Danny McBride inducted Sturgill Simpson into the Kentucky Music Hall of Fame

Kentucky singer-songwriter Sturgill Simpson was inducted into the Kentucky Music Hall of Fame over the weekend, part of a 2024 class that included familiar Kentucky acts like Gary Stewart, Black Stone Cherry, and others. You can see the entire Class of 2024 inductees here.

Simpson’s Hall of Fame induction is news in itself, but it became even more interesting when actor/comedian Danny McBride took the stage to induct Simpson, who made his mainstream acting debut in three episodes of the third season of McBride’s Righteous Gemstones on HBO. Simpson’s character sang “All The Gold In California” in the seventh episode of the season. You should hear it.

This past weekend, McBride made his first-ever trip to Kentucky to support Simpson at the induction ceremony at Renfro Valley Entertainment Center in Mount Vernon, Kentucky. McBride even gave the induction speech to introduce Simpson, celebrating Simpson’s unique path to music fame.

“We’re here to celebrate an artist who has redefined what it means to be a musician, not just in Kentucky, not just in country music, but across the board,” said McBride. “Sturgis Simpson isn’t just talented; he’s one of a kind. Now, the music industry has a habit of slapping a label on artists and shoving them into little boxes. But Sturgill didn’t play that game. He didn’t just step outside the box; he threw gas on it, he lit it on fire, he smoked pork on it, and then he left the box behind. He made his own road. Sturgill saw the rules and said, ‘That’s not for me.'”

When Sturgill took the stage, he told the story of how he went from stocking shelves in a grocery store to sharing a place in the Hall of Fame with stars like Keith Whitley and Bill Monroe. Watch both speeches in the video below, and congratulations to Sturgill.

Danny McBride inducts Sturgill Simpson into the KY Music Hall of Fame