NASHVILLE, Tenn. — The late Vestal Goodman will be one of four Gospel inductees this year to the Gospel Music Hall of Fame, the Gospel Music Association has announced.

The other inductees: Sandi Patty, Al Green and Frances W. Preston.

The four gospel music greats will be honored at a special Hall of Fame Awards show on Feb. 11 in Nashville, Tenn.

"The newest inductees for the GMA Gospel Music Hall of Fame exemplify the great diversity and history of Christian and gospel music," John W. Styll, GMA president said. "Their contributions to our culture have had a profound and lasting impact and will be forever remembered by this honor."

Vestal Goodman, known affectionately as the "Queen of Gospel Music," died Dec. 27 at the age of 74 from complications of the flu. She had been notified in early December of her induction, according to a GMA news release Jan. 6.

A founding member of the Happy Goodman Family, Goodman was the first artist to receive a Female Vocalist of the Year Dove Award in 1969. A multiple Dove and Grammy Award-winning artist, Goodman originally thought of studying for the Metropolitan Opera, but instead stayed true to her roots in the church and devoted herself to singing gospel music.

As part of the Happy Goodman Family, Goodman helped launch Word Records as the fledgling record company's flagship artist in the early 1960s. She recorded her first solo album in 1975, and her voice has been heard by millions across the world during her five decades of concerts, television appearances and speaking engagements. A frequent participant of Bill and Gloria Gaither's "Homecoming" tour and video series, Gaither himself has said she has the most dynamic and greatest voice in the history of gospel music, saying, "Vestal is a national treasure!"

When notified of her induction into the GMA Hall of Fame, Goodman was quoted as saying, "I still remember many years ago the call I received asking me if I would be interested in helping to start an organization called the Gospel Music Association. How proud I am of all the diversified styles of music and all the people that gospel music has reached for Christ."

Patty, meanwhile, was quoted as saying of her induction, "It is an overwhelming honor to be part of the Hall of Fame family. It has been an honor to share my journey with Christ through music for these many years and to have the affirmation of my peers means so much. God has been faithful through the ups and the downs of my life and it is my greatest joy to honor Him in all that I do. Thank you from the deepest depths of my very soul. This means more than anyone can possibly know."

With 39 Dove Awards and five Grammy Awards to her credit, Patty is the most awarded female artist in the history of contemporary Christian music. Her 23 albums have sold more than 11 million units, including three Platinum- and five Gold-certified albums. She has been the recipient of the Dove Award for Female Vocalist of the Year a record 11 times.