated was the lead single from a major artist, much less a number one hit.
Not quite the point, but I think a lot of 2000s country has aged better than it gets credit for. Hell, most of it’s just as country as your average Nashville Sound, string section big band wannabe from the 1950s or 60s. Sure, a lot of it had just as much of an adult contemporary influence as anything country, but the lyrics were still fairly good on average. We hadn’t quite hit the laundry list pandering that the genre is still reeling from.
January 28, 2025 @ 6:20 pm
“Angry All the Time” was the 2nd single from Set This Circus Down (“Grown Men Don’t Cry” was the lead single).
I always was thought McGraw’s success with “Angry All the Time” was an extension of the industry’s respect for its songwriter, Bruce Robison. He and his then wife Kelly Willis recorded it in the late 90s and released a music video in 1998. It’s on my NAPSTAR greatest hits CD I’ll probably never be able to listen to again.
Robison was on a tear at the time as the industry songwriter with Dixie Chicks covering his “Travelin’ Soldier” and George Strait covering “Wrapped” during that era.
January 28, 2025 @ 7:37 pm
Apologies, I misremembered it as the lead single. And regardless of theories for why “Angry All The Time” was a success, I think my point still stands. It’s a well-written song about unpleasant subject matter that became a big hit on corporate country radio.
January 28, 2025 @ 8:09 pm
Oh, yeah. 100%. It’s a great song. And I really like Tim and Faith’s version too.
February 8, 2025 @ 12:36 pm
LYNN ANDERSON. Long overdue.
January 28, 2025 @ 11:53 am
All caps here shouting STANLEY BROTHERS!!!
January 29, 2025 @ 11:43 am
Yep. Multiple names on this list were inspired by the work of Carter and Ralph. For them not to be given this long-overdue honor pretty much renders the CMHoF a joke at this point.
January 28, 2025 @ 12:05 pm
Really hope Steve Wariner gets in. His 80s catalogue is so good and he had his late 90s resurgence too. He still has his fastball and puts on a great show, and does a lot of benefits for places that would never remotely be on anyone’s radar, like the Merle Travis Music Center in Powderly, KY. I went there to see him last year, he did the event free of charge for them and tore the house down
January 28, 2025 @ 12:17 pm
As probably one of the few people who frequent scm who considers themselves an expert on the work of Charlie poole,
Charlie Poole will probably never be in the country music hall of fame and frankly, I don’t know if he should, and I say this as someone who has recorded and performed Charlie Poole tunes, recently arranged one for a possible book of old time tunes, and loves Charlie Poole
Firstly: Charlie Poole isn’t technically a country artist. We can dicker the semantics but the plain fact is that Charlie Poole officially is classified outside the country genre.
Number two: Charlie poole has not left any songs that are influential to the country music canon that WEREN’T also recorded by contemporaries such as uncle Dave Macon
Any folk songs from the Poole catalogue that might be considered foundational to country cannot be singularly attributed to Charlie Poole
Thirdly: while we might think in the modern era that a banjo and fiddle band is decidedly a country act, in the 20s, the banjo was a social instrument whose most famous players were the decidedly “not country” Fred van eps and Vess Ossman.
Nothing those gentleman played is remotely close to country. And Charlie Poole was a student of that popular style, NOT the rural style of banjo playing
Furthermore, during the twenties, violin and banjo acts weren’t just old country boys, they were sophisticated. You might as well say grappeli and Django were country
Charlie Poole played the popular music of his day, mixing swing and early jazz and roots with familiar folk but decidedly a product of the era’s mainstream music NOT what would catapult the Carter family to fame at the Bristol sessions.
Would be cool to see but I don’t think it will happen nor do I think it really should
January 28, 2025 @ 2:37 pm
You seem the person to ask a question that’s been on my mind for years.
Was Bob Wills and the Texas Playboys considered pop country in its era? I still love the sound, but after revisiting his catalog a couple of years ago, it struck me that he might not have been considered real country in his era.
Whatever it was, it was good to this listener!
January 28, 2025 @ 3:46 pm
Most of the old timers that get a lot of love around here were pop country of their era, with that said pop country was better then than it is now. I remember in the 90s my dad thought the current state of country was shit and we listened to classic rock in the pick-up. Now everyone here gets all jerked off about 90s artist as being real. I’m not saying they’re wrong and my dad was right, i just think it’s interesting. My commuter car only has am/fm. Luckily they have a “classic country” station on the am dial. These days that means like “1970 something” era songs. I didn’t even listen to that shit then, now it doesn’t sound too bad to me.
January 28, 2025 @ 3:52 pm
“1970s something” era music was a confusing example. I meant the Mark Wills song from like 2003, not the actual era of 70s music.
January 30, 2025 @ 1:26 pm
Here is the big secret: ALL radio music sucks, in any time period.
Older decades feel better because we only listen to the 1-5% of songs that were worthwhile. The radio hits of the time get lost to time as they should be. They are just turds rolled in sugar to sell radio ads.
The internet ruined music – after 2000 the good songs went from 5% to 0.005%. I despise 2000s songs. I can’t even name 2010s and 2020s because I had a curated iPod by then.
The Mark Wills song is early 2000s
Amazing songs were made, and even made it big on the radio, in the 1990s.
