McNairy County Music Hall of Fame & Trail of Music Legends

McNairy County Music Hall of Fame and Trail of Music Legends. Inducted 2021. Martha Lynn Holt . Bluegrass Gospel Artist and Educator , Martha Lynn Holt rose to early prominance as a gifted multi-instrumentalist in Hall of Fame fiddler. Ernest”Pap” Whitten’s, Chickasaw Ramblers Martha met her future husband, Danny Ray Holt, in the Ramblers and the couple soon left the group to form their own bluegrass gospel band with Martha’s father, L.D. Kiser. Known initially as the Kiser Family, and later as the Holt Family after Martha and Danny wed, the popular band performed for more than thirty years around the region. As an educator, Martha passed her love of music along to McNairy and Hardin County students and her own children, Melody and Daniel, who carry on the Kiser/Holt family music legacy today., Rudy Moore . Bluegrass Bandleader and Guitarist , Rudy Moore was a respected guitarist on the local music scene at an early age. He began playing at home, but soon graduated to picking for community jams and dances where he was noticed and recruited by Hall of Fame members. The Muarry Boys and Ernest “Pap” Whitten. The contacts he made in those groups led to collaboration with other young pickers such as Ronnie and Wayne Whitten and David Killingsworth, who together formed the core of the popular Whitten Brothers Band. Rudy started the Bluegrass Pals in the 1980’s and that group featuring some of the region’s top musical talent has been a constant on the Mid-Southern bluegrass circuit ever since. , Robert Moore . Venue Owner and Live Music Revivalist , Robert Moore was born into humble circumstance in McNairy County, but perserved to become one of the primary arhitects of Nashville’s live music revival. The proprietor of legendary lower Broadway properties such as the Merchant Hotel. Tootsie’s Orchid Lounge and Robert’s Western World. Moore was instrumtal in resurrecting interest in downtown Nashville’s live music scene following the Grand Ole Opry’s departure from the Ryman. Moore was one of the first to hire a young Dolly Parton, who credits him in part with getting her noticed on Music Row. Moore’s popular live music venues have served as launching pads for the careers of numerous other Nashville stars. , Earl Latta . Entrepreneur and Music Promoter , Earl Latta was a musician and car dealer who operated Latta Ford Motor Company in downtown Selmer from the 1930s until the 1970s. In the absence of a local concert hall, Latta staged regular music performances in the garage of his dealership. Many of the region’s top musicians including rockabilly local Carl Perkins, frequented Latta’s weekend jams. Latta is credited with providing a postwar performance venue that helped preserve old-time music repertories and engender historic musical collaboration in an era when mass media encroachment threatened local music making. The Latta property at 205 West Court Avenue is now the county Visitor’s and Cultural Center.