| The West Virginia Music Hall of Fame announced its first round of inductees yesterday in the Grand Hall of the Cultural Center in the Capitol Complex.
Joining Hall of Fame founder Michael Lipton for the announcement was, Wheeling native and 2007 Grammy winner Tim O'Brien; Kay Goodwin, Cabinet Secretary, Department of Education and the Arts; Randall Reid-Smith, Commissioner of Culture and History; and John Lilly, editor of Goldenseal Magazine.
"West Virginia has always been home to some of the world's finest musicians and musical innovators, in a wide range of styles," said Lilly. "It's high time we got together to recognize our state's musical treasures, both as an appropriate gesture to them and their artistry, and to inspire ourselves to continue their achievements."
The musicians to be inducted in the "living" category are: George Crumb, Hazel Dickens, Little Jimmy Dickens, Billy Edd Wheeler and Bill Withers.
In the "deceased" category, Leon "Chu" Berry, Johnnie Johnson, Clark Kessinger, Mollie O'Day and Blind Alfred Reed were selected.
There were 94 musicians nominated in nearly every genre of music and every corner of the state, with a 10-person selection committee making the final decision.
Two of the 14 other finalists are known to Calhoun, Braxton and Clay counties - Melvin Wine, one of Jake Krack's fiddling mentors and Blind Ed Haley, who composed and played in Calhoun during the 1920s-30s and stayed for weeks near Stinson.
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"Both the list of finalists and the first round of inductees reflect the wide range of talent that has come out of West Virginia," said Michael Lipton.
"But these musicians are just the tip of the state's musical iceberg. This is our first round of inductions so we've got a lot of catching up to do," Lipton said.
LIVING:
⢠George Crumb - classical composer. Born 1929, Charleston, Kanawha County. Internationally famous composer George Crumb has written music for chamber ensembles and orchestra and has been commissioned by some of the most prestigious ensembles in the world. He won the Pulitzer Prize for Music for "Echoes of Time and the River" which draws from his Kanawha Valley heritage. Crumb is recognized the world over as one of the 20th Century's most unique voices in concert music. Crumb studied at various schools in the Midwest as well as at the Berlin Hochschule as a Fulbright Scholar. He eventually joined the faculty at the University of Pennsylvania, where he composed and taught for three decades.
⢠Hazel Dickens - singer. Born 1935, Mercer County. Combining elements of country and bluegrass, Dickens sings about the plight of non-unionized mineworkers and feminism. She formed a band with Mike Seeger (younger brother of folk legend Pete Seeger) and, over the next decade, was active in the folk/bluegrass movement in the Baltimore/D.C. area. Her group the Greenbriar Boys toured with Joan Baez in the '60s. Dickens and Seeger's wife Alice Gerrard researched feminist songs at the Library of Congress and incorporated them into their repertoire. In 1973, Dickens recorded four songs for the soundtrack to the Academy Award-winning documentary about coal mining, "Harlan County, USA." Her three solo albums for Rounder include old-time country along with protest songs and songs in a more contemporary country style.
⢠Little Jimmy Dickens - country singer/entertainer. Born 1925, Bolt, Raleigh County. In 1949, Dickens became a permanent member of the Grand Ole Opry and signed with Columbia Records. He would go on to have hits in every decade from the '40s to the '70s. Dubbed the "King of the Novelty Song," his tunes included "Take an Old Cold Tater and Wait," "A-Sleepin' at the Foot of the Bed," "Out Behind the Barn" and the Top 10 hit, "May the Bird of Paradise Fly Up Your Nose." Also from Dunkley - In 1964 he was the first country artist to tour around the world. Also nominated by Derek Halsey, nom. comm. J - "Little Jimmy Dickens has been in the music business for over 50 years. He is in the Country Music Hall of fame, has been a member of the Grand Ole Opry since 1949, and he still performs and hosts on the Opry on a regular basis."
⢠Billy Edd Wheeler - singer/songwriter. Born 1932, Whitesville, Boone County. An extremely successful songwriter who penned "The Reverend Mr. Black," "Ode to the Little Brown Shack Out Back," "Jackson," "Coward of the County," "Coal Tattoo," "Ain't Going Home Soon" and "They Can't Put It Back." Elvis Presley had a hit with his "It's Midnight" while Kenny Rogers hit No. 1 with Wheelers' "Coward of the Country." Also a successful writer of plays, joke books, children books and a folk opera. Inducted in the Nashville Songwriters Foundation Hall of Fame." Attended Yale as a drama student.
