On October 30th, the Music City Walk of Fame inducted the iconic gospel quartet, The Fairfield Four, visionary hospitality leader Colin Reed of Ryman Hospitality Properties, beloved Grand Ole Opry announcer and WSM host Bill Cody and, “tropical troubadour” Jimmy Buffett. These honorees received the 105th, 106th, 107th, and 108th stars at the 27th Walk of Fame induction ceremony.
The Fairfield Four
Best known for their appearance at the end of the film “O Brother Where Art Thou” and on the subsequent soundtrack release, the Fairfield Four sing in the traditional African American a cappella gospel style they have been known for since the group’s inception more than 100 years ago. Membership has evolved, and current members include Joseph Thompson, Levert Allison, Larrice Byrd, and Bobbye Sherrell.
The Fairfield Four are the recipients of multiple honors, including three GRAMMY Awards for Best Traditional Gospel Recording, “I Couldn't Hear Nobody Pray” in 1997, Album of the Year for the “O Brother Where Art Thou” soundtrack recording in 2001, and Best Gospel Roots album “Still Rockin’ My Soul” in 2016, as well as two Lifetime Achievement Awards. They were also inducted into the Gospel Music Hall of Fame in 1999.
BMI executive Shannon Sanders introduced the Fairfield Four. He stated, “To this day, I believe there's something supernatural in the weaving of their voices together. It goes beyond skill to enter the realm of anointing. In these few minutes, I can't begin to sum up all they've accomplished and their impact over the last 100 years. The Fairfield Four took the rich tradition of acapella gospel music and made it universal.”
Colin Reed
For over two decades, Colin V. Reed has overseen Gaylord Entertainment Company, now known as Ryman Hospitality Properties, which includes some of the most important and iconic music venues in Nashville, the Ryman Auditorium and the Grand Ole Opry. Reed knew the tremendous impact of Nashville's music and created a vision for the company to expand that music worldwide. Today, the hospitality portfolio includes a total of 11,414 rooms and more than 3 million square feet of indoor and outdoor meeting space in top convention and leisure destinations across the country.
Additionally, Reed helped create the ABC hit television show Nashville. That show was a massive success for the network and, with six seasons, has become country music fans favorite TV show.
From Opry royalty like Jeannie Sealey and Ricky Skaggs to today's chart-topping artists like Luke Combs, it's hard to find a country music artist whom Reed's generous support and encouragement haven't impacted.
Former Tennessee Governor Bill Haslam remarked that Reed loves Nashville and the entertainment industry, especially his community and family. “His impact on Tennessee tourism has created more alignment across the state to showcase this one-of-a-kind product we have in Tennessee, which is beautiful music.”
Bill Cody
Bill Cody’s nationally and internationally known voice has been heard over the airwaves for nearly 50 years. As a 2008 inductee into the Country Music Disc Jockey Hall of Fame, Bill is in his 30th year as morning show host of WSM’s “Coffee, Country & Cody” and is a Grand Ole Opry announcer/host. He has received multiple CMA, ACM, and Billboard awards nominations. Bill’s radio syndication, television, voice-over and movie credits include: “American Saturday Night: Live from the Grand Ole Opry,” GAC TV’s “Master Series and the network specials “Tennessee’s Wildside” (PBS), Ray Stevens’ Nashville (RFD), The Nashville Network (TNN), along with Bill Cody’s Classic Country Weekend, Nashville Record Review, Country’s Most Wanted, Country Music Hall of Fame, Music City Walk of Fame, Nashville Songwriters Hall of Fame, Ryman Auditorium, Willie’s Roadhouse on SiriusXM Satellite Radio to name a few.
Because Cody was the main Emcee for the Walk of Fame events in the past, his morning co-host, Kelly Sutton, filled in as he was awarded. She stated, “Each week, more than two million people from over 200 countries around the world tuned in to hear the Grand Ole Opry. He finds just the right words to celebrate a special connection between the audience and the performers. I've heard him speak about his job as a host, and I can say that for Bill, it is far more than just a job. He speaks about how special it is to be such an important part of a historic institution, and his respect and reverence for the Opry is evident every time he steps on that stage.”
Larry Gatlin, who leads the Opry Thursday Night Country Classics, said, “Never, never one time. Have I seen this man be anything but gracious and kind and smile and say ‘hello’ to people.”
