Induction:
Medallion Ceremony
Congratulations, Hall of Fame Class of 2025
Tony Brown, June Carter Cash, and Kenny Chesney were inducted into the Country Music Hall of Fame on Sunday, October 19. This honor is awarded to individuals who have made significant contributions to the advancement of country music in both the creative and business communities. New members, elected annually by an anonymous panel of voters chosen by the Country Music Association (CMA), are formally inducted in the invitation-only Medallion Ceremony held in the Museum’s CMA Theater.
Hall of Fame Class of 2025 Induction Ceremony
Heartfelt, Emotional Medallion Ceremony
Honors Tony Brown, June Carter Cash, and Kenny Chesney
The Country Music Hall of Fame inducted its 156th, 157th, and 158th members on Sunday, October 19. Musician, producer, and record label executive Tony Brown; singer, songwriter, and comedian June Carter Cash; and multiplatinum recording artist and songwriter Kenny Chesney joined the Hall of Fame during a star-studded Medallion Ceremony held in the Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum’s CMA Theater.
“Among their peers, they are standard bearers. Among music listeners, they are icons. And among future generations, they are guiding lights of dedication, innovation, and critically acclaimed success,” Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum CEO Kyle Young, who led the ceremony, said of the trio. During the three-hour ceremony, as is customary, a current Hall of Fame member officially inducted each member-elect into the Hall of Fame. This year, Vince Gill inducted Brown, Emmylou Harris inducted Carter Cash, and Joe Galante inducted Kenny Chesney.
The ceremony included tribute performances from Country Music Hall of Fame member George Strait, Kelsea Ballerini, Eric Church, Steve Earle, Keb’ Mo’ and Ruby Amanfu, Lyle Lovett, Megan Moroney, Kacey Musgraves with Daniel Tashian, Lukas Nelson, and Trisha Yearwood, largely backed by the Medallion All-Star Band. Led by musical director Biff Watson on acoustic guitar, the band also featured pedal steel player Paul Franklin, keyboard player Jen Gunderman, harmony singers Tania Hancheroff and Mica Roberts, electric guitarist Brent Mason, drummer Jerry Pentecost, bassist Alison Prestwood, fiddler and mandolin player Deanie Richardson, acoustic guitarist and harmony singer Jeff White, and guitarist and background vocalist Charlie Worsham.
TONY BROWN
As a record executive and producer at MCA Records, Tony Brown “sought out a delicate balance of mainstream commercialism and artistic ingenuity,” said Young. “He stood behind what he believed was good.”
Following musical tributes from Steve Earle (“Guitar Town”), Lyle Lovett (“If I Had a Boat”), Country Music Hall of Fame member George Strait (“Troubadour”), and Trisha Yearwood (“Perfect Love”), Country Music Hall of Fame member Vince Gill, a longtime friend of Brown’s, gave a funny and poignant induction speech. Brown signed Gill to MCA and produced his debut album for the label—1989’s When I Call Your Name, Gill’s breakthrough album—but the two originally met through Country Music Hall of Fame member Emmylou Harris and were both previously members of Rodney Crowell’s backing band, the Cherry Bombs.
Gill’s stories about Brown had the crowd laughing, but he brought them to a hush when he recounted how Brown put his own career on the line to save Gill’s record deal with MCA. He choked up while sharing how Brown encouraged him to record his now iconic song “Go Rest High on That Mountain,” when Gill had believed it was too personal to release to the public.
“To me, the point of life is to see how many friends you can make,” Gill said, “and I’ve made some good ones, none better than Tony.”
Brown grew up singing and playing piano in his father’s traveling gospel group, and prior to his career as a record label executive and producer, he played in the bands of Country Music Hall of Fame members Harris, the Oak Ridge Boys, and Elvis Presley. “For years everybody thought my career would be defined by playing for Elvis Presley,” Brown said during his speech. “Now my career is defined by being inducted into the Country Music Hall of Fame.
“Having #1 records and selling platinum records is an accomplishment,” he added, “but this tonight, to me, is validation. At the end of the day, that’s what we all want—to be validated.”
JUNE CARTER CASH
June Carter Cash, the middle daughter of the Carter Family’s Maybelle Carter, is the fifth of her family members to join the Country Music Hall of Fame. One of those family members and fellow Hall of Famers, Johnny Cash—June’s husband of more than thirty years—once said he worried that marrying him meant June’s contributions to country music would go underappreciated. On Sunday night, however, the family, friends, and admirers who honored June remembered her fully: as a comedian, a musician, a singer, a songwriter, and a friend to everyone she met.
“We prefer sometimes to think of ourselves as artists . . . but June was proud to be an entertainer,” said Country Music Hall of Fame member Emmylou Harris as she inducted Carter Cash.
