Brooks & Dunn, Ray Stevens join Country Music Hall of Fame

Best-selling country duo of all time Brooks & Dunn, comedian and singer Ray Stevens and record executive Jerry Bradley joined the Country Music Hall of Fame in a star-filled ceremony on Sunday evening that was full of tributes to their hit songs and their lasting legacies in country music.

Reba McEntire, Luke Bryan, Trisha Yearwood, Ricky Skaggs, Marty Stuart and Travis Tritt were among the guest performers during the medallion ceremony in Nashville, Tennessee at the Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum. Each inductee received a medallion and a plaque that will be placed inside the Hall of Fame rotunda.

Brooks & Dunn were an unlikely pairing of two artists who both started out solo. Neither Kix Brooks nor Ronnie Dunn thought the partnership would last, but decades later they are the most awarded and best-selling country duo of all time, with 19 CMA Awards, two Grammys and 25 Academy of Country Music Awards and 20 No. 1 hits. Brooks' flamboyant nature and guitar playing brought the perfect counterpoint to Dunn's stellar singing, but more understated personality.

Luke Bryan performs during the induction ceremony of Brooks & Dunn at 2019 Medallion Ceremony at the Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum on Sunday, Oct. 20, 2019 in Nashville, Tenn. (Photo by Sanford MyersInvisionAP)

With hits such as "Brand New Man," ''Boot Scootin' Boogie," ''My Maria," ''Neon Moon," the pair filled arenas and sold more than 28 million albums in the U.S. alone. They took a break in 2010, but nearly a decade later, they reunited in the studio to release new duet versions of their hits with today's country stars in an album called "Reboot."

Reba McEntire, who has been playing alongside Brooks & Dunn since the '90s and has an ongoing longstanding Las Vegas residency with the duo for several years, came to put the medallions over their heads and joked that she considered them her "big brothers."

Brooks has often said he never understood why they made such a good pair, but it happened immediately.

Trisha Yearwood performs during the induction ceremony of Brooks & Dunn during the 2019 Medallion Ceremony at the Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum on Sunday, Oct. 20, 2019 in Nashville, Tenn. (Photo by Sanford MyersInvisionAP)

"Putting the two of us together on a Tuesday, and us writing our first two No. 1 records on a Thursday and Friday is just weird," Brooks said.

Dunn acknowledged that he was often over-analytical of himself and noted that even his therapist was in attendance that night. But he said that he tried hard to keep himself from getting too emotional.

"I have never been so proud and humble," he said.

Ray Stevens speaks after being inducted into the Country Music Hall of Fame during the 2019 Medallion Ceremony at the Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum on Sunday, Oct. 20, 2019 in Nashville, Tenn. (Photo by Sanford MyersInvisionAP)

The "Reboot" album and the induction has put them back in the spotlight again and they are nominated for two CMA awards for duo of the year and musical event at the CMA Awards in November.

"We had every intention of quitting, and we did for a few minutes," Brooks said, "But I think we realize now how lucky we are."

Comedian and country singer Ray Stevens, who learned to play piano as a child in Clarkdale, Georgia, is known for his novelty songs like "The Streak" and "Ahab the Arab," but also the earnest and Grammy-winning "Everything is Beautiful." He is an all-around entertainer, who worked as a TV personality, producer, a session musician and a songwriter. He currently still performs at his own dinner theater in Nashville called CabaRay.

Jerry Bradley gives a tip of the hat after being inducted into the Country Music Hall of Fame during the 2019 Medallion Ceremony at the Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum on Sunday, Oct. 20, 2019 in Nashville, Tenn. (Photo by Sanford MyersInvisionAP)

Ricky Skaggs performed the jazz standard "Misty," which Stevens rearranged into a country bluegrass version that became his biggest country hit in 1975 and earned him a Grammy for arrangement. The McCrary Sisters performed a gospel version of "Everything is Beautiful," which brought tears to Stevens, who was seated in the front row.

Stevens, 80, said that since his induction was announced earlier this year, he said people had been saying it was about time he was honored.

"Anytime is a good time to be inducted into the Country Music Hall of Fame," he said. But he joked that if the induction had come sooner, he "could have upped his booking fees."

