Archived Programs & Events

Nashville Cats: Salute to Reggie Young

May 3, 2008 at 2:00 pm

Nashville Cats: Salute to Reggie Young

Reggie Young’s spare, soulful, sweet-toned guitar licks repeatedly filled the Ford Theater of the Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum on May 3, 2008. Honored in the Museum’s ongoing Nashville Cats series, Young held court as his career was surveyed with both recordings and his own live selections on guitar during the ninety-minute program.

Interview and Performance: Jett Williams

April 12, 2008 at 2:00 pm

Interview and Performance: Jett Williams

With an upbeat style that echoed her father’s winning charisma, Jett Williams entertained museum guests with stories and songs on Saturday, April 12, 2008. Born five days after her father’s death on January 1, 1953, Jett was adopted first by Hank’s mother, Lillian Stone. When Lillian died two years later, Jett was put up for adoption again, and she would not learn of her true lineage until she became an adult.

Interview and Performance: Hank Williams Jr.

March 29, 2008 at 2:00 pm

Interview and Performance: Hank Williams Jr.

Hank Williams Jr. dusted off a gem of a song he wrote some fifteen years ago—but never recorded—during his March 29 solo performance and interview session at the Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum’s Ford Theater. The program was part of opening weekend festivities for the museum’s 2008–09 major exhibition, Family Tradition: The Williams Family Legacy, Co-Presented by SunTrust and Ford Motor Company.

Poets and Prophets: Salute to Legendary Country Songwriter Bob McDill

March 1, 2008 at 2:00 pm

Poets and Prophets: Salute to Legendary Country Songwriter Bob McDill

Bob McDill doesn’t hesitate to use the word “art” when referring to country music songwriting.

One of Music Row’s most thoughtful and literary songwriters, McDill spoke eloquently and humorously on his career during a March 1 program in the Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum’s Ford Theater. Appearing as part of the Museum’s ongoing Poets and Prophets series, McDill drew a capacity crowd that listened raptly as he told tales about his best-loved songs and commented about his approach to songwriting.

Nashville Cats: Jerry Kennedy

February 16, 2008 at 2:00 pm

Nashville Cats: Jerry Kennedy


When the Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum honored Jerry Kennedy in its most recent installment of its Nashville Cats series, on Feb. 16, program host Bill Lloyd mentioned the long list of accomplishments that have made Kennedy such an important figure in country music history.

Poets and Prophets: Salute to Legendary Country Songwriter Craig Wiseman

December 15, 2007 at 2 pm

Poets and Prophets: Salute to Legendary Country Songwriter Craig Wiseman

Craig Wiseman proves that success as a country music songwriter can depend on taking risks and ignoring formulas as much as it depends on craft and cleverness.

The Mississippi native returned to this point time and again while discussing his career during a two-hour program on December 15 in the Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum’s Ford Theater, as part of the museum’s Poets and Prophets series.

SoBro Session:  Remembering Ray Charles

November 30, 2007 at Noon

SoBro Session: Remembering Ray Charles

A Discussion with David "Fathead" Newman, David Ritz, and Jim Williamson.

Nashville Cats: Salute to Ray Edenton

October 6, 2007 at 2:00 pm

Nashville Cats: Salute to Ray Edenton

As one the of most recorded guitarists in American history, Ray Edenton will forever be linked with the small, special group of session musicians known as the Nashville A-Team. Because the original A-Team is considered such an exclusive group, Edenton admits that he’s often asked why such a small cast of players appeared on so many classic recordings.

Poets and Prophets: Salute to Legendary Country Songwriter Bobby Braddock

September 15, 2007 at 2:00 pm

Poets and Prophets: Salute to Legendary Country Songwriter Bobby Braddock

When Bobby Braddock finished writing “He Stopped Loving Her Today” with Curly Putman, he logged the song into a notebook and gave it a rating, a practice he followed for all of his songs. On a one-to-ten scale, he gave it a seven.

Artist-in-Residence: Kris Kristofferson

August 14 and 15, 2007 at 7:00 pm

Artist-in-Residence: Kris Kristofferson

Legendary singer-songwriter Kris Kristofferson was the museum's artist in residence for 2007.

Panel Discussion: The Story of My Life: Friends and Family Remember Marty Robbins

August 4, 2007 at 2:00 pm

Panel Discussion: The Story of My Life: Friends and Family Remember Marty Robbins

To open a panel discussion about the late Marty Robbins, WSM radio personality Eddie Stubbs addressed the Country Music Hall of Fame member’s multiplicity of talents. Not only was Robbins “one of the most entertaining personalities in the history of country music,” Stubbs said. “He also was a phenomenal singer and a phenomenal songwriter. It seemed like everything he did, he did in a phenomenal way.”

