Legend has it that the first Musicians Hall of Fame in the Wabash Valley was instituted in Terre Haute, Indiana, in the 1970’s by the late Harry Weger, a local musician, radio host and music shop proprietor. People who remember Harry’s radio show reported that he focused on country music. However, this Hall of Fame appears to have existed for just a short time, and very little is known about it. It is possible that it had some influence on the current Hall of Fame, but no one knows for sure.
At least four people were involved with starting the Hall – Bill Akers,
Alva Grindle, Arlie Price and Terry Haughee – but all have passed away,
and there are disagreements about what role each person played.
However, interviews with Terry Haughee and Arlie Price, and with many
area musicians who knew these men, strongly suggest that the Hall of
Fame came about in the following way:
Bill Akers had an idea of forming a Musician’s Hall of Fame. He
developed the following requirements for inductees: They must be at
least 50 years old, have performed for at least 25 years, and must be
a country musician. Some local musicians have reported that Bill
had meetings with them to discuss his ideas.
Alva Grindle also had an idea of forming a Musician’s Hall of Fame.
Musicians who played in his club reported that he talked with them
about wanting to create a Hall of Fame. While he didn’t come
up with any specific ideas, he did dedicate a wall in BJ’s Lounge,
which he owned and operated, to local bands.
Sometime in late 1993, Bill and Alva began talking to each other about
their ideas and decided to work together. In a February 2009
interview, Terry Haughee reported that he was living upstairs at BJ’s
Lounge when these talks began and was present during many of the early
meetings between Bill and Alva. He contributed some of his own
ideas, but his memory of who contributed what was somewhat fuzzy.
Arlie also participated in some of these meetings.
Bill’s guidelines on age and years performed were adopted (and were used
until 2023 when the requirements were lowered to 40 years old, have performed
for at least 20 years), but Alva favored having a Hall of Fame for all
musicians, not just country musicians. The bands Alva hired
for his establishment played many genres of music, and he didn’t
want to favor any particular one. They managed to reach a
compromise on this issue, but in what was likely a concession to Bill,
the majority of inductees were country musicians. This was undoubtedly
a major reason why most musicians called it the "Country Music Hall of
Fame" for many years. However, here are the facts:
(1) Bill and Alva officially named the organization The Wabash Valley
Musicians Hall of Fame. Neither the name nor any of the induction
plaques, certificates or other official documents include the words
“Country” or “Country Music”.
(2) There are inductees from other genres in every induction class,
including the very first Class of 1994.
The Hall of Fame held its first induction ceremony in 1994 at BJ’s
Lounge in Terre Haute, IN, hosted by Bill Akers and Alva Grindle.
Alva donated the use of his establishment, donated money for the food,
plaques and certificates, and he and his family put on the banquet at
the ceremonies. Bill was heavily involved with selecting musicians
for induction. The two men were the driving force behind the Hall
of Fame during this time period, with each contributing his own unique
skills and knowledge to the organization.
Alva soon converted his picture room into an area for displaying the
Hall’s plaques, pictures and memorabilia.
During this time period, the Hall of Fame’s area of coverage was
fairly small, with the majority of inductees coming from Vigo
County, but occasionally including musicians from nearby areas.
Induction ceremonies were held annually until 2002, with the
exception of 2001, when there was no ceremony. Hall of Fame
activities ceased when BJ’s Lounge was razed in late 2002 as part of
the Hulman Street renovation project, but Alva kept the plaques,
pictures and memorabilia.
Bill Akers passed away in 2005. Alva Grindle wanted to revive the
Hall of Fame induction ceremonies, but he knew that he couldn’t do
it alone, so he formed a committee consisting of Arlie Price, Stacey
Wagle, Tom Smith, Terry Haughee, Rick Waggoner and Gayle Pruitt.
Terre Haute American Legion Post 346 agreed to donate their
facilities to hold the event, and the induction ceremonies were
restarted in January 2006. Again, Alva and his family worked
hard to put on the event.
Also in 2006, the Hall became a non-profit corporation named the
Wabash Valley Musician’s Hall of Fame, Inc. The committee that Alva
had formed, which had expanded to include more local musicians, became the
Board of Directors, and Alva served as the first Board Chair or President.
