Vince, Alabama, Brenda: Hall of Famers in the News

Rival teams Opry Live and AfterMidNite with Blair Garner played at the 18th Annual City of Hope Celebrity Softball Challenge, presented by Gibson Foundation on Wednesday, June 4, 2008 at Nashville's Greer Stadium. The game benefits City of Hope, a leading research and treatment institution for cancer and other life-threatening diseases. Photo credit: David Vespie.

April 9, 2009 — Vince Gill, Brenda Lee, Johnny Cash and Alabama are all members of the Country Music Hall of Fame. While their place in history is secure, their relevance remains intact, and they’re just a few of the Hall of Fame members making headlines.

In the news:

• Vince has agreed to take part in the annual City of Hope Softball Game at Nashville’s Greer Stadium June 10, along with such other stars as Carrie Underwood, Montgomery Gentry and Josh Turner. Vince is also on the Grand Ole Opry this weekend as the lineup balances Hall of Famers Bill Anderson, Jesse McReynolds, Little Jimmy Dickens and Mel Tillis with current hitmakers Martina McBride and Jo Dee Messina.

• The 26th annual International Country Music Conference has been set for May 21-23 at Nashville’s Belmont University. In addition to panel discussions that link country music with cultural issues, the conference also features presentations on Hall of Famers Jimmie Rodgers and Hank Williams.

• The Hall of Fame and Museum plans a new exhibit honoring one of the members, Brenda Lee: Dynamite. Presented by GAC, the exhibit opens Aug. 7 and remains on display through June 2010.

• Hall of Famer Willie Nelson is one of the performers slated for the 27th annual WYCD Downtown Hoedown, a Detroit festival that’s hailed as the world’s largest free country concert event. According to Country Aircheck, the May 15-17 celebration will also feature Rodney Atkins, Phil Vassar, Luke Bryan, Darryl Worley, Josh Gracin, Lee Ann Womack, the Zac Brown Band, Jessica Andrews and Jason Michael Carroll, among others.

• Alabama bass player Teddy Gentry’s mother will be memorialized in Fort Payne, Ala., on Thursday. Bertha Jean Humphery, 75, died of pneumonia Tuesday.

• The Queen of Country Music is taking part in a panel discussion at the Hall of Fame and Museum’s Ford Theater, in the same building where her Hall of Fame plaque is displayed. Finding Her Voice: Kitty Wells And Her Country Sisters will feature Kitty, as well as Carlene Carter, Chely Wright and "Let’s Go To Vegas" songwriter Karen Staley.

• Johnny Cash At Folsom Prison, a documentary about the Man in Black’s legendary 1968 concert, will be featured April 19-20 at the Nashville Film Festival, WKRN-TV reported.