World Class Musicians Honored by Superstars From All Music Genres At One Of A Kind Concert
-Anita Mandell

Nashville, TN. December 5, 2007--- For decades there have been award shows honoring artists but never before has there been an organization like The MUSICIANS HALL OF FAME that recognizes the contributions studio musicians make to an artists’ music and overall career. Talented musicians can play one guitar lick that can make a song forever memorable, play a piano riff on a song intro like you’ve never heard or create a drum solo that takes the song to a whole new level. Behind the scenes magic has been made by musicians and their talents have now been placed in the spotlight at the first MUSICIANS HALL OF FAME INDUCTION last week in Nashville.

The prestigious Schermerhorn Symphony Center was the location of the inaugural concert ceremony honoring legendary studio musicians from all areas of the country. Superstar recording artists that lined up to perform and honor these outstanding musicians included Keith Anderson, Mandy Barnett, John Carter Cash, Rodney Crowell, Garth Brooks, Peter Frampton, Amy Grant, Vince Gill, Dobie Gray, George Jones, Brenda Lee, Roger McGuinn (former member of The Byrds), Ray Scott, BJ Thomas and Mary Wilson (former member of The Supremes). Hosting duties where gracefully carried out at the event by actor Creed Bratton , from the popular TV series “The Office” and former member of 70’s music group, The Grassroots.

The Blue Moon Boys started recording at Memphis’ famed Sun Studios recording with various artists for Sam Phillips. This ensemble of inductees consisted of Bill Black (bass), Scotty Moore (guitar) and DJ Fontana (drums). In 1954 the Blue Moon Boys were the band for a then unknown artist named Elvis Presley. This group of musicians went on to tour and record with the legend for many years.

Kicking off the inaugural induction concert, MCA recording artist, Vince Gill sang the Elvis hit “Heartbreak Hotel” and Carl Perkins’ “Blue Suede Shoes” with DJ Fontana accompanying him on drums and James Burton on guitar.

A long list of country icons including Roy Orbison and Brenda Lee enlisted Nashville’s A TEAM to lend their musical talents in the recording studio. The A Team inductees who attended the amazing event includes Harold Bradley (guitar), Ray Edenton (guitar), Buddy Harmon (drums), Charlie McCoy (harmonica/guitar/bass), Bob Moore (bass), Hargus “Pig” Robbins (piano) and Jerry Kennedy (guitar). Combined these musicians recorded on a combined 130,000 recording sessions throughout the 50’s, 60’s and 70’s.

Legendary artist, George Jones performed his country hit “The Grand Tour” and Sony/BMG artist, Keith Anderson sang the Roger Miller hit “King of the Road” with the “A Team” inductees backing them with their outstanding musicianship.

Over the years, lists of legendary artists have enlisted members of The Memphis Boys, which includes Bobby Wood (keyboards), Reggie Young (guitar), Mike Leech (bass), Bobby Emmons (organ), Gene Chrisman (drums) to perform on their recordings. This group of outstanding musicians contributed to famous recordings by Elvis, Willie Nelson, Dobie Gray, Dusty Springfield , BJ Thomas and Garth Brooks, to list a few. During the concert, Garth Brooks performed the Elvis hit “Suspicious Minds” and BJ Thomas sang his smash “Hooked On A Feeling” with members of The Memphis Boys backing them with their incredible musicianship.

The Funk Brothers were recently brought into the spotlight in a documentary titled “Standing In The Shadows of Motown.” These studio musicians were the foundation of the Motown sound coming out of Detroit, from the 50’s through the 70’s. The Funk Brother inductees who performed on the first Musicians Hall of Fame awards show include Uriel Jones (drums), Bob Babbitt (bass) and Eddie Willis (guitar).

At the induction ceremony concert, legendary Grammy award winning guitarist, Peter Frampton spoke of how he was inspired by the The Funk Brothers Motown Sound from a young age. Frampton sang the Steve Wonder smash “Signed, Sealed, Delivered” with the inductees backing him with their memorable musicianship. As a part of their induction, former Supremes singer, Mary Wilson performed “Stop in the Name of Love” with the ensemble to a rousing standing ovation.

