Star items has only use in. and the Mike in stolen kind was the Star Entertainment Writer Hall of Fame inducts three top musicians By Mike Stedham HUNTSVILLE - The band Alabama, Percy Sledge, Tammy Wynette and Jimmie Rodgers were inducted Friday night into the Alabama Music Hall of Fame. "It was a thrill just to be nominated," said Sledge, a native of Leighton. "'I feel light as a feather. This is real exciting.' Before his induction, Sledge was one of more than a dozen singers and bands with Alabama connections to perform for a black-tie crowd at the Von Braun Civic Center. Sledge, who first made the charts with the classic "'When a Man Loves a Woman," was clearly a crowd favorite. "I sing to myself - I don't sing to audiences these days," Sledge said before his numbers. "I try tó make myself cry." Sledge was admitted to the hall of fame by winning the hall's Lifework Award for Performing Achievement. Also inducted in the performance category were Alabama and Ms. Wynette. Three members of Alabama - cousins Randy Owens, Teddy Gentry and Jeff Cook - are from Fort Payne, and have been supporters of the hall of fame since its inception in 1985. The band's hit song, "My Home's In Alabama," has become the unofficial anthem of the hall, and it was used to close the ceremony Friday night. Ms. Wynette, a Red Bay native, is the second woman named to the Alabama Music Hall of Fame. "This year's class of prestigious inductees adds to the list of distinguished music achievers who grace our hall," said David Johnson, executive director. Sixteen acts have already been inducted, includ- See Musicians/2A