Kenny Chesney, June Carter Cash, Tony Brown to join Country Music Hall of Fame
Add Axios as your preferred source to
see more of our stories on Google.
Country Music Hall of Fame inductees Tony Brown, Kenny Chesney and June Carter Cash. Photos: Daniel Knighton/Getty Images, Nathan Congleton/NBC via Getty Images, R. Diamond/WireImage
The stadium-filling superstar Kenny Chesney will join the Country Music Hall of Fame this year alongside musical matriarch June Carter Cash and powerhouse producer Tony Brown.
Why it matters: Induction into the Hall of Fame is the biggest and most exclusive honor in country music.
Kenny Chesney
🤠 Kenny Chesney has built an empire during his 21 years of hit-making. His legion of fans, known as "No Shoes Nation," share a fervent devotion that rivals Swifties and Parrot Heads.
- Although he grew up in landlocked East Tennessee, he is an acolyte of Jimmy Buffett, and his feel-good, beachy bops dominated country radio at the turn of the century.
Zoom out: Chesney cemented his legacy on the road. He has been one of the biggest touring acts in any genre for years.
- His first stadium show was close to home at Knoxville's Neyland Stadium in 2003. But he has gone on to fill cavernous venues in Boston, Philadelphia, Chicago, Detroit and beyond.
Fun fact: When Vince Gill announced Chesney as one of the inductees at the Hall of Fame on Tuesday, he told the audience that Chesney toured in Russia with East Tennessee State University's bluegrass band.
June Carter Cash
🌺 June Carter Cash is country music royalty. She is part of the legendary Carter family and married Johnny Cash in 1968. (She wrote "Ring of Fire" about their relationship.)
- "If country music is a family, today's inductee was its matriarch for decades," Gill said Tuesday. "She earned that role, not just through her talent, but by bringing musicians together across generations."
The big picture: In addition to her own music, Carter Cash helped nurture Kris Kristofferson, Waylon Jennings and Larry Gatlin.
Fun fact: Reese Witherspoon won an Oscar for playing Carter Cash in the 2005 film "Walk the Line."
Tony Brown
🎙️ Tony Brown shaped the sound of country music in the 1990s. He produced hits for Gill, George Strait, Reba McEntire, Wynonna Judd and Trisha Yearwood, to name a few.
- Brown cut his teeth in backing bands for Elvis Presley and Emmylou Harris. He became president of MCA Nashville during a boom time for the genre and went on to found Universal South Records.
Behind the scenes: As an executive, he was a champion of Americana music, signing or producing artists such as Shooter Jennings, Lyle Lovett and The Mavericks.
Fun fact: Gill said Brown "single-handedly" persuaded him to record "Go Rest High on That Mountain." It is one of many modern standards Brown produced.
- "I was not going to record it. It was too personal," Gill said. "He heard it and said, 'You have to record that song.'"
- "I will be forever indebted to him for that."
What's next: Chesney, Carter Cash and Brown will be inducted later this year.