NASHVILLE, TN. (Country
Music Association) - The Country
Music Association has announced that former music industry executive Jim Foglesong and legendary singer/songwriter Kris Kristofferson will become the newest members of the coveted Country
Music Hall of Fame. Formal induction for the pair will take place during "The 38th Annual CMA Awards," which will be broadcast live on the CBS Television Network, Tuesday, Nov. 9 (8:00-11:00 PM/EST) from the Grand Ole Opry House in Nashville.
Foglesong is to be inducted in the "Non-Performer" category, which is awarded every third year, while Kristofferson will be inducted in the annual "Open" category. All inductees are chosen by CMA's Hall of Fame panel of electors, consisting of more than 300 anonymous voters appointed by the CMA Board of Directors. Fogelsong and Kristofferson will become the 91st and 92nd members of the Country Music Hall of Fame.
Foglesong was surprised today with the news of his induction during the 2004 CMA Awards Press Conference at the Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum in Nashville, Tenn.
Kristofferson was surprised today with the news of his induction by CBS News anchor Hannah Storm during a live television appearance on CBS' "The Early Show" after he announced several of this year's CMA Awards final nominees to the nation.
"Induction into the Country Music Hall of Fame is Country Music's highest honor," said Benson. "Kris Kristofferson is an icon who continues to explore and influence so many facets of the entertainment industry, while always remaining decisively Country. Jim Foglesong gave everything he had to the artists and employees in his care with grace and integrity. As a teacher, he continues to be a strong influence on tomorrow's industry leaders. These two gentlemen certainly deserve to join the pioneers, leaders and innovators who are members of the Country Music Hall of Fame."
Jim Foglesong - Born in Lundale, W.V. in 1922, James Staton Foglesong grew up singing with his family and used his G.I. Bill after serving in the U.S. Armed Forces to attend Eastman School of Music in Rochester, N.Y. While attempting a singing career, Foglesong took a music assistant job with Columbia Records in New York City in 1951. The next year, Foglesong took a leave of absence to travel around the country performing with The Pennsylvanians.
Returning to Columbia after six months, he launched his career as a producer and record executive. In 1953 he was handpicked to start Columbia's sister label, Epic Records, where he oversaw the classical, jazz and pop music divisions. Moving to RCA Records in 1963 as Executive Producer, Foglesong produced pop acts such as Julie Andrews, Ed Ames and Robert Goulet, and became one of the first out-of-town producers to record in Nashville.
Moving to Nashville in 1970, Foglesong headed up the A&R department at Dot Records, where he helped introduce the world to Roy Clark and Donna Fargo. After three years he was named President of ABC/Dot Records, a position he held until 1979. It was during this time (in 1976) that he also served as CMA's Chairman of the Board.
Foglesong was named President of MCA Nashville in 1979. After five years he moved on to become President of Capitol Records Nashville in 1984, a position he held until 1989. During these 10 years Foglesong oversaw and nurtured the careers of Country Music superstars Garth Brooks, John Conlee, Barbara Mandrell, Reba McEntire, The Oak Ridge Boys, George Strait, Tanya Tucker, Don Williams and many others.
Now at age 82, Foglesong remains an important part of the Nashville music community as a consultant, independent producer and trustee of the Country Music Foundation. He currently serves as Director of the Music Business program at Trevecca Nazarene University after teaching music industry classes at several universities including Vanderbilt. Foglesong and his wife Toni have four children.
Kris Kristofferson - Born in Brownsville, Texas in 1936, Kris Kristofferson was the eldest of three children of a retired Air Force major general. He studied creative writing at Ponoma College in Claremont, Calif., graduating Phi Beta Kappa in 1958. Earning a prestigious Rhodes scholarship to Oxford University, Kristofferson moved to England and earned his master's degree in literature in 1960.
After being based in West Germany for a stint in the army, Kristofferson moved to Nashville in 1965 to pursue a career as both a Country Music recording artist and songwriter. He achieved some minor successes as a songwriter, but his big break came in 1969 when Roger Miller recorded three of his songs. One of them, "Me and Bobby McGee," became a Country Top-20 hit.
Kristofferson also gained the attention and friendship of Johnny Cash, who introduced him at the Newport Folk Festival that summer and featured him on Cash's national television program.
Over the years, more than 450 artists recorded Kristofferson compositions, including Bobby Bare, Marianne Faithfull, Waylon Jennings, Gladys Knight and the Pips, Jerry Lee Lewis, Ronnie Milsap, Patti Page, Ray Stevens, Faron Young and more. Among the many highlights: Ray Price took "For the Good Times" to No. 1 on the Country charts and Top-20 on the pop charts in 1970. That same year Cash topped the Country charts with "Sunday Morning Coming Down," which was also named CMA Song of the Year. Sammi Smith's version of "Help Me Make It Through The Night" went gold in 1971. Rock legend Janis Joplin's posthumously-released version of "Me and Bobby McGee" topped the pop charts later that year, becoming a million-selling hit single. And Christy Lane topped the Country charts in 1980 with "One Day at a Time," a song that had reached the pop Top-40 in 1974 as recorded by Marilyn Sellars.
Although he released one single in Epic Records in 1967 that never charted, Kristofferson continued in his quest to be a successful recording artist. He released his debut album, Kristofferson, on Monument Records in 1970. In 1971 his second album, The Silver Tongued Devil And I, was his first to go Gold thanks to the success of his hit single "Loving Her Was Easier (Than Anything I'll Ever Do Again)". Kristofferson topped the Country singles charts in July 1973 with "Why Me, Lord?" which also crossed over to the pop Top-20. Additional albums and singles followed with varying degrees of success.
In addition to his solo recordings, Kristofferson enjoyed performing with other artists. He recorded three albums with his then-wife Rita Coolidge in the mid-1970's that achieved success on the Country, pop and easy listening charts. In 1982 he recorded and released a double album with Brenda Lee, Willie Nelson and Dolly Parton called The Winning Hand. He teamed again with Nelson for the movie Songwriter and its soundtrack album in 1984. And in 1985, Kristofferson and Nelson expanded their partnership to include Cash and Jennings as the Country Music supergroup The Highwaymen. The quartet released three albums in a 10-year span.
In addition to music, Kristofferson made his mark on film. He debuted with a small role in the 1971 film The Last Movie directed by Dennis Hopper. Since then he has appeared in more than 50 feature films and television movies including A Star Is Born, Alice Doesn't Live Here Anymore, Blade, Blume In Love, Cisco Pike, Convoy, Fire Down Below, Lone Star, Pat Garrett and Billy the Kid, Payback, Semi-Tough and more.
Kristofferson remains active in music and movies. In 2003 Oh Boy! Records released Broken Freedom Song: Live From San Francisco, a collection of 15 songs recorded live during his performance at the Gershwin Theater at San Francisco State University. Earlier in this election year, two of his more politically-charged albums (1986's Repossessed and 1990's Third World Warrior) were re-released in a 2-disc package. Breakthrough, a companion documentary spotlighting Kristofferson's work as a human rights activist as well as his performances, was also released on DVD. His next movie, Blade: Trinity, will be in movie theaters in December.
In addition to being a singer, songwriter, actor and activist, Kristofferson is also a dedicated husband and a father to eight children.
