March 01, 2010

By By Associated Press

Four men who helped push country music to new audiences will be inducted into the Country Music Hall of Fame.

Producer Billy Sherrill, crossover pioneers Ferlin Husky and Jimmy Dean, and top-selling singer Don Williams will be inducted into the Hall in Nashville, Tenn. later this year.

The Country Music Association announced the 2010 class Tuesday.

Sherrill pioneered the "countrypolitan" sound in the 1960s that drew mainstream listeners and is perhaps best known for his work with Tammy Wynette and George Jones.

Husky and Dean were crossover stars in the Golden Age of television, using the medium to reach new and larger audiences.

Williams was among the most popular singers of the 1970s with 17 No. 1 hits in the U.S. and a following in Europe.

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