Names and faces
■ Tanya Tucker and Patty Loveless, along with songwriter Bob McDill, will be the newest members of the Country Music Hall of Fame. The Country Music Association announced its 2023 inductees Monday in Nashville, Tenn., with Tucker, the “Delta Dawn” singer, entering in the veteran era artist category, and Loveless, who blended bluegrass and country, joining as the modern era artist. The three will be inducted in the fall. The bold, husky-voiced Tucker is being recognized after a career of 10 No. 1 hits, more than 40 songs in the top 10 and two Grammys for her 2019 comeback album, “While I’m Livin’.” “I figured I get it when I was dead or something,” she said. Tucker recalled seeing the names of her heroes at the Hall when she visited Nashville as a 9-year-old fresh-faced singer. Her dad took her to the Grand Ole Opry, asking, “Wouldn’t you rather be up there doing it instead of sitting here watching it?” She’d have her first hit by age 13 when “Delta Dawn” came out in 1972, and she made the cover of Rolling Stone at 15. As her career bloomed with hits through the 1970s and ’80s, she challenged the standards for women in country, often being labeled a young rebel whose romances and addictions dominated tabloids. She won CMA female vocalist of the year in 1991 and had hits with songs like “Down to My Last Teardrop,” “Two Sparrows in a Hurricane” and “Strong Enough to Bend.” Country star Vince Gill helped announce the inductees and talked about his long friendship with Loveless, who he said was like his little sister. The two often sang backup for each other on songs like “My Kind of Woman, My Kind of Man,” “When I Call Your Name,” “Pocket Full of Gold” and “Go Rest High on That Mountain.” Loveless had five No. 1 country singles, including “Timber I’m Falling in Love,” “Blame It On Your Heart” and “You Don’t Even Know Who I Am.” She won CMA’s album of the year in 1995 for “When Fallen Angels Fly” and female vocalist of the year in 1996. She began leaning into her bluegrass and Appalachian roots in 2001 with “Mountain Soul” and “Mountain Soul II” earned her a Grammy for best bluegrass album in 2011. “I’m just shocked,” Loveless said. “I’m still trying to absorb it all, take it all in, ’cause it still feels somewhat like a dream. But my whole life has been dreams that have come true.”
■ “Moana” is the latest Walt Disney Co. animation to get the live-action treatment, and at least one star is coming back, Disney chief executive Bob Iger revealed Monday. It’s in the early stages — no director has been announced — but Dwayne Johnson is set to return as the demigod Maui. “This story is my culture, and this story is emblematic of our people’s grace and warrior strength,” Johnson said. “I wear this culture proudly on my skin and in my soul, and this once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to reunite with Maui, inspired by the mana and spirit of my late grandfather, High Chief Peter Maivia, is one that runs very deep for me.” Drawn from Polynesian myths and buoyed by songs from Lin-Manuel Miranda, “Moana” was a big hit for Disney in 2016, grossing $643 million worldwide.