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36-468: "The Country Music Foundation, Inc. (CMF) is dedicated to preserving and teaching the evolving history of country music—from its early, traditional roots to its present-day manifestations as a community-based music and a thriving form of popular culture." The Country Music Foundation was originally located with the first Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum at the corner of 16th Avenue and Division on Music Row in Nashville, TN . The Country Music Foundation

72-458: A prominent manufacturer of American musical instruments. Through the years, Gretsch has manufactured a wide range of instruments, though they currently focus on electric , acoustic and resonator guitars, basses , ukuleles , and drums. Gretsch instruments enjoyed market prominence by the 1950s. In 1954, Gretsch began a collaboration with guitarist Chet Atkins to manufacture a line of electric guitars with Atkins' endorsement, resulting in

108-480: A mural, The Sources of Country Music , by Thomas Hart Benton . It was Benton's final work; as he died in his studio while completing it. For a professional in the country music field, membership in the Country Music Hall of Fame , is the highest honor the genre can bestow. An invitation can be extended to performers, songwriters, broadcasters, musicians, and executives in recognition of their contributions to

144-491: A new, 140,000-square-foot (13,000 m ) facility in the heart of downtown Nashville 's arts and entertainment district in May 2001. In 2014, the museum unveiled a $ 100 million expansion, doubling its size to 350,000 square feet of galleries, archival storage, education classrooms, retail stores, and special event space. In the museum's core exhibition, Sing Me Back Home: A Journey Through Country Music, visitors are immersed in

180-560: A series of Traveling Wilburys commemorative guitars, which bore little resemblance to prior Gretsch models. In 1989, Gretsch restarted large-scale production of new guitars based on classic Gretsch models. In late 2002, Gretsch and the Fender Musical Instruments Corporation reached an agreement giving Fender control over marketing, production, and distribution of guitars, with the Gretsch family retaining ownership of

216-565: A small library was begun in a loft above one of the museum's galleries. Early in the 1970s, the basement of the museum building was partially complete, and library expansion began, embracing not only recordings, but also books and periodicals, sheet music and songbooks, photographs, business documents, and other materials. At the outset, CMA staff had run the museum, but by 1972, the museum (already governed by its own independent board of directors) acquired its own small staff. Building expansion took place in 1974, 1977, and 1984 to store and display

252-617: A total debt of over $ 9 billion. In 1984, former Baldwin CEO Richard Harrison bought the Baldwin music divisions and brought back former Gretsch employee, Duke Kramer, to run the Gretsch division. In 1985, the Gretsch company once again came under the leadership of the Gretsch family when Fred W. Gretsch, great-grandson of Friedrich and nephew of Fred Gretsch Jr, assumed presidency of the company. The first Gretsch guitars after Fred W Gretsch became president were released in 1988. They were

288-598: Is also found on the Rotunda's walls. The large steel beams supporting the Conservatory's glass ceiling and walls conjure up images of rural railroad bridges. In another transportation metaphor, the cascading water along the Grand Staircase calls to mind the mighty rivers that have inspired so much of our nation's music and have physically connected musicians in various regions of the nations. Musical symbolism continues within

324-539: Is an American company that manufactures and markets musical instruments . The company was founded in 1883 in Brooklyn , New York by Friedrich Gretsch, a 27-year-old German immigrant, shortly after his arrival to the United States. Friedrich Gretsch manufactured banjos , tambourines , and drums until his death in 1895. In 1916, his son, Fred Gretsch Sr. moved operations to a larger facility where Gretsch went on to become

360-513: Is one of the world's largest museums and research centers dedicated to the preservation and interpretation of American vernacular music . Chartered in 1964, the museum has amassed one of the world's most extensive musical collections. The Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum is the world's largest repository of country music artifacts. Early in the 1960s, as the Country Music Association 's (CMA) campaign to publicize country music

396-709: Is still housed with the Hall of Fame and Museum at its new location at 222 5th Avenue South in Downtown Nashville when the new building opened in 2001. The CMF was founded in 1964 and charged with operating the Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum , whose original location opened on Music Row in Nashville, TN on April 1, 1967. Until 1971, the CMF shared staff with the Country Music Association (CMA). It moved locations in 2001 to

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432-595: The Gretsch 6120 hollowbody guitar and other later models such as the Country Gentleman. Electric guitars before 1957 used single coil pickups that have significant hum problems as an inherent part of their design. Frustration with the hum of these pickups prompted Atkins to collaborate with American inventor and engineer Ray Butts on the development of a new "humbucking" pickup by connecting two single-coil pickups serially and out of phase. This resulted in what may have been

