All Day
Presented annually, American Currents represents the ongoing research and analysis among curators and Museum staff to determine the most significant developments in country music over the previous year. The latest installment is open now in the ACM Gallery through March 6, 2023.
About American Currents
Through this annual exhibition, the Museum documents country music’s evolving history, diverse sounds, and broad cultural influence. In another year characterized by the complexities of the pandemic, the continued pursuit of social justice and more, country music stood out as a microcosm of American culture. The new installment of American Currents offers perspectives on music and events that shaped the genre in 2021.
Those recognized in this year’s American Currents: State of the Music are:
Featured Artists
Jimmie Allen
BRELAND
Brandi Carlile
Luke Combs
Jerry Douglas and John Hiatt
Jenee Fleenor
Grand Ole Opry
Mickey Guyton
Tom T. Hall
Walker Hayes
Wanda Jackson
Thomm Jutz
Alison Krauss
Reba McEntire
Old Dominion
Brothers Osborne
Carly Pearce
Allison Russell
Brittney Spencer
Chris Stapleton
Billy Strings
Taylor Swift
Keith Urban
Lainey Wilson
Lee Ann Womack
A portion of the exhibit titled “Unbroken Circle” will highlight artists and their musical connections, including those who have influenced them or share musical perspectives. Featured pairings include BRELAND and Keith Urban, Thomm Jutz and Tom T. Hall, Brittney Spencer and Reba McEntire, and Lainey Wilson and Lee Ann Womack.
Featured Artifacts
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Mickey Guyton wore this pleated silk chiffon dress with draped cape on the cover of her 2021 album, Remember Her Name.
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Luke Combs wore this Jack Victor custom suit and this Eton dress shirt at the 2021 CMA Awards, where he was named Entertainer of the Year.
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Jenee Fleenor wore this custom Western-tailored dress at the 2021 CMA Awards, where she was named Musician of the Year.
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Billy Strings wrote the lyrics to his song “This Old World” on this notebook page. The song appears on his 2021 album, Renewal.
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Jimmie Allen wore these customized boots when he competed on ABC-TV’s Dancing with the Stars in 2021, and at the 2021 CMA Awards, where he was named New Artist of the Year.
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Singer-songwriter BRELAND’s single “Throw It Back” featured his co-writer, Keith Urban, on the recording and in the music video. Urban used this custom-designed and hand-painted guitar effects pedal in the 2021 video.
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Thomm Jutz’s 1969 Gibson Country and Western guitar was bequeathed to him by his friend Richard Dobson, a Texas-based singer-songwriter who passed away in 2017.
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Keith Urban used this Deering Boston six-string banjo—also called a “ganjo,” because it’s strung like a guitar—in the 2021 music video for BRELAND's single “Throw It Back.”
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Allison Russell played this Yamaha clarinet, among other instruments, on her 2021 solo album, Outside Child.
See the Exhibit for yourself
The exhibition American Currents: State of the Music runs March 4, 2022, through February 5, 2023, at the Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum in downtown Nashville.