Inductees “The Tennessee Two” created a sound with Johnny Cash that has inspired countless musicians around the world starting in the late 1950’s. Luther Perkins (guitar) and Marshall Grant (bass) taught themselves to play music and became the foundation for the superstar career of legend Johnny Cash. Marshall Grant performed upright bass at the outstanding concert with the legends’ son, John Carter Cash. Together they backed new artist, Ray Scott on the hit “Folsom Prison Blues” and Rodney Crowell, on Cash’s hit song, “Ring of Fire” .

There are not many hit songs from the Southern California Pop sound of the 60’s & 70’s that The Wrecking Crew did not play on. This group of studio musicians were based in Los Angeles and lent their talents on legendary recordings such as “Bridge Over Troubled Water”-Simon & Garfunkel, “Close to You” – The Carpenters, “Good Vibrations”- Beach Boys, “I Got You Babe”- Sonny & Cher and “Mr. Tambourine Man” – The Byrds, to name a few. The ensemble of “West Coast Sound” inductees performing were Hal Blaine (drums), James Burton (guitar), Mike Deasy (guitar), Larry Knechtel (organ/guitar), Don Randi (keyboards), Don Peake (guitar), Lyle Ritz (standup bass) and Billy Strange (arranger/guitar).

At the one of a kind induction concert, Roger McGuinn sang The Byrds hit “Mr. Tambourine Man”, Amy Grant gave a spunky performance of the Nancy Sinatra’s signature song “These Boots Are Made For Walking” and Vince Gill delivered a moving performance of Simon & Garfunkel’s “Bridge Over Troubled Water,” with the West Coast inductees backing them with their incredible musicianship.

The Musicians Hall of Fame and Museum opened to the public June 9, 2006 and is the only one in the world. It honors great musicians of all genres regardless of instrument played. The museum consists of many historic instruments played on countless of famous recordings from the Red Hot Chili Peppers, Bob Dylan, all of the Beatles individually, and to Hank Sr., George Jones and Garth Brooks. The complex also houses a school of music and a performance hall. Visit HYPERLINK "http://www.musicianshalloffame.com" www.musicianshalloffame.com for more information.

Induction Ceremony

The Musicians Hall of Fame and Museum opened to the public June 9, 2006. The purpose of the Musicians Hall of Fame and Museum is to recognize great musicians for their achievements whether they are unknown to the general public or have a following of millions. As visitors tour the museum, not only do they see and hear the instruments, but they learn about the musicians who played them.

Since the opening of the Musicians Hall of Fame and Museum, the Hall of Fame has sent ballots to professional musicians, producers, engineers, and music historians across the country requesting their nominations for inductees into the Musicians Hall of Fame. From this pool of nominees, the Musicians Hall of Fame Advisory Board chose the inaugural class for the 2007 inductees. The Musicians Hall of Fame’s inaugural class includes The Blue Moon Boys, The Funk Brothers, The Memphis Boys, The Nashville A-Team, The Tennessee Two, and The Wrecking Crew.

The Nashville A- Team

In the 50’s, 60’s, and 70’s, one thing that the studios in Nashville had in common with all U.S. recording centers was a relatively small group of musicians who played on about 80-90% of its recordings. Nashville’s prominent group of musicians became known as the A-Team. Over time, members would come and go, but the nucleus remained the same.

In Nashville when a producer needed to book a session, or a three-hour block of time in a recording studio, he would need musicians to play along with the artist. Most artists and producers wanted to use the same group of musicians, so rather than naming each musician individually, the producer would just say, “Book the A-Team.” Although there was a group of musicians prior to the A-Team known as the Pioneer Players, the A-Team’s roots took hold in what is now known as Music Row, beginning in the Quonset Hut Studio and RCA Studio B. The core members of the A-Team consisted of Harold Bradley, Floyd Cramer, Pete Drake, Ray Edenton, Hank Garland, Buddy Harmon, Tommy Jackson, Grady Martin, Charlie McCoy, Bob Moore, Boots Randolph, Hargus (Pig) Robbins, and later brought in players like Jerry Kennedy.

