Memphis Rock ‘n’ Soul Museum

Memphis Music Hall of Fame Announces 2022 Inductees

Last night during a reception at the Halloran Centre, the Memphis Music Hall of Fame (MMHOF) announced eight new inductees. The 2022 roster includes Memphis-born blues and jazz saxophonist, composer, arranger, and educator Fred Ford; Grammy-winning producer and engineer Jim Gaines; producer, arranger, songwriter, author and keyboardist Booker T. Jones; onetime American Sound Studios keyboardist and Grammy-winning singer Ronnie Milsap; former chair of Elvis Presley Enterprises Priscilla Presley; Sun Records musician, singer, songwriter, and producer Billy Lee Riley; Grammy-winning singer and Stax Records star Mavis Staples; and Jerry Lee Lewis’ drummer and Sun Records producer J.M. Van Eaton.

“This year’s list is as diverse as Memphis music itself,” John Doyle, Memphis Rock ‘n’ Soul Museum and MMHOF executive director, noted in a statement. “Rock, soul, blues, rockabilly, even country permeate the 2022 roster, with many of these icons still doing what they do … creating music.”

The announcement reception also featured the world premiere of a one-hour television program celebrating the 10th anniversary of the MMHOF, scheduled to air nationally Thursday, March 31st, on the Circle Network.

Bringing the MMHOF’s list of total honorees to 90, the 2022 inductees will be celebrated in a concert and induction ceremony this fall. The Memphis Music Hall of Fame was started in 2012, and is administered by the Smithsonian-developed Memphis Rock ‘n’ Soul Museum. In 2015, the Rock ‘n’ Soul Museum also developed the Memphis Music Hall of Fame Museum, which opened that year in the former Lansky Bros. Clothing Store building. Each year, a local and national Nominating Committee studies the Hall’s current roster, artists considered and recommended over previous years, and a comprehensive catalog of Memphis musicians to discuss and determine each year’s inductees.

“It is difficult,” writes Doyle, “because there are literally hundreds of deserving Memphis musicians yet to be honored, each of whom deserves it, and with new musical candidates emerging annually. Some have more name recognition, Grammys, or records sold, but we maintain, in regards to Memphis’ world-changing musical status, the last inductee honored will be as important as the first inductee honored 10 years ago.”

Wednesday through Sunday, as of last week, visitors can once again stroll through history at the Memphis Music Hall of Fame (MMHOF). It’s not a trivial matter: Aside from the tourist dollars, the musical inspiration and awareness brought by such museums is inherently valuable to every visitor reached. As Memphians, the heritage embodied here is part of the air we breathe, and deserves to be celebrated.

Perhaps that why MMHOF is throwing in a little extra incentive for locals to visit. Through June, all Shelby County residents can enjoy half-price admission.

And MMHOF is not going it alone. Its companion facility, the Memphis Rock ‘n’ Soul Museum, has been open since May 21st, and The Legendary Sun Studio and Graceland are also taking visitors. The Stax Museum of American Soul Music is slated to reopen on June 18th (with free admission for Shelby County residents every Tuesday afternoon, beginning next month).

Images from the Memphis Music Hall of Fame

Naturally, new guidelines are in place at all of the above. Maximum capacity is severely limited (MMHOF, for example, will only allow six people in the lobby, and a total of 20 in the exhibits, at any given time), temperatures are checked at the door, and masks are either encouraged or required (with Sun Studio offering disposable masks for a dollar each).

Having said that, the musical and historical epiphanies awaiting can still be enjoyed in a relatively controlled environment, in stark contrast to music clubs or sporting events. If the heat is tough to beat, and a little air conditioned culture suits you, don your favorite mask and head over, with caution, to some of the best-curated (not to mention funkiest) exhibits available anywhere.