The Judds and the late Ray Charles will be receiving some prestigious honors later this year with the two being part of this year’s class of the Country Music Hall of Fame, the Country Music Association announced on Monday.
The Judds and Charles will be joined by musicians Eddie Bayers and the late Pete Drake.
“This moment takes me back to 1983 when Mom and I first started,” Wynnona Judd said. “We would get in the car and visit multiple radio stations a day. It kind of feels like I’ve hit the lottery. It is so surreal. John Lennon always said that he just wanted to be remembered, and now we’re truly part of history, or I should say HERstory. What an honor.”
Bayers and pedal steel player Drake both earned a spot in the category of Recording and/or Touring Musician, which has two inductees this year as a result of a tie.
The four new members join the Hall’s existing 142 members. A formal induction ceremony for the Class of 2021 will take place in the COUNTRY Music Hall of Fame and Museum’s CMA Theater at a yet-to-be-determined date. The induction ceremony for the Hall Of Fame Class of 2020, which includes Dean Dillon, Marty Stuart and Hank Williams Jr., postponed from last year, is scheduled for November pending public health guidance and the state of the pandemic.
