McNairy County Inducts First Music Hall of Fame Class
SELMER, Tenn. – Music filled the theater room of the McNairy County visitor’s center, ushering in the first class of music hall of fame inductees. “It creates a buzz in the community and a good awareness of the musical heritage in the community as well,” said Shawn Pitts with Arts of McNairy. Combining the county’s rich musical history with the fact that it is day before the 5th Annual Rockabilly Highway Revival Festival. Event organizers said the timing was perfect. “We just felt it added to all the attention that had been given to identifying and honoring our music history,” said Russell Ingle, M.R.A. Director of Chamber of Programs. “There’s just been several things and several activities to kind of continue to dig at what the history was. And we just felt this was the next step.” For the four people inducted, the awards serve as a stamp in McNairy County’s musical tradition. “Each of the being something very different,” said Ingle. “And I guess the beauty of all this is that we’re at a place where we have so many deserving people, it’s who do you not do this year.” Musical influences Dewey Phillips, Sandy Carrol and Stanton Littlejohn, along with mural painter Bryan Tull, represent the first class into the hall. “We’re proud McNairy County is known by that heritage,” said Pitts. “We’re just really pleased to be honoring those folks who’ve contributed so much to our understanding of ourselves and our own understanding of our culture.”
