SGMA Hall Of Fame

History

The Southern Gospel Music Association Hall of Fame was founded in 1997. The first class of inductees consisted of 38 of the legendary figures in Southern Gospel music including singers, musicians, songwriters, and music publishers. That inaugural class was by far the largest class of inductees up to the present time.

Each year, SGMA members submit suggestions for possible new inductees to the Hall of Fame. A committee looks over these suggestions and selects those they deem worthy of induction. Induction ceremonies over the years have been held at the Dollywood theme park in Pigeon Forge, Tennessee, during the week of the National Quartet Convention in Louisville, Kentucky and later in Pigeon Forge after NQC relocated there in 2014.

In 1999, the Hall of Fame Museum opened the doors of its first location at Dollywood. The Hall of Fame followed the same operating hours as the park.

In October 2020 during the Covid-19 pandemic, the SGMA announced that Dollywood would not be renewing the lease for the museum building inside the park for the upcoming 2021 season. The building had already been shut down for several months due to social distancing guidelines when the announcement was made. After an extended search and a period of fundraising, the SGMA reached an agreement with Biblical Times Dinner Theater in Pigeon Forge, Tennessee to house the museum. Interior design commenced in 2022 and a grand opening ceremony was held for the new location in late September that same year.

Honorees

(Listed By year Of Induction)