Alan Jackson, the late Jerry Reed and "The Gambler" songwriter Don Schlitz have been chosen as the 2017 inductees into the Country Music Hall of Fame.
The Country Music Association announced their induction choices in Nashville today at a humorous ceremony that featured Vince Gill delivering some funny anecdotes while revealing the year's three inductees.
Jackson will be inducted as this year's "Modern Era Artist," while Reed is being inducted as a "Veteran Era Artist" and Schlitz in the "Songwriter" category.
Jackson said today at the announcement event, "My whole career has just been a fairytale...I came to Nashville with nothing and ignorant about the music business and had no experience, and then to go through all of this, this is the ultimate piece of the puzzle. I don't even know how to describe it."
The artists will be inducted during a special Medallion Ceremony at the Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum later this year.