Nashville's Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum presented Hot Springs native Petrella, "The First Lady of Country Soul," with a Certificate of Appreciation for her donation to the museum collection and for her broader contributions to country music, and also for her generous Dreams of the Heartland Foundation gift that made a scholarship opportunity possible at the museum, a news release said.
Petrella has been a country music singer/songwriter for 30 years and has released seven studio albums. A number of her songs have appeared on the Top 100 Country Singles charts, and she has toured throughout the United States. In March 13, 1993, the music trade magazine Cashbox featured her on the cover and her single "I Found Somebody" placed her as the No. 1 Indie at No. 53 on Cashbox Top 100 Country Singles and No. 14 on the Billboard Hot Single Sales, the release said.
Artifacts from her 30-year career in country music including video media, recorded sound media, several wardrobe items, the cover of Cashbox Magazine, and documents from her career were donated to the Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum.
Her 2015 Dreams of the Heartland gift was an early encouragement for engaging minority interns with the Museum's work. Based on that encouragement the Hall of Fame and Museum will soon offer a paid internship program that will be available to minority students on a recurring basis. The 2015 grant was a catalyst for this new opportunity, the release said.
Petrella is currently performing up and down the coast of California with her band "Mixed Influence." Visit http://www.countrysoultrain.com or, for more details on her life and career, visit https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Petrella_Ann_Bonner.
Entertainment on 12/06/2018