How does one educate themselves on the history of country music? Why by visiting the Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum. We got downtown around 9:50am and that gave us about fifteen minutes before we had to meet for our tour of RCA Studio B. We decided to add on this experience along with the tour of the museum (Museum admission $22.95 USD / person, studio tour $18 USD / person).
We boarded the bus for the six minute ride to Music Row where the studio is. When you first enter the building, you are in what used to be the front office. On the walls, was a timeline showing a brief history of the studio. As I was standing there and looking at some of the people/songs that had recorded there, you get a real sense of the history of the building. It is known as the home of 1000 hits.
As we left the front office, we passed by Chet Atkins office, a rear control room and a smaller studio. When we entered the actual Studio B, I took a look around and got goosebumps. Before our guide started the second part of the tour, we each got to sit down and touch the Steinway piano which was Elvis’ favourite.
The rest of the tour was spent in the studio listening to clips of songs that were recorded in that room. She would point out where each of the musicians would be placed to get the best possible sound. There is even a blue X on the floor to mark the sweet spot for vocals. Some of the songs recorded here include Dolly Parton’s “I Will Always Love You”, The Everly Brothers’ “All I Have To Do Is Dream” and Roy Orbison’s “Only The Lonely”.
The permanent exhibit at the Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum is called “Sing Me Back Home: A Journey Through Country Music”. This exhibit takes up most of the two floors of building which is 350,000 square feet. The story is told through artifacts, photographs, recorded sound and vintage videos. There are also rotating limited engagement exhibits such as the Brooks & Dunn: Kings of Neon and Outlaws and Armadillos: Country’s Roaring ‘70s exhibits that are currently there. Karen and I spent about three hours learning all that there is to know about country music.
At the end of the museum, is a rotunda where there is a plaque for each person inducted into the Country Music Hall of Fame. It is a fitting way to finish up the tour.
After an day of education, we decided to spend our evening shopping. We read that many of the country music stars live in Franklin so we thought why not hit the mall and see what happens. Well we did not meet any stars but we did manage to hit a Kohls, Dillards and Macy’s.
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