Names and faces
■ R&B legend Ray Charles, who helped redefine country music in the Civil Rights era, and Grammy-winning duo The Judds will be inducted into the Country Music Hall of Fame. The Country Music Association on Monday announced the new class of Hall of Fame members, who will be formally inducted in a ceremony in 2022. Charles showed the commercial potential of country music when he released “Modern Sounds in Country and Western Music” in 1962, a project to the singer and piano player. Charles grew up listening to the Grand Ole Opy and his record became one of the best selling country albums of the era. His version of “I Can’t Stop Loving You,” spent five weeks on top of the Billboard 100 chart and remains one of his most popular songs. Naomi Judd and her daughter, Wynonna, were the most successful duo in country music in the 1980s, with more than a dozen No. 1 hits, including “Mama, He’s Crazy,” “Love Can Build a Bridge” and “Grandpa (Tell Me ’bout the Good Old Days).” “We had a such a stamp of originality on what we were trying to do,” Naomi said after the announcement. Their unique harmonies, together with elements of acoustic music, bluegrass and blues, made them stand out in the genre at the time. The Judds released six studio albums and an EP between 1984 and 1991 and won nine CMA Awards, seven from the Academy of Country Music and five Grammy Awards.
■ Megan Rapinoe is such a fan of #MeToo pioneer Tarana Burke that the soccer star chose Burke’s upcoming memoir, “Unbound,” for her new book club before she had even read it. “She is such an incredible person and whatever it is she’s writing will be worth everyone reading,” Rapinoe said during a telephone interview. Rapinoe is still recovering from the summer Olympics in Tokyo, where the U.S. women’s soccer team received a bronze medal, and understandably has had little time or energy for reading. She says she has made several choices for her online book club. Literati announced Monday that Rapinoe’s club will be called “The Call In.” While Burke’s memoir comes out Sept. 14, book club members will receive a copy Sept. 1. Rapinoe declined to name any other selections, some of which she has read, but said all have similar themes of equality and social justice. “This allows people to take a more in-depth journey, whether through sexuality or racism or white privilege, or whatever it is,” she says.