Always a mesmerizing evening of song, this year’s Hall of Fame Awards Show manages to mix the recent past with the historic. Top-flight Nashville stars Toby Keith and Ronnie Dunn (of Brooks & Dunn fame) are joined by Buddy Holly contemporary and composer of “I Fought the Law,” Sonny Curtis. Larry Gatlin’s best known for his Brothers in the Eighties and writing “Houston.” Relative newcomer Jack Ingram only fits in when you realize he’s 20 years into a still-burgeoning career.
– Jim Caligiuri