Nashville, Tenn. — Members of the Country Music Hall of Fame, Nashville Songwriters Hall of Fame, IBMA Bluegrass Music Hall of Fame and the Grand Ole Opry are remembering Tom T. Hall following the news of his passing. Hall, a member of all four institutions, passed away August 20. He was 85.
“One of my heroes. An artist for all the ages!”
–Randy Owen / ALABAMA (member of the Country Music Hall of Fame and Nashville Songwriters Hall of Fame)
“I was saddened to hear of Tom T. Hall’s passing. I loved him. He was a great Kentuckian with a heart of gold. He was a kind and gentle man. Lots of people come to Nashville to write songs, but Tom T. came to tell stories. These stories are everyone’s story. They are America’s story. Now he can truly say, ‘me and Jesus have our own thing going.’”
–Ricky Skaggs (member of the Country Music Hall of Fame, Grand Ole Opry and IBMA Bluegrass Music Hall of Fame)
“What a great loss, what a great storyteller, and what a nice man. We’ll miss you, Tom.”
–Ray Stevens (member of the Country Music Hall of Fame and Nashville Songwriters Hall of Fame)
“Tom T. Hall was a great storyteller, artist, poet, friend and especially husband to the great love of his life, Miss Dixie. The only comfort I have in this loss is the idea they’re reunited tonight in heaven.”
–Ronnie Milsap (member of the Country Music Hall of Fame and Grand Ole Opry)
“Tom T. was one funny human being. He gave me a bull 35 years ago. He wrote me a note explaining his gift of the bull. ‘Larry my young friend, I’m mighty fond of this old bull because he’s got a bad knee, and that’s what kept me out of the Army.’ Kinda funny considering the fact that he joined the Army and later he performed for our military personnel all over the world. Yes, my friend Tom T. was one funny human being. One genuine, good human being and one of the very best wordsmiths on the planet. REST IN PEACE, my friend. Steve and Rudy didn’t get a bull but they loved old Tom T. too.” –Larry Gatlin (member of the Nashville Songwriters Hall of Fame and the Grand Ole Opry)
“Tom T. was the ultimate storyteller. His songwriting had the ability to make you see a story unfolding in your head. Such a unique and incredibly talented man. He will be missed.”
–John Anderson (member of the Nashville Songwriters Hall of Fame)
“I had the pleasure of working with Tom T. Hall and also socializing with him and his lovely wife, Dixie, along with Ralph Emery and his lovely wife, Joy. As a youngster on the Ralph Emery Show and Nashville Now, I had the pleasure of working with a lot of great artists. Tom T. Hall was one of those artists who always intrigued me. He gave me great advice from the moment we met. He said ‘little lady, you’ve got talent and you’re destined to be a star.’ ‘Just remember,’ he said ‘always follow your heart.’ I always loved his songwriting. I thought the simplicity of his writing was the beauty of his writing. He will be sadly missed in this business and in our personal lives. He affected me in a very uplifting way at a time when I needed direction and support. God Bless his family in this time of grief.”
–Lorrie Morgan (member of the Grand Ole Opry)