The Musicians Hall of Fame has been invited to exhibit at the internationally famous Big E Fair in West Springfield, MA September 17 to October 3, 2010.  Officials are expecting around 1,500,000  visitors during the 17 day event.

The Museum will take exhibits ranging from Jimi Hendrix’s 1967 Fender Stratocaster to Luther Perkins 1963 Fender Esquire that he used while playing as a member of the Tennessee Two with Johnny Cash.  Also on display will be one of Johnny Cash’s personal guitars.

Other items on display will include Joe Osborn’s 1960 Fender Jazz Bass rightfully described in September 2010 issue of Bass Player Magazine as “One of the most famous recording basses in the history of popular music.”  Joe took delivery of this bass while playing with Ricky Nelson in 1960.  Joe can bee seen playing this bass along with fellow guitarist James Burton (Elvis’s guitar player from 1969 to 1977) on the original T.V. series “Ozzie and Harriet” backing a young Ricky Nelson.  Joe recorded hundreds of hit records using his historic Jazz Bass such as, “ California Dreamin’ ”, “Monday, Monday”,  “I Saw Her Again”, along with every other hit The Mamas & The Papas recorded, “Bridge Over Troubled Water” by Simon & Garfunkel, “Lucille” by Kenny Rogers, “Aquarius” and “Up, Up and Away” by the 5th Dimension, “Close to You” and all of the other hits recorded by The Carpenters. Actually, it would almost be easier to name the hits Joe didn’t play on during his career.

Along with Joe’s bass on display will be Hal Blaine’s blue sparkle Ludwig drum set. Hal played on most of the songs listed for Joe Osborn as well as “God Only Knows”, “Good Vibrations”, “California Girls”, “Fun, Fun, Fun”,  “I Get Around” along with many other Beach Boys records.  Hal along with Scotty Moore (Elvis’s original guitarist) were the first “sidemen” inducted into The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.  Hal along with the rest of the Wrecking Crew (famous group of L.A. session musicians) were among the first musicians inducted into The Musicians Hall of Fame in 2007.

Other instruments that will be on display at The Big E will include guitars, drums, saxophones and trumpets used to record hundreds of hit records at the famous STAX recording label in Memphis (Booker T. & the M.G.’s, Otis Redding, Sam & Dave, Eddie Floyd) and at Motown in Detroit (Smokey Robinson, The Supremes, The Temptations, Stevie Wonder and The Jackson 5).

All of these, along with many other artifacts will be on display for the public to enjoy at this year’s Big E Fair.

For more information on The Big E please click HERE.

See you all there!

The Musicians Hall of Fame would like to send our sincere condolences to the family of Fred Carter, Jr.. Fred passed away on July 17th at the age of 76.

Fred was a well known Nashville session musician who played on songs like Marty Robbins’ “El Paso,” Simon & Garfunkel’s “The Boxer” and Bob Dylan’s “Lay Lady Lay”. In his career, Carter worked with Conway Twitty, Roy Orbison, Willie Nelson, Dolly Parton, Waylon Jennings,  Kris Kristofferson, Dale Hawkins and many others. In the 1960s and 1970s, he was an in-demand studio musician, most often on guitar, and encouraged artists like Joan Baez, Neil Young and The Band to record in Nashville.

Ben Keith

The Musicians Hall of Fame would like to send our sincere condolences to the family of Ben Keith. Ben passed away at the age of 73.

His first session in Nashville as a steel guitarist was on Patsy Cline’s “I Fall to Pieces” and he has been a long time steel guitarist for Neil Young. Ben played on Neil Young’s hits such as “Old Man” and ” Heart of Gold”.

Also, Ben produced one of the largest selling albums of all time, Jewel’s debut album Pieces of You.

Check our website for upcoming video clips of an interview Ben did at The Musicians Hall of Fame in 2005.

*Bob Babbitt is currently in the studio and on tour with Phil Collins.

*Along with being in the studio with Kenny Chesney, Jim Horn has also been in the studio recently working with Sting.

*Ricky Skaggs will soon release a new album co- produced with Gordon Kennedy who won a Grammy for his co-production work on Peter Framptons 2008 instrumental album “Fingerprints”.

Literally, hours before we began vacating the museum premises to comply with Judge Barbara Haynes court order which gave the city of Nashville the rights to take over possession of The Musicians Hall of Fame and Museum property, Founder and Curator Joe Chambers along with staff videographer Jay McDowell did one last impromptu filmed tour of current items on display in the museum.

Each week we will be adding new clips of exhibits that were in the museum so for the next few months check our website weekly to view new segments of The Last Tour.

We hope you all enjoy!

The Musicians Hall of Fame would like to congratulate Billy Sherrill on his induction into The Country Music Hall of Fame on Sunday, May 23, 2010. Billy was honored along with the legendary country music singer Ferlin Husky at the medallion ceremony held at The Country Music Hall of Fame in Nashville, Tennessee.  Billy’s contributions to the history of country music through his abilities as a musician, songwriter and producer are unparalleled.

Voted BMI’s Songwriter of the Century in 2000, Billy’s musical career started as a piano player at tent revivals working for his Father who was a Baptist minister.  He also played saxophone in a Rock & Roll band touring the Southeast named “The Fairlanes”.

