2007 Country Music Hall of Fame inductees Mel Tillis, Ralph Emery and Vince Gill at the Medallion Ceremony on Oct. 8, 2007, at the Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum in Nashville.

Photo: John Russell / CMA

11/14/2007 — As night falls in Nashville, the skyline as seen from the lobby of the Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum transforms slowly, its silhouette flecked by lights in the deepening dark.

So it was on Oct. 8, as the Museum welcomed guests to the annual Medallion Ceremony to witness the inductions of Ralph Emery, Vince Gill and Mel Tillis into the Hall of Fame.

Founded by CMA in 1961, the Hall honors the individuals whose contributions to Country Music have been judged most significant by their peers. All inductees are chosen by CMA's Hall of Fame Panel of Electors, consisting of more than 300 anonymous voters appointed by the CMA Board of Directors. Hall of Fame members were easy to spot among those who gathered in the vast, glass-roofed Curb Conservatory. Whether in formal or Western attire, each wore a black ribbon from which a handsome brass medallion hung.

There were 98 in this august group as the day dawned; by evening's end, there would be 101.

A festive feeling took hold as the crowd filed into the Museum's Ford Theater. Harold Bradley, Phil Everly of the Everly Brothers, Jim Foglesong, Sonny James, the Jordanaires' Louis Nunley, Gordon Stoker, Ray Walker and Curtis Young, Charlie Louvin and former CMA Executive Director Jo Walker-Meador were among the previous inductees whose presence makes this annual event, in the words of Hall of Fame member E. W. "Bud" Wendell, Chairman of the Museum's Board of Officers and Trustees, a "reunion."

It started with Boots Randolph's "Yakety Sax" blasting into the room. As the tune faded, Museum Director Kyle Young stated, simply, "We miss Boots," and the crowd cheered for the late A-Team mainstay.

Country Music Hall of Fame members sing "Will the Circle Be Unbroken" at the Medallion Ceremony on Oct. 8, 2007, at the Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum in Nashville.

Photo: John Russell / CMA

Wendell commenced the cavalcade of music and memories by comparing Country Music to the legacy of Michelangelo — an audacious proposition that rang truer as the proceedings continued. Following this, Randy Scruggs performed his Grammy-winning rendition of "Amazing Grace," which prompted Wendell to observe, "That's what happens when Maybelle Carter was your babysitter."

CMA CEO Tammy Genovese then shared her thoughts. "Induction into the Country Music Hall of Fame is the greatest honor bestowed on a Country Music artist," she observed. "This is an appropriate and meaningful place for these gentlemen to receive the honor and accolades they deserve."

Young responded by thanking CMA "for this honor and for the underwriting of staff support that made tonight a reality." Then he noted that "the great Porter Wagoner had planned to be with us tonight. Please keep the Wagonmaster and his family close to your heart and in your prayers. Let's hear it for Porter," he concluded, leading the room in an ovation for the beloved entertainer who, ironically, was in his last moments of life in hospice care, not far away.

Emery, Gill and Tillis, Young continued, had all "used the specifics of their life experiences to create a body of work that reflects an understanding of the cares and woes of their audiences as well as sympathy and solidarity with the need of all people to feel free from care, from want and from need, at least on a Saturday night. Who can count the numbers of people who've been comforted and uplifted, amused and relieved, or inspired and ready for another hard day, by the music and stories these men made available for so long? We recognize ourselves in this music and in these stories. That's why we love them and why millions like us keep coming back for more."

This message underscored every word spoken and note played over the next several hours. Artists performed songs honoring the careers of the new Hall of Fame members. Backing the performers were music director John Hobbs on piano and the Medallion All-Star Band, featuring drummer Eddie Bayers, steel guitarist Paul Franklin, harmony singers Tania Hancheroff and Wes Hightower, guitarists Brent Mason and Russ Pahl and bassist Michael Rhodes. The Great American Country television network taped the event, portions of which can be seen on upcoming episodes of GAC's "Master Series." The event was also taped for future broadcast by WSM-AM 650.