January 29, 2025 @ 12:21 pm
Yeah, i feel that. I didn’t care much for the nineties when it happened and i see so much discourse about ‘this is real country’ and it’s just the stuff i tuned out twenty five years ago.
Of course, in 2010 my idea of country music was buck owens, waylon, and a lot of jerry reed.
Now i couldn’t tell you when i listened to waylon or merle last because i somehow went backwards and i listen more to maddox brothers or something than i ever would to buck owens
I had a classic country station that played the patsy cline songs, the lefty, the stonewall jackson, etc… one day it was playing ricky skaggs instead of porter wagoner, the gatlin brothers instead of the osborne brothers.
I think i quit listening two days in and never turned it on again.
January 29, 2025 @ 1:33 pm
With a few exceptions I stopped going backwards at about the late 60’s, and started listening to more independent/singer songwriters/texas country/alternative country or other sub genres spanning from then to now.. But you inspired me. I’m listening to Stonewall Jackson now. I dig it.
And I had a Jimmy Rodgers record, and some Sun Record stuff and a few other things so I’m not totally ignorant of it, but never really did a deep dive.
January 29, 2025 @ 1:48 pm
I see this point made often about ’90s country. And though it might not sound as “country” as country from the ’40s and ’50s, ’90s country is recognized universally as a neotraditionalist revival moment. What made it so polarizing was the popularity of it, and specifically Garth Brooks flying over stadiums like Peter Pan.
The music of Garth, Alan Jackson, Clint Black, and even Brooks & Dunn was WAY more country than most of the output in the ’80s, or even in the ’60s with the “Countrypolitan” sound. George Strait and Randy Travis were staunch neotraditionalists who helped open the doors for the ’90s.
You might not particularly care for ’90s country and I respect that. But comparatively, it was a “more country'” era than most since the 1950s.
January 30, 2025 @ 12:53 pm
The early 90s era was more country than the Outlaws, too.
February 1, 2025 @ 7:55 am
Don’t get it twisted, i LOVE some nineties albums and songs. there are some nineties albums i spin regularly.
But there’s been tons of 90s albums I just can’t appreciate, for various reasons.
If i buy a 60s country record and a 90s record, I can guarantee that I’ll enjoy most of the songs on the 60s record, and maybe one or two on the 90s record.
The 90s records of which I love most or all of the songs are rarer.
BUT when I love a 90s Country song I REALLY love it.
here’s an example.
If i bought a country album that had
Ruby (Don’t take your love to town)
faded love
bubbles in my beer
long gone lonesome blues
ding dong daddy from dumas etc
I’d listen to it casually and never skip a song.
but if i got a nineties record i might skip half the songs but REALLY enjoy the other half.
For me the nineties are just… very inconsistent.
January 28, 2025 @ 3:59 pm
Hiya: great question I’ll try to explain it as best I can
The first thing is to make no mistakes Bob Wills and the Texas playboys are, and Romain, a big band. They played big band music, they played dance music.
Saving country music turned me onto the work of BlackBerry smoke, and while I am not the world’s biggest BlackBerry smoke fan, through me, my father came to hear of BlackBerry smoke, And my father absolutely loves them
By their own admission, blackberry smoke is a rock band. But the country influences are unmistakable.
I say this, because while we can consider Bob wheels under the big band category, the local influences make the music of the Texas playboys, very distinct from what Duke Ellington or Benny Goodman was doing
As for whether or not Bob wills should be considered country, keep in mind that the genre western swing was largely created in no small part, for the type of music played by Bob Wills and Company
But let’s break it down:
Johnny gimble didn’t go on to play for miles Davis, he was on hee haw
Eldon shamblin didn’t go play for Sinatra, he went to play for Merle haggard
And, regardless of what genre you actually want to consider Bob Wills, Understand that the primary consumers of Western swing music are people who also consume country music
That is to say, in country music spaces, and with country fans was where Bob wills and company were and remain most celebrated.
The musicians who left the Texas playboys often were involved in projects of a country or adjacent nature.
Most covers of material that originated with Bob wills are recorded by country artists
The pedant invokes the terminology and demands that the term Western swing be applied in perpetuity, since it’s purpose was to describe the sound of Bob wills
The realist says that the people who consumed were the country fans, therefore, any hits Bob wills had were with country fans and therefore country hits
I like the term Western swing, because obviously Bob wills doesn’t sound like the Louvin brothers
But generally the Western swing term is understood as a subgenre of greater country, and I believe the whole reason it was retired as a common term is because fewer acts were under the category and at awards shows it just became perfunctory to shovel awards on asleep at the wheel
January 28, 2025 @ 5:04 pm
Good explanation on Bob Wills. I will add that there were other Western Swing acts, Light Crust Dough Boys, and of course the infamous Spade Cooley who was also a massively talented fiddler with a big band. Spade of course took the Western Swing genre and successfully televised it for a time. Too bad he was a psychotic bastard and killed his own wife. Kinda dismisses the desire to fondly listen to his work, great as it was.
Ray Benson always says that Western Swing is jazz with a cowboy hat. And that’s true. The music is quite sophisticated and it ain’t three chords and the truth, more like 7 chords or 9 chords and a big band. Those cats like Eldon Shamblin really knew their guitars entire fretboard, not just first position cowboy chords.
Minor 7th chord anyone? Diminished 9th perhaps? Check. Bob Wills was really something but I wouldn’t call it pop or a sellout.
