The Country Music Association revealed the 2011 inductees for the Country Music Hall of Fame today.
Bobby Braddock, Jean Shepard and Reba McEntire will be the latest inducted into the Country Music Hall of Fame
Bobby Braddock is inducted in the Songwriter category. He has been writing hit songs in Nashville for half a century. Some of his classics include "D-I-V-O-R-C-E" and "He Stopped Loving Her Today," and some of his more modern hits are "I Wanna Talk About Me" and the recent "People Are Crazy."
After moving to Nashville in 1964, Braddock became the piano player for Marty Robbins. He released three major label albums and also performed in Country Music-themed movies. He also added his talent as a producer, working on Blake Shelton’s first five albums.
* * * *
Jean Shepard is inducted in the Veterans Era.
She is often called The Grand Lady of the Grand Ole Opry, as she has been a member of the Opry for over 50 years. Jean had 44 charted hits between 1953 and 1978, including her first hit, "A Dear John Letter", which was a duet with Ferlin Husky.
Some of Jean Shepard's hits include: "Twice the Lovin’ in Half the Time", "Don’t Fall in Love With a Married Man", "The Root of All Evil (Is a Man)", and "The Other Woman". She also joined the cast of Ozark Jubilee on ABC TV.
* * *
Reba McEntire is a Modern Era inductee to the Hall of Fame
Reba started out her career a bit slow, but things began to soar for the Oklahoma redhead by 1984, when she won the CMA Female Vocalist of the Year award for the 1st of 4 consecutive years. Two years later, she joined the Grand Ole Opry and was also named CMA Entertainer of the Year. In her music career, Reba has sold more than 55 million albums worldwide, and to date has achieved 35 No. 1 singles. She has also received 6 CMA Awards, and 2 Grammy Awards.
Reba's talents broadened to acting on the big screen (Tremors), the small screen (her own sitcom, "Reba"), and even the Broadway stage (Annie Get Your Gun).
