NEWS 
At the Grand Ole Opry on January 21, Loretta Lynn inducted little sister Crystal Gayle as an Opry member, fifty years after Crystal made her Opry debut. At age 16, she had sung the Marty Robbins hit, “Ribbon of Darkness.” Loretta said, “It was the greatest moment of my life when they made me a member of the Grand Ole Opry in 1962. I know she is just as happy as I was then.” (more…)

NEWS
The newest member of the Country Music Hall of Fame is RANDY TRAVIS. The Country Music Association hosted a press conference March 29 to present the 2016 inductees for the Country Music Hall of Fame. Brenda Lee introduced the three inductees–Fred Foster in the non-performer division, Charlie Daniels in the veterans’ era artist category, and Randy Travis in the modern era artist category. All are natives of North Carolina. Fred Foster, the first one announced, concluded his remarks by saying he was honored to be inducted with Charlie Daniels and Randy Travis. “Well, since Fred has let the cat out of the bag,” Brenda said, “you can all go home.” Then she announced the remaining two. The Country Music Hall of Fame, created in 1961 by the Country Music Association, will now have 130 members. (more…)

NEWS

Sonny James 1928-2016
Sonny James, 87, died February 22 in hospice in Nashville, Tennessee. James Hugh “Sonny Boy” Loden, born May 1, 1928, in Hackleburg, Alabama, received his first mandolin at age three. His father made it from a molasses bucket. He also learned to play guitar and fiddle, and became a teenaged fiddle champion. As a member of the Alabama National Guard, Sonny went to Korea with his unit in September 1950. After returning from the Korean War, he moved to Nashville in search of a music career. Chet Atkins, whom he’d met as a child when the Loden family was playing road gigs, introduced him to Ken Nelson. The Capitol Records producer suggested the easier-to-remember stage name of Sonny James. (more…)

POLITICAL OPINIONS OF MARTY ROBBINS
I came across a Marty Robbins recording of “Ain’t I Right” on YouTube and thought I would post it so everyone could hear his opinion of politicians and communism in 1966:  http://www.youtube.com/embed/-sEqzEgDZ0g. Marty told an interviewer, “I thought it was a hit. At the time there was a lot of trouble in this country. Everybody was protesting, so that was my way of protesting.” But his version was never released. His record label considered it too controversial. The official recording log of Marty’s Columbia sessions has a line drawn through “Ain’t I Right” and a handwritten Do Not Use in parentheses next to it. Marty didn’t give up so easily. (more…)