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Country
Music Hall of Fame 222 5th Avenue South Nashville, Tennessee, 37203 |
 The
Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum has been the home of Country
Music since 1967. Located on the west bank of the Cumberland River,
just a few steps from the historic Ryman
Auditorium and the honky-tonks of Lower Broadway, the monumental
edifice, a visceral experience for approaching visitors,  invigorates
the skyline in downtown Nashville’s entertainment district. Inside,
the Museum presents the crown jewels of its vast collection to illustrate
country music’s story as told through the turns of two centuries.
A treasure trove of historic country video clips and recorded music,
dynamic exhibits and state-of-the-art design, a regular menu of live
performances and public programs, a museum store, live satellite radio
broadcasts, on-site dining, and fabulous public spaces all contribute
to an unforgettable Museum experience. The Country Music Hall of Fame
and Museum is accredited by the American Association of Museums, certifying
that the Museum operates according to the highest standards, manages
its collection, and provides quality service to the public.  Sing
Me Back Home is the title of the Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum’s
permanent exhibit, an exciting, multi-layered journey through the
life of country music. Through artifacts, photographs, original recordings,
archival video, newly produced films, touchscreen interactive media,
and beautifully rendered text panels, Sing Me Back Home immerses you
in the history and sounds of country music, its meanings, and the
lives and voices of many of its honored personalities. A self-guided
tour covering two floors of the Museum, Sing Me Back Home tells the
story of country music from its pre-commercial roots in the nineteenth
century through its vibrant life in the twenty-first century. Organized
chronologically, the story moves through large subjects such as “Country
During the War Years,” for example, while each glass artifact case
has its own theme as well. You can read about the music and its makers
if you like, or you can let the powerful photos, instruments, costumes
- and especially the music - tell the story by themselves. History of the Country Music Hall of Fame  In
1961 the Country Music Association (CMA) announced the creation of
the Country Music Hall of Fame and chose its first three inductees—Jimmie
Rodgers, Hank Williams, and Fred Rose. These first three members were
announced in November at a CMA banquet held in conjunction with WSM-radio’s
tenth annual disc jockey convention. The Hall of Fame members’ plaques,
with facial likenesses and thumbnail biographies cast in bas-relief,
were unveiled on the Grand Ole
Opry by Ernest Tubb. Until 1967 these plaques and those for subsequent
Hall of Fame inductees were displayed in the Tennessee State Museum
in downtown Nashville. In 1963 the CMA announced plans for a Country
Music Hall of Fame and Museum to be built on Music Row in Nashville.
That same year the state of Tennessee chartered the Country Music
Foundation, Inc. (CMF) as a non-profit, educational organization charged
 with
operating the Museum. The original Country Music Hall of Fame and
Museum (pictured at left) opened on Music Row (Sixteenth and Division)
on April 1, 1967, and closed December 31, 2000. During these years
of rapid growth and expansion the Museum’s operations came to also
include educational programs, CMF Press and CMF Records, the Country
Music Foundation Library (1968), and the historic sites RCA Studio
B (1977) and Hatch Show Print (1986). The new $37,000,000 Country
Music Hall of Fame and Museum celebrated its grand opening on May
17, 2001. This facility features the Hall of Fame Rotunda, where the
bronze plaques are displayed for future generations to honor and enjoy.
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