Cody was always fascinated by the radio and often listened to it with his dad. He recalls that when he was 12 years old, his dad, a Baptist preacher, was at the radio station talking to the manager. He looked through the glass and saw DJ Frank Kemp live, and he knew that was what he wanted to do. Kemp became his mentor.
He worked in his hometown of Lexington, then Louisville, Orlando, and San Antonio until he got a call on his birthday, December 16, 1993, from a friend he worked with in Lexington. He said, "The job you always talked about, the dream you wanted to come true, just opened up today. Larry Black is leaving. You need to call Kyle Campbell."
By April of 1994, Cody’s tenure at WSM and the Grand Old Opry had begun. And the rest is country music history.
Jimmy Buffett
Jimmy Buffett was a legendary musician, songwriter, best-selling author, actor, and businessman. He recorded 31 studio albums, with most going gold, platinum or multi-platinum. Performing with the Coral Reefer Band, his sold-out concert tours were an annual rite of summer for his legions of fans, affectionately known as Parrot Heads. Buffett was the ninth author in the history of the New York Times Bestseller List to reach No. 1 on both the fiction and non-fiction lists. He received two GRAMMY nominations and numerous Country Music Association and Academy of Country Music awards for his music. Buffett’s all-time classic, “Margaritaville,” is honored in the GRAMMY Hall of Fame and the Library of Congress, marking its impact on American culture. It was the inspiration behind the global lifestyle brand of the same name.
Kelly Sutton provided background information on Buffett’s connection to Nashville. She explained, “He lived in Nashville for the first decade of his music career, and he'd been doing pretty well with the city's laid-back and creative culture. Everybody here loved him. One of Jimmy's most well-known local stories is his frequent visits to Ellison Play Soda Shop, his favorite meal of fried chicken and coconut cream pie. Buffet used to hang out at the nearby Exit/In. He recorded his first few albums in Nashville.”
Close pal and former Coral Reefer band member Mac McAnally provided more information. He recalled, “Jimmy’s Mother made him read literature, and that welled up and poured out of him in the form of songs.”
Oscar Wilde once said, "Be yourself. Everybody else is already taken." McAnally exclaimed, “Nobody ever bore that quotation out more than Jimmy Buffett. He was one of one. He wrote about the things he loved.’
McAnally continued, “He wrote about the ocean, boats, fishing. He loved life. And even more than the average college student, he loved a good time. And he loved people, pretty much everybody. And he loved making them smile. He loved country, rock and roll, reggae, and libertarian music.”
To be honest, Nashville and the music industry weren’t quite sure what to make of Buffett initially. But they warmed him up, and he notably influenced country and rock and roll music alike.
Buffett’s middle child, Delaney Buffett, accepted the award on behalf of her family and father.
She said, “When I'm searching for answers to life's big questions, my mom tells me to look at his songs and books. So sometimes, I find myself going down a rabbit hole, Googling my own dad's words. Most things I find are quite poetic, with quotes like, “It takes no more time to see the good side of life than to see the bad. I'd rather die while I'm living than live while I'm dead.’ Songwriters write songs, but they really belong to the listener.”
She continued, I can tell you, after knowing him for 32 years, that he was the guy you saw on stage. He was a great performer, but more importantly, he was a good human being, generous in spirit, always trying to find some way to give back. He gave everything he could to his family, friends, and fans, but truth be told, there was nowhere he was happier than up on that stage. He would travel everywhere with the guitar, just hoping he might get us to play. It didn't matter if it was a stadium or a dive bar. He would get up there until someone pulled him off.”
McAnally summed up Buffett best: “To me, the defining thread in the life and career of Jimmy Buffett is a constant stream of positive energy. He sought out and brought out the joy in everyday life. He could find it on days when most of us would have given up and quit looking. He could share and spread that joy with everyone whose path he crossed. Whether at a concert, on the radio, in a grocery store, or on the beach, if you saw Jimmy, you saw a big old smile that was wider than his head.”
Delaney’s favorite lyric of her dad is from “He Went to Paris.” The words are appropriate now more than ever. “Some of it's magic, some of it's tragic, but I had a good life all the way.”
A week before Buffett was posthumously inducted into the Music City Walk of Fame, he was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in Cleveland, Ohio.
The Music City Walk of Fame on Nashville’s Music Mile is a landmark tribute to those from all genres of music who have contributed to the world through song or other industry collaborations and made a significant contribution to the music industry with a connection to Music City.
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Bethany Bowman is a freelance entertainment writer. You can follow her blog, Facebook, Instagram, and X.
