KENTUCKY MUSIC HALL OF FAME & MUSEUM
ANNOUNCES 2011 INDUCTEES 

KEITH WHITLEY, PATTY LOVELESS, STEVE WARINER &
JOHN MICHAEL MONTGOMERY TO BE HONORED 

Lexington, KY – Robert Lawson, Kentucky Music Hall of Fame Executive Director along with Connie Hunt, event ceremony executive producer, announced today, March 17, 2010, Keith Whitley, Patty Loveless, Steve Wariner, John Michael Montgomery, The Goins Brothers, Molly O’Day and, Larnelle Harris as the newest inductees into the prestigious Kentucky Music Hall of Fame. 

“This year’s inductees include some of the most recognizable music artists in the world,” says Lawson of the Kentucky Music Hall of Fame. “The ceremony taking place in April 2011 will feature performances by this year’s class as well as some of this state’s greatest music achievers.”

The 2011 Induction Ceremony will be held in the Lexington Center Bluegrass Ballroom in Lexington, Kentucky on April 7, 2011 at 7:00 p.m. Tickets are on sale now at the Hall of Fame. For more information about the Kentucky Music Hall of Fame & Museum call 1-877-356-3263 or visit www.KYMusicHallofFame.com

The 2011 Kentucky Music Hall of Fame induction ceremony is sponsored by RockCastle Regional Hospital and UK Health Care. 

About Patty Loveless:

To date, Patty Loveless has issued eight Gold Record albums, four of which have gone on to Platinum status. The singer is also noted for such chart-topping hits as “Timber I’m Falling in Love,” “Chains,” “Blame it on Your Heart,” “You Can Feel Bad” and “Lonely Too Long,” as well as such enduring fan favorites as “I Try to Think About Elvis,” “How Can I Help You Say Goodbye,” “I’m That Kind of Girl” and “You Don’t Even Know Who I Am.”  Her 2008 album, Sleepless Nights, was nominated for a Grammy award and she most recently released Mountain Soul II, both on Saguaro Road Records. 

About John Michael Montgomery:

With a musical career that spans twelve albums and a greatest hits package, John Michael Montgomery’s overwhelming contribution to the country music format includes hits such as “I Swear,” “Be My Baby Tonight,” “I Can Love You Like That,” “Sold (the Grundy County Auction Incident)” and “Life’s A Dance,” among many others.  He’s earned 15 number one singles, sold over 10 million albums and received numerous industry and fan-voted awards, three CMA Awards, five ACM Awards and an American Music Award. 

About Steve Wariner:

Award-winning recording artist, songwriter and guitarist Steve Wariner has charted over 30 top-10 singles, including 14 #1 hits, since beginning his recording career in 1977.  In January he won the Grammy^® Award for Best Country Instrumental Performance with “Producer’s Medley” from Steve Wariner, c.g.p., My  Tribute to Chet Atkins. This is the fourth Grammy Award Wariner has received, and his first as a solo performer and producer.  He won in 1992 for Best Country Collaboration with Vocals, and in 2000 and 2009 for Best Country Instrumental Performance.  In 1998 Wariner won the Country Music Association’s Single and Song of the Year awards for his #1 hit, “Holes in the Floor of Heaven,” which was also the Academy of Country Music’s Song of the Year in 1999.  He joined the Grand Ole Opry in 1996.  As a songwriter he has earned 16 BMI Country Awards and 15 BMI Million-Air Awards (for songs receiving over one million on-air plays).  He was inducted into the Music City Walk of Fame in 2008 and the National Thumbpickers Hall of Fame in 2009.  He started his own label, SelecTone Records, in 2003.

Produced by Wariner and released on SelecTone Records label, Steve Wariner, c.g.p., My Tribute to Chet Atkins honors the legendary guitarist and producer who was also his friend, mentor, producer and former employer. The abbreviation “c.g.p.” stands for “Certified Guitar Player,” a title that Atkins himself bestowed on only four guitar pickers:  Tommy Emmanuel, John Knowles, the late Jerry Reed, and Wariner. 

About Keith Whitley:

Whitley's brief career in mainstream country music lasted from 1984 till his death in 1989, but he continues to influence an entire generation of singers and songwriters. He charted nineteen singles on the Billboard country charts, including five consecutive Number Ones: "Don't Close Your Eyes", "When You Say Nothing at All", "I'm No Stranger to the Rain", "I Wonder Do You Think of Me" and "It Ain't Nothin'" (the last two posthumously). 

About The Goin Brothers:

After the Lonesome Pine Fiddlers disbanded in 1963, Ray and Melvin performed together as The Goins Brothers until Ray’s heart attack in 1994 slowed him down. Ray retired in 1997, while Melvin continued as Melvin Goins & Windy Mountain. Ray would share the stage with his brother on occasion, mostly close to home in eastern Kentucky Melvin Goins and Ray Goins, The Goins Brothers, have been playing mountain string music for 50 years. The music became known as "bluegrass" about the time they started playing professionally. Ray passed away in 2007.

About Molly O’Day:

O’Day was an American country music vocalist who had some degree of fame and commercial success in the late 1940s. Despite her short recording career, 5 years, she became a legend in her own lifetime.About Larnelle Harris:

Larnelle Harris was born in 1947 and hailed from Danville, Kentucky, where his 30-plus years of ministry, garnered 18 albums, won five Grammy Awards and 18 Dove Awards.  His career as a Gospel singer, songwriter, and recording artist has landed several number one songs on the Inspirational Music charts. 

Previous Inductees include:

2008 Class: Crystal Gayle, Dwight Yoakam, Florence Henderson, Norro Wilson, Les McCann

2006 Class: Sam Bush, John Conlee, Todd Duncan, Lionel Hampton, Naomi & Wynonna Judd, John Jacob Niles, Dottie Rambo, & Mary Travers.

2004 Class: Ricky Skaggs, J.D. Crowe, Billy Vaughn, Howard & Vestal Goodman, Coon Creek Girls, Jerry Chesnut, & Boots Randolph.

2002 Class: Bill Monroe, Loretta Lynn, Osborne Brothers, Everly Brothers, Merle Travis, Bradley Kincaid, Red Foley, Tom T. Hall, John Lair, Jean Ritchie, Grandpa Jones, & Rosemary Clooney.