Three Country Acts Among Seven Inducted To West Virginia Music Hall Of Fame

The 2009 West Virginia Music Hall of Fame includes a few classic country acts in this year’s inductees.

The seven acts were announced Wednesday at the state Cultural Center in Charleston. They'll be inducted into the Hall of Fame in November.

Hall of Fame Director Michael Lipton says this year's inductee come from all types of musical backgrounds. "They've all been extremely important and helped shape the music of the entire country," Lipton said.

Three of the acts hail from a country background.

Doc and Chickie Williams are music legends from the northern panhandle. The couple became regulars on WWVA in Wheeling. Doc founded Wheeling Records back in the 1940s and is the oldest living member of Jamboree USA. Chickie passed away in 2007. (Listen to them sing “Crepe Upon The Cabin Door” here)



The Bailes Brothers from Kanawha County were the first West Virginia group to become regulars on the Grand Ole Opry back in 1944. The four brothers had such hits as "I Want to Be Loved" and "Down By the River Bend." Homer Bailes is the only surviving member of the group. (Listen to them sing “Watch & Pray” here)



Harold "Hawkshaw" Hawkins hailed from Huntington. He got his start in music when he won a local radio contest in 1938. He went on to record hits such as "I Love You a Thousand Ways" and "Lonesome 7-7203." He became a member of the Grand Ole Opry but died in the 1963 plane crash that also killed Patsy Cline. (Listen to him sing “Sunny Side Of The Mountain” here)