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    Home » Travel » Travel for Music Lovers

    The Country Music Hall of Fame & Museum

    Published: Jul 19, 2017 · Modified: May 16, 2023 · by Renée B. · This post may contain affiliate links.

    The Country Music Hall of Fame - I'll be honest: initially, Mr B was way more excited about visiting The Country Music Hall of Fame & Museum in Nashville than I was. It makes sense: his musical roots run deep in the old-timey music of a bygone era, while mine lean more toward folk, rock, and blues. What I didn't understand before our Tennessee trip was how profoundly his music has influenced my music (and vice versa) over time. | The Good Hearted Woman

    A visit to The Country Music Hall of Fame & Museum may change how you think about American music – in all its forms – forever.

    Entrance - Country Music Hall of Fame

    I'll be honest: initially, Mr B was way more excited about visiting The Country Music Hall of Fame Museum in Nashville than I was. It makes sense; his country musical roots run deep, even back to the old-timey music of a bygone era; while mine lean more toward folk, rock, and blues.

    What I didn't understand before our Tennessee trip was how profoundly his music has influenced my music (and vice versa) over time.

    Jump to:
    • The Country Music Museum
    • Dylan, Cash, and the Nashville Cats
    • The Country Music Hall of Fame
    • More Travel in the US South
    • Southern Cooking & Recipes

    The Country Music Museum

    Chartered in 1964, the museum portion of The Country Music Hall of Fame & Museum has compiled one of the world's most extensive musical collections, including images and photographs, oral histories, digital archives, and a priceless collection of musical instruments.

    I was just a little kid when Porter Wagoner was big on television, but I still remember that jacket. (Seriously. How could anyone forget it?)

    Collage - Porter Wagner's jacket, jukebox, typewrite.

    The heart of the museum is Sing Me Back Home: A Journey Through Country Music, a permanent exhibition that immerses visitors in the story of country music, as revealed through artifacts, photographs, vintage video and recordings, and interactive touchscreens.

    Old Times - Country Music Hall of Fame

    The first thing that hit me as we wandered through the Sing Me Back Home exhibit was how closely our music history is tied to our cultural history in this country. Mr B and I were both particularly moved by some of the instruments on display from the early pioneers of country music. It is awe-inspiring to consider the hands that played these instruments, and their contributions to music, and how those contributions continue to influence the music we listen to today.

    Collage - Sara Carter's 7-chord Autoharp, Minnie Pearl's hat, and Bill Monroe's mandolin.
    Sara Carter's autoharp, Minnie Pearl's hat, and Bill Monroe's mandolin.

    All those iconic instruments got me thinking... Over the years, how many people listened to Sara Carter play her autoharp as part of America's first commercial rural country music group? How many skirts swirled across a wooden floor to the sound of Bill Monroe's mandolin?

    Maybelle Carter, known as "mother Maybelle," bought this Gibson L-5 in 1928 for $275. Today it is priceless.

    Dylan, Cash, and the Nashville Cats

    Musically, I've always been intrigued by unlikely collaborations. (Led Zepplin's Robert Plant and bluegrass queen Allison Krauss' amazing collab on Raising Sand immediately comes to mind.) 

    Take, for example, the collaboration of Bob Dylan and Johnny Cash. (Surprised? I was!) As you may know, Dylan is a musician associated far more closely with 60's counter-culture, flower children, folk music, and the singer-songwriter enclave than traditional Country Music. 

    And yet, there he was on the second floor of the The Country Music Hall of Fame & Museum, standing right next to one of Johnny's black suits.

    Images and quote of Johnny Cash.

    In addition to Sing Me Back Home and its other permanent exhibits, the museum hosts a number of temporary featured exhibits. The principle featured exhibit during our visit was "Dylan, Cash, and the Nashville Cats: A New Music City," which highlighted this iconic, albeit unlikely, musical pairing.

    Recalling the Nashville music scene in the late '60s and early '70s, this exhibit illustrated clearly how this unlikely association continues to influence the music, and energize fans and musicians alike. 

    It turns out that, in 1966, against the advice and wishes of his record label executives, Bob Dylan came to Nashville to record his classic album Blonde on Blonde. In doing so, he inspired a string of folk and rock musicians to follow his lead, and this following became known as the Nashville Cats.

    The Nashville Cats weren’t a band, but rather a loose association of talented studio musicians in the 1960’s and 70’s, when the best of the best made their home in the Nashville area. You may not recognize the names, but you’ve almost certainly heard their work - on records by artists as diverse as Joan Baez, Steve Miller, the Byrds, and three of the four solo Beatles, to name just a few.

    Bob Dylan Quote - Country Music Hall of Fame

    Other exhibits in The Country Music Hall of Fame & Museum showcase contemporary artists, including those who have made a significant impact on country music in recent years. At the time of our visit, these included Jason Aldean, Shania Twain, Taylor Swift, and many others.

    The Country Music Hall of Fame

    In addition to providing a home for its amazing musical museum, this building is also home to The Country Music Hall of Fame. Membership in the Hall of Fame is the highest honor a country music professional can receive. Performers, songwriters, broadcasters, musicians, and executives in the industry are inducted in recognition of their contributions to the development of country music.

    Gold Record wall - Country music hall of fame.

    The building itself is filled with musical images and symbolism. For example, from the air, the building forms a massive bass clef, and the building's front windows are built to resemble piano keys.

    Stone bars on the Rotunda's outside wall symbolize the notes of the Carter Family's classic song "Will the Circle Be Unbroken."
    Stone bars on the Rotunda's outside wall symbolize the notes of the Carter Family's classic song "Will the Circle Be Unbroken."

