Marty Stuart, Dean Dillon and Hank Williams, Jr. are going to be inducted into the Country Music Hall of Fame! The honor, considered to be the pinnacle of success in country music, is chosen by an anonymous panel of industry leaders, appointed by the Country Music Association (CMA). The three will be inducted at a Medallion Ceremony held later this year.

“I couldn’t be more thrilled to welcome Dean, Marty and Hank Jr. into the unbroken circle and honor this revered milestone,” CMA CEO Sarah Trahern said in a statement. “I’m sad we can’t toast this year’s class in person at the Country Music Hall of Fame, but I hope this news can bring some joy and cause for celebration during this time that our world has turned upside down.”

Marty is being inducted in the Modern Era Artist category, celebrating a career that has spanned more than four decades, with no signs of slowing down anytime soon. The 61-year-old recalled getting in trouble, while still in high school, when a ninth grade history teacher caught him reading a copy of Country Song Roundup during class.

“My history teacher eased up behind me and knocked it out of my hand,” Marty recounted to The Tennessean. “She said, ‘If you get your mind off that garbage and get it on the history, you might make something out of yourself.’

The 61-year-old became a member of the Grand Ole Opry in 1992, has earned the praise by both fans and those within the country music industry, including former Opry announcer Eddie Stubbs.

“Marty is crucial not just to preserving traditional music, but crucial to adding to traditional music,” Eddie said. “The man is an absolute genius, and I’ve never said that about anyone of his generation.”

Dean is being honored in the Songwriter category, a fitting acknowledgement since the 65-year-old is responsible for some of the biggest hits in country music, including Kenny Chesney’s “A Lot of Things Different” and “I’m Alive” and Toby Keith’s “A Little Too Late,” among others. But he is perhaps best known for penning the majority of George Strait’s biggest hits, including “Easy Come, Easy Go,” “Ocean Front Property,” “The Chair,” and many more.

“There was a loyalty from the beginning between the two of us,” Dean said of his relationship with the King of Country. “Everything I wrote, I pitched to him first, and any time he ever (recorded) anything, he’s always come to me and asked me to play him songs. I think the ingredient that best describes our musical relationship was the melodies. He always loved my melodies. And he’d always make me sing the songs live, because I put so much heart and soul into those songs when I was singing them.”

Hank is being inducted into the Veteran Era Artist category, carrying own the legacy left by his father, Hank Williams, who passed away when his son was only three years old. But his father left enough of a mark on him to inspire him to continue in country music, starting performing as a child and continuing today.

The 71-year-old has yet to comment on the induction. He is mourning the tragic loss of his daughter, Katherine Williams-Dunning, who was killed in a car accident in June.

Details on the Medallion Ceremony, which is closed to the public, will be announced at a later date.