Courtesy of the Country Music Hall of Fame and MuseumThe Country Music Hall of Fame announced its 2020 class of inductees on Wednesday, and the three legends who made the cut are Hank Williams Jr., Marty Stuart and singer/songwriter Dean Dillon.

“Bocephus has been eyeing this one for a while. It’s a bright spot during a difficult year,” said Hank Jr., who’s going in as the Hall’s Veterans Era inductee this year. “I have been making Top 10 records for 56 years…I’ve got to thank all those rowdy friends who, year after year, still show up for me. It’s an honor to carry on this family tradition.”

“It is the ultimate honor in country music,” added Marty, who represents the Modern Era this year. “…To be officially inducted into the Country Music Hall of Fame is beyond words. I’m not usually at a loss for words.”

For his part, Dean Dillon, who’s the 2020 Non-Performers category inductee, also struggled to find the right words to describe his reaction to the news.

“I was just speechless,” he recalled. “Trying to soak in the words I had just heard. My life flashed before my eyes. You could’ve knocked me over with a feather.”

Typically, the Hall of Fame inductees are announced each year in an in-person ceremony at the Country Music Hall of Fame in Nashville. Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the Hall of Fame broke its news virtually this year. The formal induction event, called the Medallion Ceremony, usually takes place in October. It remains to be seen if that will be the case in 2020.

By Carena Liptak
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