Billy moved from Florence, Al to Nashville after receiving his first royalty check as a songwriter.  This led to him working for the new Sun Records office located in Nashville.  Sun records founder Sam Phillips hired Billy as a engineer and allowed him to utilize the studio after hours to record his own songs.  Billy had a regional hit entitled “Tipsy” which he wrote and played every instrument on the recording.  After seeing Billy at work in the studio, the Internationally known publisher, Al Gallico, helped land him the job as the top executive at the newly opened Columbia-Epic Records located on Music Row.  It was there he became known as the producer with the “Midas Touch “.  Billy’s lush productions such as “The Most Beautiful Girl in the World” by Charlie Rich to the working man’s anthem “Take This Job and Shove it” by Johnny Paycheck opened doors for country music all over the world.

Billy as a producer is responsible for what were voted the top two country songs of all time “Stand by Your Man” by Tammy Wynette and “He Stopped Loving Her Today” by George Jones.

In 2008, Billy was inducted in the Producer category into The Musicians Hall of Fame.

First and foremost, the Musicians Hall of Fame & Museum would like to extend our sincerest concern and condolences for the loss of life and property experienced by so many of our fellow Tennesseans from the recent floods.  Our thoughts and prayers are with all of those affected by this tragic event.

Although there is no way to compare our loss to what others are experiencing, we would like to inform those interested about our current situation.

As a result of the city’s decision to have us vacate the museum property in February 2010, through eminent domain, the museum was forced by Third Circuit Court Judge Barbara Haynes to remove everything including all exhibits with 7 days notice prior to the building being torn down.  Many of our artifacts were temporarily stored in the longtime revered performance and storage space of SoundCheck in Nashville.  Unfortunately, SoundCheck was yet another casualty of the floods and in turn so many treasured musical pieces including ours were affected.

Thank you to all of those who have emailed and called asking how they can assist.  If anyone wishes to make financial contributions to The Musicians Hall of Fame to assist in instrument restoration and flood recovery please make checks to The Musicians Hall of Fame P.O. Box 23655, Nashville, TN 37202.

The Musicians Hall of Fame & Museum has remained in continued dialogue, when requested, with city representatives, about seeking an amicable solution to finding a new home for the Musicians Hall of Fame & Museum in Nashville, but to no avail at this point in time.

Check out our website for a filmed tour of The Musicians Hall of Fame Museum just prior to demolition.

The Musicians Hall of Fame Induction Ceremony & Awards Show has been pushed back to Spring 2011 due to our current situation concerning our relocation with the city of Nashville compounded with the additional uncertainty of our flood-damaged artifacts.

The MHOF Awards Show has become a wonderful tradition and spectacular opportunity to honor those musicians who have made the music that plays as the soundtrack of our lives.  Today’s musicians are in the studios creating and carrying on the tradition that future generations will also revere and look back on as the soundtrack to this chapter in our cities history, with the knowledge that we will rise again and continue to move forward with the spirit that makes Nashville a special place to be.

Record label executive and philanthropist, Mike Curb, has provided office space for the Musicians Hall of Fame & Museum, due to the temporary museum closure by eminent domain.

The Musicians Hall of Fame is conducting day to day operations in our new offices that are located in the Mike Curb College of Entertainment and Business building at 34 Music Square East (formally CBS Records Nashville building. Home of CBS Studio A and the famous CBS Studio B better known as the Quonset Hut which was the first studio built on Music Row.)

We would like to take this opportunity to thank Mike Curb and Don Cusic for their generosity and support as well as all of those who have provided their support during this time of change.  We encourage you to keep in touch with us as we begin planning one of the most spectacular music shows you’ll ever see for Spring 2011!

For more information, please read the Tennessean article by Peter Cooper by clicking HERE

Record label executive and philanthropist, Mike Curb, has recently provided office space for the Musicians Hall of Fame & Museum, due to temporary museum closure by eminent domain.  The Musicians Hall of Fame will conduct day to day operations as well as prepare for the 4th Annual Musicians Hall of Fame Induction Ceremony from our Music Row offices.  The new offices are located in the Mike Curb College of Entertainment and Business building at 34 Music Square East (formally CBS Records Nashville building. Home of CBS Studio A and the famous CBS Studio B better known as the Quonset Hut which was the first studio built on Music Row.)

We would like to take this opportunity to thank Mike Curb and Don Cusic for their generosity and support.

The Musicians Hall of Fame is happy to announce that we have acquired the late Drake Levin’s cherry red 1960’s epiphone sheraton.  Drake used this guitar both live and in the studio as lead guitarist and founding member of Paul Revere & the Raiders.  The MHOF has also acquired Drakes backup epiphone sheraton, Revolutionary War styled stage jacket, three point hat and original gold albums.

Update May 24, 2010:  Unfortunately, Drake Levin’s two cherry red epiphone sheratons that were recently acquired along with the Gretsh Chet Atkins Country Gentleman belonging to blues legend Robert Lockwood Jr. were  damaged by the flood waters while stored at Soundcheck.  Thankfully, Drake’s Paul Revere & the Raiders Revolutionary war styled stage jacket from the 60’s along with his three point hat were stored in another location.  His three original gold albums by PRR were also spared.

(If you were one of our regular guests at the museum and had not seen these items, it is because these artifacts had not been placed on display yet.)