Lansing duo inducted into country hall of fame

Lansing resident Dustin Hunt probably seems like a regular guy — unless he’s wearing a Stetson hat.

In that case, Hunt becomes the spit and image of the late Hank Williams Sr.

The transformation is complete when he begins to sing.

Dustin and his father Bill have been playing country music at festivals around the country for at least 10 years. Recently, the two were recognized for their contributions when they were inducted into the National Traditional Country Music Association Hall of Fame in LeMars, Iowa.

Dustin said Bob Everhart, president of the NTCMA, presented a plaque to the father and son team in August at the 33rd annual Old Time Music Festival.

“It’s quite an honor to carry on the traditional country music,” Dustin said.

Dustin was also recently recognized by Gov. Kathleen Sebelius for his work representing Kansas in the world of country music.

Bill said country music is something of a “family tradition” in the Hunt family. He said he grew up playing the guitar and singing and his stepfather played the fiddle. He said he now also plays the Dobro, mandolin and lap steel guitar.

However, Dustin didn’t begin his career in music until after graduating from college, when he said he finally convinced his father to teach him how to play guitar. Dustin said his father then passed down his knowledge of traditional country music.

“He taught me the classics,” he said.

The Hunts defined “traditional country” as a style of country music that requires no amplification. Dustin said the music shares a songwriting tradition with country music from the 1950s to the early 1970s.

To some people, Dustin said the “no amplification” rule can be very strict, and separates traditional country music from modern country music.

“Acoustic music is health food for the ears,” Everhart said of the style.

The Hunts said they have performed at traditional country festivals throughout the Midwest and the southern U.S.

The lack of electric guitars and drums may surprise some people, although the Hunts said the concerts are evocative of another era in the history of American music.

“It’s kind of like going back in time,” Bill said.

Dustin said he helped put traditional country music in the national spotlight in 1996, when he won the grand prize in a Hank Williams look-alike contest through the television station TNN.

Though he looked the part, he said he was surprised when people started coming up to him and asking him to play Hank Williams songs.

“I didn’t realize how much I sounded like Hank, but apparently I awed the world,” he said.

Since then, he said he started performing a Hank Williams tribute show and performing a number of Hank Williams songs. In addition, he said he writes, performs, produces, records and distributes his own music through his Web site, www.dh-music.com.

He’s also been invited to events like the 50th anniversary of Williams’ death at the Hank Williams Museum in Montgomery, Ala., where he said he found himself standing on WIlliams’ grave at 7:30 a.m., singing a song to the late singer.

The Hunts’ touring schedule has been put on hold for the last year and a half due to illnesses.

Dustin said he is still undergoing treatments for a brain aneurysm he suffered two years ago, and also experiences some complications from diabetes. Bill said he has also been in and out of the hospital, undergoing treatments for his own health problems.

At the August festival, Dustin said Everhart led the crowd in LeMars, Iowa, in a five-minute prayer for the Hunts’ speedy recovery.

Dustin said that hopefully, he and his father can continue to play music and help inspire a new generation of traditional country musicians.

That wish has started to come true, as Dustin said he has started to see younger faces in the crowds and on stage at the festivals. The Hunts both shared stories about 8-year-old harmonica virtuosos and teenage fiddle players. Dustin said he is also approached by his nephews, Dustin and Christopher Nold, to sing a song.

Dustin said a lot of young people are drawn to the heritage of the music.

“Once they’re exposed to it, it’s like a piece of history that’s coming back around,” Dustin said. “They say history repeats itself, so it’s going to repeat itself.”

To encourage future generations to take up traditional country music, Bill said he and Dustin invite younger musicians to play with them on stage. Dustin said helping out younger musicians is a way to keep the music going.

He also said he remembers getting advice from veteran players when he was first starting out.

Dustin quotes his hero, Buck Owens, when he talks about his extended family, young and old, at the festivals.

“It takes people like you to make people like me,” he said.