Inductees

David Frizzell

David Frizzell lived all over Texas starting in Greenville Texas in the early '40s when his dad went to Europe in World War 2. He had his first radio show at the age of 9 in Kermit, Texas, then on to Sulphur Springs where they lived when brother Lefty got his first number one hit (and younger brother Allen was born). He began touring with his legendary brother, Lefty Frizzell at the age of 12 throughout the 1950s and 60s. After serving in the Air Force for four years, Frizzell signed with Columbia Records in 1970 and charted his first Billboard single with “L.A. International Airport” and then a Top 40 with “I Just Can’t Help Believing.”

During the 1970s, Frizzell appeared regularly on Buck Owens' All American TV Show and began recording for Capitol Records. In 1981, he recorded his first number one country hit, "You're the Reason God Made Oklahoma," a duet with Shelly West. The song won the Country Music Association's Song of the Year and Vocal Duet of the Year awards in 1981, was nominated for a Grammy Award for Best Country Performance by a Duo or Group with Vocal, and was featured in Clint Eastwood's film ‘Any Which Way You Can.’ Frizzell and West also won the Academy of Country Music award for Vocal Duo of the Year in 1981 and 1982.

In 1982, Frizzell released “I’m Gonna Hire A Wino To Decorate Our Home,” which made its way to number one.

In recent years, Frizzell created his label Nashville America Records and has released several albums including Frizzell Friends: This Is Our Time which includes a bonus track, written in honor of Lefty Frizzell, Merle Haggard, and traditional music in general. “Lefty, Merle & Me” features David with Marty Haggard.

David also penned a biography of his older brother: I Love You a Thousand Ways: The Lefty Frizzell Story. The book features a foreword by Merle Haggard, and it has been made into an audio book. the Lefty Frizzell Story was named by CMT as one of the Best Music Books of the Year. David Frizzell also has continued an active touring career. A tireless entertainer, David is thrilled to join his brother, Lefty, who was also  inducted into the TCMHOF in 2003. 

The Texas Tenors

John Hagen, JC Fisher, Marcus Collins

In 1990 the Three Tenors - Luciano Pavorotti, Placido Domingo and Jose Carreras - collaborated at the ancient baths of Caracalla in Rome for a performance on the eve of the World Cup Finals. An enormous worldwide television audience was enraptured, and the recording of this debut concert became the best-selling classical album of all time. Other performance variations of The Three Tenors were organized, such as The Irish Tenors. But for the Lone Star State, nothing surpasses The Texas Tenors.

The Texas Tenors are a vocal group formed in 2009 by country singer J.C. Fisher, classical singer Marcus Collins, and opera singer John Hagen. Fisher, founder of the Tenors, is headquartered in Katy, Texas. Instead of tuxedos and tails, The Texas Tenors often are attired in dark suits with black Stetson hats. The trio auditioned for America's Got Talent in 2009 anda also debuted their first album that contains all four songs performed on the AGT show. A second studio album was released in 2013, and a third album in 2017 debuted at Number One on the Classic Albums Chart and Number Five on the Top Country Albums Chart.

The Texas Tenors have amassed a huge fan base worldwide with over half a million followers on social media and more than 20 million views on YouTube, Facebook and Instagram. They are Billboard Magazine's #10 Classical Artist in the World for 2019. With impressive live ticket sales tracked by PollStar, they are considered the most successful touring group in the history of America's Got Talent. The group also performs regularly at the Mickey Gilley Grand Shanghai Theater in Branson, Missouri.

The Texas Tenors have released a total of five studio albums, along with two PBS Specials, four DVDs, multiple singles, and two children's books, Ruckus on the Ranch, and Moon's on Fire. Recognition has included three Emmy Awards. Their most recent albums, Outside the Lines, Rise, and A Collection of Broadway and American Classics - all debuted as Number One on the Billboard charts.

As consummate professionals, these three friends with a simple All-American dream have proven their impact will be long lasting as their popularity continues to grow. They have performed more than 1400 live concerts in just the last 10 years.  With concerts at performing arts centers, casinos, symphony halls, outdoor festivals and major corporate events, The Texas Tenors have shown they truly possess that rare, ever-sought-after quality - mass appeal. 

Buddy Holly

Charles Hardin Holley (September 7, 1936 - February 3, 1959), known as Buddy Holly, was an American singer and songwriter who was a central and pioneering figure of mid-1950s rock and roll. He was born in Lubbock, Texas, to a musical family during the Great Depression, and learned to play guitar and sing alongside his siblings. His style was influenced by gospel music, country music, and rhythem and blues acts, which he performed in Lubbock with his friends from high school. 

