The Tennessean: Nashville Songwriters Hall of Fame has new exhibit

Dave Paulson  December 18, 2015

 

(Photo: Bev Moser)

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.