NASHVILLE, Tenn., Feb. 25, 2020 – The workshop of Guy Clark, a prolific storyteller and guiding influence to many roots-music greats, is now on display at the Country Music Hall of Fame® and Museum. Clark wrote songs and constructed guitars in the workshop, making it a significant addition to the museum’s Outlaws & Armadillos: Country’s Roaring ‘70s exhibit, which runs through Feb. 14, 2021.

Clark spent thousands of hours in his basement workshop. He found solace and inspiration in the small room, and he held court there with friends and collaborators. The space featured a wall of cassette tapes; a handmade workbench; an ashtray given to him by Country Music Hall of Fame member Emmylou Harris; photos of Buck White and Townes Van Zandt; and tools for woodworking and building.

Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum curators meticulously reconstructed Clark’s home base, offering visitors a window into the life of a Texas-reared, Nashville-based creative genius who wrote classic songs including “Desperados Waiting for a Train,” “Heartbroke” and “My Favorite Picture of You.” Clark’s songs were recorded by Rodney Crowell, Steve Earle, Lyle Lovett, Jerry Jeff Walker and Country Music Hall of Fame members Bobby Bare, Johnny Cash, the Everly Brothers, Vince Gill, Emmylou Harris, Kris Kristofferson, Willie Nelson, Ricky Skaggs and George Strait.

“By viewing his workshop, museum visitors will walk away being inspired by a man who blended work ethic and invention to create some of country music’s best songs,” said Kyle Young, CEO, Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum.

Clark moved to Nashville in 1971, and he and wife Susanna soon were at the center of a group of remarkable writers including Crowell, Richard Dobson, David Olney and Van Zandt. These songwriters helped to define the era captured in the museum’s exhibit Outlaws & Armadillos: Country’s Roaring ‘70s. Clark, who passed away in 2016, was inducted into the Nashville Songwriters Hall of Fame in 2004.

The museum’s continuing exhibition Outlaws & Armadillos: Country’s Roaring ‘70s, explores the relationship between Austin, Texas, and Nashville during the 1970s, an era of freewheeling cultural and artistic exchange that defied the status quo and changed country music.

The workshop exhibit is made possible by the Estate of Guy Charles Clark.