January 28, 2025 @ 9:45 pm
I’ve seen Asleep at the Wheel, and they were good. But best Texas Swing I’ve witnessed was Merle Haggard at a concert in Oklahoma in the early aughts. He played about half his own stuff and half Bob Wills. Said it was because he was near Tulsa.
January 29, 2025 @ 7:49 am
I’m partial to Milton Brown’s Musical Brownies, myself.
Bob Wills may not have been the best fiddler (i estimate the best western fiddler to be Cecil Brower, Johnny Gimble in second) but his lasting impact as both an influence and a composer/bandleader absolutely elevates him to the top. he certainly deserves to be the king.
Per Eldon Shamblin: the man is a underrated genius of the guitar. He played for wills, Haggard AND on that Jethro Burns 4 giants of swing jazz project, to say nothing of his other output and solo albums. he was simply ahead of his time.
I’ve heard it said that Clapton tried to buy one of Shamblin’s guitars. That should tell you the quality and musicianship of Shamblin’s playing
January 28, 2025 @ 9:51 pm
Thanks for the response. I enjoyed reading your analysis. My family could have been the Joads who didn’t leave Sallisaw, and they thought Bob Wills really was the king, so there is that. My grandparents’ interest was closely connected to being on the southern edge of the KVOO broadcast range.
January 29, 2025 @ 9:53 pm
I understand the term pop-country to refer to music that has given up the country twang and instrumentation and passes for pop. I first heard Eddie Rabbit’s “I Love a Rainy Night” and Sylvia’s “Nobody” in the ’80s on urban pop stations and it wasn’t until years later that I even learned that those two were country artists and that those were country songs. I’d call those songs, and Kenny and Dolly’s “Islands in the Stream” pop-country.
I don’t know, but every time I hear Bob Wills and the Texas Playboys, the recordings seem to just exude country-western from top to bottom–from the subject matter of the songs to the fiddles and steel to the cornball jokes to Wills’ famous hollering. I don’t think anybody would have taken that for the pop music of the time.
January 30, 2025 @ 1:52 pm
Bob Wills is in the Hall of Fame
January 28, 2025 @ 12:37 pm
Adding a second comment:
Re the wilburn bros
I think being ‘tv country stars’ diminishes their legacy much the same way (but to a greater extent) as porter wagoner and Stan Hitchcock)
Without the Wilburn bros show we wouldn’t have Loretta Lynn. Full stop.
Even though porter wagoner was technically doing tv first, the wilburn bros nailed the format.
Porter wagoner never quite got the friendly informal vibe the Wilburns did that made their show so big it got its own tv show record. No such equivalent exists for the porter wagoner show, to my knowledge
Yes, porter wagoner launched dolly, but we cannot say that without porter there’d be no dolly because dolly would have made it big no matter what.
The same guarantee i do not extend to Loretta, I think that the Wilburn bros vibe and atmosphere was perfect to sell Loretta and make her a household name.
Also porter wagoner was not half the judge of talent that the Wilburn bros were. He let Bobby hicks go to make room for Mack magaha because ‘Bobby wasn’t bluegrass enough’
Something something Kentucky thunder amiright
Now, buddy spicher, playing for the Wilburn bros, could probably have outplayed them both
I will also say that, without the Wilburn brothers show, there is a serious contribution to country music that would have been omitted
And I don’t mean setting the template for Leroy Troy to be on the Marty Stuart show, thanks to Harold Morrison
I actually mean the work of another old time Banjo list. One bashful, brother Oswald.
Oswald was more than just the Don Rich to Roy acuff’s Buck Owens. He was more than just the pioneer of the dobro in country music, brother Oswald remains one of the longest serving country artists in history, from its inception and up to the 90s. And he recorded several solo albums, and several albums with Charlie Collins, best remembered for being the guitar man for the Opry house band, but who himself was a regular, smoky mountain boy and a formidable instrumentalist
Oswald was one of the most featured guest stars on the Wilburn brothers show, and thanks to those performances He introduced a lot of early country and folk songs to contemporary audiences, and kept them in touch with the roots of country music
In fact, if it weren’t for those brother Oswald performances on the Wilburn brothers show, I might not be the musician I have become, because taping those on the VCR, and rewinding them to watch Oswald play, is part of how I learned to play the banjo
Partly because Grandpa Jones has become the figure normally associated with old Time Banjoplaying in the the country Music space, brother Oswald never really got his due. Never forget that it was Oswald, not Grandpa, who inherited one of uncle Dave’s Banjos. If I’m not mistaken, uncle Dave’s Banjo that Oswald received is the one in the smoky mountain boys exhibit at the country music, Hall of Fame, the one that string bean inherited is the one at Gruhn guitars
If somebody actually knows more than me about Oswalt’s banjo, please reach out. But I do believe that the Oswald Banjo in the smoky mountain boys exhibit was one of uncle Dave’s.
January 28, 2025 @ 9:46 pm
*Western Swing*
January 28, 2025 @ 9:52 pm
Pardon the non-squinter. I posted that under a different comment. This website might be getting a lot of traffic at the moment.
January 28, 2025 @ 12:52 pm
I don’t get why every year on these lists Pam Tillis is left off while all her female peers from the 90s are listed as potential nominees. Not a criticism, I just don’t get it.
