JACKSON, Miss. (AP) - Mississippi paid tribute to its storied music history by inducting Elvis Presley, B.B. King and Robert Johnson into the Mississippi Musicians Hall of Fame.
Two dozen others were also honored during the Hall of Fame Gala - and not all were the household names like Elvis and B.B. King. "Music is such a large part of my life, and I learned that in Mississippi,'' said inductee Nanette Workman, a singer and actress in Canada and Europe. "I'm extremely proud to be recognized in my home.'' Some notables not inducted were John Lee Hooker from Clarksdale, Conway Twitty from Friars Point, Muddy Waters from Rolling Fork and Howlin' Wolf from West Point.
"We knew we were going to leave off persons that we realized had a big impact on music in Mississippi,'' said Ellistine Holly, head of the selection committee. "`But we will have another gala next year, and the year after that, too". The inductees, chosen from 13 categories, are only Hall of Fame members on paper. The hall has no building yet.