Ask
anyone on Music Row: No two songs have the same journey. Some of the
greatest tunes in history poured out of their authors in a matter of
minutes. Other songs took years of tweaking to get just right.
The Nashville Songwriters Hall of Fame
will bring the public into that creative process in a new exhibit, "The
Evolution of a Great Song." The exhibit is part of the Hall of Fame's
gallery at Nashville's Music City Center, and will give visitors a
close-up look at some early drafts, manuscripts and memorabilia from a
dozen of the Hall's esteemed members.
Bill Anderson, Bobby
Braddock, Tom Douglas, Dallas Frazier, Dickey Lee, Richard Leigh, Layng
Martine Jr., Hugh Prestwood, Curly Putman and Allen Shamblin have all
contributed pieces to the exhibit, which also features items from the
late Paul Craft, Johnny Russell and Hank Williams.
“We wanted to
give visitors insight into what a song looks like when the idea is first
born and put to paper, long before it gets on the radio,” Martine said.
The
Hall of Fame Gallery can be found on the first floor of Music City
Center (at the corner of Demonbreun Street and Sixth Avenue South). The
gallery is free and open to the public most days, depending on the
center's event schedule.