Fannin County native Mark Wills is making history as a North America Country Music Association International (NACMAI) Hall of Famer.
Wills was officially inducted to the Hall of Fame during the NACMAI Awards Show in Pigeon Forge, Tennessee, March 15.
Wills was among three others to earn the distinction for 2025,which included Billy Dean, Marty Raybon and William Lee Golden & The Goldens. Wills joins Randy Travis, Barbara Fairchild, Conway Twitty and Hank Williams SR. on the NACMAI Hall of Fame list.
“I was just honored to get the phone call,” Wills said of being inducted.
The honor is one of a long list of accomplishments encompassing Wills’ 30-year career.
At the age of 17, Wills began making trips to Atlanta to perform.
“Music has always been my career,” he said. “I have been one of the lucky few.”
Although he lives closer to the capital city now, Wills recalled growing up in the area.
“There used to be a nursery school near the Swan Drive In,” Wills told. “When I was a little boy they used to bring me into the kitchen, and I would sing.”
He added that a stump outside of the nursery was used as a stage for his playground performances.
Today, Wills enjoys the opportunity to keep busy and do the thing he loves.
“I have been one of the lucky few,” he said of making a career in music. “I’m truly blessed beyond really my own understanding.”
Noting that he frequently plays at the Grand Ole Opry, he said, “I have spent more time in Nashville this year than I ever have.”
His self-proclaimed greatest honor, is being the 218th member of the Grand Ole Opry.
“The Opry is celebrating its 100th year this year,” Wills explained. “When you think of 100 years of history, and maybe even hundreds of thousands of people who’ve recorded music, to have been fortunate enough to have music on the radio and be the 218th member to be inducted would be the best thing out of every accolade.”
Those accolades also involved Gold and Platinum Records.
Wills’ musical portfolio entails “19 Somethin,” “Don’t Laugh at Me,” “Wish You Were Here,” “Jacob’s Ladder” and “I Do (Cherish You)” – all of which spent time on the Top 5 Billboard Hot Country Songs chart.
Originally releasing “Don’t Laugh at Me” in the late 1990s, Wills re-recorded and released the hit in 2022 featuring his daughter, Macey.
With his wife, Kelly, Wills has two daughters, Macey and Mally, and he says they both can sing well, but it is Macey who really has the “music bug” and is “pursuing it a little bit.”
Wills is the son of locals Jerry and Shirley Williams and credits his upbringing in the Church of Christ as where he developed a love for music.
While he said, “I’m not really sure why I sing the way I do,” his influences are Alabama and Ronnie Millsap.
To “the folks of Blue Ridge,” Wills says, “I’ve always appreciated their support. I’ve always called Blue Ridge home. It is home, and it means so much to me to have your hometown to support you and be on your side for the better part of three decades.”
Wills has a full schedule of shows lined up for the year, with the closest scheduled in Nashville, Douglas, Georgia, and Dayton, Tennessee. His tour schedule can be found on markwills.com.