I also think Porter and Dolly should be in the hall as a duo. Don’t get why their names never come up either.
January 28, 2025 @ 4:54 pm
With so many names outside of the Hall of Fame trying to get in, trying to add duos of folks who are already in the Hall of Fame seems like a very big uphill battle. Sure, in an ideal world, maybe this could happen. It happens all the time at the Rock Hall. But here, I would want to keep the woindow open for someone who has not been recognized before.
January 28, 2025 @ 1:03 pm
I have Jimmy Buffet on my Mt Rushmore. People often think I’m crazy for that. Top tier songwriter. His albums pre 1978 were all fairly country, with “A White Sport Coat and a Pink Carnation” and “Living and Dying in 3/4 Time” really leaning into it. My fandom is based mainly on those pre 1978 albums. After that I think he started covering many more songs by guys such as Keith Sykes, Mac Mcanally and later Will Kimbrough, still putting out quality music. In the 80s and 90s I’d imagine he was one of the top touring acts in the world. In the early 2000s he had a number one country album with License to Chill, mostly duets, and mostly covers. It’s hard for me to say he belongs in the Country Hall of Fame anymore than anyone else you wrote about, but I fucking love him.
January 28, 2025 @ 4:17 pm
If induction to the HOF would get more people to spell his name correctly — two t’s — I’d vote for him in every category if I could.
January 28, 2025 @ 4:31 pm
Haha, you got me. I knew that too.
January 28, 2025 @ 4:39 pm
I really think that was an auto correct. But I could be wrong
January 30, 2025 @ 6:20 pm
Why are Jack Greene and Wynn Stewart not getting more support?
January 31, 2025 @ 2:48 pm
@BK–Because most of the people who supported them have died–as have they.
January 28, 2025 @ 1:06 pm
Dwight Yoakam and Vern Gosdin for me, personally. Tony Brown makes a lot of sense, but I’d also like to throw Jimmy Bowen out there. He helped shift Nashville to digital mixing and made records that sounded crisper than anything else at the time. Think of those early 80s Hank Jr. and Conway Twitty albums.
Also, while I do think it’s too early to consider, I’m a big proponent of inducting Jimmy Buffett. His country roots are extensive, and if Ray Charles is in, so should Buffett, and arguably Linda Ronstadt too.
January 28, 2025 @ 1:07 pm
How are Trisha Yearwood and Clint Black NOT in the Country Music Hall of Fame? They both should have been inducted a long time ago.
January 28, 2025 @ 1:38 pm
1) IMO the determining factor should be “can you tell the full story of country music and not include this person” when choosing HOF. Yoakam can’t be ignored when telling the story of country music.
2) another name I don’t see on your list is Larry Gatlin – does that imply you don’t think he is HOF worthy?
January 28, 2025 @ 5:08 pm
First, Larry Gatlin was on this list in previous years, and just like Travis Tritt, for some reason got accidentally deleted during the layout process as more and more names keep getting added. Gatlin has been added back above.
Second, just because someone is not on this list doesn’t mean myself, Saving Country Music, or the CMA Hall of Fame committee who makes the inductions doesn’t think they should be in. Only three people get in each year in the three categories, and only one in each category, and the backlog is EXTREME, especially when it comes to the Veteran’s Era. If it was up to me, we would do a bulk induction of about 10 people in the Veteran’s Era tomorrow.
The way I come up with the names I highlight is both who I think has a legitimate shot of getting in this year, and who I think should be seriously considered for one of the precious few slots, both this year and in subsequent years. But you also have to be pragmatic, and realistic. Anyone can make a case that just about anyone who ever played country music deserves to be in the Hall of Fame for some reason, and act like it’s a travesty that they aren’t. But you have to counter your passion for a specific artist with the list of names that grows longer and longer each year.
Before I publish this list each year, I talk to folks in the industry who are close to this process to see where the winds are blowing. The Hall of Fame process is extremely secretive and everyone involved is sworn to secrecy. So all of this is a guess at best, though an educated and informed one, hopefully.
Right now, I would say Larry Gatlin is not a favorite to be inducted this year. But who knows?
But just because an artist is not on this list, isn’t highlighted above others, etc., does not mean I don’t think they’re Hall of Fame worthy. It’s the same thing with album reviews. 20 albums come out each week, and if I don’t review every single one of them, it’s taken by some as an insult to the ones I didn’t review. That’s never the case. This issue is there are WAY more names than Hall of Fame slots, and so you have to cut the list off somewhere and be realistic with your expectations.
January 28, 2025 @ 2:13 pm
Trisha Yearwood
Linda Ronstadt
Tony Brown
January 28, 2025 @ 2:14 pm
Thanks for mentioning my dad!
January 28, 2025 @ 2:58 pm
Once again gram parsons should be in. I think the story of country music must include him. He was the beginning of the lineage of Jason and the scorchers, uncle Tupelo, Isbell, Justin Townes Earle, and culminating in sturgill and the whole renaissance of great non-radio country music.
January 28, 2025 @ 3:20 pm
No.
January 28, 2025 @ 4:00 pm
I sorta agree cause the hall is so tight, if Johhny Horton, DAC or even Crystal gayle isn’t in then Gram probably shouldn’t be either. But he was the shit, and more influential than any of those people. Especially when you factor in the influence that California college preppy country had on like the 2000s/2010s country. It is pretty clear your disdain for him and Kristofferson is more aesthetic than anything.
