Class of 2023

Ezella Robinson

Gospel Artist and Songwriter

Inducted by LaShell Moore, Arts in McNairy Board
September 10, 2022

Ezella Robinson started singing at the ripe old age of three, and was writing poetry by the age of ten. Little did she know both would figure prominently in her future. As a high school senior Ezella became the first African American female cast in a leading role in a West Tennessee regional musical production.  At Bethel University she continued her student acting and singing career, participating in numerous university and community theater productions. Ezella graduated from Bethel with a major in English and minors in Sociology and Theater.

Ezella is now an independent gospel artist, songwriter, author, poet, playwright, story teller and actress. She is an Amazon best selling author and one of her children's titles is a featured selection at the South Carolina African American Museum. She has numerous music videos and media appearances to her credit, including artists' spots on CBIZTV in Detroit Michigan and PWN Network in Alpharetta, Georgia; a feature on Shine the Light Radio with Nancy Smith Mattox; a performance on Drop the Mic with Mike Fitzgerald; and an artist interview with Kyonna T. Fields. She was nominated for The Divine Connections Awards in multiple years and was the 2020 Divine Connections Soloist of the Year. Ezella has twice performed at the Gospel Choice Awards as well as the Gospel Image Awards, and was a nominee for Gospel Artist of the Year at the Tennessee Music Award in multiple years. Ezella works with special needs children and her songwriting credits include a number of children's songs.

All awards and accolades aside, Ezella Robinson is most at home leading praise and worship music that ministers to the heart and soul of those in need. She continues to lead in the worship setting, and perform gospel in media appearances, and live concert venues. Ezella is much in demand, both for the quality of her vocals and the spirit with which she leads worship. She is a credit to the regional gospel music community and worthy recipient of McNairy County Music Hall of Fame honors.

It is our great honor to induct Ezella Robinson into the McNairy County Music Hall of Fame in the class of 2023.

Francis Lee Hendrix

Old-time and Bluegrass Guitarist

Inducted by Jeremy Hurst, Grandson
September 10, 2022

Supporting players rarely get the credit they deserve and that is especially true when they prefer to remain behind the scenes and put in the work, day after day, without insisting on recognition. Such was the case with Francis Lee Hendrix.

Hendrix began his musical pursuits at an early age, playing spirituals and traditional southern gospel music for his family, or with their neighbors, the legendary gospel singers, the Hollands. It wasn't long before he began to pick up on the guitar styles of old-time, bluegrass and dance band pickers popular in the region.

For guitarists, there was, perhaps, no better education to be had locally than playing with Hall of Fame fiddler, Ernest "Pap" Whitten, and his popular dance bands. Scores of musicians came through Whitten's various outfits over the years, but Hendrix was an early member, playing with the fiddle legend at Five Points and other area square dances in the early days. It taught him better timing, and the demands of square dance music contributed to his growing repertoire and musicianship.

It was on the dance and regional radio circuit with Whitten that Hendrix first met and befriended a young Carl Perkins. Perkins was an up and coming country artists with an edgy, new honky-tonk and R&B blended sound that would later be identified as rockabilly music, but at the time, the players in Pap Whitten's popular dance band were the bigger deal. The two musicians met on a mutual radio appearance in Jackson, Tennessee and had an immediate rapport that carried over into musical collaboration and friendship. Among Francis Hendrix's family's prized possessions is a copy of Carl Perkins's biography, Go Cat Go, with an autograph and the inscription: "To an old friend, Francis L. Hendrix."

Hendrix made recordings with Hall of Fame sound man, Stanton Littlejohn, at Eastview, Tennessee, played Earl Latta's legendary garage jams, and distinguished himself as a reliable sideman in a number of area bluegrass and dance bands. Many years later, Hendrix would put his talents to use for a good cause, founding the Grand Old Opry of Bethel Springs. In a series of charity concerts to raise money for the Bethel School Parent Teacher Association, Hendrix brought together some of the area's top talent, and those country variety shows are still fondly remembered to this day.

