Martina McBride 'Thrilled' to Have Exhibit at Country Music Hall of Fame: 'This is Surreal and Overwhelming'

The new Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum attraction Martina McBride: The Power of Her Voice opened on July 30, 2021 and will run through Aug. 7, 2022.

The country superstar shared her thoughts with attendees at the opening of the exhibit.

"I am beyond thrilled to have my own exhibit at the Country Music Hall of Fame," McBride said. "I'm so touched and moved by it. Thank you guys for sharing this special, special moment with me. This is surreal and overwhelming."

 

 

Per a press release, the new exhibit "encompasses the singer's journey from performing in her family's band as a child to becoming an award-winning country music artist with an enduring career delivering substantive and socially aware hit songs."

"Martina McBride has been creating powerful, socially conscious country music for more than 25 years," said museum CEO Kyle Young in a press release. "Her anthems of personal empowerment have addressed the challenges women face and contributed a much-needed perspective to the genre. The empathy at the core of her music informs her life offstage, where she advocates for female artists."

The limited-run Hall of Fame exhibit was originally slated to debut in 2020 and pushed back due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

"Postponing the exhibit opening last year due to the pandemic was a difficult decision but the right one," said McBride in a press release. "It did, however, allow us more time to plan and dig through my archive to find several truly special artifacts. I'm excited to finally be able to let everyone see what we've created. Having an exhibit in the Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum is something I've had on my dream list for a long, long time. Being able to share moments and mementos from my life and career with my fans and country music fans from all over the world is both humbling and exciting. I'm so grateful to be a part of country music."

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The Hall of Fame lists the following special artifacts from the Kansas native's career as exhibit highlights:

• Shirt, vest and pants ensemble worn on stage by McBride, when she performed at age seven with her family's band, the Schiffters
• McBride's 1984 Sharon High School yearbook
• The beaded headband and tulle veil worn by Martina at her wedding to John McBride, May 15, 1988
• Songwriter Gretchen Peters' original handwritten manuscript for "Independence Day"
• Letter from Dolly Parton to McBride, congratulating her on being named the Country Music Association's Female Vocalist of the Year in 2003
• Jenny Packham dress—embellished with rhinestones, beads and sequins—worn by McBride on the cover of her 2007 album Wake Up Laughing
• CMA Female Vocalist of the Year awards presented to McBride in 1999, 2002-2004
• ACM Female Vocalist of the Year awards presented to McBride in 2001-2003

McBride celebrated the exhibit's launch on Sun., Aug. 1 at 2 p.m. with a special conversation and performance at the Nashville-based museum's CMA Theater.

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