Hank Williams Jr. Among Inductees Into Nashville Songwriters Hall of Fame

NASHVILLE, Tenn. – Hank Williams Jr. and bluegrass duo Flatt & Scruggs will be among this year's five new inductees into the Nashville Songwriters Hall of Fame, the hall announced Monday.

The two acts, along with country tunesmiths Bob DiPiero and Mac McAnally and gospel singer Dottie Rambo, will be inducted on Oct. 14.

"Being inducted into the Songwriters Hall of Fame is like winning Entertainer of the Year. Moments like this are very rare," Williams said in a statement. "What a thrill to be inducted, as my father was, and to continue the Williams legacy."

Williams, the son of Hank Williams Sr., began his career performing his legendary father's songs but in the 1970s forged his own musical identity by fusing country music with the Southern rock of groups such as the Allman Brothers, Lynyrd Skynyrd and the Marshall Tucker Band.

He's sold 50 million albums with hits including "Texas Women," "Born to Boogie," "Family Tradition" and "All My Rowdy Friends (Are Coming Over Tonight)."

He's also won four Emmy Awards for performing the "Monday Night Football" anthem "Are You Ready for Some Football."

Flatt & Scruggs first hooked up as part of Bill Monroe's Blue Grass Boys in 1945. Three years later, they left Monroe to start their own act. They joined the Grand Ole Opry in 1956 and expanded their audience in 1962 when they recorded the theme song to "The Beverly Hillbillies" TV show.

Their instrumental "Foggy Mountain Breakdown" was used in the film "Bonnie & Clyde," and they were among the first bluegrass groups to perform at Carnegie Hall.

DiPiero has penned hits for Reba McEntire ("Little Rock"), George Strait ("Blue Clear Sky"), Faith Hill ("Take Me As I Am"), Vince Gill ("Worlds Apart") and many others.

McAnally has written hits for Alabama ("Old Flame"), Shenandoah ("Two Dozen Roses"), Steve Wariner ("Precious Things") and Ricky Van Shelton ("Crime Heart"). He's also produced records for Ricky Skaggs, Chris LeDoux, Sawyer Brown and Jimmy Buffett.

Rambo has had more than 2,500 published songs, including gospel classics such as "He Looked Beyond My Fault and Saw My Need" and the 1982 Gospel Music Association Song of the Year, "We Shall Behold Him."

Past inductees into the Nashville Songwriters Hall of Fame include Chuck Berry, Hoagy Carmichael, Johnny Cash, Bob Dylan, the Everly Brothers, Woody Guthrie, Merle Haggard, Kris Kristofferson, Loretta Lynn, Willie Nelson and Dolly Parton.