468-727: The Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum. The Country Music Hall of Fame® and Museum is a 501(c)(3) non-profit educational organization and does not participate in the election. Bas-relief portraits (similar to that in the Baseball Hall of Fame in New York) cast in bronze honoring each Hall of Fame member were originally displayed at the Tennessee State Museum in downtown Nashville until the Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum opened its own building in April 1967; in this barn-roofed facility at

504-507: The Frist Library and Archives, located on museum's third floor. The collection includes: The downtown building was designed by Nashville's Tuck-Hinton Architectural Firm with Seab Tuck as the project architect. When viewed from the air, the building forms a massive bass clef . The point on the sweeping arch of the building suggests the tailfin of a 1959 Cadillac sedan. The building's front windows resemble piano keys. The tower on top of

540-579: The Gretsch Sparkle Jet. He was also inspired by the American cars of the era in introducing new finishes to their guitars. During this time, Chet Atkins became an endorser of Gretsch and they sold guitars with Atkins' name on the pickguard. After The Beatles first appearance on the Ed Sullivan Show , Gretsch sales soared overnight, due to George Harrison playing a Gretsch Country Gentleman for

576-586: The Mid-South—wood, concrete, steel, and stone—were used in the building's construction as a reminder of the music's strong roots in the lives of working Americans. Georgia yellow pine adorns the floors of the Conservatory and is also found in the Hall of Fame Rotunda the Ford Theater. Crab Orchard Stone from the East Tennessee mountains lend a homey, rustic touch to the Conservatory's "front porch" atmosphere and

612-424: The Rotunda that extends down the Hall of Fame is a replica of the distinctive diamond-shaped WSM radio tower, which was originally built in 1932 just south of Nashville and is still in operation. The Rotunda itself is replete with symbolic architectural elements. For example, the exterior of this cylindrical structure can be viewed variously as a drum kit, a rural water tower, or grain silo. The four disc tiers of

648-604: The Rotunda's roof evoke the evolution of recording technology—the 78, the vinyl LP, the 45, and the CD. Stone bars on the Rotunda's outside wall symbolize the notes of the Carter Family's classic song " Will the Circle Be Unbroken ", while the title of the song rings the interior of the structure. The Hall of Fame member's plaques housed within the Rotunda are reminiscent of notes on a musical staff. Solid, earthy materials native to

684-495: The annual exhibition, American Currents: State of Music , which chronicles country music's most recent past. In addition to the galleries, the museum has the 776-seat CMA Theater, the Taylor Swift Education Center, and multi-purpose event rental spaces. Other historic properties of the Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum include one of the country's oldest letterpress print shop Hatch Show Print (located inside

720-513: The band's early years. Gretsch was founded in 1883 by Friedrich Gretsch, a young German immigrant who opened his own musical instrument shop on 128 Middleton Street in Brooklyn, New York that year. His shop was designed for the manufacture of tambourines and drums . The operation moved to South 4th Street in 1894. In 1895, Gretsch died at the age of 39 and the company was taken over by his wife and fifteen-year-old son Fred. Fred Gretsch expanded

756-485: The business, adding Gretsch Building #1 at 109 South 5th Street in 1903, Gretsch Building #2 at 104-114 South 4th Street in 1910, and a new ten-story Gretsch Building #4 at 60 Broadway in 1916. The company ultimately owned or operated six properties in the immediate area, including a warehouse on Dunham Place. Gretsch Building #4 was owned by the Gretsch family until 1999. Guitar production by the Gretsch Company began in

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792-550: The company was again run by Fred Jr. By the mid-1950s the company introduced several models, including the 6120 "Nashville," and the 6128 Duo Jet chambered "solid body", which was played by Bo Diddley . Two other models were introduced - the Country Club, and the White Falcon . In 1954, guitarist and Gretsch employee, Jimmie Webster suggested adding the sparkle finishes from Gretsch drums onto their guitars, resulting in

828-478: The development of country music. The hall of fame honor was created in 1961 by the Country Music Association (CMA); the first inductees were Hank Williams , Jimmie Rodgers , and Fred Rose . Roy Acuff , the first living artist to join the Hall of Fame, was elected in 1962. The most recent inductees (class of 2024) are John Anderson , James Burton , and Toby Keith . Over the Hall of Fame's history,

864-450: The early 1930s, and Gretsch guitars became highly sought after, most notably in the 1950s and 1960s. Fred Gretsch Sr. handed over the family business to his son, Fred Gretsch Jr., after retiring in 1942. Soon after taking over, Fred Jr. left to serve in WWII as a Navy commander, leaving the business in the hands of his younger brother, William Walter "Bill" Gretsch. Bill Gretsch died in 1948 and

