Chillicothe native Jerry Salley inducted into the Ohio Country Music Hall of Fame

NASHVILLE, Tenn – With nearly 600 songs and countless hits across multiple genres to his credit, Jerry Salley has enjoyed quite an impressive career over the last 40 years.

The release of "The Songwriter" earlier this year was something of an anomaly in Nashville where multiple songsmiths can be found all hours of the day and night huddled together in office corners, studios, and coffee shops crafting what they hope to be the next mega-hit. But for Jerry, who played the co-writing game successfully for decades, the idea of writing solo again was his calling. With solitude and silence as his companions, Salley found a spark of inspiration and penned all 12 tracks on his new album, which currently sits on the National Bluegrass Survey's Top 15 Albums chart.

Not only did radio take notice of this "lifetime-in-the-making" album, but others within the industry have, too, resulting in the announcement last week that Salley will be inducted into the Ohio Country Music Hall of Fame this month.

"The Ohio Country Music Hall of Fame remains true to its commitment of honoring Ohio natives who have excelled in maintaining the genre of traditional country music with the induction of songwriter-singer Jerry Salley," says director Jackie Thomas. "Jerry is a proud native and a true ambassador to the great state of Ohio, and he truly honors the Ohio Country Music Hall of Fame's mission to 'preserve the past in order to ensure the future' for generations to come."

Salley joins an illustrious list of former inductees including Connie Smith, Bobby Bare, Earl Thomas Conley, Shelly West and more. The induction took place Aug. 10 at Keepin' It Country Farm in Waynesville.

For more on Jerry Salley and The Songwriter, visit JerrySalley.com.

This article originally appeared on Lancaster Eagle-Gazette: Chillicothe native Jerry Salley inducted into the Ohio Country Music Hall of Fame