Barbara Mandrell, Roy Clark, Charlie McCoy Join Hall of Fame

(l-r) Charlie McCoy, Barbara Mandrell and Roy Clark were welcomed into the Country Music Hall of Fame during a three-hour Medallion Ceremony on May 17, 2009. Photo by Donn Jones, courtesy of the Country Music Hall of Fame.

May 18, 2009 — Three entertainers who gave country music a strong presence on television — Barbara Mandrell, Roy Clark and Charlie McCoy — took their rightful place in the Country Music Hall of Fame during a medallion ceremony Sunday that drew plenty of fellow stars.

Garth Brooks, Reba McEntire, Josh Turner and George Jones were among the artists who helped honor the trio, according to the Associated Press.

Barbara was the first two-time winner of the Country Music Association’s Entertainer of the Year award when her variety series "Barbara Mandrell & The Mandrell Sisters" aired on NBC. Roy similarly won the Entertainer honor from the Academy of Country Music during his tenure as co-host of the comedic "Hee Haw," which debuted on CBS. Charlie gained his footing as a session musician, playing harmonica, bass and trumpet on recordings by Bob Dylan, Dolly Parton and Elvis Presley before becoming the musical director of the "Hee Haw" band.

Barbara acknowledged her late father and manager, Irby Mandrell, during her induction. Irby was in attendance in February when the Hall of Fame announced she’d been selected. He died one month later.

"It is his name, Mandrell, that I am blessed to have, and it's the gracious loving public and the fans that made that name known and made it become popular," she said. "So tonight I thank you with my entire being for putting my and my daddy's name into the Hall of Fame."

Among the performances that marked the induction: Reba and George covered Barbara’s hit "I Was Country When Country Wasn’t Cool"; Alison Krauss sang her Top 10 single "The Midnight Oil"; Josh delivered Roy’s 1970 cut "Thank God And Greyhound"; Roy performed his own signature title, "Yesterday, When I Was Young"; and Rodney Crowell took part in a version of Roy Orbison’s "Candy Man," which originally featured Charlie on harmonica.

Barbara, Charlie and Roy are now represented with bronze plaques in the Hall of Fame rotunda, surrounded by plaques for more than 100 fellow members, including Johnny Cash, Hank Williams, Willie Nelson, Patsy Cline, Little Jimmy Dickens and Merle Haggard.