Francis Hendrix was a journeyman picker who loved, and spent a lifetime playing, quality music. Just as importantly, he passed the love of music on to his family, and though his children wouldn't identify as musicians, his grandchildren and great grandchildren certainly would. Grandson, Jeremy Hurst, who is fixture on the local country and rock music scene, first learned to love and play guitar at his grandfather's knee. Granddaughter, Abigail Hurst, is a standout music student and drum major for the McNairy Central Bobcat Band as well as a gifted vocalist. To say Francis Hendrix would be proud, is an understatement.

It is an honor to induct Francis Lee Hendrix into the McNairy County Music Hall of Fame in the class of 2023.

Richard "Boogie" Keele

Country and Rock Guitarist

Inducted by Robert Lee, Friend and Bandmate
September 10, 2022

Richard Keele, affectionately known by his friends and fellow musicians as “Boogie,” has been a fixture on the music scene in McNairy County for over fifty years.

When Boogie was a child his grandmother played piano at the Bethel Springs Cumberland Presbyterian Church. He admired her sacred music and attended the square dances in the north part of the county, where he closely watched the likes of Hall of Fame fiddler, Pappy Whitten, and others perform. These experiences instilled a great love for music and a desire to play it. As a result his mother enrolled him early in piano lessons, and in fifth grade, brought home a used guitar. The piano was fine, but the guitar was a game changer for Richard Keele.

The eager young musician quickly learned his chords from a Mel Bay chord book, sharpened his skills with a few lessons from Jesse McClain and knew this was meant to be. Boogie began what would become a lifelong career as a guitar player–a honky tonk guitar player.

It wasn't long before he was sneaking into local taverns listening to good bands, especially keying in on the guitar players. His big day came when he was just fifteen, getting on the bandstand at the notorious Cotton Bowl in Chester County. It was one of the first times he played music in a real band and Boogie was hooked. From then on, when he wasn’t playing he was watching, listening and learning from the seasoned crop of pickers McNairy County had to offer. And the pursuit of learning continued at home. Day after day, he would hurry home after school or work, feed the livestock, and go directly to friends' houses to play music until bedtime.

In high school, Boogie signed up for marching and concert band, choosing the saxophone as his primary instrument. He was a respectable wind player, but unbeknownst to Hall of Fame band director, Frank Congiardo Jr., it was all a ploy to get Boogie into the stage band as the guitarist. It worked. Boogie's entire life has been a continuation of that youthful devotion to playing music, creatively exploring musical options and working to become a better musician.

Since those early days Boogie has played with numerous local and regional bands including Eastside, Blackwater, Overdrive, Country Cowboys, and many others. During the course of his fifty year career he has played every joint in McNairy and contiguous counties. Just to mention a few of the most notable clubs, Boogie has played The 45 Club, The Boat Dock, The Rock Pile, The Torch Club, The Pine Ridge Club, The Rooster Run, R.C. 's, Murray’s, Rodeo Ranch and Clayton’s. Thousands of gigs later you can still hear him playing lead guitar with the Dawg Creek Band at local venues. Putting in the time it requires to become a great performer hasn't been an issue for Boogie Keele.

Boogie’s repertoire includes hundreds upon hundreds of rock and roll, country, rockabilly, southern rock, and blues tunes, and he crosses those genre boundaries with inviable ease. Boogie’s distinct style has attracted the attention of listeners and other musicians throughout his career. When the frontman belts out, “Take it, Boogie,” you can buckle your seatbelt; you are in for a ride. He is, quite simply, regarded by many of his fans and peers as one of the most versatile and gifted lead guitarists of his generation.

Although he’s best known as a first rate honky tonk musician, which earned him the nickname Boogie, he has also lent his talents to various churches over the years. His grandmother's soulful hymns and spirituals still resonate with him after all these years. And it's not just the music, Boogie's heart is in the right place too. He has performed for hundreds of fundraisers, benefits and other events that demanded music for a good cause.

