The Country Music Hall of Fame has revealed this year’s trio of inductees during a special ceremony today (March 25) in Nashville. Accomplished singer-songwriter and Hall of Fame member Vince Gill was on hand to announce the honors, which are separated into three categories: Non-Performer, Modern Era Artist, and Veterans Era Artist.
Tony Brown, best known for work as producer on 20 of George Strait’s albums, was selected in this year’s Non-Performer category. A former member of Emmylou Harris’s Hot Band and The Oak Ridge Boys’ backing band, The Mighty Oaks Band, Brown is a six-time Grammy Award winner. Along with his lengthy list of production credits with Strait, Brown has helped craft the sound of acclaimed records by Steve Earle, Rodney Crowell, Wynonna Judd, and Reba McEntire.
“When you’re producing No.1 records, you feel like you know what you’re doing,” Brown shared in a statement. “But being inducted into the Country Music Hall of Fame — especially for someone as idealistic as me —makes it feel like you’ve truly made an impact. And that has always been my goal.”
This year’s Modern Era Artist selection was Kenny Chesney, who has earned a lengthy list of career accomplishments since earning his first No. 1 hit with “She’s Got It All” in 1997. The Tennessee native has broken multiple attendance records with his relentless touring schedule, released 20 studio albums, and sold over 30 million records globally.
“You don’t dare dream of being in the Country Music Hall of Fame, alongside legends including George Jones, Willie Nelson, Alabama, even Dean Dillon,” says Chesney. “I’ve been lucky enough to get to call them my friends, and that was plenty. But hearing the news I’d been voted into the Hall, I can honestly say beyond my wildest dreams, it’s an honor that defies words. I am humbled, grateful, honored…as much for all the songwriters, musicians, artists, and people who’ve helped me build my career; they have truly inspired me every single day.”
The Veterans Era Artist inductee for 2025 will be posthumously presented to June Carter Cash, who made her mark on the genre at an early age as a member of the musically talented Carter family. After finding fame on the radio alongside her relatives, Cash set out to pave a path all her own, embracing the art of acting while crafting a solo music career. Although many know he best as Johnny Cash’s other half, her individual impact on country music is widespread and all-too-often overlooked.
“June Carter Cash represents the whole cloth of Country Music, its breadth and heritage,” the Cash family writes in a statement. “And June’s place in Country Music is undeniable. From the 1940s, across the decades, and into the current century, her voice has been heard across the country and throughout much of the world, both with Mother Maybelle Carter, sisters Helen and Anita, and on her own, as well as with her duet partners, including her beloved Johnny Cash, with whom she told stories and inspired musicians both past, present, and future.
“She was a loving wife and mother, an actress, singer, songwriter, comedienne, and a truly gifted performer whose persona was never exactly what was expected but was always and totally June,” the statement continues. “She profoundly respected, and was respected for, her craft, and that endures to this day. We, the Carter and Cash families, are most grateful and proud that the County Music Association has given June this well-deserved honor for her undeniable contribution to the fabric of Country Music and American culture.”
All three honorees will be formally inducted into the Country Music Hall of Fame during a private medallion ceremony later this year. John Anderson, James Burton, and Toby Keith were selected as the Country Music Hall of Fame’s 2024 class and officially inducted in October 2024.
