American Currents: State of the Music
Exhibit Now Open
The Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum’s annual exhibition American Currents: State of the Music offers a broad look at country music and its place in American culture over the past year. The latest installment, open now through February 2025, features music and moments from cozy clubs to arena rafters.
Featuring
Oliver Anthony • Kelsea Ballerini • Sam Bush • Tyler Childers • Luke Combs • Jessie Jo Dillon • S.G. Goodman • C.J. Lewandowski • Martina McBride • Megan Moroney • Kacey Musgraves • Nat Myers • Nickel Creek • Joy Oladokun • Bobby Osborne • Jelly Roll • Allison Russell • Shucked: Shane McAnally & Brandy Clark • SistaStrings • Billy Strings • Taylor Swift • The War and Treaty • Molly Tuttle • Kelsey Waldon • Cindy Walker • Morgan Wallen • Hailey Whitters • Lucinda Williams • Lainey Wilson
Featured Artists
Those recognized in this year’s American Currents: State of the Music are:
Oliver Anthony
Kelsea Ballerini
Sam Bush
Tyler Childers
Luke Combs
Jessie Jo Dillon
S.G. Goodman
C.J. Lewandowski
Martina McBride
Megan Moroney
Kacey Musgraves
Nat Myers
Nickel Creek
Joy Oladokun
Bobby Osborne
Jelly Roll
Allison Russell
Shucked: Shane McAnally & Brandy Clark
SistaStrings
Billy Strings
Taylor Swift
The War and Treaty
Molly Tuttle
Kelsey Waldon
Cindy Walker
Morgan Wallen
Hailey Whitters
Lucinda Williams
Lainey Wilson
Featured Artifacts
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Electric guitarCustom built for Lucinda Williams by luthier James Trussart in 2017, this SteeltopCaster electric guitar has a pine body with driftwood finish and a recessed metal top engraved with alligator-skin patterns. Based in Los Angeles, Trussart has built metal-and-wood guitars for dozens of well-known musicians, including Eric Clapton, Billy Gibbons and Keith Richards.
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Denim jacketJelly Roll wore this custom-made patchwork denim jacket — hand-painted with images of the Nashville skyline, piano keys and other symbols — and t-shirt at his first headlining concert at Nashville’s Bridgestone Arena, on Dec. 9, 2022. Proceeds from his sold-out appearance in front of a hometown crowd were earmarked for programs benefiting at-risk youth.
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Electric guitarLainey Wilson played this 2022 Fender American Professional Telecaster Deluxe, with a custom paint job and leopard-print pickguard, at shows on her Country with a Flare Tour in 2023.
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Baseball jerseySam Bush wore this John Hartford–themed baseball jersey — designed by Barbara Day — at his shows in 2023.
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BanjoBilly Strings played this Deering Goodtime five-string banjo when he busked on the streets of Traverse City, Michigan, in his late teens.
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“Shucked” programThis souvenir program is from the Broadway run of “Shucked” at New York’s Nederlander Theatre in April 2023.
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Mood boardKacey Musgraves created this mood board, including lyrics to “Slow Burn,” while writing the song, which was the opening track on her Grammy-winning 2018 album, Golden Hour.
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Western suitKelsey Waldon wore this Cybelle Elena–designed western suit, with rhinestone accents and embroidered moons, stars, musical notes and flowers, and this shimmering V-neck top in the 2022 music video for “Tall and Mighty,” from her album No Regular Dog. Waldon calls it her “Blue Moon suit,” a reference to Kentucky’s state bluegrass song “Blue Moon of Kentucky,” written by Country Music Hall of Fame member Bill Monroe.
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OutfitTyler Childers wore this old-fashioned outfit of shirt, pants and suspenders on the cover of his 2023 album, Rustin’ in the Rain.
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PuppetsThese puppet figures of Joy Oladokun and Chris Stapleton were used in the 2022 music video for “Sweet Symphony,” Oladokun’s collaboration with Stapleton. Oladokun explained the use of puppets, saying, “I felt really inspired as a Black kid watching ‘Sesame Street’ and the Muppets, because we live in a world where our differences separate us, and these shows were so clearly modeled through the art form that differences don’t matter. I love the surrealism and realism that puppet art blends together because it teaches us cool lessons about how we should treat each other.”
Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum Building Marquee Photos:
Lainey Wilson – CeCe Dawson | Billy Strings – Jesse Faatz
Allison Russell – Leesa Allmond
Plan Your Visit
The exhibition American Currents: State of the Music runs February 28, 2024, through February 2025 at the Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum in downtown Nashville.