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Country music hall inducts three

Clark, Mandrell, McCoy join ranks

Charlie McCoy, left, Roy Clark and Barbara Mandrell meet at a reception before being inducted into the Country Music Hall of Fame. (Associated Press / The Spokesman-Review)
John Gerome Associated Press
Charlie McCoy, left, Roy Clark and Barbara Mandrell meet at a reception before being inducted into the Country Music Hall of Fame. (Associated Press / The Spokesman-Review)

NASHVILLE, Tenn. – Roy Clark, Barbara Mandrell and Charlie McCoy were inducted into the Country Music Hall of Fame on Sunday in a ceremony that saluted them for their music as well as their contributions to bringing the genre to a mass audience through television.

“All three of tonight’s inductees looked at the way country music was presented on television and said: ‘We can make this even better. We can present country music to a mainstream audience with respect, love and humor,’ ” said Tammy Genovese, the Country Music Association’s chief executive officer.

Clark, 76, co-hosted the TV show “Hee Haw” with Buck Owens for more than two decades. Mandrell, 60, joined sisters Louise and Irlene to host “Barbara Mandrell and the Mandrell Sisters” on NBC in 1980. McCoy, 68, an ace session musician, served as musical director of “Hee Haw” for 18 years.

The three were honored in a tribute that included performances by Garth Brooks, Reba McEntire, George Jones, Alison Krauss, Josh Turner, Michael McDonald, Rodney Crowell and others.