This February, Dolly Parton, Michael W. Smith, Dr. Bobby Jones, the Dixie Hummingbirds and producer Lari Goss will be named the newest members of the Gospel Music Association Foundation’s Gospel Music Hall of Fame.
The GMA Gospel Music Hall of Fame Induction Ceremony and Dinner will be held on Monday, February 2, 2009 at The Richland Country Club in Nashville. The evening will begin at 6:30 pm with a medallion ceremony and reception, followed by the induction ceremony and dinner which will begin at 7:30 pm. Tickets are $150, and they can be reserved by calling 615-277-1366 through January 23 (while available). The Imperials, featuring the original back-up singers for Elvis Presley and Hall of Fame members, will provide entertainment for the event.

John W. Styll, president and CEO of the Gospel Music Association Foundation, said in a press release, “This year’s class of GMA Gospel Music Hall of Fame inductees have all achieved great professional and personal success in many different areas of the music and entertainment industries, but each shares a common heritage of the Gospel’s powerful impact on their lives.”
The GMA Gospel Music Hall of Fame was established in 1971 and has inducted more than 150 members since its inception, including 2007 inductees Phil Keaggy, The Statler Brothers, The Winans and Joe Moscheo. Previous inductees include Elvis Presley, Mahalia Jackson, Keith Green, Amy Grant, the Blind Boys of Alabama, Andrae Crouch, Sandi Patty, Vestal Goodman, Tennessee Ernie Ford, 2nd Chapter of Acts, The Oak Ridge Boys, Petra, Bill and Gloria Gaither, the Rambos, Evie, Richard Smallwood, Jake Hess, The Lewis Family, Thomas A. Dorsey, the Fairfield Four, Billy Graham and the Jordanaires.
For more information about the Gospel Music Association, visit the GMA website.