Inducted 2006

Wally Varner was a true wizard of the keyboards. Whenever Wally sat at the piano bench, you could be assured that the arpeggios would began to fly from his nimble fingers. Known as the "one man band", Wally was the consummate quartet accompanist.

Varner played for many of the top gospel quartets in the country from the 1940s until his retirement in the early 1960s. He sat at the piano bench for groups such as the Homeland Harmony Quartet, Revelaires Quartet, Deep South Quartet, Melody Masters Quartet, and the Jubil-Aires of Texas. He was most noted for his time as pianist for the Blackwood Brothers -- a position he held from 1958 until his retirement from gospel music in 1964.

Wally was also a noted writer of gospel music. Two of his most famous compositions were "Bells of Joy Keep Ringing", "Sing Your Blues Away" and "Crown Him King". Both of these songs have been recorded by many of the top groups in gospel music.

Wally and his wife, Polly, began Varner Music, Inc. in 1991. This was a mail-order gospel music distributor. In his later years, Varner appeared frequently on the Gaither video series and was a charter member of the Grand Ole Gospel Reunion Piano Roll of Honor.