Rosanne Cash, Roy Orbison and the Neville Brothers just received a pretty cool honor. The iconic Austin City Limits television series announced that trio of artists as this year's Hall of Fame class.
And all three are mighty deserving. Besides proudly carrying on the family name, Rosanne Cash has etched her name as a pioneer in Americana music. In addition to her prolific recording career, she appeared on Austin City Limits seven times (and she's not done yet).
The late Roy Orbison, meanwhile, helped lay the foundations of rock n' roll. Shy in person, Orbison came alive on stage. He made his first ACL appearance back in 1983. And New Orleans soul legends the Neville Brothers first wowed Austin City Limits audiences in its early days, all the way back in 1979. In total, they appeared three times.
Though relatively new, the Austin City Limits Hall of Fame already features some amazing company. Willie Nelson, Kris Kristofferson, B.B. King, Bonnie Raitt, Loretta Lynn and Guy Clark all grace the hall, among others.
ACL Executive Producer Terry Lickona says the annual Hall of Fame is one of the highlights of the year. "This year's honorees represent historic milestones in ACL's early years," Lickona says in a press release. "Roy Orbison gave the audience collective goosebumps when he hit those highest notes, Rosanne was a trailblazer among female country singers and The Neville Brothers were the first major New Orleans band to play the show. Even in those early days, they represented the diversity that has been the hallmark of Austin City Limits down through the decades."
READ MORE: How Austin City Limits Changed America's Perception of Country Music
Austin City Limits has honored new inductees since 2014. And with 43 amazing years of history, you better believe ACL won't run out of people to honor any time soon.
Chris Isaak hosts the celebration, with plenty of surprises in store. Fans can attend the Austin City Limits Hall of Fame celebration by purchasing tickets here. They go on sale Friday, April 21 at 10 a.m. CST. And of course, highlights from the event will air during a special episode of the series later this year.
