Paul Yandell - 2022 Inductee

"All I ever wanted to do as a kid was to go to Nashville and play at the Grand Ole' Opry. That was my dream night and day."

Paul Yandell was born September 6, 1935, in Mayfield, Kentucky. His Army Veteran neighbor taught him how to play the guitar fingerstyle at the age of 12. Paul honed his finger-pickin' guitar skills playing at community functions and weekend neighborhood gatherings. As a child, Paul joined childhood buddies playing football and baseball on local hometown teams but later confessed that all he really ever wanted to do, was play the guitar.

Paul was already an accomplished player by age 15 when he left Mayfield to pursue his dream of playing country music in Nashville. Paul's graceful style and unique talent quickly attracted the interest of many of country music's top performers. While still a teenager, Paul gained his first work in Nashville when the Louvin Brothers hired him to play lead guitar for the band in 1955. Paul performed on several of the Louvin Brothers' greatest hits, including; 'Cash on the Barrelhead,' which rose to number 7 on the charts in the fall of 1956; 'Plenty of Everything but You,' which peaked at number 14 on Billboard in 1957, and 'My Baby's Gone,' a number 9 hit for the Louvin Brothers in 1958.

Paul left the Louvin Brothers in 1958 to enlist in the Army and served two years with the armed services before returning to Nashville in 1960. Shortly thereafter, Paul joined the 'Queen of Country Music,' Kitty Wells, and Johnny Wright on their self-titled, award-winning TV series. Still today, the popular Nashville-based program is recognized as Country Music's all-time, longest-running family show. In the mid-60s, The Kitty Wells and Johnny Wright Family Show produced an album that included the song, 'It's All Over but the Crying.' With Paul on lead guitar, the hit song climbed to number 14 on the Billboard charts in the fall of that year.

Paul joined Grammy Award Winning artist Jerry Reed in 1970. He stayed with the future Country Music Hall of Famer until 1975. Paul often said, "he went to guitar playin' college" during his stint of recording and traveling with master guitarist Jerry Reed. By virtue of HIS exceptional guitar artistry, many of Nashville's most acclaimed performers requested to work with Paul. During the decade of the 1970's, Paul recorded and shared the stage with Chet Atkins, Dolly Parton, Steve Wariner, Hank Thompson, Perry Como, Roger Whitaker, Kitty Wells, Johnny Wright, Les Paul, Woody Herman, The Everly Brothers and Mary Chapin Carpenter just to name a few. Paul also appeared on many of the most prominent variety shows of the day, including the Dinah Shore Show, The Tonight Show, The Today Show, The Pat Sajak Show, The Merv Griffin Show, and Nashville Now.

After Chet Atkins passed away in 2001, Paul honored the Country Music legend by releasing a solo CD entitled "Forever Chet." The CD featured many of Chet's most beloved songs. In 2003, Paul released his "One More Again" CD. In 2004, Paul released "Dream Train," which included several original tunes penned by Paul and performed on the New Gretsch guitar model, the "Nashville Classic," co-designed by Paul and Fred Gretsch.

In 2005, Paul released "In the Groove," followed by "Drive On," in 2006, both to critical acclaim. In 2011, Paul was presented with one of the industry's most honored lifetime achievement awards. Paul joined master guitarist Jerry Reed, Steve Wariner, Tommy Emmanuel, and John Knowles as the world's only recognized Certified Guitar Players. This prestigious award represents those individuals who personify the ultimate performance skill and musical quality in guitar marksmanship.

Paul Yandell passed away on November 21, 2011, at the age of 76. His kindness and gentle soul made him one of the most respected and well-loved artists in the entire Country Music industry. Toward the end of his life, Paul said, "All I ever wanted to be was the best guitar player I could be. Just about everything I dreamed of doing in my life, I've done it!" Paul Yandell is still widely recognized as one of the most accomplished guitar players in Country Music history; his unique style, distinctive sound, and incomparable playing ability will never be forgotten.