The Browns ‘So Thankful’ for Country Music Hall of Fame Induction

The Browns -- siblings Jim Ed, Maxine and Bonnie Brown -- were inducted into the Country Music Hall of Fame in a special ceremony held on Sunday (Oct. 25). Although Jim Ed Brown passed away in June, Maxine Brown and Bonnie Brown were on hand to accept the honor -- and thrilled to finally have the opportunity to do so.

"For 10 or 12 years, we kept thinking they would call us, but they never called," Bonnie Brown told The Boot and other reporters on the red carpet prior to their induction. "So we said, 'Well, maybe it’s not going to happen.' We had some pop hits, the ones in pop and country, so we thought maybe that had a lot to do with it. But it finally happened this year, and they were ready for us. We’re so thankful."

The sibling trio was inducted into the Hall of Fame as part of a class that also included Grady Martin and the Oak Ridge Boys, and the sisters say that being inducted as part of such an elite group of musicians made the ceremony that much more meaningful.

"They’re wonderful," Bonnie Brown says of the Oaks. "We love their harmony, and their showmanship is great. But we’ve been out of the business for a while. We used to have an act like that, a long time ago."

Adds Maxine Brown, "They sing by notes. The Browns don’t know one note from another; we really don’t. We don’t sing true harmony, and that’s the difference."

Jim Ed Brown's widow Becky shared in the celebration on her late husband's behalf.

"This is so overwhelming," she said during the ceremony. "If you look up 'success' in Webster’s Dictionary, you would see, today, wealth and fame. But Jim Ed looked at success as being happy, and he was happy. He spent his whole life doing what he wanted to do with people he loved and for people he loved. He felt so blessed every day.

'He could often be heard saying, ‘The Lord has been so good to me,’ and he was right," Becky Brown continued. "The Lord blessed us with great family, friends and colleagues -- many of you are with us tonight -- and this achievement would not be possible without you. If Jim Ed were here, he would want to hug every single one of you and thank you from the bottom of his heart."

Maxine Brown added, "It means more to me than anything in the world, because I have really worked hard at it ... I’d like to think Chet Atkins -- we wouldn’t have had so many good songs if it hadn’t been for Chet Atkins. Best producer that ever was, bar none."

See Photos From the 2015 Country Music Hall of Fame Induction Ceremony