The Country Music Hall of Fame grew by two members this week as Jerry Lee Lewis and the late Keith Whitley were inducted during a ceremony on Sunday in Nashville.
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87-year-old Lewis, who got his start a Rock musician, was unable to attend the ceremony due to doctor’s orders, but his good friends, Hank Williams Jr. and Kris Kristofferson were present to accept the award on Lewis’ behalf. Also in attendance was Whitley’s widow, Lorrie Morgan, who accepted the honor on behalf of Whitley, who originally got his start in Bluegrass music and passed in 1989.
The ceremony honoring both Lewis and Whitley featured performances by Garth Brooks, Mickey Guyton, Chris Isaak, Kenny Chesney, Miranda Lambert and Alabama.
Also inducted on Sunday was music executive producer Joe Galante in recognition of his marketing skills and bringing Country music to Pop and Rock audiences since circa 1980. As the head of RCA Nashville, Galante played a large part of Lewis and Whitley’s success as well as a number of other well-known artists.
“I was a label head, but I was a huge fan of their music," Galante said while accepting his award. "And it's all about the music at the end of the day."
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