Photo courtesy of the Country Music Hall of Fame & Museum.

When the Encyclopedia of Country Music was first published in 1998, it became an instant reference and definitive source on country music. Now, the second edition of the book has been released by Oxford University Press and the Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum. The new edition, compiled by museum staff, features new entries on artists who have profoundly influenced country music in recent years, including Kenny Chesney, Dixie Chicks, Miranda Lambert, Brad Paisley, Rascal Flatts, Blake Shelton, Taylor Swift, Carrie Underwood, Keith Urban and more.

More new entries in the book focus on the most important studio musicians, songwriters and music executives in the last decade. It also explores the latest and most critical industry trends, such as the digital revolution, the shifting politics of country music, and the impact of American Idol. The importance of Nashville to country music and even the stage costumes worn by country stars are also featured in the new edition.

“I’ve loved country music all my life, and it still amazes me how much more I can learn about it,” Reba McEntire said. “The Encyclopedia of Country Music will be a reference book for the next generation of country music lovers to learn about the folks I was blessed enough to get to know and work with. I will enjoy reading it and getting reacquainted with our history.” Continue Reading

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Photo courtesy of Tuck-Hinton Architects.

The Country Music Association has pledged $10 million to Working on a Building: Country Music Lives Here, the capital campaign designated to finance the Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum’s expansion. The donation is the largest philanthropic gift in the organization’s history.

In 1961, the CMA Board of Directors approved the establishment of the Country Music Hall of Fame honor to recognize individuals for their contributions to country music. Three years later, they established the Country Music Foundation to build a museum and archives to preserve country music’s history. The Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum opened in 1967. Since then, CMA has contributed nearly $5 million to the Museum.

“CMA and the Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum are connected by history and our shared interest in preserving the legacy, rewarding excellence, and advancing the future of the format,” Steve Moore, CMA Chief Executive Officer, said. “This donation is the latest example of CMA’s longstanding commitment to the Hall of Fame. We are proud to support the growth of the Hall and we look forward to using the CMA Theater in a variety of ways that will shine a spotlight on the Country Music industry and format.”

The Museum’s expansion will include the 800-seat state-of-the-art CMA Theater designed to be flexible and adaptable for a broad range of activities, from concerts and films to lectures and corporate meetings. Continue Reading

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Vince Gill photo by Tim Wright, courtesy of UMG Nashville.

Grand Ole Opry and Country Music Hall of Fame member Vince Gill will host the America’s Opry Weekend Thanksgiving Special, slated to air on radio November 23 through November 27. The radio program will celebrate Thanksgiving and the beginning of a music-filled holiday season, with Vince playing some of the year’s biggest hits about life, home, and thanks. The America’s Opry Weekend Thanksgiving Special will also contain cuts from Vince’s new album, Guitar Slinger, and several of his all-time holiday favorites, including some he’ll be singing with his wife Amy Grant on the couple’s 2011 “Twelve Days of Christmas” tour.

Read Our Review of Guitar Slinger >>

Watch Our Exclusive Vince Gill Acoustic Performances >> Continue Reading

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Keith Urban photo courtesy of Capitol Nashville.

Keith Urban’s We’re All For The Hall Benefit Concert will return to the Bridgestone Arena in Nashville on January 18 for a third year. The concert, benefiting the Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum‘s All For The Hall fundraising initiative, will feature Keith along with Vince Gill, Rascal Flatts, Alison Krauss and Union Station, Little Big Town, the Oak Ridge Boys and more artists to be announced in the coming weeks.

“The support that this event has received over the past couple of years, I think, really speaks to the commitment to and the importance of preserving the past and protecting the future of country music,” Keith said. “We’ll have some great bands performing—part of our ‘All Together Now’ theme for the night—an especially fitting concept that we hope will capture the spirit of the evening.”

“The first two We’re All for the Hall concerts have been landmarks for this institution,” Kyle Young, Museum Director, said. “They have been the most successful fundraisers in the museum’s history, together raising roughly $1 million. And they have not only set a new standard for fundraising and event coordination, but also brought together an entire community and helped us to see what can be done by individuals when there is a collective passion for a cause. Continue Reading

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Connie Smith is The Country Music Hall of Fame & Museum's Artist in Residence for 2011.

The Country Music Hall of Fame & Museum has a busy August on tap. Having just announced their plans to expand, the Museum will host live music, launch a new exhibit and allow fans to meet and greet artists.

Country Music Hall of Fame member Harold Bradley, David Briggs and Norbert Putnam will host Legends of RCA Studio B: Conversations with All the King’s Men on August 9. The event is an evening of music and storytelling with DJ Fontana, Scotty Moore, Ronnie McDowell, Millie Kirkham and Gordon Stoker of The Jordanaires. Tickets are $100 for Museum Members and $150 for the public. All proceeds benefit the preservation of the Museum’s collection as well as funding for its school, family and public programs.