"Peggy Sue." "That'll Be the Day." "Rave On." "Oh Boy!" "The Crickets." "The Day the Music Died."

These phrases and song titles immediately conjure up Buddy Holly. The Daily Telegraph called Holly "a pioneer and a revolutionary - a multidimensional talent", and AllMusic defined Buddy as "the single most creative force in early rock and roll." But the multidimensional talents of Buddy Holly first were expressed in country and western music, and the strains of country could be heard in his greatest hits. 

Charles Hardin Holley became known as "Buddy," and "Holly" came from a misspelled record label. At 11 Buddy took piano lessons for awhile, before switching to guitar. Raised in West Texas and in a Baptist church, his early music was influenced by country and by gospel. Buddy and his schoolmates played  music together, and in 1952, Buddy and a small band made their first appearance on a Lubbock TV station. Buddy's style began to change from country and western to rock and roll in 1955. He heard Elvis Presley in a concert in Lubbock and soon Buddy opened three Elvis shows. Buddy began to record with a little group called "The Crickets."

In 1956 Buddy saw the classic Western movie, The Searchers. The hard-bitten hero, played by John Wayne, repeated the line, "That'll be the day," during the film, and the line resonated with Buddy the songwriter. "That'll Be the Day" was released early in 1957, and later in the year "Peggy Sue" also became a hit recording. Buddy Holly suddenly became known to the public.

Buddy Holly and the Crickets began touring in New York  City and other eastern cities. There were two live appearances on the nationally popular Ed Sullivan Show, as well as American Bandstand. Buddy toured Hawaii and Australia and England, where a talented group on the rise named themselves "The Beatles," in honor of Holly's "Crickets." Captivated by the music scene in New York City, Buddy recorded so prolifically that for 10 years following his death, there were regular releases of his music. Buddy recorded and toured with fellow West Texas musician and DJ, Waylon Jennings.

While visiting a New York City music office, Buddy met Maria Elena Santiago. He hasked her for a date, and on that first date Buddy proposed marriage. After they married, she traveled with him as the band's "secretary" to avoid upsetting Buddy's legion of female fans. Early in 1959 Buddy and other artists launched a "Winter Dance Party" tour in northern states. Following a concert in Mason City, Iowa, a private plane was chartered to avoid an arduous bus journey. Holly, J.P. Richardson (The Big Bopper) and Richie Valens squeezed into the Beechcraft Bonanza with the pilot. But shortly after takeoff the plane crashed, killing all four men. February 3, 1959: "The Day the Music Died."

Buddy Holly was 22. The funeral was held at the Tabernacle Baptist Church in Lubbock, and Buddy was interred in the City of Lubbock Cemetery. There is an impressive Buddy Holly Center in Lubbock. Numerous TV documentaries have been made, and in 1978 Gary Busey was nominated for an Academy Award for his portrayal as Holly in The Buddy Holly Story. 

Clay Cooper

Clay Cooper already was familiar with the Texas Country Music Hall of Fame, having hosted the induction event in recent years. The Carthage audience responded happily to the comedic and musical abilities that Clay brought to the Hall of Fame stage. For 2023, when a Hall of Fame board member suggested Clay be asked to return as emcee, almost immediately it was decided to invite  him as an inductee. Clay Cooper is a born and bred Texas Country entertainer.

Clayton Stephens Cooper was born on May 25, 1970, and he was raised in a musical family in the Collin County town of Wylie, about 20 miiles northeast of Dallas. His father played guitar and performed at local country music events. Clay's grandmother served as pianist of the Wylie Baptist Church, and she provided piano lessons to Wylie children.

Sadly, Clay's mother died of cancer when he was 12. The boy felt lost and aimless, but because of his innate love of music, he gravitated to the Wylie Opry. By the time he was 16, Clay became the oldest member of a youth band, the Texas Gold Minors.

"It was a smokin' little band," related Clay, "and we started playing South Fork Ranch and the State Fair of Texas and places around there. Then within three months, we got a call from Branson that they wanted to audition us. So we came to Branson for the Ozark Jubilee and we were hired."

Clay reflected on his good fortune. "I feel like God put music in me and by joining the Texas Gold Minors, I feel like God gave me a gift and put me on the right track."

Clay worked steadily in and around Branson, including the Country Review Show in Eureka Springs, the Down Home Country Show, the Buck Trent Show, and the Jim Owens Show. He spent nine years as lead vocalist for Country Tonoight. In 2003, Clay joined his friend, Paul Harris, as lead vocalist on Paul Harris Live.

