Don McLean, Darius Rucker and Duane Eddy’s names will soon be etched in stone. On October 14, the three legendary artists will be added to the Music City Walk of Fame in Nashville, along with industry veteran Joe Galante.
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McLean is a member of the Songwriters Hall of Fame and is most known for his iconic hit, “American Pie,” which was inspired by the tragic deaths of Ritchie Valens, Buddy Holly and J.P. Richardson in a plane crash in 1959. Rucker is the frontman of Hootie & the Blowfish who successfully crossed over from pop-rock to country. Eddy is an accomplished musician known for his solo hits “Peter Gunn,” “Because They’re Young” and “Rebel-Rouser.” Galante is a former record executive who was head of RCA Records Nashville in the 1970s and was later named chairman of Sony Music Nashville.
Vince Gill will induct Galante at the Nashville ceremony, while professional wrestler Ric Flair will induct Rucker. Fellow Music City Walk of Fame member Steve Wariner will induct Eddy, and Connie Valens, the sister of the late Ritchie Valens, will induct McLean.
[RELATED: John Prine, Patsy Cline Among 2022 Music City Walk of Fame Inductees]
“This exceptional inductee class for the Music City Walk of Fame embodies iconic moments in the history of music–from Darius Rucker’s rendition of ‘Wagon Wheel’ to Don McLean’s classic ‘American Pie’ to the distinctive twang of Duane Eddy’s guitar,” Chairman of the Nashville Convention & Visitors Corp Board of Directors and Founder Ken Levitan said in a statement. “Nashville’s music industry would not be the dominant force it is today without Joe Galante, who solidified country as a leading genre in the record industry and who continues to nurture the next generation of music leaders through tech startups and entrepreneur programs.”
The foursome will mark the 101-104th stars on the Walk of Fame. The park is in downtown Nashville across from the Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum. Garth Brooks, Eric Church, Johnny Cash and Patsy Cline are among the many other artists who’ve been inducted over the years.
(Photo by Paul Natkin/Getty Images)
