ACL Hall of Fame

Last week Bill and I attended the induction ceremony for the 2017 Austin City Limits Hall of Fame. This always-popular event at the ACL Moody Theater quickly sold out, so we were lucky to get tickets. No photography was permitted, so I was only able to take photos before and after the actual show.

This year’s ACL Hall of Fame inductees were:

  • Roy Orbinson: Since Orbinson has been dead since 1988, his sons accepted the award. Elvis Costello, Raul Malo, Brandi Carlile, and Chris Isaak performed Orbinson’s rock-and-roll classics such as Crying and Oh, Pretty Woman.
  • Rosanne Cash: Cash was joined by her husband, John Leventhal, and friends Neko Case and Ry Cooder. She sang several of her songs, including her biggest hit, Seven Year Ache.
  • The Neville Brothers: None of the original Neville brothers attended, so their award was accepted by relatives who also performed in the band that accompanied guest star and family friend, Trombone Shorty.
  • 50th Anniversary of the Public Broadcasting Act: This act led to the creation of PBS and NPR. The audience heard President Johnson’s words in 1967 which are still surprisingly relevant today. This award was accepted by his granddaughter, Catherine Robb, and Executive Director of the LBJ Foundation, Amy Barbee.

The audience was told that the ceremony and concert will be broadcast on PBS stations on New Year’s Eve. Throughout the evening, everyone laughed as Master of Ceremonies Chris Isaak and many of the performers exclaimed “Happy New Year!” I’ll be curious to see how that comes across in the edited show.

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