He wasn’t able to attend but said in a letter that he was honored.

Sherrill helped shape the countrypolitan sound on recordings by Jones, Tammy Wynette, Charlie Rich, Johnny Cash, Ray Charles, Mandrell and many more.

“He became one of the great innovators in American music,” Mandrell said. “He always brought passion to his work and had an uncanny knack for matching great songs with singers.”

Sherrill said he was fortunate to work with “the greatest musicians in the world. It made my job really easy.”