American Currents
The latest installment of American Currents: State of the Music—the Museum's annual exhibition focused on the most significant developments in country music over the previous year—includes another broad mix of performers, musicians, and industry leaders whose songs and stories made an impact. Explore those stories in the galleries now, and get a virtual view into the exhibition through the program American Currents: Celebrating the State of the Music, available to watch on demand now, featuring Luke Combs, Rissi Palmer, Billy Strings, and Vince Gill.
Museum Members get in free! Adult $27.95 | Youth (6-12) $17.95
Open March 12, 2021 - February 6, 2022
'American Currents: Celebrating the State of the Music'
Luke Combs, Rissi Palmer, Billy Strings, and Vince Gill join the Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum to introduce and celebrate the latest American Currents: State of the Music exhibition. Click play to watch the virtual program, featuring performances by and interviews with Combs, Palmer, and Strings, who are recognized in the exhibition, plus an introduction from Country Music Hall of Fame member Gill, and an exploration of American Currents with Museum CEO Kyle Young.
About American Currents
Through the annual exhibition American Currents: State of the Music, the Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum explores the music and events that helped to shape the previous year. Amid a global health crisis, a renewed push for social justice, and more, the powerful role of country music and the stories told through it remained constant in 2020.
Those recognized in this year’s American Currents: State of the Music are:
American Currents: State of the Music includes an Unbroken Circle section, featuring paired artists that illustrate the connection between country music’s past and present; a video compilation of important country music moments from 2020; and a representation of the past year’s chart-topping country albums, singles, and highest-grossing tours as reported by Billboard and Pollstar.
American Currents Artifacts
Southland Guitars built this custom, yellow and teal blue electric guitar for singer-songwriter Ashley McBryde to match the paint job on her old 1971 pickup truck.
Singer-songwriter Jimmie Allen wore this Zara Man leather motorcycle jacket at his Grand Ole Opry debut, May 7, 2018.
Singer-songwriter Charley Crockett wore this bolero jacket and pants suit, designed by clothier Fort Lonesome, when he performed at the 2019 Newport Folk Festival.
Tina Adair of the bluegrass band Sister Sadie has used this Price Artist Deluxe Rigsby Special Model mandolin since she was a teenager.
In the music video for Dan + Shay’s hit collaboration with Justin Bieber, “10,000 Hours,” Dan Smyers wore this gold Asos shirt.
In the music video for Dan + Shay’s hit collaboration with Justin Bieber, “10,000 Hours,” Shay Mooney wore this Paul Smith plaid jacket.
Miranda Lambert wore this Western shirt, belt, and jeans during the September 2020 ACM Awards when she performed her hit “Bluebird” in a remote broadcast from Nashville’s Bluebird Café.
Mickey Guyton wore this off-the-shoulder gown at the September 2020 ACM Awards. She sang “What Are You Gonna Tell Her?,” accompanied by Keith Urban on piano.
“Forever After All” was a huge hit for Luke Combs in 2020—#1 country, #2 all-genre. These are Combs’s handwritten lyrics to the chorus of “Forever After All,” composed by Combs, Drew Parker, and Robert Williford.
This fiddle case, owned by Sister Sadie’s fiddler Deanie Richardson, is autographed by dozens of musicians, including banjo master Earl Scruggs and famous fiddle players John Hartford, Benny Martin, and Mark O’Connor.
The exhibition American Currents: State of the Music runs March 12, 2021, through February 6, 2022, at the Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum in downtown Nashville.