Country Songs Going to Grammy Hall of Fame

Several Country and Nashville-related songs and albums are among the 2013 inductees to the Grammy Hall Of Fame:

“Act Naturally”
Buck Owens
Johnny Russell, Voni Morrison
Capitol (1963)
Country (Single)

Foggy Mountain Banjo
Lester Flatt, Earl Scruggs And The Foggy Mountain Boys
Columbia (1961)
Country (Album)

“Bonaparte’s Retreat”
W.H. Stepp
(Traditional arr. Stepp)
Library of Congress (1937)
Country (Single)

“The Titanic”
Ernest V. “Pop” Stoneman
(Ernest V. “Pop” Stoneman)
Okeh (1924)
Country (Single)

“Near You” *
Francis Craig And His Orchestra
(Francis Craig & Kermit Goell)
Bullet (1947)
Pop (Single)

Representing a variety of tracks and albums, the 2013 Grammy Hall Of Fame inductees range from AC/DC’s Back In Black album to Frank Sinatra’s recording of “Theme from ‘New York, New York.'” Also added to the highly regarded list are Billy Joel’s “Piano Man,” Paul McCartney & Wings’ album Band On The Run, Ray Charles’ “Hit The Road Jack,” the Drifters’ “On Broadway,” and self-titled albums from Elton John and Whitney Houston.

To be eligible, singles and album recordings must exhibit qualitative or historical significance. Recordings are reviewed annually by a special member committee comprised of eminent and knowledgeable professionals from all branches of the recording arts, with final approval by The Recording Academy’s National Board of Trustees. The list currently totals 933 and is on display at the Grammy Museum at L.A. LIVE.

* “Near You” was written and recorded in Nashville. The Frances Craig Orchestra was the house band at the Hermitage Hotel. In 1947, it was released on Nashville’s Bullet Records, the first major hit to come from an independent label. It still holds the record for the longest continuous stay at No. 1 on the pop charts: 17 weeks. The label was unable to keep pace with the record’s runaway success, which led to the construction of Nashville’s first record-pressing plant. Next, “Near You” became Milton Berle’s theme song on television. Later it was revived as a country duet by George Jones & Tammy Wynette and became a No. 1 country hit in 1978.—RKO