Reed & Jackson Nominated to America’s Old Time Music Hall of Fame

Robert Reed and Lucy Jackson of the Chicken House Opry have been selected as nominees to this year’s America’s Old Time Music Hall of Fame.

Bob Everhart, president of America’s Old Time Music Hall of Fame, made the surprise announcement Saturday, March 5 at the Chicken House Opry where he was a guest entertainer. America’s Old Time Music Hall of Fame honors those who try to preserve the roots of country music. The event will be held Aug. 29 in Le Mars, Iowa.

Everhart explained to the Winter Texan Times that members of the Hall of Fame nominate 30 people each year. The people nominated are either performers, promoters or songwriters. Previous inductees into the Hall of Fame include LeRoy Van Dyke, Johnnie Cash, the Carter Family, “Whispering Bill” Anderson, Terry Smith, Sherwin Linton, Red Johnson, Claude Gray, Patti Page, Loretta Lynn and many others.

Robert Reed and Lucy Jackson operate the Chicken House Opry in Mission and the Wild Horse Theatre in Mountain View, Arkansas. Both theatres are dedicated to preservation of old time music, including bluegrass, gospel and classic country.

The couple recently hosted the first annual American Music Roots Festival, held in February at the Chicken House Opry in Mission. The event featured four bluegrass and gospel family bands including the Redhead Express, the Link Family, the Harper Family and the Alaska String Band.

“We are honored beyond words to be chosen as inductees. We have always worked to preserve the old-time bluegrass and country music. [This] is a labor of love for us,” said Lucy Jackson. “It’s a great honor. We were in shock when he made the announcement because we did not know it was coming.”

“It’s unbelievable to me,” said Robert Reed. “I never expected anything like this to happen to me.”….

—–

UPDATE: Punjo Reed and Lucy Jackson were inducted into the Traditional Country Music Hall of Fame, September 3rd, 2011 during the 36th Annual Traditional Country Music Associations ceremonies in LeMars, Iowa. “We had a lot of help in getting here,” Punjo said as he and Lucy accepted the awards. “A lot of talented people helped us along the way.” Others inducted with Punjo & Lucy included Jim Ed Brown, Helen Cornelius, Jeanie Seely, Little Roy Lewis and more.