A visit to The Country Music Hall of Fame & Museum may change how you think about American music – in all its forms – forever.
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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.
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?)
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.
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.
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.
Bob Dylan is unquestionably a profoundly talented, poetic songwriter, writer, and Nobel prize laureate {yep!}, but singer? Well anyway, I love the sentiment of Johnny’s quote.
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.
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.
Wall of gold records at The 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.”
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.
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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.
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!!!!).
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!
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!
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.
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.
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!
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.
Oh my goodness! I soooo want to go there one day! That would be so much fun!
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.
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.
I love visiting museums like this. Learning new things is so much fun especially in this way.
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!
This looks like a fab place to visit! Very interesting, and lots of music history. Thanks for sharing your visit.
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!
Ooh I would love to go hear and check it out! I love all of the history it offers too!
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.
My daughter is moving to Nashville so when I visit her I will have to have her take there!
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.
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.