Two years later, Clay and his wife, Tina, opened Clay Cooper's Country Express on Branson's "Strip." A cast of 25 puts on a colorful, high energy show which includes his wife and children, sons Colton and Caden and a daughter from an earlier marriage, Cassity Laine Cooper. Cooper's Country Express emphasizes traditional Country music and patriotic themes. Discounts are provided to service members and Clay cheerfully encourages audience members to carry concealed weapons to enhance security.

When Tommie Ritter Smith called Clay to inform him of his unanimous selection as a 2023 inductee, he modestly thought - despite  his enormous success as a Country performer - "Wow, am I worthy to be in the Texas Country Music Hall of Fame?"

Tommie reassured him, "Clay, you love Texas, you were born and raised in Texas, you have the Texas flag flying off your roof, everything in your theater is Texas themed, and you've been performing music in Branson for 37 years. If you think about it, you've performed in front of probably as many, if  not more than, some of these nationally know artists that have been doing it on the road. They just all come to you. We're tickled to have you."

K.T. Oslin

"80's Ladies" vaulted singer-songwriter K.T. Oslin to stardom at the age of 45. The million-selling hit made K.T. the first female songwriter to win Song of the Year. The talented artist with the dazzling, infectious smile went on to collect four CMA Awards and three Grammys. In 1988 she was named Female Vocalist of the Year and in 2014, K.T. was inducted into the Nashville Songwriters Hall of Fame.

Kay Toinette Oslin was born on May 15, 1942 and was raised in Houston. As a young adult, K.T. sang folk music around Houston with trios, but her songwriting efforts sounded more like Country than Folk.

And since childhood her earliest dream had been to act. She took advertising roles on TV and sang jingles for commercials promoting soft drinks and cleaning products and even denture adhesives.

But in 1966 she starred opposite Rudy Vallee in an equity production of How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying. That same year she joined the road company of Hello Dolly, starring Carol Channing. After arriving in New York City, she remained with the popular musical during a Broadway run which featured Betty Grable in the title role.

Settling in Manhattan, K.T. appeared in Promises, Promises and in a Lincoln Center revival of West Side Story. There were other roles in lesser known shows as well.

But she continued to write songs with a Country flavor. K.T. began to make trips to Nashville. She sang backup on recording sessions, and she continued to perform ad jingles. Some of her songs were covered by such stars as Dottie West, The Judds, Sissy Spacek, Dusty Springfield and Lorrie Morgan. Although K.T. had no record deal and no agent, she put together her first album and borrowed money to set up a concert.

Veteran producer Harold Shedd, who had worked with Reba McEntire and Alabama, liked K.T.'s sound, and he produced her debut album, 80's Ladies. The title song resonated with millions of women, and within a year she was touring as a star. On stage she regaled audiences with a breezy sense of humor and down home banter. K.T. had back-to-back No.One hits, "Do Ya" and "I'll Always Come Back," and the next year "Hold Me" reached the top of the charts. In 1990 she again reached No.One as a female vocalist with Alabama on the hit "Face to Face."

The personable actress performed delightful music videos, such as "Bride of Frankenstein," and in 1993 she released her Greatest Hits Album, Songs From an Aging Sex Bomb. She was a welcome guest with TV hosts Johnny Carson, Carol Burnett, Ralph Emery, Joan Rivers, and Oprah Winfrey.

K.T. headlined a TNN special USO Celebrity Tour. She was featured in a concert with the Nashville Symphony Orchestra in 1999. She released a disco single of the Rosemary Clooney hit, "Come On'a My House," and she appeared on Austin City Limits.

Her rigorous schedule, however, helped to cause a heart condition, resulting in coronary bypass surgery. After 2005 she cut back on personal appearances. A decade later she was diagnosed with Parkinson's Disease, and she retired to an assisted living facility where she passed away at the age of 78 on December 21, 2020.

One of her final appearances came in 2013, a celebration of the 20th aniversary of 80's Ladies during a sold-out show of Nashville's Franklin Theater.

"We should have music for all of us," proclaimed K.T. Oslin. "Music isn't just for a 20-year-old."

Jeannie C. Riley

 Best known for her international crossover hit “Harper Valley P.T.A.,” Jeannie C. Riley was born Jeanne Carolyn Stephenson on October 19, 1945 in Anson, Texas where she fell in love with country music. Jeannie made her public debut as a teenager on her uncle Johnny Moore’s local jamboree show.