The Funk Brothers

Similar to Nashville’s A-Team, Los Angeles’ Wrecking Crew, the American Sound Studio’s Memphis Boys, Stax Record’s Booker T and the MG’s, and the Muscle Shoals Swampers, Detroit (Motown) had The Funk Brothers. Notable members include James Jamerson, Uriel Jones, Joe Messina, Eddie Willis, Bob Babbitt, Eddie “Bongo” Brown, Robert White, Richard “Pistol” Allen, Jack Ashford, Joe Hunter, Earl Van Dyke, William “Benny” Benjamin, and Johnny Griffith. These musicians played on most of the Detroit Motown records from the late 50’s through the early 70’s, although only a few made the move when Berry Gordy, founder of Motown Records, moved Motown to Los Angeles.

The Wrecking Crew

In the early 60’s, there was a group of studio musicians located in L.A. who, with time, became known as The Wrecking Crew. Although virtually unknown to the public, these musicians played on most of the hits associated with the West Coast sound. These younger musicians inherited their name from the original session players of the 30’s, 40’s, and 50’s. The older generation musicians did not want to play “that rock and roll music,” and they felt that the younger group of musicians would wreck the industry by playing the emerging genre. Hence, The Wrecking Crew was a fitting name for this talented group of musicians. Most of The Wrecking Crew is also known as a part of legendary producer Phil Spector’s “Wall of Sound.”

That sound consisted of artists such as Sonny and Cher, The Association, Ricky Nelson, The Beach Boys, The Fifth Dimension, The Byrds, Herb Alpert, The Mamas and the Papas, Johnny Rivers, Jan and Dean, Andy Williams, Simon and Garfunkel, The Ronettes, The Righteous Brothers, Nancy, and even Frank Sinatra. Members of the Wrecking Crew   played on countless movie scores and television themes such as Hawaii Five-O, Twilight Zone, Green Acres, and M*A*S*H*.

The Memphis Boys

Founded by Chips Moman and Don Crews in 1964, American Sound Studio was located at 827 Thomas Street in Memphis, Tennessee. Originally known as the 827 Thomas Street Band, and later nicknamed after moving to Nashville, the Memphis Boys were a group of musicians whose careers started in the Memphis area in the early 60’s. According to Billboard Magazine, they played on more hit records in a six month period than any other group of studio musicians in history. Among the many hits that the Memphis Boys recorded are Elvis’ “Suspicious Minds,” “In the Ghetto,” and “Kentucky Rain,” Neil Diamond’s “Sweet Caroline,” Willie Nelson’s “Always on My Mind,” Billy Swan’s “I Can Help”, Dusty Springfield’s “Son of a Preacher Man,” and B.J. Thomas’ “Hooked on a Feeling.” When Elvis first walked into American Sound Studios, he remarked, “What a funky, funky place.” It was the first time since his Sun Records days that Elvis had recorded in Memphis.

The Memphis Boys consisted of Bobby Wood, Bobby Emmons, Gene Chrisman, Mike Leech, Reggie Young, and Tommy Cogbill.

The Tennessee Two

Marshall Grant and Luther Perkins were both mechanics in Memphis when Johnny Cash joined their band. Elvis had just started making some noise and Marshall said to Luther and Johnny, “Somebody’s gotta learn how to play lead guitar and somebody’s gotta learn how to play bass if we expect to have any success like Elvis has had.” So Luther said, “I know where I can get an electric guitar,” and he came back with one and told Marshall there was a used upright bass for $20, which Marshall promptly bought.  Marshall gave Johnny his acoustic guitar, since it was the best one of the three, and they began to teach themselves how to play. Not only did they teach themselves, but they created a sound that has stood the test of time and has been an inspiration to countless musicians around the world. 

The Blue Moon Boys

Scotty Moore and Bill Black started a band called the Starlite Wranglers around 1954 in Memphis. Having already recorded in Sun Studios, Sam Phillips asked Scotty to audition a young singer named Elvis Presley. Scotty invited Elvis to his apartment where he and fellow band mate, Bill Black, listened to Elvis sing song after song. Impressed with Elvis’ repertoire, style, and appearance, Scotty gave Sam his approval of Elvis. Within days, Elvis, Scotty, and Bill were in Sun Studios recording with Sam Phillips at the control board. Ever since that day, the world has never been the same.