Interview: Mr. Record Man: A Conversation with Fred Foster

July 21, 2007 at 2:00 PM

Interview: Mr. Record Man: A Conversation with Fred Foster

When Roy Orbison co-wrote “Running Scared,” he planned on shifting into his falsetto voice to hit the difficult-to-reach high notes that close the song. But producer Fred Foster, after orchestrating the number, realized a falsetto wouldn’t be heard over the arrangement. So Foster asked Orbison to sing the high notes in his full, natural voice. Orbison said it couldn’t be done, but Foster persuaded him to give it a try.

Poets and Prophets: Salute to Legendary Country Songwriter John D. Loudermilk

June 23, 2007 at 2:00 pm

Poets and Prophets: Salute to Legendary Country Songwriter John D. Loudermilk

Fifty-one years ago, a North Carolina record producer told famed songwriter John D. Loudermilk that he lacked the charisma to be a star performer. That’s why, the producer explained, he gave Loudermilk’s song, “A Rose and a Baby Ruth,” to another young singer, George Hamilton IV.

The song became Loudermilk’s first hit, and as fate would have it, he’d achieve his greatest success writing songs for others instead of living out his initial dream of becoming a pop star. In retrospect, Loudermilk couldn’t be happier with how his career worked out.

Interview and Performance: Country Caruso: The Artistry of Johnny Bush

May 26, 2007 at 2:00 pm

Interview and Performance: Country Caruso: The Artistry of Johnny Bush

Johnny Bush and a band of veteran all-stars gave a master class in traditional country music during a concert and interview at the Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum’s Ford Theater on May 26.

A former drummer in Ray Price’s Cherokee Cowboys band, Bush enlisted several of his former Cherokee Cowboy bandmates to join him for the performance billed as “Country Caruso: The Artistry of Johnny Bush. The concert made for a celebratory final Price-related program as the museum prepares to end its well-received exhibit For the Good Times: The Ray Price Story.

Nashville Cats: Salute to Hargus

May 19, 2007 at 2:00 pm

Nashville Cats: Salute to Hargus "Pig" Robbins

A conversation with Hargus "Pig" Robbins resembles his music: relaxed, soulful, and wholly distinctive.

The latest veteran musician honored in the Nashville Cats series, a regular program hosted by the Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum, Robbins spoke throughout the ninety-minute, multi-media presentation with humility and understated eloquence—two other qualities found in his music.

Panel Discussion: One More Time: Ray Price's Cherokee Cowboys

April 7, 2007 at 2:00 pm

Panel Discussion: One More Time: Ray Price's Cherokee Cowboys

ALL-STAR PANEL SALUTES RAY PRICE’S CHEROKEE COWBOYS 

Six former members of the Cherokee Cowboys reminisced about the road and playing in one of country music’s most esteemed bands in front of a packed Ford Theater on April 7. One More Time: Ray Price’s Cherokee Cowboys, a program organized as part of the ongoing Ray Price exhibit in the museum’s East Gallery, featured steel guitarists Buddy Emmons, Jack Evins, and Don Helms, guitarists and harmony singers Van Howard and Pete Wade, and fiddler Buddy Spicher.

Poets and Prophets: Salute to Legendary Country Songwriter Hank Cochran

March 24, 2007 at 2:00 pm

Poets and Prophets: Salute to Legendary Country Songwriter Hank Cochran

Following the maxim “make it short, make it sweet, make it rhyme,” songwriting legend Hank Cochran has produced some of the greatest country songs ever recorded. He gave museum patrons a glimpse into his life and career Saturday (March 24), during a ninety-minute interview, with multimedia elements, in the museum’s Ford Theater.

Panel Discussion: Hitmakers' Workshop: RCA Studio B and the Rise of Music City

March 10, 2007 at 2:00 pm

Panel Discussion: Hitmakers' Workshop: RCA Studio B and the Rise of Music City

A Timeless Sound: An Appreciation of Historic RCA Studio B

"Studio B holds a lot of great memories for me,” Grand Ole Opry veteran Jim Ed Brown said during a Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum program commemorating the fiftieth anniversary of Historic RCA Studio B. Brown’s words were echoed throughout a ninety-minute panel discussion of the studio’s fundamental role in Nashville music history, before a rapt crowd in the museum’s Ford Theater on March 10.

Nashville Cats: Salute to Bob Moore

February 17, 2007 at 2:00 pm

Nashville Cats: Salute to Bob Moore

Veteran Nashville musician Bob Moore, who has provided rhythmic support and ideas for more classic country hits than any other bassist, was honored Saturday in a poignant and informative two-hour program at the Country Music Hall of Fame® and Museum’s Ford Theater.

