In continuing its mission to preserve and celebrate music year-round, The Recording Academy® announces the newest additions to its legendary GRAMMY Hall Of Fame® collection. Established by The Academy’s National Trustees in 1973, the GRAMMY Hall Of Fame was created to honor recordings of lasting qualitative or historical significance that are at least 25 years old. Recordings are reviewed annually by a special member committee of eminent and knowledgeable professionals from all branches of the recording arts, and final approval is made by The Recording Academy Trustees. With 30 new titles, the list currently totals 881 and is displayed at The GRAMMY Museum®.

“The GRAMMY Hall Of Fame represents all genres of music, acknowledging the diversity of musical expression for which The Academy has become renowned,” said Neil Portnow, President/CEO of The Recording Academy. “These musical treasures have brought us timeless recordings, and each of them deserves to be memorialized. These recordings are living evidence that music remains an indelible part of our culture.”

This dynamic group of inductees range from the Beatles’ “Penny Lane” to the Jackson 5′s “I’ll Be There.” Other recordings include Al Jolson’s “My Mammy,” the Marvelettes’ “Hey Mr. Postman,” Willie Nelson’s “On The Road Again,” the Original Broadway Cast recording of, Brigadoon, Prince & The Revolution’s Purple Rain, and Otis Redding’s “I’ve Been Loving You Too Long.” Other inductees with selections include Joan Baez, Mildred Bailey, Ray Charles, Jimmy Cliff, Fats Domino, Duke Ellington & His Famous Orchestra, Al Green, Sergei Rachmaninoff, and Hank Williams With His Drifting Cowboys, among others.

For more information about the GRAMMY Hall Of Fame or the 53rd Annual GRAMMY® Awards (to be broadcast live on Feb. 13, 2011 at 8 p.m. ET/PT on the CBS Television Network), please visit www.grammy.com. For updates and breaking news, please visit The Recording Academy’s social networks on Twitter and Facebook: www.twitter.com/thegrammys, and www.facebook.com/thegrammys.

A few legendary country songs made the cut:

“LOVESICK BLUES”
Hank Williams With His Drifting Cowboys
MGM (1949)
Country (Single)

“ON THE ROAD AGAIN”
Willie Nelson
CBS (1980)
Country (Single)

“STEEL GUITAR RAG”
Bob Willis & His Texas Playboys Featuring Leon McAuliffe
Vocalion (1936)
Country (Single)

Got some country music gossip and don’t wanna be a tattle tale? Email me, Tawny Tucker, Tawny@countrymusictattletale.com