Dean Dillon, Marty Stuart and Hank Williams Jr. To Be Inducted Into Country Music Hall of Fame

Dean Dillon, Marty Stuart and Hank Williams Jr. will be inducted into the Country Music Hall of Fame in 2020,…

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Lauren Jo Black

| Posted on

August 12, 2020

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12:11 pm

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Dean Dillon, Marty Stuart and Hank Williams Jr.; Photos Courtesy CMA

Dean Dillon, Marty Stuart and Hank Williams Jr. will be inducted into the Country Music Hall of Fame in 2020, the Country Music Association announced on Wednesday (Aug. 12).

Dillion joins in the “Songwriter” category, Stuart in the “Modern Era Artist” category and Williams in the “Veterans Era Artist” category.

“I couldn’t be more thrilled to welcome Dean, Marty and Hank Jr. into the unbroken circle and honor this revered milestone,” Sarah Trahern, CMA Chief Executive Officer, shared in a statement. “I’m sad we can’t toast this year’s class in person at the Country Music Hall of Fame, but I hope this news can bring some joy and cause for celebration during this time that our world has turned upside down. In particular, our hearts are with Hank and his family following the recent loss of his daughter, Katherine.”

“I was just speechless,” Dillon said of the news. “Trying to soak in the words that I had just heard. My life flashed before my eyes. You could’ve knocked me over with a feather.”

“It is the ultimate honor in Country Music,” acknowledged Stuart. “I’m so honored to be included in this class and I’m honored to be included alongside Hank Jr. and Dean Dillon. I love those people. To be officially inducted into the Country Music Hall of Fame is beyond words. I’m usually not at a loss for words.”

“Bocephus has been eyeing this one for awhile. It’s a bright spot during a difficult year,” Williams said. “I have been making Top 10 records for 56 years. I fell off a mountain and tried to reinvent myself as a truly individual artist and one who stepped out of the shadows of a very famous man…one of the greatest. I’ve got to thank all those rowdy friends who, year after year, still show up for me. It’s an honor to carry on this family tradition. It is much appreciated.”

“In this, the most exclusive of music halls of fame, we now have three new deserving members,” Kyle Young, Country Music Hall of Fame® and Museum Chief Executive Officer, expressed. “One is the son of one of American music’s greatest masters who became a self-made master of his own. One is a child of tough-town Mississippi who became a force for togetherness, inclusion and righteous musicality. And the third is an East Tennessee kid who triumphed over a hard youth to write words and melodies that have enriched us all. In a year of turmoil, strife and dissent, this announcement is something all of us can cheer.”

Details surrounding a formal induction ceremony for Dillon, Stuart and Williams will be released at a later date. Since 2007, the Museum’s Medallion Ceremony, an annual reunion of the Hall of Fame membership, has served as the official rite of induction for new members.

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Lauren Jo Black

Written by

Lauren Jo Black

Lauren Jo Black, a University of Central Florida graduate, has immersed herself in the world of country music for over 15 years. In 2008, she co-founded CountryMusicIsLove, eventually selling it to a major record label in 2015. Following the rebranding of the website to Sounds Like Nashville, Black served as Editor-in-Chief for two and a half years. Currently, she assumes the role of Editor-in-Chief at Country Now and oversees Country Now’s content and digital footprint. Her extensive experience also encompasses her previous role as a Country Music Expert Writer for Answers.com and her work being featured on Forbes.com. She’s been spotlighted among Country Aircheck’s Women of Influence and received the 2012 Rising Star Award from the University of Central Florida. Black also spent time in front of the camera as host of Country Now Live, which brought live music directly to fans in 2021 when the majority of concerts were halted due to the pandemic. During this time, she hosted 24 weeks of live concerts via Country Now Live on Twitch with special guests such as Lady A, Dierks Bentley, Jordan Davis, Brett Young, and Jon Pardi. Over the course of her career, she has had the privilege of conducting interviews with some of the industry’s most prominent stars, including Reba McEntire, Blake Shelton, Luke Combs, Carrie Underwood, Luke Bryan, Miranda Lambert, Lainey Wilson, and many others. Lauren Jo Black is a longtime member of the Country Music Association and the Academy of Country Music.