January 29, 2025 @ 11:44 am
I’d consider Chris Hillman for induction before I’d put Gram in.
January 28, 2025 @ 3:21 pm
Clint Black should be the Modern Era inductee.
Johnny Horton should be the Veteran Era inductee.
End of discussion.
January 28, 2025 @ 3:55 pm
Yeah, seeing some of these names I am amazed they aren’t in. Country Hall of Fame runs a much tighter ship than the NFL or NBA or even Rock and Roll, that’s for sure.
January 30, 2025 @ 12:33 am
Hard to compare a popular music hall of fame to a sports hall. Just about everybody who’s in the NBA or MLB or NFL halls of fame as a player was a phenomenal player. Most of us played some level of sports as kids, and–anybody who even made it to the major leagues in any pro sport was just about the best of the best, growing up in grade school and in H.S. If you think of the best kid you ever played with or against in any sport, growing up, odds are he never came close to making it to a major pro league.
Most people who make it in popular music are great, too, but there are some who are not. A country or rock star may be the creation of engineers and producers and songwriters, and fake it in concert. You can’t fake it in sports. If you’re not good enough to start or to be on the field or court, you’ll be replaced. Every move a pro athelete makes is video’d and catalogued and analyzed by squads of coaches and quality control analysts. And if the team doesn’t win, the coaches get fired, so they have every incentive to bench or cut a player who’s not improving the team’s win prospects.
January 29, 2025 @ 11:35 am
Agreed. My mom, not a country fan, even had a Johnny Horton tape; so he was my first exposure to the classic sound.
January 28, 2025 @ 3:30 pm
Would Love to see Skeeter Davis inducted. Skeeter has been ignored for far too long!
January 28, 2025 @ 4:07 pm
The story of country music is incomplete without Fiddlin’ John Carson.
January 29, 2025 @ 9:29 am
OKAY
you have done the one thing that would get a long comment from me. mention an obscure early country artist that I happen to know a lot about.
John Carson doesn’t even belong in the top five early country fiddlers who might be considered for an hof nomination. top ten, maybe. but certainly not top 5
First off, John Carson is… sort of pre country, a foundational artist like Eck Robertson.
But Eck deserves to be inducted before Carson because his playing is more influential in the playing of later country fiddlers.
BUT neither one of them belongs in the top 5.
The top five spots for early country fiddlers, or fiddlers in general, need to go to fiddlers who either worked the opry, or played for a recognizable country star
Technically speaking, Uncle Bunt Stephens belongs in the hof before John Carson
SO: we’re left with a few obvious choices
Arthur Smith (not to be confused with Arthur Smith)
Sid Harkreader
Tommy Jackson
Clayton McMichen either as himself or as a member of the Skillet Lickers
Charles McReynolds (Jim and Jesse’s grandpa)
You can trace a line from any of those artists further down the fiddling genaologies
The same cannot be said for John Carson, i don’t believe. the influences of the five listed above can be easily identified in fiddlers throughout the history of country fiddling, distinct from bluegrass.
January 29, 2025 @ 10:06 am
“John Carson is… sort of pre country, a foundational artist like Eck Robertson.”
Foundational artists belong in the HOF.
John Carson and Eck Robertson are mentioned in any discussion of early country records. John was also likely the first country artist on radio.
January 29, 2025 @ 10:48 am
we could extend that logic to include Stephen Foster.
Are we inducting Rufus Payne because he taught Hank Williams next?
discussions for the hall of fame should focus on early country music infrastructure, not just the thin gray line that separates country from folk in its early days.
I would rebut that the radio play John Carson got doesn’t count as ‘country’ radio play because John Carson was played as a local ‘hillbilly’ act before ‘country’ came into vogue, and that was 1922 and ‘country’ radio at its earliest would have been the barn dance shows that started in 1924.
Clearly, we can say that any artist from any rural county who was on radio before 1924 was ‘one of the first country stars on the radio’
Therefore, i contend that we must limit discussions of early foundational artists to those who operated within the early framework that would become the country genre, not just every random rural artist who played on a radio station or got recorded.
January 28, 2025 @ 4:15 pm
Tony Brown would be an excellent pick for non-performer. Other producers worthy of induction are Allen Reynolds and James Stroud. All three contributed greatly to country music’s golden decade of the mid-’80s to mid-’90s.
As for performers, any support for Kathy Mattea? Her hit-making prime was relatively short (1986-1994), but she’s also recorded notable albums of Christmas music and traditional material dealing with coal mining, and has been the host of public radio’s “Mountain Stage” for the past few years.
January 28, 2025 @ 4:39 pm
Modern: Clint Black, Dwight Yoakam or Trisha Yearwood
Veteran: Gatlins, Crystal Gayle or Rosanne Cash
Non-Performer: Peter Cooper, Chet Flippo or Irving Waugh
January 28, 2025 @ 5:13 pm
Modern era: Dwight Yoakam
Veterans: Paycheck
Flippo’s book about Hank is a novel containing historical facts. Entertaining read, but not a biography.
January 28, 2025 @ 5:20 pm
Really, its hard to go wrong with any choices esp in veterans caregory. Id love to see johnny horton or john prine get in myself. I too would love to see more names added than normal but i dont see it happening. I have for a long time called for expanding the choices cause i dont think the country hall is that great because of its inclusivity. You could argue the list of artist not in the hall is actually a better more complete telling of country music than who is in but oh well. Though i do agree the rock hall is rediculous but thats mainly because they let non rock n roll artist in there.
