CMHOF Celebrates Launch Of ‘Night Train To Nashville’ Online Exhibit

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Pictured (L-R, back row): NMAAM President and CEO H. Beecher Hicks III, NMAAM Curator Dr. Bryan Pierce, James Moon, Jimmy Church, Levert Allison and Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum CEO Kyle Young; (L-R, front row): Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum Vice President of Museum Services Michael Gray, Charles “Wigg” Walker, Peggy Gaines Walker and Frank Howard. Photo: Courtesy of the Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum

The Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum celebrated the launch of its new online exhibit, “Night Train to Nashville: Music City Rhythm & Blues, 1945-1970” in its CMA Theater yesterday (Jan. 25).

The “Night Train to Nashville” online exhibit was made possible by a grant from the National Endowment for the Humanities, and explores Nashville’s R&B scene of the 1940s,’50s and ’60s, as well as the important role it played in helping the city to become a world-renowned music center.

Presented in partnership with the National Museum of African American Music (NMAAM), the celebration featured performances from notable members of Music City’s historic R&B scene, including Levert Allison of the Fairfield Four, Jimmy Church, Peggy Gaines Walker, Frank Howard, Charles “Wigg” Walker and contemporary duo The War And Treaty, among others.

During the event, Vice President of Museum Services Michael Gray and NMAAM Curator Dr. Bryan Pierce led the conversation as musicians shared their memories of the city’s vibrant R&B community, which included: pioneering television shows such as Night Train and The!!!!Beat; influential radio stations like WLAC, WSOK and WVOL; and venerated Black music venues including New Era Club, Club Del Morocco and Club Baron.

The multimedia exhibit was adapted from the museum’s 2004-2005 physical exhibition of the same name and showcases a wide variety of historic photos, performance videos and audio recordings, as well as instruments, show posters, stage wear and other rare items featured in the original exhibit.

The “Night Train to Nashville” exhibit is now available for free on the Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum’s website. The museum will also mount a physical version in its galleries in January of 2024, coinciding with the 20th anniversary of the original exhibit.

Liza Anderson
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