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
Barbara Mandrell with Steel Guitar Hall of Fame founder DeWitt Scott ("Scotty") accepting her Hall of Fame honor. Photo: Donna Stroup
Barbara Mandrell became the first woman to be inducted into the Steel Guitar Hall of Fame at the International Steel Guitar Convention in St. Louis, MO on Saturday, September 5.
Known as the “Sweetheart of the Steel,” Mandrell was a multi-instrumentalist by the time she was 10. She was on tour with The Johnny Cash Show by age 13 and had her first Billboard chart record at age 21. Her NBC variety show, Barbara Mandrell and the Mandrell Sisters drew nearly 40 million viewers weekly and introduced a nation to country music. Earlier this year, Mandrell was inducted into the Country Music Hall of Fame and now accepts the honor of joining the ranks of elite masters of the steel guitar.
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Sarah Skates has worked in the music business for more than a decade and is a longtime contributor to MusicRow.View Author Profile