Bob Delevante for The Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum
Left: Southland guitar played by Ashley McBryde
Right: The jacket worn by Jimmie Allen at his Grand Ole Opry debut
With the opening of its new exhibit, American Currents: State of the Music, the Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum offers insight into country music’s latest chapter.
The captivating exhibit opens on March 12 and will run through February 6, 2022, enabling country music fans to experience the best of current-day country music in this now annual offering. American Currents: State of the Music depicts the ongoing research, analysis, vigorous debate, and oftentimes even spirited argument, among curators and museum staff to determine the most important developments in country music over the previous year. And with so much talent in the music industry, curating this year’s exhibit was no small feat.
The exhibit features a variety of artists, musicians, and songwriters who all share one notable commonality among their differences—they have each played a significant role in shaping today’s country music story. Those recognized in this year’s exhibit include: Gabby Barrett, Casey Beathard, Eric Church, Luke Combs, Dan + Shay, Mickey Guyton, Miranda Lambert, Ashley McBryde, Rissi Palmer, John Prine, Sister Sadie, Billy Strings, and Eddie Stubbs.
In addition to celebrating the state of country music today, the exhibit also highlights country music’s past and glimpses into its future with the Unbroken Circle. By sharing the stories of today’s artists and those who have influenced them, the Unbroken Circle illustrates the connection between country music’s past, present, and future. Among those featured in this portion of the exhibit are Jimmie Allen and Darius Rucker; Ingrid Andress and Faith Hill; Charley Crockett and Freddy Fender; and Dierks Bentley’s Hot Country Knights and the Statler Brothers’ Lester “Roadhog” Moran & the Cadillac Cowboys.
With so much to see and experience, American Currents: State of the Music is a must-visit for country music fans to gain a firsthand look into the people who have made, and continue to make, country music all that it is today.
222 5th Ave. S., 615-416-2001; countrymusichalloffame.org