    If you are visiting Nashville, be sure to plan a visit to The Country Music Hall of Fame Museum. Whether you are a lifelong country music fan or simply curious, it may very well change how you think about country music forever.

    More Travel in the US South

    • Top 8 Nashville Things to Do for Music Lovers {+ Tips for Travelers} | The Good Hearted Woman
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    Southern Cooking & Recipes

    Here on The Good Hearted Woman, the trips we share always result in new recipes, and the South does not disappoint! Here are a few of our favorites:

    • Triple layer coconut cake on a glass pedestal cake stand, with one slice cut and on a plate below.
      Southern Coconut Layer Cake (from Scratch)
    • Fried green tomatoes stacked ona white plate, garnished with small slices of raw green tomatoes.
      Crispy Fried Green Tomatoes
    • Peach cobbler and vanilla ice cream in a dessert bowl, with a pan of cobbler in the background.
      Easy Southern Peach Cobbler
    • Fried chicken quarter on a slice of white bread, topped with a pickle, served in a brown paper lines basket.
      Hattie B's Nashville Hot Chicken (Step-by-Step)

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    About Renée B.

    Renée is self-taught home chef with a penchant for creating healthy(ish) comfort food recipes, and adapting vintage recipes for the 21st century cook. In her spare time, she writes unfinished novels and songs about cowboys.

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    1. Alice says

      November 02, 2018 at 10:40 am

      Ah! I didn't realize all the neat stuff at the Country Music Hall of Fame! I'll definitely have to check it out when I head back to Nashville.

      Reply
    2. Rebecca Dean says

      November 16, 2017 at 10:04 am

      Oh my gosh yes Nashville all the way! I've been to the Country Music Hall of Fame twice and it's just amazing! So much culture and history there it's crazy.

      Reply
    3. Cindy Ingalls says

      July 21, 2017 at 8:37 pm

      My daughter is moving to Nashville so when I visit her I will have to have her take there!

      Reply
    4. Heather Garcia says

      July 21, 2017 at 4:50 pm

      I have been to the Country Music Hall of Fame with my family who are from Nashville. It is a very well put together tribute to the country genre. My husband is a huge Johnny Cash fan so he really enjoyed those portions.

      Reply
    5. Brittany says

      July 21, 2017 at 8:05 am

      Ooh I would love to go hear and check it out! I love all of the history it offers too!

      Reply
    6. Andrea says

      July 20, 2017 at 2:32 pm

      This looks like such a fun place to visit and it all looks so pretty full of charm and history. Thank you for sharing this type of inside with us!

      Reply
    7. Jean says

      July 20, 2017 at 10:27 am

      This looks like a fab place to visit! Very interesting, and lots of music history. Thanks for sharing your visit.

      Reply
    8. Marlynn | UrbanBlissLife says

      July 20, 2017 at 9:14 am

      I am not a fan of country music - at all - but I love reading your posts from Nashville, and I always appreciate the history and the stories about the people behind the music!

      Reply
    9. Robin Rue says

      July 20, 2017 at 7:43 am

      I love visiting museums like this. Learning new things is so much fun especially in this way.

      Reply
    10. Teresa says

      July 19, 2017 at 8:42 pm

      We will be driving through Nashville next week and are trying to figure out what to d. We may have to consider this as a pit stop for a bit. I just don't want my kids to be too bored with this activity.

      Reply
    11. One Pot Living says

      July 19, 2017 at 8:02 pm

      Wow, music is something I am always enthralled by but it always amazes me how little I really know about it and those behind it. Thanks for the post. Very informative and nice place to visit.

      Reply
    12. Amber Nelson says

      July 19, 2017 at 6:14 pm

      Oh my goodness! I soooo want to go there one day! That would be so much fun!

      Reply
    13. Melissa Chapman says

      July 19, 2017 at 3:10 pm

      No trip to Nashville would be complete without a visit to that museum. It is unusual to think of Dylan there but he does have that folksy quality. I hope to someday get to Nashville.

      Reply
    14. Cassie says

      July 19, 2017 at 2:54 pm

      This looks like an awesome place to visit! My grandparents love country music so I'd love to be able to take them here to check it out!

      Reply
    15. Joanna @ Everyday Made Fresh says

      July 19, 2017 at 2:08 pm

      This looks like a wonderful place to visit, if you're a country music fan. Some of the photos remind me of Opry Land. We went when I was a child, and seeing some of these things take me back.

      Reply
    16. Jeanine says

      July 19, 2017 at 1:21 pm

      I've heard a lot of things about Nashville and noticed a lot of people visiting this summer too. So much history there with country music it's pretty amazing.

      Reply
    17. Terri Steffes says

      July 19, 2017 at 12:31 pm

      We love this place! We go every time we are in town and that's usually at least once a year. Such awesome displays and memorabilia there!

      Reply
    18. The Culinary Jumble says

      July 19, 2017 at 10:17 am

      Wow, that place looks and sounds amazing. As a non-American I don't know a great deal about country music but I do know it is a huge part of many American's lives - love how it got you thinking, especially as hubby was more keen initially!

      Reply
    19. Catherine @ Ten Thousand Hour Mama says

      July 19, 2017 at 9:12 am

      I'm not a big country music fan so wouldn't seek out a museum about it, but this post totally changed my mind. Thanks for the reminder that country is so much more than the twangy pop you hear on the radio these days. I love folk, I love Cash, and I expect I would love this museum—at the very least for the incredible artifacts (and clothes!!!!).

      Reply
    20. Karen Morse says

      July 19, 2017 at 7:40 am

      I remember my dad being a huge fan of country music and it would be a staple in the house as we grew up! I think it would be amazing to be able to tour this museum! There's plenty to look forward to as well.

      Reply

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