Garth Brooks, Jerry Reed Set for Musicians Hall of Fame

The Nashville-based Musicians Hall of Fame has announced its 2016 class of inductees, with the remarkable work of Garth Brooks figuring prominently into this year’s class. Brooks and his band the G-Men will be inducted as Hall of Fame performers, while frequent Brooks collaborator Allen Reynolds will be presented with the Producing Award. The induction ceremony will take place in Nashville on October 26th.

Brooks, whose ongoing world tour has eclipsed ticket sales records previously held by the Beatles and the Rolling Stones, is a world-renowned entertainer who is still going strong more than 25 years into his career. Last week, Brooks was nominated for the highly coveted CMA Entertainer of the Year award, which he won four times in the Nineties. Brooks’ producer Reynolds, beyond shaping the sound of Brooks’ iconic No Fences and Ropin’ the Wind, also oversaw the recording of Crystal Gayle’s “Don’t It Make My Brown Eyes Blue” and “When I Dream.”

Also joining this year’s class is actor-singer-guitarist Jerry Reed, receiving a posthumous honor for a musical career that included his signature guitar-driven singles like “Eastbound and Down,” “Amos Moses” and “She Got the Goldmine (I Got the Shaft).” Bluegrass, gospel and traditional country hero Ricky Skaggs will also be inducted, as well the Sigma Sound Studio Rhythm Section.

Another frequent Brooks collaborator, Mark Miller is among the group being presented with Hall of Fame’s Engineering Award. Others in this category include Lou Bradley, Ron “Snake” Reynolds and Joe Tarsia. Additionally, Don Felder’s spine-tingling guitar work on the Eagles’ “Hotel California” will be acknowledged with the Iconic Riff Award.

Founded in 2006, the Musicians Hall of Fame honors the stars and supporting cast who provided the instrumental work on the greatest records of all time. Previous inductees include the Nashville A-Team, the Wrecking Crew, Peter Frampton, Barbara Mandrell and the Tennessee Two, among others.