The evening’s three musical tributes to Carter Cash helped paint a well-rounded picture of her career. “Ring of Fire,” which she wrote with Merle Kilgore and which Kacey Musgraves and Daniel Tashian performed, is one of country music’s most enduring classics—a seven-week country #1 for Johnny Cash. Keb’ Mo’ and Ruby Amanfu’s rendition of “Keep on the Sunny Side,” a Carter Family standard, made for a light, uplifting moment. Lukas Nelson offered a spirited take on “It Ain’t Me, Babe,” a Bob Dylan song that was June and Johnny’s first released duet recording, from 1964.
“She brought light to innumerable audiences. She wrote and sang songs that became standards,” Young said of Carter Cash. “And she connected people from all over the world with the dynamic roots of an art form whose reach is wider and whose story is deeper because of her unique contributions.”
June’s children, Carlene Carter and John Carter Cash, focused on their mother’s kind, welcoming spirit as they accepted her Hall of Fame member medallion. “Of course she was a great artist, a great entertainer, but it is her love that put her there,” John said.
“I know she made a difference in this world,” Carlene added.
KENNY CHESNEY
Kenny Chesney’s Country Music Hall of Fame induction tributes required his friends to keep secrets and rearrange their travel plans. Kelsea Ballerini, who performed Chesney’s #1 hit “Somewhere with You,” said she made sure Chesney remained unaware of her upcoming tribute performance, even though the two had watched the University of Tennessee football game together the day before.
Eric Church shared that he was a last-minute replacement performer due to a scheduled performer’s illness. Church revealed that he flew back to Nashville from a Florida beach trip specifically for the ceremony to honor Chesney. “I’m gonna be straight with you: I don’t have a plan,” he said as he began an off-the-cuff, six-song medley of some of his favorite Chesney songs. Church sang moving acoustic versions of “I Go Back,” “Anything but Mine,” “El Cerrito Place,” “Never Wanted Nothing More,” “The Boys of Fall,” and “Old Blue Chair.”
As far as Chesney knew, Megan Moroney was on her way to Australia for several performances. But she revealed when she walked onstage Sunday night that she’d pushed her flight back so she could be there. Seated on a stool with her acoustic guitar, she played a hushed, heartfelt version of Chesney’s Top Five single “Knowing You,” even changing a line about sitting in with the band to name-check the new Hall of Fame member.
“I admire the fact that you’ve . . . become a mentor for a generation of artists that you’ve taken on tour,” said Country Music Hall of Fame member Joe Galante, who signed Chesney to BNA Records in 1995 and inducted him into the Hall of Fame on Sunday night. “You taught them how to connect, you helped them connect, and you showed them what it looks like when you really do.”
Connection and community were key themes throughout Chesney’s portion of the Medallion Ceremony. He was scrupulous in thanking many people who have helped him build his career. He concluded by quoting his song “I Didn’t Get Here Alone”—a bonus track on his 2010 album, Hemingway’s Whiskey—to drive the point home.
“I’ve never really let myself sit in accomplishment very much . . . but tonight, I can tell you . . . it was the first time that I have ever felt accomplished in my life,” Chesney admitted. “It’s an unbelievable feeling to stand here in this moment, and with every cell in my body, I feel the gravity of this moment.”
In keeping with Medallion Ceremony tradition, a performance of “Will the Circle Be Unbroken” closed the evening. This year, Country Music Hall of Fame member John Anderson led the singing.
The Country Music Hall of Fame’s annual Medallion Ceremony celebrates the moment when the year’s members-elect officially join their country music heroes, influences, and peers as Hall of Fame members. Considered the genre’s most prestigious event, the invitation-only ceremony highlights the talent, achievements, and legacy that make each new member deserving of country music’s highest honor.
Emotional speeches, surprise musical tributes, and video biographies—featuring rare, recorded performances, televised interviews, and historic photos—fill each Medallion Ceremony.
The Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum produces each Medallion Ceremony. The Country Music Association, the organization that elects new Country Music Hall of Fame members, was the underwriter for the ceremony along with City National Bank.
