Country music hall of fame and museum is one of the world's largest halls, located in Nashville – the ‘Music City’ which glorifies many famous musicians, such as Merle Haggard, Patsy Cline, Hank Williams, Johnny Cash, Dolly Parton, Elvis Presley and the list goes on and on.
Country music hall of fame and museum is centrally located in downtown Nashville, Tennessee, USA. Could the country music museum be somewhere else? Probably, not, as Nashville is the country's capital. Managing the museum is carried out by non-commercial organization Country Music Foundation formed in 1964, whose mission is to collect, preserve and explore the cultural significance of music of this genre. The Country music hall of fame and museum is totally a cult place for all country lovers. It is not only functioning museum of country artifacts but an organization dedicated to the most famous and influential figures of the country music era.
It is located in a huge rotunda, in the most beautiful place in the central district of the city. The building’s exterior is astonishing and made in the form of black and white keys of a huge piano. Inside the building is an excellent collection of classical costumes, guitars, cowboy boots, ties, as well as famous compositions that were invented in bars and written on napkins. Moreover, there is also a famous gold Cadillac of Elvis Presley.
Here you will learn everything about the style of country. After all, the name of the style is collective - here and blues-grass, and honky-tonk, and folk, and many other things are mixed together. Nashville received the name of the city of music thanks to the country style, musical folklore of North America, combining European folk music of the 17-18 centuries and cowboy ballads of the Wild West. In the country music, you will hear the sound of English, Irish and Scottish motifs, the main instruments of this genre are banjo, violin, and guitar.
In the early 1960's in Nashville arose the so-called Nash villa's Sound, distinguished by virtuoso spent arrangements, a great role in the performance of which began to play the piano. Among the instruments on which country music is performed, there were also the Hawaiian guitar and electric guitar.
Country music hall of fame and museum was opened in 1961, and now it carefully preserves everything that has to do with the country and its great performers. In the research center of the museum you can find any record of your favorite artists, documentary films about them, archival materials, and also get copies of it. In the museum is the famous car of Elvis Presley, who began his career in Nashville, with a gilded TV and a bar, and his own gilded grand piano. There is also a car of the acclaimed country singer Webb Pierce, who until his death lives in a luxurious estate in Nashville. Interestingly, the door handles in his car made in the form of pistols, inside the car all trimmed with leather and silver coins, between the front seats is a saddle, and on the front bumper are mounted real bull horns.
You have to remember some things before you go to Country music hall of fame and museum. Firstly, the price of tickets can grow long during peak visiting hours, so it's better to buy them beforehand. Secondly, you have to be prepared to have a full-fledged excursion take about 2-3 hours, but it totally worth it.
Location: 222 5th Avenue South, Nashville 37203-4206, USA
Hours: Open daily 9am - 5pm.
Entrance: Adults: US$25.95 - US$40.95, Youth (6-12): US$15.95 - US$30.95