'The Real McCoy' to be inducted into W.Va. Country Music Hall of Fame

Sep. 22—FAIRMONT — Charlie McCoy will never forget the day he answered an ad in a comic book.

It was 1949 and, at the age of 8, he was intrigued by the ad's challenge, "You can play the harmonica in seven days or your money back. Just fifty cents and a box top."

Now 81, McCoy will be honored Saturday night for his almost six decades of being one of the most sought-after studio musicians in Nashville. A native of Oak Hill, West Virginia, McCoy will be inducted into the West Virginia Country Music Hall of Fame at the Sagebrush Round-Up.

"He has played on so many records over the years in all styles of music," W.Va. Country Music Hall of Fame & Museum Inc. Treasurer Bill Janoske said. "If anyone needed a harmonica player, there was only one — Charlie McCoy. If anyone belongs in the WV County Music Hall of Fame, it is Charlie McCoy."

McCoy has worked with such household names as Elvis Presley, Johnny Cash, Dolly Parton, Simon and Garfunkel, George Jones and Bob Dylan, to name a few.

He has fond memories of playing on Roy Orbison's hit song, "The Candy Man." That's when he began getting requests to be a session musician.

During a 15-year stretch, he did more than 400 sessions a year. A grand total would number more than 12,000. Last year, at the age of 80, he performed in 73 studio sessions.

McCoy's musical career first began to take shape while he was in high school in the mid-1950s. He and some friends formed a band while he was living in Miami, Florida having moved from Oak Hill when he was in the first grade.

"In the middle 50s, rock and roll hit the radio, Bill Haley and The Comets, Carl Perkins, but the one I locked onto was Chuck Berry," McCoy said. "So, me and some friends formed a small band trying to play songs we heard on the radio."

Before he knew it, the band was getting some notoriety. And then, one night, he heard someone play what's known as Delta Blues music on the harmonica.

"I said, oh my gosh, that's a harmonica? I've got to learn how to do that," McCoy said.

At nights in Miami, he would listen to an AM radio station from Nashville, Tennessee that played country music. He knew then he had to perfect his craft on the harmonica. But, he also branched out to play the guitar, bass, mallet percussion, the dobro, keyboards, and various wind instruments.

"But then a friend of mine took me to a country music dance. I was standing there watching people dance the two-step ... I was kind of amazed by all of that. The emcee called my name to come on stage and I played Johnny B. Good," McCoy said.

From that point, McCoy was able to get regular gigs playing clubs in Miami. His notoriety grew again.

"After a show one night, I met Mel Tillis," McCoy said. "He heard me doing Chuck Berry and he said, 'If you come to Nashville, I'll get you on records tomorrow.'"

A skeptical McCoy asked the club owner who Tillis was and if he actually had the clout he talked about.

"So, the day after high school, I went up to Nashville and auditioned for Owen Bradley and Chet Atkins," McCoy said. "I saw 13-year-old Brenda Lee record 'Sweet Nothings' and I was hooked."

Because he knew how to play so many different instruments, McCoy earned a reputation in Nashville as a "utility man."

"I'd get a call to do a session and they'd tell me, 'We don't know what you're going to play, just bring your stuff,'" McCoy said.

He said he's even been asked if he only performs with famous artists. He said he's often asked why he stayed in Nashville since the city has a reputation for being just for country music.

McCoy said he saw Nashville explode in the 1960s to the point that emerging folk artists of the day were flocking to the city. Acts like Peter, Paul & Mary, Bob Dylan, Perry Como, Patty Page, Marie Osmond and Gordon Lightfoot went there to record.

"It was an explosion, studios were going up, more and more musicians were getting work, it was really exciting," McCoy said.

Along with his successful studio session career, McCoy served as musical director for the wildly popular syndicated television show "Hee Haw."

Already a member of the West Virginia Music Hall of Fame, national Country Music Hall of Fame, McCoy won a Grammy in 1972 for his album, "The Real McCoy." He has also been named "Instrumentalist of the Year, specialty instrument," eight times by the Country Music Association. However, the accolade he cherishes most is having been welcomed into membership at the Grand Ole Opry.

"I feel really blessed about it," McCoy said of his career. "To go into that room with so many talented musicians, it's like magic and I'm still excited about it."

The induction ceremony will begin around 6 p.m. Saturday at the Sagebrush Round-Up on Bunner Ridge Road. McCoy will perform with the Round-Up Band. He said he was asked to close out the show playing "Orange Blossom Special" on harmonica.

Reach Eric Cravey at 304-367-2523.