⢠Bill Withers - singer/songwriter. Born 1938, Slab Fork, Raleigh County. WV's most successful songwriter, Withers composed some of the best known hits of the '70s including "Lean On Me," "Use Me" and "Ain't No Sunshine." His songs are played (and sampled) today. Artists who have recorded his songs include Mick Jagger, Crystal Gale, Nancy Wilson, Carmen McCrae, Diana Ross, Barbra Streisand, Michael Jackson, Liza Minnelli, Aretha Franklin, Tom Jones, Linda Ronstadt, Joe Cocker and Johnny Mathis. "Lean on Me" has became a standard with hit covers by U.K. rock band Mud and Club Nouveau, and was the title theme of a 1989 movie starring Morgan Freeman.
DECEASED:
⢠Leon "Chu" Berry - jazz saxophonist. 1910-1941. Born in Wheeling, Ohio County. Berry was a Wheeling native and attended WV Colored Institute (WV State University) before locating to NYC, where he based the remainder of his career playing with such renowned bandleaders as Benny Carter, Fletcher Henderson, Count Basie and Cab Calloway. Berry was considered one of the top tenor saxophonists of the 1930s, just below Coleman Hawkins (his main influence), Lester Young and Ben Webster. Berry might have become a pivotal force if he had not died in an auto accident in 1941.
⢠Johnnie Johnson - rock 'n' roll pianist. 1924-2005. Born Fairmont, Marion County. The only West Virginian to be inducted into the Rock 'n' Roll Hall of Fame, Johnson is considered by many to be the father of rock 'n' roll piano. He actually hired Chuck Berry in 1953 and subsequently played on most of Berry's hits including "Maybellene," "School Days" and "Roll Over Beethoven." Johnson was also the inspiration for the classic hit "Johnnie B. Goode." In 1987 Johnson appeared with Berry in the movie "Hail Hail Rock & Roll" at Keith Richard's request.
⢠Clark Kessinger - oldtime fiddler. Kanawha County. Kessinger was one of the greatest old time fiddlers still active in the early 1970s. As the Kessinger Brothers, Clark and his nephew Luches recorded more than 70 sides in the late 1920s. Clark remained an excellent fiddle player throughout his life and won many awards including first prize as the World's Champion Fiddler at the 47th Annual Union Grove Old Time Fiddlers Convention. His recordings can be found at Rounder Records, County sales, and many Smithsonian Institute Folkways projects.
⢠Molly O'Day - country singer. 1923-1987. Born in Pike County, KY. Lived in Huntington, Cabell County, circa 1940-1987. O'Day helped redefine the role of the female country singer and was known for her impassioned performances. None other than Hank Williams taught her "Tramp on the Street," which became her signature song. Many consider her to be the greatest female country singer who ever lived. O'Day and her husband Lynn Davis recorded for Columbia Records in the mid'1940s. After suffering a nervous breakdown, O'Day and her husband/guitarist Lynne Davis hosted a gospel radio program in Huntington.
⢠Blind Alfred Reed - singer/songwriter. Born 1880 in Floyd, VA. Died in 1956. Lived most of his life in Princeton, Mercer County. Blind Alfred Reed was a unique and accomplished musician and songwriter who was first 'discovered' by Ralph Peer in the 1920's on Peer's legendary trip to Bristol, TN, where he also discovered the Carter Family and Jimmie Rodgers. Ultimately, Reed was one of the first West Virginians to be recorded with his authentic Appalachian music spread around the world. Various musicians have recorded his music including Ry Cooder (in the 1970s) and Bruce Springsteen (2006).
The 14 other finalists:
Living:
Phyllis Curtin
Wilma Lee Cooper
Doc Williams
Robert Drasnin
Kathy Mattea
Connie Smith
Winston Walls
Deceased:
Ed Haley
Harold "Hawkshaw" Hawkins
The Hammons Family
The Lilly Brothers
Maceo Pinkard
Don Redman
Melvin Wine
Nominations for the 2008 inductions will begin next spring.
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