Alva became ill later in 2006, and was unable to attend the induction
ceremony in January 2007. He passed away in July 2007. Members
of the Board of Directors that Alva had recruited assumed leadership
roles, with Rick Waggoner as Chair and Treasurer, John Beeson and Tom
Stiffey as Vice-Chairs and Terry Wenzel as Secretary.
It was clear after the 2007 induction ceremony that the crowds had
grown too large for Post 346. Terre Haute V.F.W. Post 972
agreed to host the induction ceremonies starting in 2008.
This was a period of great changes and growth for the Hall:
In 2008, the Hall instituted the annual Picnic and Jam, with a car show, great food, and lots of live music.
In 2008, the Hall launched a web site at www.wabashvalleymusicianshof.com.
In 2009, the Hall expanded its area of coverage to include 11 counties – Vigo, Clay, Sullivan, Vermillion, Parke, Greene, Putnam and Owen in Indiana, and Clark, Edgar and Crawford in Illinois.
In 2010, the Board of Directors instituted bi-annual elections of officers.
In 2010, The Hall started requiring questionnaires from candidates. Questionnaires had been in use since 2006, but were not required for induction. However, the number of applicants was growng so rapidly that it became difficult to manage the induction process without the questionnaires.
In 2010, the Hall launched a Facebook page.
The decision was made to move our induction ceremonies to the Terre Haute Zorah Shrine starting in 2016. There were many advantages to making the move, including a better layout, a dance floor and excellent kitchen facilities. Also, we were allowed to use the stage, something that the V.F.W. reserved for their bingo equipment.
In 2018, local artist Mark Nicklasch came up with the idea of creating a memorial for Hall of Fame in the form of a brick piano with a plaque paying honor to the men and women of the Wabash Valley Musicians Hall of Fame. The idea was supported by the Vigo County Historical Society, the Terre Haute Chamber of commerce, the Hall of Fame and others who donated time, money and materials. The piano was placed in front of the entrance to the parking garage at 6-1/2 Street and Wabash Avenue. The dedication ceremony was held on Friday, October 5, 2018, with Rick Waggoner representing the Hall of Fame. Photos on the Hall’s web site and Facebook page.
In the early years of the Hall of Fame, the focus was on recognizing local musicians in an annual induction ceremony. However, the Board of Directors recognized the need for the Hall to become more involved in the community. They began the process in 2008, and are continually looking for new ways to make an impact. Here is a sample of what the Hall has accomplished:
Provided judges for the annual Colgate/Texaco Challenge singing contest.
Donated money and musical equipment to non-profits serving the youth in our area, such as the youth center in Sullivan, IN, the Terre Haute Children's Museum, the Terre Haute Chilren's Choir and the ISU Community School of Arts summer program.
Made annual contributions to local symphonies, orchestras, and community bands.
Collected canned goods and unused food at our events for local soup kitchens and food banks, such as the Bethany House, Light House Mission, 14th & Chestnut Community Center and Providence Food Pantry.
Made annual donations to the Shriners Hospitals for Children, and to the Zorah Shrine Transportation group so that they can take local families to and from the Shriners Hospitals.
Assisted area schools, donating equipment and cash to the Shakamak Junior-Senior High School, Terre Haute North High School, Terre Haute South High School, West Vigo High School, South Vermillion High School, Marchall High School and Paris High School.
Donated our time to play for special events held by local non-profit organizations.
Visit our Community Involvement page for a more detailed list of the Hall's community activities. If you wish, you can to directly to the page by clicking here.
With the passing of Alva Grindle, the Hall was given possession of the plaques,
but has not had a place to display them. However, special posters have been
created and are on display at Rick’s Smokehouse, Texas Roadhouse and other
locations. The Hall is still looking for sponsors to display some of our memorabilia.
Following in the footsteps of our founders, The Wabash Valley Musician’s Hall of
Fame is dedicated to recognizing local musicians, promoting live music in the
community and giving back to the community. We are grateful to Bill Akers,
Alva Grindle, and all who assisted them in creating and sustaining the Hall.