Mammoth Blog

Thousands gathered at the Muskogee Civic Center on Thursday night as Oklahoma country music superstar Carrie Underwood, Tulsa Sound legend Rocky Frisco and Western swing songbird Ramona Reed were inducted into the Oklahoma Music Hall of Fame.

"I look at my life every day, and I'm in awe," the 26-year-old Underwood said during a press conference before the induction. "Everything that's happened has been a gift from God."

It's also been due to a lot of hard work.

Along with relentless touring, Underwood was recently nominated for two Country Music Association awards, including female vocalist of the year. She is the Academy of Country Music's reigning Entertainer of the Year, the 2005 "American Idol" winner and a four-time Grammy winner. She's also won nearly 60 awards for her songwriting, videos and music since 2005.

"I'm blown away," Frisco said of his induction. "This takes the cake."

Not too long ago, Frisco got a call from the Oklahoma Music Hall of Fame, he said. He was told, "'By the way, we're inducting you,'" he said, then laughed. "I said, "But I'm not even sick!'"

The good-natured pianoman is a Tulsa Sound icon. He co-founder the music movement and is a 1955 graduate of Tulsa's Central High School, where he met Grammy-winning singer-songwriter and later tour partner J.J. Cale.

Frisco has played piano for some of rock's most lauded visionaries, including Cale, Eric Clapton, Flash Terry, the Gene Crose Band, Clyde Stacy, Danny McBride, Tom Skinner's Science Project and countless others.

All
of the inductees smiled broadly, seemingly in shock over their inductions into the Oklahoma Music Hall of Fame.

"Of everything I've done and won," said Reed, "this is the thing I'm most proud of. It's a very special night."

Reed is perhaps best known for her yodeling work with Western swing act Bob Wills & the Texas Playboys, which earned widespread fame when their shows were broadcast from the historic Cain's Ballroom in the 1940s.

She's also well-known under her early stage name, Martha White, and her work at the Grand Ole Opry with Hank Williams, Roy Acuff and Minnie Pearl, among others. She was raised on a ranch near Talihina.

The trio, along with C.H. Parker - who received the coveted Governor's Award Thursday night - became fast friends during a short press conference before the concert and awards presentation. All three inductees performed.

"I yodeled your music in school," Underwood said to Reed. Parker was her teacher at Northwestern State University. "I yodeled 'Cowboy Sweetheart.'"

"She did. She really did," said Parker.

Reed, stunned, laughed and raised her eyebrows. "That's one of my favorites. ... My granddaughter and daughter sang your music all the way here yesterday," she responded.

The exchange illustrated the points each made on Thursday night: They're all proud to be Oklahomans, feel fortunate to have the support of the state and think Thursday night's honor was the highest yet of their accomplished careers.

Their home state creates a commonality and a bond nearly as strong as family.

"This is where we are from," said Underwood. "This is where we call home. To have such an amazing state behind us is a great feeling, and I'm so happy to be sitting here."

She said she also gets a lot of questions about the numbers of highly successful artists who come from Oklahoma. "They ask me, 'Is it something in the water?' ... I say, 'It's just who we are.'

"I am grounded in my life because of where we came from, because of how we were raised and where we were raised."

Frisco agreed. "I've been a lucky musician - I haven't been a great one," he said with self-effacing humor.

"Class of 2009" inductees join past inductees Vince Gill, Toby Keith, Merle Haggard, Wanda Jackson, Hank Thompson, the All-American Rejects and David Gates, among others. source>>>