I Can't Stop Loving You: Ray Charles and Country Music Sponsored by SunTrust - CLOSING SOON

March 10, 2006 - December 31, 2007

I Can't Stop Loving You: Ray Charles and Country Music Sponsored by SunTrust - CLOSING SOON

Presented at the invitation of Ray Charles Enterprises (RCE), the biographical exhibition provides an overview of Ray Charles’ remarkable career with special emphasis on his country music influences and his contributions to the growth and ennoblement of the genre.

Performance: Cats Like Us: Richard Leigh, Troy Seals, Micheal Smotherman, Tony Joe White

December 9, 2006 at 2:00 pm

Performance: Cats Like Us: Richard Leigh, Troy Seals, Micheal Smotherman, Tony Joe White

Songwriters herald Ray Charles’s influence and creative kinship in a standing-room-only Ford Theater performance

The four veteran songwriters who gathered to pay tribute to Ray Charles in the Country Music Hall of Fame® and Museum’s Ford Theater each spoke of what an honor it was to have the Genius of Soul record their songs. In performing the songs that Charles had cut, the songwriters also proved it was an honor they earned.

Panel Discussion: Friendship: The Making of Ray Charles's #1 Country Duets Album

October 29, 2006 at 2:00 pm

Panel Discussion: Friendship: The Making of Ray Charles's #1 Country Duets Album

In conjunction with the Museum's current exhibition I Can't Stop Loving You:  Ray Charles and Country Music Sponsored by SunTrust, the Museum presented a panel discussion on October 29 exploring the making of Friendship, Charles’ #1 country duets album. 

Artist in Residence: Guy Clark

September 6, 13, and 27 2006 at 7:00 pm

Artist in Residence: Guy Clark

Singer-songwriter Guy Clark, a member of the Nashville Songwriters Hall of Fame, was the museum's artist in residence for 2006.

Interview: Ray Price

August 5, 2006 at 2:00 pm

Interview: Ray Price

Ray Price Sits for a Historic Interview at Country Music Hall of Fame® and Museum During Opening Festivities of a New Exhibit, For The Good Times: The Ray Price Story

In what esteemed WSM radio DJ and Grand Ole Opry announcer Eddie Stubbs described as “one of the most important days in the history of the Country Music Hall of Fame,” legendary Texas singer Ray Price spent ninety minutes in a packed Ford Theater discussing his six decades as a top American music performer.

For the Good Times: The Ray Price Story

August 2006 - June 2007

For the Good Times: The Ray Price Story

The Country Music Hall of Fame® and Museum will pay tribute to American music architect Ray Price with an exhibit, For the Good Times: The Ray Price Story opening in the Museum's East Gallery in August 2006 and running through June 2007.

Banjo Man: The Musical Journey of Earl Scruggs

December 2, 2005 - June 18, 2006

Banjo Man: The Musical Journey of Earl Scruggs

The cameo exhibit surveyed the life and career of banjo guru Earl Scruggs. The exhibit also honored Scruggs’ wife and business partner, Louise Certain Scruggs.

Night Train to Nashville: Music City Rhythm & Blues, 1945-1970, Presented by SunTrust

March 1, 2004 - December 31, 2005

Night Train to Nashville: Music City Rhythm & Blues, 1945-1970, Presented by SunTrust

Night Train to Nashville is a major exhibit focusing on an underreported era in Nashville's music history. Through the exhibit, accompanying publications and recordings, live performances and other public events, the Country Music Hall of Fame® and Museum offers Nashvillians and Music City visitors a great story about an important era in music history.

I’ll Hold You in My Heart: The Eddy Arnold Collection

I’ll Hold You in My Heart: The Eddy Arnold Collection

The Country Music Hall of Fame® and Museum saluted Hall of Fame member Eddy Arnold with this exhibit, which got its name from Arnold’s 1947 hit “I’ll Hold You in My Heart (Till I Can Hold You in My Arms).” Drawn from the spectacular donation made by the country legend and his wife, Sally, at a star-studded ceremony in March 2003.

Treasures Untold: Unique Collections from Devoted Fans

Treasures Untold: Unique Collections from Devoted Fans

2002-2003

Taking its name from a song co-written and popularized by Country Music Hall of Fame® member Jimmie Rodgers, the exhibit focused on the way ardent fans have compellingly documented country music culture and a wide range of country music careers.

Archive Spotlight Series

Archive Spotlight Series

The Country Music Hall of Fame® and Museum's Archive Spotlights are a series of informal exhibits that highlight specific themes or aspects of the Museum’s core exhibit, Sing Me Back Home: A Journey Through Country Music.

Nashville Salutes Texas!: Country from the Lone Star State

Nashville Salutes Texas!: Country from the Lone Star State

This special exhibit explored the many contrasts in the oceanic depths and universal resonance of the Texas musical legacy.

Fine Art Exhibits

Fine Art Exhibits

Several fine art exhibits have been held at the Country Music Hall of Fame®.