Gary, if I had several lifetimes to live I'd definitely do a book on Anita Kerr.

It never occurred to me but you're right -- they SHOULD be in the Hall of Fame. Why aren't they? They were key to the Nashville Sound, much more so than the Jordanaires, frankly. Jim I feel was the progenitor of the sound and others followed his lead. Rock had caused country sales to collapse and Jim -- with Bea Terry's encouragement -- decided to straddle both worlds: pop and country. His voice was perfect for it, and Anita's quartet was also ideal. They complimented each other's sound. Of course there were other good singers who embraced the Nashville Sound but the Kerrs were central to it.

Jim gave up the western clothes and got rid of the twang and made country music acceptable to a wider audience.