Hank Williams, John Prine, Neil Young Recordings Earn Spot in Grammy Hall of Fame
Classic recordings from Hank Williams, John Prine and Neil Young are among the 27 inductees into the Recording Academy’s Grammy Hall of Fame for 2015. Their inclusion will bring the grand total of titles in the Hall of Fame to 987. (See the complete list of 2015 Grammy Hall of Fame inductees below.)
Hank Williams‘ 1947 recording of his self-penned “Honky Tonkin'” joins his previous Hall of Fame inductees — “Hey Good Lookin’,” “I’m So Lonesome I Could Cry,” “Jambalaya (on the Bayou)” and “Your Cheatin’ Heart” — as a recipient of the honor. The songs will be commemorated this year with a special collector’s edition book focusing on the Grammy Foundation’s Grammy Camp program and the organization’s preservation and archiving initiatives.
Singer-songwriter John Prine‘s 1971 self-titled debut album, released on Atlantic Records and produced by Arif Mardin, will also be inducted. The LP includes essential Prine compositions “Sam Stone,” “Illegal Smile,” “Hello in There” and “Angel From Montgomery.”
Also selected for induction was Neil Young’s 1972 classic Harvest, the majority of which was recorded in Nashville and featured performances from Linda Ronstadt, James Taylor and some of Music City’s finest session players.
Other inductees include Stardust, Willie Nelson’s career-defining (and record-breaking) 1975 album of standards, and Bob Wills and His Texas Playboys‘ “San Antonio Rose,” as well as recordings by ABBA, the Sex Pistols, the Four Seasons, Bonnie Raitt, Fats Waller and more.
To be considered for induction into the Grammy Hall of Fame, albums and single recordings must be at least 25 years old and deemed of “lasting qualitative or historical importance.” Inductees are selected annually by a special member committee of eminent and knowledgeable professionals from all branches of the recording arts.
The 57th Annual Grammy Awards will be broadcast live on CBS, February 8, 2015. The full list of inductees is below:
Kraftwerk, Autobahn
The Four Seasons, “Big Girls Don’t Cry”
Bob Dylan, Blood on the Tracks
Sonny Rollins, The Bridge
Harry Belafonte, Calypso
ABBA, “Dancing Queen”
Neil Young, Harvest
Hank Williams and His Drifting Cowboys, “Honky Tonkin'”
Bobby Fuller Four, “I Fought the Law”
“Fats” Waller, His Rhythm and His Orchestra, “Jitterbug Waltz”
John Prine, John Prine
Chic, “Le Freak”
Fontella Bass, “Rescue Me”
Bob Wills and His Texas Playboys, “San Antonio Rose”
Alice Cooper, “School’s Out”
The Dominoes, “Sixty Minute Man”
Leonard Cohen, Songs of Leonard Cohen
Willie Nelson, Stardust
Fisk Jubilee Singers, “Swing Low, Sweet Chariot”
Paul Robeson, “Swing Low, Sweet Chariot”
Aaron Neville, “Tell It Like It Is”
Otis Redding, “Try a Little Tenderness”
Lou Reed, “Walk on the Wild Side”