900-558: The effort of CMA Executive Director Jo Walker-Meador to build the Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum, which opened on April 1, 1967. The original building was a barn-shaped structure located at the head of Music Row , erected on the site of a small Nashville city park. This hall of fame was modeled after the National Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum in Cooperstown, New York . At this point, artifacts began to be displayed and

936-516: The first humbucker pickup (a claim lost to Gibson Guitars because Gibson was able to file a patent for their humbucker design first). Butts' design became the Gretsch Filter'Tron and was used on Gretsch guitars beginning in 1957, and is highly regarded for its unique sound properties. The popularity of Gretsch guitars soared in the mid-1960s because of its association with Beatles guitarist George Harrison , who played Gretsch guitars beginning in

972-553: The head of Music Row, the bronze plaques formed a special exhibit. Through a licensing agreement with the CMA, the Museum exhibits the bronze plaques commemorating membership in a space and fashion befitting the honor. The museum's collections document country music from its folk roots through today. Artifacts and archival materials not on exhibit are housed in the museum's 46,000 square foot secure, climate-controlled collections storage rooms and in

1008-470: The history and sounds of country music. The story is revealed through artifacts, photographs, text panels, recorded sound, vintage video, and interactive touchscreens. Sing Me Back Home is enhanced by rotating limited-engagement exhibits. The ACM Gallery and the Dinah and Fred Gretsch Family Gallery features artifacts from today's country stars and a series of technology-enhanced activities. The ACM Gallery houses

1044-533: The museum galleries. Hardwood floors, curtain-like exhibit-case fronts, and low hanging lights suspended by cables create the backstage atmosphere of the Third Floor. Similarly, modular exhibit stations and vinyl floors evoke a recording studio environment on the Second Floor. 36°09′30″N 86°46′34″W  /  36.15833°N 86.77611°W  / 36.15833; -86.77611 Gretsch Gretsch

1080-438: The museum offers an aggressive schedule of educational and family programs. The museum also operates CMF Records, a Grammy -winning re-issue label ( The Complete Hank Williams and Night Train to Nashville: Music City Rhythm & Blues, 1945–1970) ; and CMF Press, a publishing imprint that has released books in cooperation with Vanderbilt University Press and other major trade publishing houses. The Hall of Fame Rotunda features

1116-473: The museum's growing collection of costumes, films, historic cars, musical instruments , and other artifacts. An education department was created to conduct ongoing programs with Middle Tennessee schools; an oral history program was begun; and a publications department was launched to handle books, as well as the Journal of Country Music. To become more accessible, the Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum moved to

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1152-485: The museum) and Historic RCA Studio B (located on Music Row), Nashville's oldest surviving recording studio, where recordings by Country Music Hall of Fame members Elvis Presley , Dolly Parton , Waylon Jennings , and many others were made. The Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum has developed multiple platforms to make its collection accessible to a wider audience. From weekly instrument demonstrations to its flagship songwriting program for schools, Words & Music ,

1188-418: The new Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum in downtown Nashville. The CMF regularly produces and consults for other labels' historic performances, and itself issued the first historic recording on their Country Music Foundation Records label, which preceded later releases including: — Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum The Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum in Nashville, Tennessee ,

1224-509: The number of new members inducted each year has varied from one to twelve (no nominee was inducted in 1963, no candidate having received sufficient votes). Election to the Country Music Hall of Fame is solely the prerogative of the CMA. New members, elected annually by a panel of industry executives chosen by the CMA, are inducted formally during the Medallion Ceremony, part of the annual reunion of Country Music Hall of Fame members hosted by

1260-519: The performance. Fred Gretsch never found a suitable successor, and in 1967 Gretsch was sold to Baldwin Pianos , becoming a subsidiary of that firm. Mid-1969, Baldwin moved Gretsch instrument manufacturing operations from Brooklyn to a plant in DeQueen, Arkansas. In 1983, Baldwin's holding company and several of its subsidiaries were forced into bankruptcy. At the time it was the largest bankruptcy ever, with

1296-449: Was accelerating, CMA leaders determined that a new organization was needed to operate a country music museum and related activities beyond CMA's scope as simply a trade organization. Toward this end, the nonprofit Country Music Foundation (CMF) was chartered by the state of Tennessee in 1964 to collect, preserve, and publicize information and artifacts relating to the history of country music. Through CMF, industry leaders raised money with

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