Jimmy Hart Discusses New Gentrys Album, Backs Cornextte & Johnston for WWE Hall of Fame

Jimmy Hart is stepping back into the spotlight — not for a wrestling angle, but for his other career as a musician. The WWE Hall of Fame manager appeared on the Wrestling Epicenter podcast to promote a new release from his 1960s and ’70s rock group, The Gentrys, titled “It’s Been So Long.” The album, put out through Sun Records, compiles previously unreleased recordings pulled from the label’s vault, mixing cover songs with original material that had never seen the light of day. Hart gave his blessing for the tracks to be released and is encouraging fans to pick up copies on CD or vinyl.

For longtime wrestling fans, the pairing of Jimmy Hart and rock music isn’t some quirky footnote — it’s a huge part of his origin story. Long before he became known as the “Mouth of the South” and the mastermind behind acts like the Hart Foundation and Hulk Hogan’s heel turn into the New World Order, Hart fronted The Gentrys during their commercial peak. Their 1965 single “Keep on Dancing” actually knocked The Beatles off the top of the Billboard charts, and the band performed on American Bandstand alongside Dick Clark. It’s a piece of pop-culture trivia that still catches people off guard: the man who screamed into a megaphone managing Hogan, King Kong Bundy, and countless others in the ’80s and ’90s once had a bona fide hit record.

During the same conversation, Hart also spoke in support of Jim Cornette and Jim Johnston receiving WWE Hall of Fame inductions — a cause he’s been vocal about in wrestling media circles. Both men have long been viewed by fans and peers as deserving of the honor. Cornette, one of the most respected managers, promoters, and commentators in wrestling history, has never been formally inducted despite decades of influence on the business, some of it complicated by his post-retirement commentary on WWE creative decisions. Johnston, meanwhile, is the composer behind hundreds of iconic entrance themes — including Hogan’s, The Undertaker’s, and Stone Cold Steve Austin’s — yet has largely stayed out of the spotlight compared to the performers whose careers his music helped define.

Hart’s advocacy carries some weight given his own standing in the Hall of Fame and his decades-long relationships with both men. Whether WWE takes note of his comments is another matter — Hall of Fame selections are notoriously unpredictable and tend to align with whatever storyline or nostalgia push WrestleMania season calls for. Still, the push for Cornette and Johnston reflects a broader fan sentiment that WWE’s Hall of Fame often overlooks essential behind-the-scenes contributors in favor of in-ring names with bigger marquee value.

For now, Hart’s focus is split between his wrestling legacy and his music one, and “It’s Been So Long” gives fans a chance to hear a side of him that predates the neon jackets and boombox entrances. It’s a reminder that some wrestling personalities had entire careers before the squared circle ever came calling.