2025 Medallion Photos
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NASHVILLE, TENNESSEE - OCTOBER 19: (L-R) Honoree Tony Brown, John Carter Cash, Carlene Carter and honoree Kenny Chesney attend the Medallion Ceremony for the Class of 2025 at Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum on October 19, 2025 in Nashville, Tennessee. (Photo by Terry Wyatt/Getty Images for Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum)
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NASHVILLE, TENNESSEE - OCTOBER 19: Honoree, Tony Brown attends the Medallion Ceremony for the Class of 2025 at Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum on October 19, 2025 in Nashville, Tennessee. (Photo by Terry Wyatt/Getty Images for Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum)
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NASHVILLE, TENNESSEE - OCTOBER 19: (L-R) John Carter Cash and Carlene Carter attend the Medallion Ceremony for the Class of 2025 at Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum on October 19, 2025 in Nashville, Tennessee. (Photo by Terry Wyatt/Getty Images for Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum)
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NASHVILLE, TENNESSEE - OCTOBER 19: Honoree, Kenny Chesney attends the Medallion Ceremony for the Class of 2025 at Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum on October 19, 2025 in Nashville, Tennessee. (Photo by Terry Wyatt/Getty Images for Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum)
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NASHVILLE, TENNESSEE - OCTOBER 19: Eric Church performs onstage during the Medallion Ceremony for the Class of 2025 at Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum on October 19, 2025 in Nashville, Tennessee. (Photo by Terry Wyatt/Getty Images for Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum)
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NASHVILLE, TENNESSEE - OCTOBER 19: Megan Moroney performs onstage during the Medallion Ceremony for the Class of 2025 at Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum on October 19, 2025 in Nashville, Tennessee. (Photo by Terry Wyatt/Getty Images for Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum)
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NASHVILLE, TENNESSEE - OCTOBER 19: George Strait performs onstage during the Medallion Ceremony for the Class of 2025 at Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum on October 19, 2025 in Nashville, Tennessee. (Photo by Terry Wyatt/Getty Images for Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum)
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NASHVILLE, TENNESSEE - OCTOBER 19: Kelsea Ballerini performs onstage during the Medallion Ceremony for the Class of 2025 at Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum on October 19, 2025 in Nashville, Tennessee. (Photo by Terry Wyatt/Getty Images for Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum)
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NASHVILLE, TENNESSEE - OCTOBER 19: John Anderson performs onstage during the Medallion Ceremony for the Class of 2025 at Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum on October 19, 2025 in Nashville, Tennessee. (Photo by Tibrina Hobson/Getty Images for Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum)
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NASHVILLE, TENNESSEE - OCTOBER 19: Trisha Yearwood performs onstage during the Medallion Ceremony for the Class of 2025 at Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum on October 19, 2025 in Nashville, Tennessee. (Photo by Terry Wyatt/Getty Images for Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum)
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NASHVILLE, TENNESSEE - OCTOBER 19: Steve Earle performs onstage during the Medallion Ceremony for the Class of 2025 at Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum on October 19, 2025 in Nashville, Tennessee. (Photo by Terry Wyatt/Getty Images for Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum)
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NASHVILLE, TENNESSEE - OCTOBER 19: Lyle Lovett performs onstage during the Medallion Ceremony for the Class of 2025 at Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum on October 19, 2025 in Nashville, Tennessee. (Photo by Terry Wyatt/Getty Images for Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum)
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NASHVILLE, TENNESSEE - OCTOBER 19: George Strait performs onstage during the Medallion Ceremony for the Class of 2025 at Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum on October 19, 2025 in Nashville, Tennessee. (Photo by Tibrina Hobson/Getty Images for Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum)
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NASHVILLE, TENNESSEE - OCTOBER 19: Museum Board Chair, Jody Williams speaks onstage during the Medallion Ceremony for the Class of 2025 at Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum on October 19, 2025 in Nashville, Tennessee. (Photo by Terry Wyatt/Getty Images for Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum)
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NASHVILLE, TENNESSEE - OCTOBER 19: (L-R) Keb' Mo' and Ruby Amanfu perform onstage during the Medallion Ceremony for the Class of 2025 at Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum on October 19, 2025 in Nashville, Tennessee. (Photo by Tibrina Hobson/Getty Images for Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum)
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NASHVILLE, TENNESSEE - OCTOBER 19: Keb' Mo' performs onstage during the Medallion Ceremony for the Class of 2025 at Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum on October 19, 2025 in Nashville, Tennessee. (Photo by Terry Wyatt/Getty Images for Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum)
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NASHVILLE, TENNESSEE - OCTOBER 19: (L-R) Daniel Tashian and Kacey Musgraves perform onstage during the Medallion Ceremony for the Class of 2025 at Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum on October 19, 2025 in Nashville, Tennessee. (Photo by Terry Wyatt/Getty Images for Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum)
About the Medallion Ceremony
The Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum’s annual Medallion Ceremony honors the newest members of the Country Music Hall of Fame as they are formally inducted. The invitation-only event takes place in the Museum’s CMA Theater and is produced by the staff of the Museum. Friends, family, colleagues, and fellow Country Music Hall of Fame members honor the new inductees with tributes and songs. A Hall of Fame member inducts the member-elect by presenting the inductee with a commemorative medallion to be worn each time the membership gathers.
Bronze plaques bearing the inductees’ likenesses are unveiled for the first time during the ceremony before hanging permanently in the Museum’s Rotunda. Each inductee gives an acceptance speech. The remarks are always heartfelt, sometimes funny, and often emotional as the new members of the Hall of Fame reflect on their journeys to country music’s highest honor. The ceremony ends with everyone singing “Will the Circle Be Unbroken.”