Born Baldemar Garza Huerta in Texas in 1937 to migrant labourers, he began playing music early in his childhood. He made his debut radio performance at the age of 10. By 1957, he became known as El Bebop Kid and focused on rockabilly music playing Spanish versions of Elvis Presley and Hank Williams songs (and becoming popular in his area). In 1958, he legally changed his name to Freddy Fender, thinking it would “sell better to Gringos”. While in Baton Rouge, Freddy was arrested for marijuana and spent almost three years in prison. Then Louisiana governor (and Country Music Hall Of Famer) Jimmie Davis pardoned him on the condition he stay away from music while on probation. After parole ended it took a while to get his career started again. In 1974, while working as a mechanic, he signed a recording contract with a small local label. The label head convinced him to go in a more country direction with touches of his Hispanic heritage. Against all odds, the first single he released turned into a number one country and pop hit. He then had a string of hits, sold millions, won awards and then his radio career faded a few years later. Later in his career he joined different bands and got two Grammy awards. Although he passed away in 2006, he was quoted in 2004 as saying he wanted to be the first Mexican-American singer inducted into the Country Music Hall Of Fame. That goal is still attainable. Will it happen for him one day?

He may have been born to cotton farmers, but Charlie Rich certainly had musical influences around him. His parents performed gospel music at their church, and a black sharecropper man taught him to play blues piano. This would explain his eclectic musical styles he would perform throughout his entire career. In 1956, he and his wife moved to Memphis where he would write songs and perform R&B and jazz in the clubs. From 1958 until the late 1960's, he signed with four different record labels in a row trying and failing to find hits. Each label wanted him to try out a different style like soul, traditional country and rock & roll. In 1967, Epic Records took a chance on him, even though he had a trail of unsuccessful songs up to that point. His new producer got him to try the “Nashville Sound”, a style popular at the time for smooth strings and orchestras. This was finally the key to get him hits, and he certainly made up for lost time. His album sold millions, he got multiple hits, he got the nickname “Silver Fox” and he won ACM, CMA and Grammy awards. He had a stretch of popular songs for a couple years, then caused an incident at the 1975 CMA awards that turned some people off. That quickly slowed down his success, though he would still get a few more hits into the 1980’s. But by 1981, he decided to retire and just live off of what he had made up to that point. He passed away in 1995, but his legacy should be enough to someday welcome him to the Hall Of Fame.

Jeannie was born the youngest of four children in 1940 in Pennsylvania. Although her parents were not connected to the industry, she got inspiration for her future career from the two of them. Her father played banjo at local square dances and her mother sang around the house with the four kids. As a teenager, she began singing on local radio and television stations. Around the age of 21, Jeannie got tired of Pennsylvanian winters and moved to California. Getting secretary positions at record labels allowed her a foot in the door. She began writing songs. Her first song was picked up by R&B singer Irma Thomas, who turned it into a pop hit. Some more of her songs were recorded by Country Music Hall Of Fame inductees Connie Smith, Willie Nelson and Dottie West. Dottie then convinced her to move to Nashville. After some exposure on Porter Wagoner’s show, Jeannie was offered a recording contract. In 1966, she released what would be a huge hit and her eventual signature song “Don’t Touch Me”. The success of this song got her a Grammy award and an offer to be a member of the Grand Ole Opry. No other songs she recorded would match that success, but she continued getting hits into the 1970’s. But the other impressive part of her country music resume is that she has continued to this day performing at the Grand Ole Opry, eventually appearing on more episodes than any other performer in the show’s history (over 5000 appearances). Maybe someday she will also add Country Music Hall Of Fame member to that wonderful resume.

Trace had interest in music since he was ten years old and got a guitar from his father, but he tried lots of jobs before trying music full-time. He was a member of a football team, he worked on an oil rig and for a time was a pharmacy technician. (Fun fact: as a pharmacy technician, he sliced off one of his fingers. Once at the hospital he had the doctors sew it back on at an angle where he could still paly his guitar). But music was always in the background, playing gigs during the nights. Finally, he made the decision to move to Nashville in 1992. After a couple years of playing gigs, he met up with a record label executive. They, in turn, brought some of their executive friends with them to one of Trace’s shows. Once Scott Hendricks from Capitol Records heard Trace singing, he signed him on the spot to a record contract. Although never turning out to be a consistent hitmaker in country music, he would continue to get top tens here and there for at least 15 years. He also got some love from the industry, earning Grammy nominations and winning trophies from the ACM awards and the CMT awards. He also gained a wider audience by being on “The Celebrity Apprentice” in two different seasons, placing 1^st and 2^nd. The chances of him making it into the Hall Of Fame at this point are very low, but he was able to build up a nice career for himself, and I’m sure he is perfectly content with that.