On August 12, a Museum curator will give an introduction to the new exhibit, Chet Atkins: Certified Guitar Player. The next day, the Museum will present Music and Memories of Chet Atkins, featuring Ray Stevens, Steve Wariner and Billy Edd Wheeler. The program will be a conversation and music with Chet’s close friends and can be streamed live at CountryMusicHallofFame.org. Continue Reading

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Connie Smith photo courtesy of conniesmithmusic.com.

Connie Smith has been selected as this year’s Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum’s Artist-in-Residence. Connie will serve as host and curator for intimate performances by herself and her favorite collaborators on August 22, August 29 and September 12. Created in 2003, the Museum’s residency program honors an artist that has contributed a large and significant body of work to American popular music. Cowboy Jack Clement, Earl Scruggs,  Kris Kristofferson, Vince Gill and Buddy Miller are some of the past honorees.

“Connie Smith possesses one of the most powerful and recognizable voices in country music,” said Museum Director Kyle Young.  “Her body of work includes more than 50 albums, and her signature song, ‘Once a Day,’ remains one of country music’s most popular classics. When Connie sings, she takes us on an emotional journey, wringing every teardrop and ounce of feeling from her lyrics. We are thrilled that she will be bringing those talents to the Ford Theater for three one-of-a-kind shows. ” Continue Reading

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If you’re going to be in or around Nashville during the month of May, the Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum is the place to be. The Museum has all sorts of country music-centric events going on, from ‘Cookin’ Out Country’ which is a weekly outdoor lunch at the Museum with country music artists including Bryan White and Darryl Worley. There are several concerts and movie showings and of course, the Medallion Ceremony, which will induct Reba McEntire, Bobby Braddock, and Jean Shephard into the Country Music Hall of Fame. Some of the big events coming up this month are listed below and you can see the complete schedule HERE.

Cookin’ Out Country

May 4 – Richie McDonald
May 11 – Darryl Worley
May 25 – Bryan White

Serving lunch from 11:00 a.m. – 2:30 p.m.
Performances – 11:45 a.m. – 12:15 p.m.
Autograph Signings – 12:15 p.m. – 1:00 p.m.

Hot Nights at the Hall -Three Nights of Amazing Music

Friday, June 17 – The Night Train to Nashville Reunion Concert, with house band led by Jimmy Church

Friday, July 8 – Stealing Angels

Friday, August 5 – Carter’s Chord Continue Reading

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Tammy Wynette photo courtesy of the Country Music Hall of Fame.

The curtain is preparing to close on the Tammy Wynette: First Lady of Country Music, Presented by Great American Country Television Network, which opened in the Country Musc Hall of Fame and Museum’s East Gallery on August 20, 2010. In anticipation of the exhibit’s June 12 wrap date, the Museum has planned a lineup of Wynette-themed programs, including a series of film screenings and a special program starring Georgette Jones on Saturday, May 28.

Born Virginia Wynette Pugh on May 5, 1942, Tammy wrote and sang honest and autobiographical songs about suffering. heartbreak, strength and survival.  Her body of work includes 20 No. 1 hits that continue to resonate with fans. She was formally inducted into the Hall of Fame in 1998. Georgette is the daughter of Tammy and George Jones. She made her first musical appearance beside her parents at age three and her first recording at 10 with her father. She will perform some of her mother’s most popular songs as well as original numbers and will also discuss her mother’s impact on country music. She will stick around to sign autographs in the Museum’s store after the show. Continue Reading

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Reba McEntire photo courtesy of The Valory Music Co.

Reba McEntire was honored and humbled when she received an invitation to be one of the newest members of the Country Music Hall of Fame earlier this year, along with Bobby Braddock and Jean Shepard. Reba already has many special memories of the Hall of Fame and Museum, but seeing her name as a permanent fixture on one of the gold plaques immortalizing Hall of Fame members is a moment she has wished for, for years.

“Coming to Nashville when I was a litty bitty girl – that was the only vacation we ever took, because Daddy always took us rodeoing  and although he was working, we were still kind of sightseeing,” Reba said. “He said we stayed on vacation anyway, all the time. But coming down here and seeing those bronze plaques on the walls and I remember seeing Dolly’s and Porter’s, and I remember thinking, ‘Man, Dolly Parton. That’d be so cool to have one of those one of these days.’” Continue Reading

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Reba McEntire photo by Russ Harrington, courtesy of the Valory Music Co.

Yesterday, Reba McEntire celebrated her 60th hit single, “Turn On The Radio.” She’s been topping the charts since 1982′s “Can’t Even Get The Blues.” Pretty impressive!

Reba feted the accomplishment at her offices, Starstruck Entertainment.

“It’s just so much fun to perform,” Reba told Nashville’s NewsChannel5.com, “and when that note hits, and that drum, that thing at the beginning, I mean the audience is on their feet going whoa-up with me and it’s just too much fun.” Continue Reading

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