By Cameron Lee
May 5, 2025
The North Carolina Music Hall of Fame has announced its 2025 inductees, which include three Charlotte-area figures: native Hattie “Chatty Hatty” Leeper, one of the first Black women disc jockeys in the South; beloved Mount Holly folk singer-songwriter David Childers; and Huntersville-born country star Luke Combs.
Also being inducted this year are Dexter Romweber, the late co-founder of the rockabilly band Flat Duo Jets, who played a significant part in the Chapel Hill rock scene through the ’80s and ’90s; Fayetteville’s Robert Deaton, an Emmy-winning producer and director who has served as executive producer of the CMA Awards since 2007; and Clyde Mattocks, a Kinston native, pedal steel guitar extraordinaire, and co-founder of the Super Grit Cowboy Band.
The North Carolina Music Hall of Fame, a 501(c)(3) nonprofit established in 1994 and now located in Kannapolis, will host the annual induction ceremony honoring the 2025 inductees on Thursday, October 16, 2025, at the Mooresville Performing Arts Center. The ceremony will be open to the public and will include appearances and live performances by the inductees.
Since its inception, 138 names have been commemorated with the honor across multiple genres, all with roots in the state. The museum hosts over 65 exhibits showcasing memorabilia from inductees, including Charlie Daniels’ fiddle, Arthur Smith’s banjo, beat machines from hip-hop producers Jermaine Dupri and 9th Wonder, and stage-worn outfits from Fantasia and Kellie Pickler.
More on the 2025 North Carolina Music Hall of Fame inductees:
Dexter Romweber
Dexter Romweber, a Carrboro native and key figure in the Chapel Hill music scene in the ’80s and ’90s, was instrumental in reviving rockabilly and popularizing the “power duo” sound with his band, Flat Duo Jets, alongside drummer Chris “Crow” Smith. The band influenced the sound of acts like The White Stripes, The Kills, and The Black Keys, with Jack White repeatedly citing Romweber as a significant inspiration. In 2009, Romweber and his sister Sara (Let’s Active) recorded at Jack White’s Third Man Records in Nashville, producing a 7-inch vinyl as part of the Blue Series. Flat Duo Jets’ self-titled debut release in 1990 remains a staple for indie garage rockabilly fans. Romweber passed away on February 16, 2024, at the age of 57.
Luke Combs
Multi-platinum country star Luke Combs, who is coming off 2024’s Concert for Carolina with fellow inductees Eric Church, James Taylor, and The Avetts, raising over $24 million for Hurricane Helene relief efforts, also released his fifth studio album, Fathers & Sons, in June. Born in Huntersville and raised in Asheville, Combs broke through in 2017 with This One’s for You, which reached No. 4 on the Billboard 200. His 2023 album, Growin’ Up, was nominated for Best Country Album at the 65th Annual Grammy Awards, and his cover of Tracy Chapman’s “Fast Car” reached No. 2 on the Billboard charts, leading to a memorable performance in 2024 at the ceremony. Combs was also the CMA Awards Entertainer of the Year in 2023.
Rare performance/appearance by the legendary Tracy Chapman performing her song “Fast Car” with North Carolina’s own Luke Combs at the Grammys. 🎶✨ pic.twitter.com/UnnlZShC1m
— CLTure® ( culture ) (@CLTure) February 5, 2024
David Childers
A former attorney turned full-time artist, David Childers has released multiple albums on North Carolina’s Ramseuer Records, best known for their work with the Avett Brothers. An adored folk troubadour, poet, painter, and storyteller born and raised in Mount Holly, his latest album, Melancholy Angel, was released in 2023. In 2003, Childers released Room #23 with The Modern Don Juans, produced by Don Dixon and recorded at Old Reflections Studio in Charlotte. He is also known for 2017’s Run Skeleton Run, 2014’s Serpents of Reformation, and 2020’s Interstate Lullaby. He currently plays with his band, The Serpents, which includes his son Robert Childers on drums, Korey Dudley on bass, and Geoff White on fiddle.
Hattie “Chatty Hatty” Leeper
A pioneering figure in radio, Hattie “Chatty Hatty” Leeper is celebrated as Charlotte’s first Black female disc jockey and one of the first in the South. At the age of 17 in 1951, she secured her own radio show at WGIV-AM in Charlotte. Leeper also wrote liner notes for iconic artists such as Aretha Franklin and Patti LaBelle, and started her own label, AwarE. A member of both the North Carolina Association of Broadcasters Hall of Fame and the National Black Radio Hall of Fame, she also taught communications at several Charlotte-area institutions, including Johnson C. Smith University, and served as dean of the communications department at Gaston College for 11 years before retiring in 1998.
Robert Deaton
An acclaimed director and producer, Deaton is a two-time Emmy Award winner who has served as executive producer for some of country music’s most iconic broadcasts, including the CMA Awards since 2007 and CMA Fest since 2004. He co-founded Deaton-Flanigen Productions in the ’80s and directed music videos for artists such as Dolly Parton, Reba McEntire, and Brooks & Dunn. Deaton also won two Sports Emmy Awards for his work on Monday Night Football’s opening segment featuring Hank Williams Jr.’s “All My Rowdy Friends Are Coming Over Tonight.”
Clyde Mattocks
Clyde Mattocks is a highly versatile musician best known for his extraordinary skill on the pedal steel guitar, as well as his proficiency on instruments like the Dobro, banjo, mandolin, electric and upright bass, and guitar. A co-founder of the Super Grit Cowboy Band, his career has spanned over 70 years, during which he has mastered nearly every type of stringed instrument and produced numerous recordings. Mattocks has collaborated with a wide range of artists, including Johnny Paycheck, Mel Street, Roy Drusky, Highway 58, Jimmy Capps, The Wilburn Brothers, Skeeter Davis, and The Malpass Brothers.
Tickets to the North Carolina Music Hall of Fame induction ceremony on Thursday, October 16 at the Mooresville Performing Arts Center start at $55, and are on sale now. Admission to the museum is free, and guided tours are available upon request, although donations are welcomed to support ongoing museum operations and programming. New exhibits featuring memorabilia from the 2025 inductees will be on display in October.
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