Nashville, TN (January 30, 2015) - A special exhibit honoring Country icon RAY PRICE and titled "For The Good Times" will be unveiled on Saturday, February 28 at the Texas Country Music Hall of Fame in Carthage, Texas. The new display will feature over 60 of the star's personal items, and represents Ray's many career accomplishments and his lifelong commitment to his craft. Following a 10 a.m. ribbon-cutting ceremony, fans can tour the exhibit for the day, free of charge.
Among the treasures they will see:
- A custom Nudie suit
- Ray Price Cherokee Cowboy tour jacket circa 1950s
- Grammy Award for 1970 Best Country Vocal Male for "For The Good Times"
- Billboard Award for 1959 Best Single of the Year for "Heartaches By The Number"
- Cash Box Country Awards for 1959 Best Country Male Vocalist of the Year and 1988 Best Country Male Vocalist of the Year
- Academy of Country & Western Music 1970 Album of the Year for "For The Good Times"
- Custom saddle designed by Billy Cook
- The President's Cup Aksarben trophy awarded for First Place win by Price's Thoroughbred Sea Phantom (1971)
- Letter from Lyndon B. Johnson (1972) thanking Price for personal performance
The Texas Country Music Hall of Fame Band will provide entertainment, and numerous special guests are expected to appear throughout the day. Ray's widow, Janie Price, will be on hand to discuss the exhibit's special items and to sign autographs.
A 2006 inductee into the Texas Country Music Hall of Fame, Price's previous exhibit was "a bit smaller," according to Janie. "With the excitement of his new CD, Beauty Is ... the final sessions, the Museum wanted to enhance Ray's display, and that tied in nicely with a 3,000 square-foot expansion to their existing exhibit space." She adds, "Ray was so proud that he was able to accomplish his dream of becoming an international star, but he was most proud to be a Texan, and to be able to give back to his home state. To have this new exhibit so close to home, as we continue to write the last chapter in his life story, is a special honor."
Tommie Ritter Smith of the Texas Country Music Hall of Fame notes: "We are thrilled to have formed this partnership with Janie to honor the great Ray Price. He was very special to us. We hope his fans will visit our exhibit and love it as much as we do."
Although Price passed away in December 2013, accolades and awards continue to pour in. The Beauty Is ... project garnered a unique Honorable Mention on Billboard.com's The 10 Best Country Albums of 2014 list, and grabbed the #1 spot on TheNashvilleBridge.com's Top 10 Albums list. The disc debuted at #22 on Billboard's Top Country Albums chart, giving Ray his highest solo appearance on that chart in over three decades. Additionally, his duet with Martina McBride, "An Affair To Remember," scored as #8 on the Hotdisc International Chart's Top 30 Most Popular Songs of 2014 list after three consecutive weeks at #1. Recently, ESPN-TV soundtracked their College Football Playoff ads with Price's "For The Good Times" and Country's Family Reunion Tribute To Ray Price aired on RFD-TV. Features on the Grammy Award-winner can be found on RollingStone.com, Billboard.com, CMACloseup.com, TheBoot.com, CountryStandardTime.com, Examiner.com, Hallels.com and MusicNewsNewYork.com. Earlier this month, a new single, "I Wish I Was 18 Again," was released. The CD, on Amerimonte Records, can be purchased at Cracker Barrel Old Country Store® locations, Hastings Stores, Wal-Mart, Amazon and other retailers.
ABOUT RAY PRICE
Born in 1926 in Peach, Texas, Ray Price defined two major eras of Country music. His barroom Shuffle classics made him a master of the honky-tonk style of the early 1950s, and a cornerstone of the Nashville Sound-era with a string of smooth ballads throughout the '60s and '70s. Best known for his iconic rendering of the Kristofferson smash "For The Good Times," the Cherokee Cowboy charted over 100 times with 46 Top Ten hits, nine #1 singles and five #1 albums. A member of the Grand Ole Opry, Ray enjoyed Gold and Platinum album sales, won two Grammy® awards, took home a CMA trophy, earned two ACM awards - and his place in the Country Music Hall of Fame and in the Texas Country Music Hall of Fame. A "gentlemen's gentleman," Price fought pancreatic cancer to complete his final album project with legendary producer and longtime friend Fred Foster. Beauty Is ... the final sessions was released in April 2014.
ABOUT TEXAS COUNTRY MUSIC HALL of FAME
Initiated in 1998 to celebrate the contributions of Texans to the
Country music profession, the museum highlights those individuals, living
or dead, who are recognized nationally as outstanding in their field. The
impressive structure encompasses 13,000 square feet of space for
exhibits, a gift shop and a large banquet room.
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