- The Birthplace of Country Music

Toe-Tappin’ Terminology for Boot-Scootin’ History

Lisa Sorrell is an award-winning master bootmaker and fine artist whose canvas is the cowboy boot. Based in Oklahoma, her works are inspired by the art of the cowboy boot […]

The Complicated Origins of Recorded Sound: Phonograph vs Phonautograph

By Sam Parker, AV & Technology Specialist at the Birthplace of Country Music Museum. This month marks the 148th anniversary of Thomas Edison’s cylinder phonograph, which was assembled on August […]

Medieval to Metal: A Look at the William King Museum of Art’s latest exhibit

Anna Buchanan is the Head Curator at the William King Museum of Art located in Abingdon, Virginia. Buchanan is a graduate from Clemson University where she received her MFA with […]

A collage of images of Patrick Haggerty, his husband J.B., and Lavender Country's two albums' covers.

Come Out Singing: The Music and Activism of Patrick Haggerty

By Sam Parker, AV & Technology Specialist at the Birthplace of Country Music Museum. From the campfires of Valley Forge, to religious reformers in the First Great Awakening, to even […]

A screenshot from the scene from the 1980s film "The Blues Brothers," with the brothers making disappointed faces when told the "Country Bunker" has both kinds of music-- "Country and Western."

Both Kinds of Music: What is the difference between Country and Western?

By Ed Hagen, Gallery Assistant and Guest Blogger What’s the difference between Country and Western? Many people are familiar with a popular scene in The Blues Brothers movie where the […]

A black and white photo of Joe Hill imposed over a collage of pamphlets, letters, and cartoons either created by Hill or referenced in his music.

Troubadour or Tramp? The Protest Songs of Joe Hill

By Sam Parker, AV & Technology Specialist at the Birthplace of Country Music Museum. Protest and labor have been common themes of American folk music for a long time. Woody […]

The Earth is a Garden: Environmentalism in Country and Folk Music

By Sam Parker, AV & Technology Specialist at the Birthplace of Country Music Museum. A genre like country music relies heavily on the land and our natural surroundings for inspiration. […]

Young woman with green and brown hair taking a selfie in front of Capitol Hill

Advocacy Means Action: Help Protect Museums and Libraries Today

By Erika Barker, Curatorial Manager at the Birthplace of Country Music Museum. Featured image of Erika on Capitol Hill for AAM’s 2025 Museum Advocacy Day. _____________________________________________________________________________________________________ What is Advocacy? As […]

J.A.M.ming with the Boys From Bristol

By Erika Barker, Curatorial Manager at the Birthplace of Country Music Museum. Recently, I had the opportunity to sit down with The Boys From Bristol, an exciting new musical group […]

Emmylou Harris and Her Guitars

Ellie Davis is an intern at the Birthplace of Country Music Museum and a student at East Tennessee State University where she studies Human Studies with a minor in Old […]

A Brief Overview of Sacred Harp Music

By Sam Parker, Curatorial Specialist at the Birthplace of Country Music Museum. Around the time of the 1927 Bristol Sessions, it wouldn’t have been too out of the ordinary to […]

“It’s Alive, It’s Alive!”: Frankenstein Instruments Brought to Life

By Rene Rodgers, Head Curator at the Birthplace of Country Music Museum. November 21 marks the 103rd anniversary of the release of the movie Frankenstein (the book by Mary Shelley […]

Post Items Grid