Vince Gill Donates Prized Roy Acuff Fiddle To Country Music Hall Of Fame And Museum

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Roy Acuff’s Fiddle

Roy Acuff’s cherished fiddle has been permanently added to the Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum’s collection. The beloved instrument is on view to the public beginning today (July 1) and debuts in a spotlight exhibit in the museum’s upper-level galleries.

The fiddle was originally found and given to Acuff by American soldiers stationed in Germany at the end of World War II, and was acquired and donated to the museum by Vince Gill, a Country Music Hall of Fame member and the President of the Museum’s Board of Officers and Trustees.

The instrument’s story exemplifies the popularity of country music – and Acuff in particular – during World War II. Then a major Opry star and best-selling artist, Acuff enjoyed broad appeal at the time. The instrument was built in Germany around 1890 and is a copy of the highly prized violins constructed by Austrian luthier Jacobus Stainer in the 1600s. Discovered in a bombed-out music store in Frankfurt, Germany by soldiers from the U.S. Army’s 348th Engineer Combat Battalion in the waning days of World War II, the fiddle was sent to Acuff, their favorite country performer, as a show of appreciation. Liking the tone, Acuff made it his primary fiddle for many years. The fiddle was acquired this year by Gill, who became friends with Acuff when Gill began appearing on the Opry in the late 1980s.

Vince Gill & Roy Acuff’s Fiddle

“It felt important to me that the great Roy Acuff’s fiddle join the ranks of other revered instruments in the museum’s permanent collection—including Maybelle Carter’s 1928 Gibson L-5 guitar and Bill Monroe’s 1923 Gibson F-5 mandolin,” says Gill. “The fiddle was given to Acuff by soldiers during a time of war because of how much he meant to them. He meant a lot to me, too.”

“Roy Acuff’s prized fiddle is an important instrument with a remarkable story,” shares Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum CEO Kyle Young. “Because of Vince Gill’s generosity, the museum is now the permanent steward of an instrument that illustrates Roy Acuff’s cultural significance and the growth of country music during a period of great expansion for the genre. This instrument will be used to educate generations of fans and scholars about the music and career of Acuff, who served as an ambassador for country music as the face of the Grand Ole Opry and a regular USO performer, among many other accomplishments.”

In addition to the exhibition, the museum produced a brief video sharing the story of the fiddle and how it found its way into the museum’s permanent collection. The video includes interviews with Gill and museum staff, along with related archival materials. The video is available on the museum’s website here for all to enjoy.

Lorie Hollabaugh
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