For the past 50-plus years, Bobby Reed of Boothbay has sung and played country music on his guitar. On Sunday, May 15, that dedication and love of the craft culminated in him being inducted into the Maine Country Music Hall of Fame. He is the first musician from this area to be inducted in the Hall of Fame.

Family, friends and members of the Hall of Fame packed the Silver Spur in Mechanic Falls for the induction ceremony. The presentation was led by Reed’s best friend and fellow Hall of Fame member Brian Gelina. Reed’s daughter Brittany also played an important part in the ceremony.

“One of the most amazing things I have ever done was put that (Hall of Fame) medal on my father’s neck and to have our family and friends there made it even better,” said Brittany in an email to the newspaper.

Reed thanked all his fans friends and family and talked about how he wish his mom could’ve been there to see it.

“He and Brian then preformed "Come with Me” by Waylon Jennings, which was his mom’s favorite song, and an original song called “Oh Daddy” that he wrote for his father,” said Brittany.

Reed has been performing since he was 12 and founded the Wildhorse Band in 1990.

Since then, he has been the band’s front man and booking agent. The group has traveled around the state on weekends, performing as many as 120 shows each year at venues ranging from fairs to campgrounds and clubs. For more than a decade, they were a featured band at the Maine Country Music Association (MCMA) Country Music Weekend.

Reed learned of his nomination to the Hall of Fame from a phone call early in March which was followed by a letter a few weeks later. It was his third time being nominated.

Maine Country Music Hall of Fame is in the basement of the Silver Spur building. The plaque commemorating Reed’s induction is now on display.