Ray Charles, the father of soul, has been inducted into the Country Music Hall of Fame. The 2021 class also includes session drummer Eddie Bayers, pedal steel guitarist Pete Drake, and mother-daughter duo The Judds.
Despite going down in history as a soul music legend, Charles always cited country music as a major part of his musical journey, and his 1962 album Modern Sounds in Country and Western Music helped to solidify that fact. Later, he even went on to collaborate with the likes of Willie Nelson and Johnny Cash.
The inductees to the Country Music Hall of Fame are chosen every year by the Country Music Association's panel of industry executives. View the full announcement below.
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