January 28, 2025 @ 6:16 pm
I think it’s safe to say the Modern era inductee will be Kenny Chesney, Alison Krauss, Tim McGraw or Shania Twain. Chesney and McGraw are 30+ year veterans and both have over 40 #1 hits each. At this point its like keeping Haggard, Twitty or Strait out. They are going to get in this year or soon. And Shania is the biggest selling female artist of all time and been on the scene 30+ years. That one is a no brainer as well. Alison has already been nominated according to my sources and will be an inductee very soon.
Dwight Yoakam will be considered a “Veteran” nominee beginning in 2026. I think that will have to be the avenue he goes in. Same with Steve Wariner, Clint Black and eventually Travis Tritt. Martina McBride and Trisha Yearwood are canidates of the same era. And looking ahead Brad Paisley, Rascal Flatts, Blake Shelton, Keith Urban and Carrie Underwood. All of these acts are already uligable. The latter five will be the reasoning some of 80’s stars will be inducted as “veterans”.
The Veterans inductee will likely be Crystal Gayle, The Gatlins, Roseanne Cash or Lynn Anderson. We are gradually getting into the 1980’s here. John Anderson went in last year and I think that was a big door opening. The Hall of Fame currently has a major showcase dedicated to Cash. An induction usally follows that.
Anyone with pre-1970 success is really going to have a hard time getting inducted. And while I agree some acts such as Johnny Horton, Wynn Stewart, The Stanleys, The Maddox group, The Wilburns, etc, all should be Hall of Famer’s, will have a very hard struggle. I am a huge advocate for a “pioneer” category, even if its roating. One of the legends every three years or so is better than nothing.
I always have a hard time predicting these rotating categories. In recent years Joe Galante and James Burton really threw me for a loop. But for a non-performer I can see media mogals such as Bob Kinsley and Charlie Chase & Lorrianne Crook getting in soon. Tony Brown is also a possiblity. I have always thought if Nudie Cohen would go in it would have been years ago while many of his clients were still alive and voting. Robert K. “Bob” Oermann is also a longtime respected writer and journalist and getting some age on. He may be a future possibilty as well.
My personal predictions for 2025
Tim McGraw
Rosanne Cash
Bob Kingsley
January 28, 2025 @ 10:30 pm
So a guy like Rodney Crowell will never get in? Nanci Griffith? Steve Earle? Lyle lovett? Billy Joe Shaver?
January 28, 2025 @ 11:45 pm
Rodney Crowell has been rumored in the past to have been considered going in via the songwriter category that comes up every three years. I think a strong case can be made for him there. As I said above in another comment, there really isn’t an avenue for performer songwriters like the one you list. They’re not popular enough as performers, and not prolific enough as commercial songwriters like the ones that often go in. That is why there needs to be a new category for these kinds of contributors specifically, in my opinion. Otherwise, they will never get in. They won’t even be considered.
January 29, 2025 @ 10:31 am
MARTY STUART NEEDS TO BE IN THERE…NOW THATS COUNTRY
January 29, 2025 @ 10:39 am
Marty Stuart was inducted into the Country Music Hall of Fame in 2020.
January 29, 2025 @ 9:23 am
Your reasoning is the reason I think Dwight Yoakam has to go in via Modern Era this year. If he gets dumped into the backlog of the Veteran’s Era, it might take 20 years for him to get in, if ever. Or, he might go in next year in Veteran’s, and the posthumous selections we continue to wait for get pushed back yet another year. As you said, McGraw, Chesney, Krauss, and Twain WILL get in. The future is less certain for Yoakam. Better to do it now that he’s in the cat bird’s seat. Those are my thoughts as someone who thinks Yoakam needs to be there.
January 29, 2025 @ 10:40 am
Trigger,
I think Dwight will go in via the Veterans category at this point, I think that he will go in within the next few years from that category, rather than the Modern category at this point. I just think that his time for getting in via the Modern category has now passed at this point.
What do you think?.
January 29, 2025 @ 10:59 am
My understanding is that Dwight Yoakam is still being considered in the Modern Era category this year, and is probably one of the top contenders. I agree that if he does not get in this year, he is very likely to be considered in the Veterans Era in the future.
January 29, 2025 @ 11:11 am
David B,
What are your predictions for Hall of Fame inductees in the Veterans and Modern categories in the next 10 years (2025-2035)?.
January 30, 2025 @ 2:25 pm
Haggard, Twitty & Strait are all in the HOF
January 28, 2025 @ 6:19 pm
Excellent picks Trigger!
January 28, 2025 @ 7:31 pm
The Carter family with June Carter Cash, Anita Carter, Helen Carter and mother Maybelle Carter. (Mother Maybelle Carter is in already with the original Carter family with Sara and A.p.) Bonnie Owens who was the one who helped Merle Haggard get started and gave up her own music career to help Merle Haggard. He said she wrote down the words for his songs. Sang harmony backup on most of the music of Merle. But not all. She deserves to be in the hall of fame before the younger ones. Kenneth Lovejoy the musician and Jerry Lee Lewis right hand man for most of the years and all the country songs. Jerry Lee Lewis with the help and right hand musician of Kenneth Lovejoy had #34 country hits according to Google.