Boogie Keele represents a dying breed of musician who came up in the rough and tumble world of West Tennessee honky-tonks and beer joints; venues that are quickly fading but are, nonetheless, part of the colorful musical heritage of our county and region. His love of music wasn’t deterred by obnoxious drunks, flying beer bottles, or bar room brawls; he just boogied on. And McNairy County is the richer for his persistence.

It is a distinct honor to induct Richard "Boogie" Keele into the McNairy County Music Hall of Fame in the class of 2023.

W.S. "Fluke" Holland

Country and Rock 'n' Roll Drumming Pioneer

Inducted by Ron Haney, Friend and Bandmate
September 10, 2022

Let’s just get some of the major resume items out of the way.

W.S. “Fluke” Holland is considered a pioneer of both rock ’n’ roll and country drumming. He was the first musician to play a full set of drums on the Grand Ole Opry stage, and was the drummer at the Million Dollar Quarter Session at Sun Studio. He played on all of Carl Perkins’s Sun Records hits, including the rockabilly anthem, Blue Suede Shoes, and was Johnny Cash’s only drummer, touring and recording with the Man in Black for more than forty years. It was Cash who dubbed W.S. Holland, “The Father of the Drums,” and Johnny knew what he was talking about.

The list of historic firsts, musical achievements, legendary recordings and concerts, goes on and on for W.S. Holland, and it’s not stretching the point to say that he is numbered among the most influential drummers in the history of popular music. Impressive, as that maybe be, what does it have to do with McNairy County? Plenty. We’ll start at the end and work backwards.

When Fluke Holland passed away in 2020, he left behind legions of adoring fans worldwide, none more grateful than those in McNairy County. Scarcely more than a year before his passing, W.S. Holland sat behind his signature, white Rogers drums on the stage at the Latta Theater in downtown Selmer. It was the last in a series of performances the legendary percussionist would make in the county, and among his last public appearances anywhere, making it all the more memorable. He loved to play McNairy County, and often said so. For that we are fortunate.

Holland had first been approached for inclusion in the musical lineup at the inaugural Rockabilly Highway Revival in 2009. The idea was to bring together the few remaining Sun recording artists, and other music legends of the era, with modern-day rockabilly and Americana music artists to give the festival just the right flavor—authentic contemporary sounds with a nod to their musical roots. W.S. Holland was all in. He loved that approach and played a pivotal role in launching the annual event.

The first Rockabilly Highway Revival set in motion a longstanding local relationship with Holland and his band that would last more than a decade. Fluke became one of the most ardent supporters of the festival, headlining it many years and promoting it wherever he went. He also helped secure the talents of other Sun veterans, talking up the Revival’s commitment to authentic roots music and urging others to play the festival. Sun greats Sonny Burgess and the Pacers, Rayburn Anthony, Carl Mann, and J.M Van Eaton, and others, would all find their way to Selmer, in part, due to the influence of W.S. Holland.

The W.S. Holland Band would return to McNairy County often. Fluke performed at Bethel Springs to commemorate the first meeting of Carl Perkins and Elvis Presley at Bethel school's auditorium in 1954—an historic event to which he was firsthand witness. When it came time for the W.S. Holland Band to makes its final European tour, Fluke wanted to film all of the promotional footage at the Latta Theater in Selmer. Asked why the Latta, Holland remarked, “There’s just something about that place…” Indeed there was and is. In addition to his own band of all-stars, Holland brought along Stan Perkins and the group filmed two hours of concert footage before an enthusiastic crowd of McNairy County friends and fans—free of charge. European fans ate it up.

But as much as the stellar music he made, W.S. Holland will be remembered for his stedfast devotion to the preservation of West Tennessee’s unique brand of music. Born in nearby Saltillo, Tennessee and raised in Bemis, Fluke was a homeboy at heart. His knowledge, keen memory for details and insightful analysis helped historians and chroniclers compile accurate accounts of the people, places and events that shaped our region's postwar music history. We owe W.S. Holland a debt of gratitude. His induction into the McNairy County Music Hall of Fame is our downpayment on that debt.

It is with great pride that we induct W.S. "Fluke" Holland into the McNairy County Music Hall of Fame in the class of 2023.