Country Music Hall Of Fame To Induct Joe Galante, Keith Whitley, Jerry Lee Lewis

New Inductees Named (Photo: CMA)

At a press conference this morning (5/17) the COUNTRY MUSIC ASSOCIATION (CMA) announced the three artists chosen for 2022 induction into the COUNTRY MUSIC HALL OF FAME. Record executive JOE GALANTE will be inducted in the “non-performer” category. The late KEITH WHITLEY will be inducted in the “modern era artist” category. JERRY LEE LEWIS will be inducted in the “veterans era artist” category.

WHITLEY’s widow and fellow Country music star LORRIE MORGAN spoke on her late husband’s behalf at the press conference, saying WHITLEY “never knew how good he was.”

The announcements were made by BROOKS & DUNN during an event livestreamed from the COUNTRY MUSIC HALL OF FAME Rotunda. The new inductees, who will be enshrined during a Medallion Ceremony in OCTOBER, join the 146 artists already in the HALL OF FAME.

“When I heard the news I was being inducted into the COUNTRY MUSIC HALL OF FAME, it was the first time in my entire career I was speechless," said GALANTE, the longtime chief at RCA LABEL GROUP/SONY MUSIC NASHVILLE, where he worked for 39 years. "I’m humbled, beyond honored and honestly, I’m still trying to wrap my head around this.” 

GALANTE signed a wide range of artists during his label career, including WHITLEY, MORGAN, KENNY CHESNEY, CLINT BLACK, MARTINA McBRIDE, THE JUDDS, CARRIE UNDERWOOD and many others. He is the third SONY MUSIC NASHVILLE chief to join the COUNTRY MUSIC HALL OF FAME, following CHET ATKINS (1973) and JERRY BRADLEY (2019). 

"To be recognized by Country music with their highest honor is a humbling experience,” said LEWIS. “The little boy from FERRIDAY, LA listening to JIMMIE RODGERS and HANK WILLIAMS never thought he'd be in a HALL amongst them. I am appreciative of all those who have recognized that JERRY LEE LEWIS music is Country music and to our almighty God for his never-ending redeeming grace." 

With a chart span of just four years, seven months and 10 days during his lifetime, WHITLEY has the shortest chart span of any HALL OF FAMER during their lifetime, nearly six months shorter than that of 1961 inductee HANK WILLIAMS. His hits in that time included the enduring classics "Don't Close Your Eyes," "I'm No Stranger To The Rain," "When You Say Nothing At All," "Miami, My Amy" and more.

“In my heart, this feels like an absolutely appropriate honor, but at the same time, I know that KEITH would be painfully humbled, and even shy about accepting an induction into the COUNTRY MUSIC HALL OF FAME,” said MORGAN, who was married to WHITLEY until his passing in 1989 at the age of 34. “Music was all about emotion to KEITH. It was personal. There were so many great artists he admired, even worshipped. To stand in their company in the HALL OF FAME would’ve been overwhelmingly emotional for him. I am thrilled to see him honored this way, and for what it means to my children, MORGAN and JESSE KEITH; to KEITH’s grandchildren; the WHITLEY family; and to the many, many fans who continue to point to KEITH as one of the all-time greats.” 

“This year’s inductees are trailblazers who each paved their own unique path within Country music,” says CMA CEO SARAH TRAHERN. “JERRY LEE, KEITH and JOE each found their musical callings early in life and displayed a strong-minded and fierce passion for music making. In very different ways, they all have left a lasting impact on the industry and generations of fans alike.”  

“Our new inductees come from three very different places, but in OCTOBER they will be enshrined in the very same place,” said COUNTRY MUSIC HALL OF FAME AND MUSEUM CEO KYLE YOUNG. “JERRY LEE LEWIS is a God-fearing rabble-rouser from a MISSISSIPPI RIVER town, way down South. KEITH WHITLEY was a LEFTY FRIZZEL-loving Country boy from rural KENTUCKY. And JOE GALANTE is a game-changing executive from the urban Northeast. They all filled our worlds with music. They are all deserving of our respect and adulation, and their elections into the COUNTRY MUSIC HALL OF FAME ensure that respect and adulation will endure through the ages.”

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