January 28, 2025 @ 9:23 pm
I thought his name was Lovelace.
January 28, 2025 @ 11:43 pm
I know it’s Kenneth Lovelace. Auto correct changed it. Thanks for letting me know. I don’t know how to fix it?
January 28, 2025 @ 7:35 pm
This should absolutely be the year that Lynn Anderson gets inducted.
Lynn has opened so many doors for country music performers.
Lynn was inducted into the American Country Music Association Hall of Fame in 1998
In 2017, the Country Music Hall of Fame & Museum honored the country music icon with a long-running exhibit, “Keep Me in Mind,” named after Lynn’s No.1 hit. In 2018, she was inducted into the National Cowboy Museum’s Hall of Great Western Performers, joining former inductees such as John Wayne and Dale Evans. In 2018, Woodlawn Memorial Park Cemetery in Nashville, often referred to as “Cemetery of Country Stars,” created “The Lynn Anderson Rose Garden” – consisting of over 100 Lynn Anderson Hybrid Tea Rose Bushes –
as a place of reflection and meditation. In November of 2019, the International Western Music Association made Lynn Anderson the newest member of its prestigious Hall of Fame.
In 2002, she was ranked by Country Music Television on their list of the “40 Greatest Women of Country Music”. She received a similar recognition when Rolling Stone included her on their list of the “100 Greatest Country Artists of All Time”. In 2017, her stage costumes and memorabilia were on display at the Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum. The Anderson exhibit was called “Keep Me in Mind”.The exhibit ran through 2018. In 2018, daughter Lisa Sutton helped open the Lynn Anderson Rose Garden in Nashville to pay tribute to her career. In 2019, she was inducted into the Western Music Association Hall of Fame. In 2020, Anderson was featured in the PBS documentary “Iconic Women of Country”. Female country artists, including Trisha Yearwood, discussed her legacy in the genre. The same year, Anderson’s eleventh studio album, Rose Garden, was remastered for its 50th anniversary. The new edition included liner notes from Clive Davis and Reba McEntire.
Lynn was the first country female artist to perform on a national broadcast.
Lynn Anderson was known as “The Singers Singer”. Could sing music in any genre.
I’m not going to keep my hopes up though. Country music continues to be controlled by men, (the good ole boys). Many suffered through the same demons Lynn did in her life.
People in glass houses shouldn’t through stones. Many of Lynn’s female counterparts were envious of her looks and talent. Just sit back and listen to her “Rose Garden album”. Remained the highest selling album until she got bumped by Shania Twain.
Lynn definitely has earned her induction into the CMHOF!!
January 28, 2025 @ 11:41 pm
I know it’s Kenneth Lovelace. Auto correct changed it. Thanks for letting me know. I don’t know how to fix it?
January 29, 2025 @ 6:52 am
Thank you, Trig, for using your influence to bring to remembrance some of these stars that deserve HOF consideration. Many (like Eddie Rabbit & Vern Gosdin) seem to have been forgotten but I can’t help but think your mention of them has to help. To me, it is a HUGE service to the history of Country Music.
January 29, 2025 @ 7:43 am
“Can’t Be Wrong” with Dwight Yoakam’s “Brighter Days.” It rocks country real good. He is a no brainer choice… “I Don’t Know How To Say Goodbye(Bang Bang Boom Boom)!”
January 29, 2025 @ 10:52 am
I would love, love, love to see June Carter Cash in the Hall of Fame, but she should go in along with her sisters as The Carter Sisters and Mother Maybelle. These ladies (Helen, June and Anita) started performing regularly on the Mexican border blaster station in the late 1930s as a self-contained act apart from the Original Carter Family. After A.P. and Sara retired in 1943, Maybelle and her girls went on to work their own daily radio shows in Richmond, Virginia, Knoxville, Tennessee and Springfield, Missouri (a network show) and forcing the Grand Ole Opry to accept Chet Atkins (their sideman) before they would come to WSM and Nashville. After joining the Johnny Cash Show they took their mountain songs and harmonies all over the world. If you know a Carter Family song, its probably because of the work of the Carter Sisters, who performed for over 50 years after the Original Carter Family made their mark and 20 years after their mother passed away.
January 29, 2025 @ 11:09 am
The sad thing is there are so many deserving for too few spaces to fill. Man, how do you pick?
January 29, 2025 @ 11:56 am
In the industry/non-performer category, I’d add longtime CMF researcher, Bob Pinson, to the list. The bulk of the 78 rpm records was Bob’s personal collection, which he sold to the CMF. More importantly, he was a mentor to many young people who passed through the doors of the Hall and is responsible for having found some pretty amazing demo recordings (i.e. Hank Sr.’s demo recording “There’s a Tear in My Beer,” among others. Another name I’d like to see considered for the honor is long-time National Life & Accident employee and Opry photographer, Les Leverett. Not only did he capture tons of Hall of Fame members performing on that historic stage, but also shot some of great LP covers of the 1960s & ’70s.Musicians loved Les and he truly was a fan of the music.
January 29, 2025 @ 7:36 pm
Modern – Clint Black – he’s so overlooked. He’s so worthy. I have no idea why he was barely nominated for anything after 1990. His success was staggering. Was he blacklisted or what?
