The War and Treaty, Billy Strings + More on Being Featured in the Country Music Hall of Fame's 'American Currents' Exhibit

On Tuesday night some of country, bluegrass and American roots music's biggest stars gathered inside the Country Music Hall of Fame & Museum in downtown Nashville to christen the opening of the institution's latest installment of its "American Currents: State Of The Music" exhibit. 

Guests in attendance ranged from prolific pickers like Billy Strings and Molly Tuttle to dynamic duo The War and Treaty, Iowa-raised singer-songwriter Hailey Whitters and Kentuckians Kelsey Waldon, S.G. Goodman and Nat Myers, among others.

Festivities were opened with remarks from Hall of Fame and Grand Ole Opry member Vince Gill and Ben Hall, the museum's Vice President of Development, in the center's first floor rotunda before welcoming guests up to its second floor to preview the exhibit prior to its official opening the next day.

Each of the artists on hand for the ceremony were humbled to be included, beginning with Billy Strings, who had just performed two sold out shows across the street from the Hall of Fame & Museum at Bridgestone Arena the weekend prior.

"This means a great deal to me because all of the other artists are incredible and some of my dear friends," Strings tells Wide Open Country. "All I've ever wanted was to be a respectable musician and all of those other folks downstairs I respect a lot. To sit beside them as a classmate, if you will, is an honor."

Fresh off her second straight Grammy win for Best Bluegrass Album courtesy of 2023's City of Gold, Molly Tuttle harkened back to her visits to the museum as a child to view items from her heroes that her own memorabilia now sits beside.

"This is my fourth time being here for the 'American Currents' exhibit and it's still one of those times where I'm pinching myself because I remember coming here as a kid to see Bill Monroe's mandolin, Maybelle Carter's guitar and so many of my heroes who inspired me to start playing this type of music," reflects Tuttle.

Two-time defending Americana Honors Duo/Group of the Year winners The War and Treaty humbly credited those who came before them and laid the foundation for their eventual success.

"It is a manifestation come true," The War & Treaty's Tanya Trotter says. "I used to say things like 'I'm on the shoulders of all those who came before me' and now I don't look at it that way. I look at it as there have been people who have been pushing us along... and encouraged us, so it makes me proud to be a part of a legacy that's already been laid in front of us."

Much like Tuttle, Hailey Whitters looked back on her childhood admiration for country music that helped to inspire her platinum certified debut single "Everything She Ain't" that helped to land her in the exhibit next to some of her musical idols.

"It's the highest honor to be included in 'American Currents,'" says Whitters. "Ever since I was a little girl I've been a huge country music nerd and just had to know everything about it, so I've made many a trip to this museum and dreamt about one day getting to put something in here or get to see something of mine in these walls."

A strong Kentucky contingent led by Tyler Childers and Sam Bush are also present throughout the exhibit. Among those on site Tuesday was Monkey's Eyebrow-born singer Kelsey Waldon, whose big childhood dreams became a reality with her inclusion.

"It is hard to explain the weight of what it means to me to have a display in the Country Music Hall of Fame," admits Waldon. "To share it with my peers and friends makes it even more special. I came to Nashville over 10 years ago from the Ohio River bottoms of Ballard County, Kentucky and didn't know a soul, and I used to visit the museum as a fan and just dream big. It truly means a lot to me for them to recognize my contributions to country music."

Even the typically easygoing and light-hearted S.G. Goodman was emotional about seeing her items, like a "Patron Saint of the Dollar Store" candle and pair of trucker hats, on display.

"As a person who loses things a lot it's good to know where a couple of my items are going to be for an entire year," jokes Goodman. "On an emotional side, it was pretty cool to see things from years ago before I ever envisioned being where I am right now. I was a different person, either when I found some of those items or wrote some of those songs. To see my sloppy handwriting behind some glass is pretty emotional."

 

Perhaps the most surprised by their inclusion was Nat Myers, a Korean-American country blues poet from Northern Kentucky who burst onto the scene last year with his Easy Eye Sound debut Yellow Peril. 

"It's hard to put into words the feeling I have being included," remarked Myers. "Humbleness, surprise and deep appreciation for not just the Hall of Fame for considering me in such an exhibit, but for the team and individuals who have brought me to where I am as an artist and performer. I see a lot of those artists from this 'American Currents' exhibit as real tuning forks for where the music is currently and where it's going to go. Country music, folk music, blues, it's all part of the tent, and the fact I can lay my head underneath the canvas with so many Kentucky musicians and musicians throughout this river we're all wading, performers that never miss, is beyond words to me."

This installment of "American Currents: State Of The Music" will remain on display into February 2025. For more information and to book your visit to the Country Music Hall of Fame & Museum, visit CountryMusicHallOfFame.org.

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