Tim McGraw, Paul Overstreet & Stanley Brothers Inducted Into Country Music Hall of Fame
Categoria: Musica
Billy Strings, Lainey Wilson, Jamey Johnson, Blake Shelton and more were on hand to honor this year's inductees.
Por Billboard | 19/10/2026
On Sunday night (Oct. 18), the Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum inducted its 159th, 160th and 161st members, as Tim McGraw, Paul Overstreet and the Stanley Brothers were awarded country music’s highest distinction, during the 31st Medallion Ceremony, held at the Hall of Fame’s CMA Theater in Nashville. Members of the Country Music Hall of Fame, including Vince Gill, Randy Travis, Alabama’s Randy Owen, Ricky Skaggs and Dean Dillon, were also in attendance to usher in the Hall’s newest class members. CMA CEO Sarah Trahern, who will retire at the end of the year after leading the CMA for more than a decade, spoke during her final time helping to lead the Medallion Ceremony. “Telling 40 people or their loved ones they are going into the Country Music Hall of Fame is one of the biggest honors of my career,” Trahern said. Before the inductions began, the evening paused to remember two Country Music Hall of Fame members who had passed away in the past year: Dolly Parton, who died in August at age 80, and songwriter Don Schlitz, who died in April 2026. Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum CEO Kyle Young called Parton “country music’s ambassador to the world,” and Schlitz was a frequent co-writer on current Hall of Fame inductee Overstreet, including co-writing songs such as “Forever and Ever, Amen” and “On the Other Hand.” Bluegrass trailblazers the Stanley Brothers, Carter and Ralph Stanley, were inducted in the veteran era artist category. The brother duo, influenced by the works of Bill Monroe and Flatt & Scruggs, became one of the most influential duos in bluegrass. Carter wrote bluegrass standards including “The Lonesome River” and “The White Dove,” and was the duo’s main vocalist, while Ralph offered up precise banjo playing and high lonesome tenor harmony. The duo’s career was cut short when Carter died in 1966 at age 41, but his brother Ralph continued touring and releasing music for another half-century, including lending his unmistakable voice to “O Death” on the soundtrack to the 2000 film O Brother, Where Art Thou? . Stanley’s performance earned a Grammy for best male country vocal performance. Ralph Stanley died in 2016 at age 89. “It is time,” Trahern said in honoring the Stanley Brothers. “I hope tonight you feel the love of the entire industry.” During the Medallion Ceremony, Billy Strings feted the Stanley Brothers with a version of “How Mountain Girls Can Love,” while Gill and Ricky Skaggs teamed for “Rank Stranger” and the First Ladies of Bluegrass (Alison Brown, Missy Raines, Becky Buller, Sierra Hull and Molly Tuttle) sang “Bound to Ride.” Gill formally inducted the Stanley Brothers as members, with family members Ralph Stanley II, Ralph’s daughter Lisa and Carter’s daughter Jeanie accepting on their behalf. “Ain̵