Country Music Hall of Fame Inducts Clark, Mandrell & McCoy

Although Roy Clark appeared on television throughout the 1960s, it wasn’t until he hooked up with Buck Owens to co-host “Hee Haw” that he became a household name. The hour-long show devoted to twanging guitars and cornpone humor debuted on CBS in June 1969 as a summer replacement for “The Smothers Brothers Comedy Hour,” but it wasn’t until it left the network and plunged into syndication that it became the landmark TV show remembered today.

Clark wasn’t the only one honored Sunday by the Country Music Hall of Fame. Charlie McCoy, who served as “Hee Haw’s” music director for 18 years, was also inducted into the Hall.

Barbara Mandrell was also honored for bringing country music to the masses by way of the groove tube. Mandrell, along with sisters Louise and Irlene hosted “Barbara Mandrell and the Mandrell Sisters” on NBC in 1980.

The induction ceremonies brought out Country’s best, with Reba McEntire, Garth Brooks, George Jones and Alison Krauss among the music stars who took the stage in a tribute honoring the three new inductees.

“I adore you with all my heart. You are my other big sister,” McEntire told Mandrell. “I thank you for the things you taught me, not only musically, but spiritually.”

Clark performed one of his biggest hits – “Yesterday When I Was Young” – and told the audience he was humbled to be mentioned alongside his musical heroes.

“Just to be associated yourself with the members of the Country Music Hall of Fame and imagine that your name will be said right along with all the list …,” Clark said.

Super-session musician Charlie McCoy told the audience that when he first arrived in Nashville he wanted to be a singer and didn’t know what a “session” was. That was until he watched Brenda Lee record “Sweet Nothin’s” with the top Nashville musicians of the day.

“When I watched those Nashville A Team musicians work I said ‘To heck with singing, I want to do this,’” said the man who has worked for a long list of music legends, including Elvis Presley, Bob Dylan, Waylon Jennings, Paul Simon, Kris Kristofferson and Tanya Tucker.

“All three of tonight’s inductees looked at the way country music was presented on television and said: ‘We can make this even better,” said Tammy Genovese, the Country Music Association’s chief executive officer. “We can present country music to a mainstream audience with respect, love and humor.”

Click here for the Country Music Hall of Fame Web site.