Georgia Music Hall of Fame inducts Gregg Allman, 8 others

ATLANTA | Gregg Allman, Sam Moore and the late Philip Walden Jr. have been inducted into the Georgia Music Hall of Fame.

Moore and Mac Powell of Christian rock band Third Day opened the telecast of the 37th annual show with a rendition of "Georgia on my Mind" at the Georgia World Congress Center in Atlanta. The show aired live on Georgia Public Television.

Others inductees included John Huie, the band Drivin' N' Cryin', John and Jane Barber and Monica Pearson.

The show's posthumous inductees included Tim Wilson, Walden and Sonny Limbaugh. Their families took the stage to receive their Georgy Awards.

Allman, founder of the Allman Brothers Band, was honored for his songwriting achievements but was unable to attend the show because of a last minute medical complication. He is known for penning the hits, "Melissa," ''Whipping Post" and "Midnight Rider."

Moore also performed a few more hits including "Rainey Night in Georgia" and the infamous "Soul Man."

Pearson, a former news anchor and broadcast journalist, received the chairman's award. For more than a decade, she served as emcee of the long-running show. She retired from WSB-TV in 2012 after spending 37 years at the news station.

This time, Jeff Dauler and Robin Meade were the co-emcees the show.

A tribute was given to executive producer Bobbie Bailey, who died this summer. Ed Roland of Collective Soul joined a 12-member gospel choir, performing an inspirational arrangement of Collective Soul's swan song "Shine."

Miss America Betty Cantrell performed and Drivin' N' Cryin' closed out the show with their rock hit, "Fly Me Courageous."