Pressing business: Widespread Panic to join Georgia Music Hall of Fame as 2008 inductee

I believe The Macon Telegraph is breaking rock and roll news tomorrow: Widespread Panic will be inducted into the Georgia Music Hall of Fame this year.

Lynyrd Skynyrd was last year's group inductee. In 2006 it was REM. Ray Charles was one of the first two inductees in 1979.

The induction will likely be a black tie event, scheduled for Sept. 20 at the World Congress Center in Atlanta. Tickets are available through Friends of Georgia Music Festival, (770) 491-9494.

According to Phillip Ramati here at The Telegraph, the other Hall of Fame inductees this year are: Keith Sweat in the songwriting category; gospel singer Dottie Rambo in the posthumous category; Fred and Dinah Gretsch of The Gretsch Co. in the pioneer category, and Macon "King Bee" Hamp Swain in the non-performer category.

If you find yourself in Macon, the Georgia Music Hall of Fame is worth a couple of hours. There's an Otis Redding exhibit featured through Sept. 10.

Congratulations to Widespread Panic. This is a very large and very deserved honor.


In other news, we're all old now. Or should we say "classic."

Images: widespreadpanic.com. Music and merchandise available.