NASHVILLE (CelebrityAccess) — The Country Music Association on Tuesday announced that country music legends Johnny Gimble, Ricky Skaggs and Dottie West were the 2018 inductees into the Country Music Hall
Gimble will be inducted in the “Recording and/or Touring Musician” category, which is awarded every third year in rotation with the “Songwriter” and “Non-Performer” categories. Skaggs will be inducted in the “Modern Era Artist” category, while West will be inducted in the “Veterans Era Artist” category.
“I was totally shocked and I burst into tears when I heard that I was going to be the newest inductee into the Country Music Hall of Fame,” said Skaggs. “When I came to Nashville in 1980, I came to play music and hopefully get a record deal. All of that happened, but I never dreamed that I’d ever be a member of this hallowed Hall. ‘Why me? And why now?’ was going through my mind. There are so many others that have inspired me, encouraged me, ones that I’ve truly learned from, and ones that have made such great contributions to Country and Bluegrass music. I’m humbled and very grateful to soon be listed among my many heroes.”
A formal induction ceremony for Gimble, Skaggs, and West will take place at the Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum in the CMA Theater later this year. Since 2007, the Museum’s Medallion Ceremony, an annual reunion of the Hall of Fame membership, has served as the official rite of induction for new members.
While Skaggs will be available to attend the induction ceremony, Dottie West passed in 1991 at the age of 58 from injuries sustained in a car accident, and Gimble, who played fiddle for the great Bob Wills, died in 2015 at the age of 88.
