Country fans want Elvis honored in hall of fame

Web posted August 10, 1997

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Associated Press

MONTGOMERY, Ala. -- Elvis Presley is an inductee in The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. But to the insult of many fans, he's not in the Country Music Hall of Fame - and that's not all right, mama.

As the 20th anniversary of Elvis' Aug. 16, 1977, death approaches, longtime fans like Carole Berry of Northport, Ala., say it's high time for that hall to treat The King nice.

When RCA signed Elvis in 1955, they touted him as ``the most dynamic and sought-after new artist in country music today.'' He had 84 singles on Billboard's country chart, 11 of which went to No. 1. Heartbreak Hotel hit No. 1 early in his career, while Way Down and its flip-side song Pledging My Love hit No. 1 a week before he died.

Heck, when you walk into the Country Music Hall of Fame in Nashville, his gold Cadillac and gold Steinway piano are displayed as major attractions.

``It just amazed me how they use Elvis everywhere but he's not a member,'' Mrs. Berry said, describing photos and movie clips of Elvis on display at the Hall of Fame's RCA recording studio exhibit.

Besides such country heavyweights as Johnny Cash, Bill Monroe and Hank Williams, other members of the Hall of Fame include James R. Denny, the former talent coordinator for the Grand Ole Opry who booked Elvis in October 1954 and after the performance told him to go back to truck driving.

Peggy Whitaker, director of board administration at the Country Music Association, which runs the hall, said the push to get Elvis inducted is not new. Mr. Presley has made the long list of finalists four times and the short list once in recent years.

The CMA isn't trying to be cruel. Elvis clearly meets the induction criteria, but with so many candidates, it's difficult for the 300 or so electors who vote on the list to choose who makes the most impact, Mrs. Whitaker said. And this year, Mr. Presley was once again overlooked.

The electors have to ask themselves ``is this person country, is this person gospel, is this person rock,'' Mrs. Whitaker said.

That may be the rub. Elvis is impossible to pigeonhole - he had hits on all the charts: rhythm and blues, rockabilly, country and gospel.

Some scholars suggest something deeper may be afoot, that an anti-Elvis sentiment may still endure from years past with older electors.

``Elvis almost destroyed country music in the 1950s, because after Elvis no one wanted to grow up to be Ernest Tubb anymore,'' said James Salem, a professor of American studies at the University of Alabama.

And that's not even mentioning the questions of drug use surrounding Elvis' death.

Mrs. Berry has tried to mobilize fans. She's phoned fan clubs and mailed them sample letters to send to the CMA. But now she's stuck.

``I'm still working - I'm just at a dead end,'' she said. ``I haven't given up.''