Not long after graduating from high school, Jeannie married Mickey Riley. After the birth of her daughter Kim Michelle Riley on January 11, 1966, the Riley family moved to Nashville so Jeanne could pursue becoming a professional musician. Jeannie worked as a secretary at Passkey Records while recording demos on the side.

In 1967, Jeannie’s manager Paul Perry hooked Riley up with producer Shelby Singleton, with whom she recorded Tom T. Hall's composition of "Harper Valley P.T.A." The song became a huge crossover success, peaking on both the pop and country charts, on the Nielson Top 40, that Casey Kasem counted down, on radio stations all across North America, alike at #1, thus making Jeannie the first female country singer to have a hit single simultaneously soar to the #1 spot on both the Nielson pop & country charts. Riley not only won the Grammy Award for Best Female Country Vocal Performance (she was also nominated for Grammys as "Best New Artist" & "Record of the Year"), Harper Valley P.T.A. also won the Single of the Year from the Country Music Association. In addition, the song inspired a 1969 TV musical variety program with Riley as the host, a 1978 film adaptation starring Barbara Eden, & an early 80's spin-off sitcom that also starred Eden. In 1968, Riley debuted on The Grand Ole Opry and released "The Girl Most Likely," which reached number six on the country charts. During the early '70s, she had five other Top Ten singles, including "Country Girl," "Oh, Singer," and "Good Enough to Be Your Wife." Around 1974, Riley became a born-again Christian and formed a new band, Red River Symphony, which had a hit in 1976, "The Best I've Ever Had." Following its release, Riley founded and began recording on the God's Country label. In 1981, she recorded the gospel album From Harper Valley to the Mountain Top. Throughout the '80s and '90s, she continued to be a popular contemporary Christian recording and performing artist.

Rodney Crowell

Crowell has written 15 #1 songs on the Country music charts and has won two Grammys. His critically-acclaimed last album, Close Ties, garnered a Grammy nomination. Throughout his career, Crowell has also won six Americana Music Awards, including the 2009 Lifetime Achievement Award for Songwriting, and is a member of the Nashville Songwriters Hall of Fame. His songs have been recorded by country legends (Johnny Cash, Waylon Jennings, Willie Nelson, George Strait), to current country chart toppers (Tim McGraw, Keith Urban) to blues icons (Etta James), and rock and roll legends (Van Morrison, Bob Seger). Crowell received the ASCAP Founders Awards in 2017. The Founders Award is one of ASCAP’s highest honors and is presented to songwriters and composers who have made pioneering contributions to music by inspiring and influencing their fellow music creators. Previous recipients include George Strait, Alan Jackson, Jackson Browne, Emmylou Harris, Garth Brooks, Bob Dylan, Tom Petty and Neil Young.

Rodney Crowell was born on August 7, 1950 in Crosby, Texas to James Walter Crowell and Addie Cauzette Willoughby.

Claude Gray

Singer-songwriter and guitar picker Claude Gray stands 6'5" and is frequently called "the Tall Texan." Best known for his1960 hit "Family Bible," Claude Gray was born January 26, 1932 in Henderson, Texas.

Gray started his singing career while attending High School in his hometown of Henderson, Texas and served in the United States Navy from 1950 to 1954. Upon his return home, he worked as a salesman then began his recording career in 1959, after working as a radio announcer in Kilgore, Texas, and performing as a disc jockey in Meridian, Mississippi. His first single, "I'm Not Supposed," was recorded for Pappy Daily's D Records and made the Cashbox country charts.

The following year, Gray and two friends purchased the song "Family Bible" from Willie Nelson for $100. Gray recorded the song, and released it as a single where it peaked at No. 10 on the country charts. In 1961, "I'll Just Have a Cup of Coffee (Then I'll Go)," was released, which peaked at No. 4, and was followed by the biggest hit of Gray's career, the No. 3 "My Ears Should Burn (When Fools Are Talked About)," which was penned by Roger Miller. Gray's final top ten hit came in 1967 with "I Never Had the One I Wanted." Gray's singles began to appear steadily on the charts from the mid-'60s through the early '70s including "I Never Had the One I Wanted," "How Fast Them Trucks Can Go" and "Woman Ease My Mind," in 1973. Gray also scored a hit in 1986 with his version of Neil Diamond's "Sweet Caroline."

Today, Gray continues to tour with The Claude Gray Roadshow, performing shows throughout North America and Europe, where classic country music remains popular. Most recently, Gray has appeared in Branson and is also a performer on the RFD-TV cable television Network.