Reba McEntire, middle, performs with The McCrary Sisters during the 2019 Medallion Ceremony at the Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum on Sunday, Oct. 20, 2019 in Nashville, Tenn. (Photo by Sanford MyersInvisionAP)

Jerry Bradley came from a legacy of Country Music Hall of Fame inductees, including his father, producer Owen Bradley, the architect of the Nashville Sound, and his uncle Harold Bradley, a famed guitarist. Jerry Bradley became head of RCA Nashville in 1973, succeeding Chet Akins and bringing in new artists like Alabama and Ronnie Milsap. He helped market the outlaws of country music in a platinum-selling album called "Wanted: The Outlaws." Under his leadership, the careers of Dolly Parton and Charley Pride flourished.

Marty Stuart and Travis Tritt performed "Good Hearted Woman," a song made famous by Waylon Jennings and Willie Nelson. Americana star Yola gave an electrifying performance on "Jolene" and Old Crow Medicine Show made Alabama's "Dixieland Delight" into a frantic bluegrass breakdown with Molly Tuttle.

"This business has given me a wonderful life," Bradley said. "I am grateful for the people I've met, the songs I've heard and the part I've played."

Online:

https://countrymusichalloffame.org/

Follow Kristin M. Hall at http://twitter.com/kmhall

Sen. Bernie Sanders of Vermont announced Monday he will run for reelection this year, squelching speculation that the 82-year-old progressive icon might retire at a time when the Democratic Party is anxious about the advancing age of its top leaders.

Hailing from a Democratic stronghold, Sanders' decision virtually guarantees that he will return to Washington for a fourth Senate term. And his announcement comes at a critical moment for Democrats as the party navigates a growing divide over Israel's war against Hamas in Gaza.

Sanders has criticized President Joe Biden's handling of the U.S. relationship with Israel even as he's hailed much of Biden's domestic agenda ahead of what could be a tough reelection fight for Biden against presumptive GOP presidential nominee Donald Trump.

Sanders said he wants the war in Gaza ended immediately, massive humanitarian aid to follow and no more money sent to Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.

"We are living in a complicated and difficult political moment," Sanders told The Associated Press on Monday. “I very strongly disagree with Biden in terms of the war in Gaza.”

At home, he said, the presidential election is between Biden and Trump, “and Donald Trump is in my view the most dangerous president, has been the most dangerous president in American history.”

With the prospect of Trump's possible return to the White House, Sanders framed his bid to return to the Senate as being driven by concerns about the future of democracy in the U.S. In an announcement video, he said that in many ways the 2024 election “is the most consequential election in our lifetimes.”

“Will the United States continue to even function as a democracy, or will we move to an authoritarian form of government?” he said. He questioned whether the country will reverse what he called “the unprecedented level of income and wealth inequality” and if it can create a government that works for all, and not continue with a political system dominated by wealthy campaign contributors.

Known for his liberal politics and crusty demeanor, Sanders has been famously consistent over his 40 years in politics, championing better health care paid for by the government, higher taxes for the wealthy, less military intervention and major solutions for climate change. He has also spent his career trying to hold corporate executives to account, something that he’s had more power to do as chairman of the Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee.

Sanders is an independent. He was a Democratic congressman for 16 years and still caucuses with the Democrats.

He sought the Democratic presidential nomination in 2016 and 2020. He said a year ago that he would forgo another presidential bid and endorse Biden’s reelection this year.

“I have been, and will be if re-elected, in a strong position to provide the kind of help that Vermonters need in these difficult times,” Sanders said in a review of his positions as chairman of the important Senate panel and a member of the chamber's Democratic leadership team, as well as a senior member of various other committees.

AP writer Mary Clare Jalonick contributed from Washington.

FILE - Sen. Bernie Sanders, I-Vt., smiles as he addresses Unite Here Local 11 workers holding a rally, April 5, 2024, in Los Angeles. Sanders is running for re-election. The 82-year-old, from Vermont, announced Monday, May 6, that he's seeking his fourth term in the U.S. Senate. (AP Photo/Damian Dovarganes, File)

FILE - Sen. Bernie Sanders, I-Vt., speaks during a news conference, Jan. 25, 2024, at the Capitol in Washington. Sanders is running for re-election. The 82-year-old, from Vermont, announced Monday, May 6, that he's seeking his fourth term in the U.S. Senate. (AP Photo/Mariam Zuhaib, File)