Country Music Hall of Fame Member Harold Bradley Passes Away

Country Music Hall of Fame member Harold Bradley has passed away. Bradley, an accomplished guitarist credited with the founding of Nashville's Music Row, was 93 years old when he died in the early morning hours on Thursday, Jan. 31.

"This is from Harold's daughters," the family shared on social media. "This morning Harold died peacefully in his sleep. Many of you know him as a successful musician and no doubt many stories will be told in the coming week. But to us, his greatest accomplishment was being the best dad in the world. We love you, dad."

Bradley was born and raised in Nashville, and began playing banjo as a child, before learning the guitar. He toured with the legendary Ernest Tubb while still in high school. Bradley quickly became known as one of the best, and innovative, guitar players in town. Among his numerous credits, Bradley played on iconic hits like Loretta Lynn's "Coal Miner's Daughter," Patsy Cline's "I Fall to Pieces," Roger Miller's "King of the Road" and "Stand by Your Man" by Tammy Wynette, among others.

From 1962 to 1967, Bradley recorded with Elvis Presley.

"He was such a nice guy to work with," Bradley once said (via CMT). "He was a quick study. He'd go over and play the demo acetate and listen to a bunch of them. When he finally found one he liked, by the time he walked from there back over to the mic, it seemed like he knew the song."

In addition to his guitar playing, Bradley was also a respected businessman. It was Bradley and his brother, Owen, who opened the first recording studio on 16th Avenue in downtown Nashville, unknowingly starting Music Row in the process.

"Basically, Owen and I were doing all this for the music," Bradley explained. "We weren't doing it for the money, idiots that we were. The money happened to come along ... We had three studios over a period of 10 years, and we didn't take any salary or make any money. We just put whatever we had back in, and we'd support ourselves by playing whatever we were doing — television shows, dance bands, record sessions and anything else that would come along."

Bradley was inducted into the Country Music Hall of Fame in 2006, one of the highlights of Bradley's extraordinary career.

"For decades, Harold Bradley went to work doing something that he called 'playing.' He surveyed every sonic situation and determined what he could do to make things better, more melodic, and more harmonious," Hall of Fame CEO Kyle Young said in a statement. "There are lessons in Harold's approach to playing that go far beyond music. He lived his life with kindness, gentility, and discretion. On hopeful days, I will try to view Harold Bradley as an inspiration and not an aberration."

Funeral arrangements have yet to be announced.

Photo Credit: Getty Images/Ed Rode