To commemorate CMA Fest’s fiftieth year, the Museum exhibition In the Hands of the Fans: Fifty Years of CMA Fest opens Tuesday, June 6. Nashville’s annual CMA Fest—four days of live music, autograph signings, photo opportunities, and fan club parties—has been uniting country music fans and artists since 1972 when it was called Fan Fair.

The Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum offers perspective on country music’s latest chapter with the exhibition American Currents: State of the Music. Presented annually, American Currents takes a broad view of the genre over the past year to explore musical developments, artist achievements, and notable events, as determined by the Museum’s curators and editorial staff.

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.