The Alabama Music Hall of Fame's decision to bring its 2008 induction ceremony to Montgomery on Feb. 22 won't just mean stars descending on the city, it could also cause up to $1 million to rain down upon the city's economy, according to AMHOF officials.

And that could be only the beginning. If the event goes well, it could stay in Montgomery for years, perhaps finding at least a semi-permanent home here, said AMHOF Executive Director David Johnson.

Johnson said the event this year will be one of AMHOF's best. Randy Owen of the supergroup Alabama will be master of ceremonies for a show that will include performances by Kris Kristofferson, Percy Sledge, Taylor Hicks, The Commodores and former Montgomerians Tommy Shaw, Clarence Carter and Beth Nielsen Chapman. He said other stars may also come to perform.

The event will be one of the first major shows at the Renaissance Montgomery Hotel & Spa at the Convention Center. The Southeast Tourism Society has already named it one of its top 20 events in the Southeast for 2008.

The musicians being inducted include Shaw, who has performed with Styx and Damn Yankees, Grand Ole Opry member Ernie Ashworth, early rock 'n' roller Boyd Bennitt, jazz great Cleveland Eaton and well-known songwriter Donnie Fritts.

Although officials with Montgomery's Convention and Visitors Bureau said it is too soon to determine the event's impact, they said the million-dollar estimate seems reasonable.

Dawn Hathcock, CVB vice president, said it will depend on how many in attendance at the event are from outside Montgomery and spend the night in hotel rooms and eat multiple meals in restaurants.

Johnson predicted there will be

Dawn Hathcock, CVB vice president, said it will depend on how many in attendance at the event are from outside Montgomery and spend the night in hotel rooms and eat multiple meals in restaurants.

Johnson predicted there will be plenty of those people.

"It will have a major impact," he said. "We will have a few hundred people that come here (from outside the area)."

The organization expects to sell up to 1,000 table seats on the arena floor with an additional 1,800 seats in the gallery.

He said the organization itself will spend about $200,000 on the Montgomery event.

Lee Sentell, head of the Alabama Bureau of Tourism and Travel, said the event will mean more than a weekend's boost to Montgomery's economy.

"Having the Music Hall of Fame is going to be a great boost to the music industry in south-central Alabama," he said.

The event will also be a spectacular way to launch Montgomery's new convention center.

"It is a nice way to celebrate the opening of this facility," said Bill Lang of Renaissance.

Johnson said it was the convention center that convinced the group to bring its 12th induction ceremony to Montgomery.

"We have been looking forward to coming to Montgomery," Johnson said.

The Alabama Music Hall of Fame is located in Tuscumbia and has held previous induction ceremonies in Huntsville, Birmingham and Mobile.