Charlie McCoy

A musician's musician, Grammy-winning Country Music Hall of Famer Charlie McCoy was never a superstar, but his influence on country music is inestimable. A virtuoso harmonica player who defined the role of the instrument on Nashville recordings, he also played guitar, drums, bass, keyboards, and a variety of brass and wind instruments on thousands of sessions for over half a century. The quintessential studio ace, McCoy was instrumental in developing the Nashville Numbering System, a form of musical notation shorthand that became the standard in all Music City recording studios. In addition, he served as musical director for the television show HEE HAW, and had a prolific career as a solo artist, recording more than two dozen albums over a 30-year period. Not confined to country, McCoy played on some of the most important records of the rock era, including several albums each by Elvis Presley, Bob Dylan, and Simon & Garfunkel. In later years, he expanded his enormous talents into the realm of songwriting.