Hank Williams Jr., Marty Stuart, and Dean Dillon have been announced as the 2020 class of inductees into the Country Music Hall of Fame.
The Country Music Association announced on Wednesday, August 12th, that singer Hank Williams Jr., Marty Stuart, and songwriter Dean Dillon would be the 2020 inductees for the Country Music Hall of Fame.
While Hank Williams Jr. is to be inducted into the “Veterans Era Artist” category, Stuart will join the “Modern Era” artists. Dillon will be inducted into the “Songwriter” category, awarded every three years.
The son of legendary singer Hank Williams, Hank Williams Jr. began his career at the age of 8. His charting streak began with a cover of his father’s ‘Long Gone Lonesome Blues’ at the age of 14, followed by hits like ‘Family Tradition’, ‘Whiskey Bent and Hell Bound’, and ‘A Country Boy Can Survive’. Over the course of his fifty-year-long career, Williams Jr. has charted more than a hundred times.
“Bocephus has been eyeing this one for awhile. It’s a bright spot during a difficult year,” said Williams in a press release. Earlier this year, the singer lost his daughter, Katherine, in a car accident. “I have been making Top 10 records for 56 years.
“I fell off a mountain and tried to reinvent myself as a truly individual artist and one who stepped out of the shadows of a very famous man…one of the greatest. I’ve got to thank all those rowdy friends who, year after year, still show up for me. It’s an honor to carry on this family tradition. It is much appreciated.”
Songwriter Dean Dillon also joined in, saying that he was “speechless” at the news: “Trying to soak in the words that I had just heard. My life flashed before my eyes. You could’ve knocked me over with a feather.”
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“It is the ultimate honor in Country Music,” Stuart said in the statement released by the Country Music Association. “I’m so honored to be included in this class and I’m honored to be included alongside Hank Jr. and Dean Dillon. I love those people. To be officially inducted into the Country Music Hall of Fame is beyond words. I’m usually not at a loss for words.”
Check out ‘A Country Boy Can Survive’ by Hank Williams Jr.
