Those featured in American Currents: State of the Music are artists, musicians, and songwriters who have shaped the broadly defined genre of country music.

Known for his expressive baritone voice and hard-traveled authenticity, Dick Curless was one of the most versatile and powerfully eloquent singers of his time. Dick Curless: Hard Traveling Man from Maine explores the singer’s life and career, from his rural Northeast upbringing and popular truck-driving songs of the ’60s-’70s, to his critically acclaimed 1995 album, Traveling Through.

Western Edge examines the close-knit communities of Los Angeles-based singers, songwriters and musicians who, from the 1960s through the 1980s, embraced country music, frequented local nightclubs, and created and shaped the musical fusion known as “country-rock” – ultimately making an indelible and lasting impact on popular music.

A dynamic singer, songwriter, and musician, Chris Stapleton proved his musical mettle as an in-demand songwriter in Nashville for more than a decade before his breakout success in 2015. The exhibition Chris Stapleton: Since 1978, presented by Ram Trucks, highlights the breadth of his musical contributions.

Known as “Whisperin’ Bill” for his soft-spoken and conversational singing style, Bill Anderson has placed eighty records on the Billboard charts as a recording artist, reaching country’s Top Twenty more than forty times. As a songwriter, he’s placed songs on the country charts in seven consecutive decades.

Through the exhibition Martina McBride: The Power of Her Voice, the Museum explores the music and legacy of the influential vocalist, tracing her journey from performing in her family’s band as a child to becoming a chart-topping, award-winning, perspective-shifting country music artist.

he Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum’s core, permanent exhibition tells the story of country music from its pre-commercial roots in the nineteenth century through its vibrant life today. This exciting, multi-layered experience includes artifacts, photographs, original recordings, archival video, newly produced films, touchscreen interactive media, and beautifully rendered text panels.