What would you expect to see in a musician's hall of fame? If the household names of the world's leading recording artists and performing headliners come to mind, think again. Nashville's Musicians Hall of Fame is all about the musicians behind the music: The sidemen, the supporting cast, the backing bands.
As a keyboard player who could no more fly to the moon than I could front a band, I stand (or usually, sit) in awe of the front-men who engage the audience and hold the stage as solo artists. At the same time, it was wonderful to see a Hall of Fame Museum honoring musicians who, like me, play supporting roles with an occasional solo thrown our way.
But the building that housed the Musicians Hall of Fame was torn down in 2010 to make way for Nashville's new convention center, and the museum's exhibits have since been in storage. Unfortunately, the storage facility was within flooding distance of the Cumberland River, and many of the instruments were damaged in the flooding of May, 2010. However, about 96 percent of the instruments were able to be restored.
More good news: The museum has finally found a new home. It will be moving to the first floor of the Nashville Municipal Auditorium, and taking on the new name of the Musicians Hall of Fame at Nashville Municipal Auditorium. The Auditorium is a historic music venue that has hosted great acts like the Rolling Stones and Bob Dylan.
Nashville: More Than Country Music
It's important to realize that Nashville is not just about country music. It is home to one of America's top Grammy-winning classical symphony orchestras, and songwriters from all genres live and work here. Scores of hit mainstream songs such "Dust In The Wind" (Kansas), "Heart Of Gold " (Neil Young), and "Lay Lady Lay" (Bob Dylan) were recorded here.
Nashville -- self-proclaimed "America's Music City" -- has no shortage of iconic music attractions, which bring visitors from all over the world. Downtown hotels are decorated with music themes. Tourists can wander from one live music venue to another, and vary their bar-hopping with visits to Hatch Show Prints (vintage music posters from the oldest printer in America), Gruhn Guitars (collectible guitars), and the Ernest Tubb Record Shop (and yes, that means LPs). And there's also the Ryman Auditorium, the Country Music Hall of Fame, and the Grand Ole Opry.
The Musicians Hall of Fame
What's different about the Musicians Hall of Fame is that it honors not the stars, but the essence of music making. Not that there's any shortage of big names: When you've got Cash's Guild and Hendrix's Strat (both restored after the floods of 2010 damaged them, but now ready to be re-exhibited) you show them off.
But the heart and soul of the Hall of Fame are the exhibits that celebrate the men (and they were indeed, mostly men) who stood beside and behind the household-name artists of yesteryear: the musicians who could learn a song in five minutes, who could play in any style required, and could give life to a tune with a memorable riff or instrumental hook.
This is, indeed, a celebration of how music is actually made. And there's a lot of history here, including hundreds of instruments that played pivotal roles in iconic songs and pop anthems.
Interestingly, the museum divided its exhibits according to the relationship of the musicians with cities that played pivotal roles in the history of music, including Detroit, Nashville, Muscle Shoals, Memphis and New York. From the 50s through the 80s -- arguably the greatest period of evolution in American popular music -- tight groups of studio musicians played on the vast majority of records made in the great music centers. Some of these studio bands had hits of their own. But whether as backing bands or as frontmen in their own right, these musicians are honored in he Musicians Hall of Fame, where their work will not be forgotten.
The Musicians Hall of Fame is slated to reopen in early 2012.
Karen Berger - Karen Berger is the author of 15 books. Please click on her name to read her full bio.