Veteran – Almost all of them. It’s so sadly backlogged. But, I’ll pick Maddox Bros and Rose. I won’t name the ones I think should not be put in.
Non Performer – Nudie Cohn. I have a photo when I was 16 in one of Porter Wagoner’s coats that Nudie made. His influence in style and glamour was awesome.
January 29, 2025 @ 8:02 pm
One glaring omission
JEANNIE PRUETT- singer/songwriter and author of very successful cookbooks.
Please do it before she passes
January 30, 2025 @ 1:29 pm
It makes me annually sad, being reminded what CMHOF used to be, and knowing now it’s just a behind the curtain industry circle jerk where Nashville Executives forget they would be working in a factory for minimum wage if it wasn’t for us fools paying big money for their music.
SavingCountryMusic is 1000x more important. Marty should have partnered with them for the museum instead of selling his soul to CMHOF goons.
January 30, 2025 @ 1:46 pm
Gene Watson!!
January 31, 2025 @ 5:53 am
Ethan, get a grip. This was the only institution capable of handling and preserving a lifetime of Marty’s work and preserving it for future generations. I don’t like some things of CMHOF either, but sometimes you gotta hold a hand with warts on it to keep walking.
January 31, 2025 @ 11:33 am
When are they going to honor KT Oslin…???
January 31, 2025 @ 2:30 pm
@Paul–KTO got her share of honors. If your question is “When is she going to be inducted into the Country Music H-o-F,” then the answer is “Probably not it in your lifetime.”
January 31, 2025 @ 1:02 pm
Put Vern gosdin in the cms hall of… fame…theres.hank sr..lefty..waylon.george jones and vern gosdin and Merle haggard..every body else is 2nd tier cms legends..vern gosdin is the most lasting cms singer in country music history..buck Merle and vern gosdin…it’s his time..do it for old vern gosdin..r..im his biggest fan and i know hes watchin…rj
February 2, 2025 @ 1:38 am
Go for Dwight Yoakum in the modern category, he’s the GOAT.
Looking at the veteran’s lineup is shocking to me. How many years need to pass before foundational country artists are included? Johnny Paycheck, Gene Watson, DAC, Tompall Glaser, Johnny Rodriguez….
Sorry to sound upset here.
I understand the limited slots, the artificial scarcity needed to make HOF prestigious. I get the backlog. Just something about seeing Gary Stewart that far down the list that makes me wonder if HOF has any purpose at all.
February 3, 2025 @ 3:24 pm
Lynn Anderson should be this year’s veteran’s division inductee for so many reasons that were were very well elucidated in one of the past comments. I can’t add much to what’s already been said except to say it’s WAY PAST TIME. I recently saw a photo taken at the CMA awards show circa 1973. The photo showed a performance by what was described as the queens of country Music. The five ladies who were performing were Tammy Wynette, Dolly Parton, Loretta Lynn, Dottie West, and Lynn Anderson. Lynn is the only one of that distinguished group not to be a CMHOF member. It’s high time that oversight was corrected.
February 4, 2025 @ 11:42 am
AGAIN!!! No Stonewall Jackson, why? One of the great Country singers to come out of the 1950’s. Long time member of the Opry.
February 4, 2025 @ 12:27 pm
I wish the hall would take a look at Burl Ives. When anyone brings up folk music in this country I think Burl is who they think of first. And Burl did have a couple of “country” hits in his career as well.
February 8, 2025 @ 12:16 am
I think that Tony Brown would be a good choice but there’s someone who should go in before him. Brian Ahern took Tony, Rodney Crowell, Steve Fishell, and Emory Gordy under his wings and as they left Emmylou Harris’ band they became responsible for a large percentage of hit records for several years. But Brian was there first.
February 9, 2025 @ 11:48 pm
What’s the issue with Mike Curb?
February 10, 2025 @ 8:13 am
Well, you could start by click on the hyperlink “dubious past of dealing with artists.” This website was actually founded originally as an organization called “Free Hank III” trying to help Hank Williams III who was getting screwed over by Mike Curb and Curb Records. Hank3 was not alone.
February 14, 2025 @ 9:21 am
Earl Thomas Conley has made significant contributions to country music with his distinctive voice and chart-topping hits like “Holding Her and Loving You” and “Once in a Blue Moon.” His influence on the genre is undeniable, and many fans, including myself, believe he deserves a spot in the Country Music Hall of Fame.
Here are Earl Thomas Conley’s 18 number one hits in order:
1. **Fire and Smoke** (1981)
2. **Holding Her and Loving You** (1983)
3. **Your Love’s on the Line** (1983)
4. **Love Don’t Care (Whose Heart It Breaks)** (1985)
5. **Honor Bound** (1985)
6. **Angel in Disguise** (1984)
7. **Chance of Lovin’ You** (1984)
8. **Don’t Make It Easy for Me** (1984)
9. **I Can’t Win for Losin’ You** (1987)
10. **Somewhere Between Right and Wrong** (1982)
11. **What She Is (Is a Woman in Love)** (1988)
12. **That Was a Close One** (1987)
13. **Right From the Start** (1987)
14. **We Believe in Happy Endings** (with Emmylou Harris, 1988)
15. **Nobody Falls Like a Fool** (1985)
16. **Once in a Blue Moon** (1986)
17. **What I’d Say** (1989)
18. **Love Out Loud** (1989)