Industry Ink: CMHOFM, Dierks Bentley, Jamie MacDonald

/by

Country Music Hall of Fame & Museum Commemorates 20 Millionth Visitor

Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum CEO Kyle Young, Museum Board Member Sara Finley, Trisha Yearwood, Museum Board Member David Conrad and the Sagi Family (Assaf, Yuli, Liat and Tom). Photo: Courtesy of the Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum

The Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum celebrated the nonprofit’s 20 millionth visitor since moving downtown in 2001 this week with a commemoration in the museum’s Mike Curb Conservatory. Trisha Yearwood and museum CEO Kyle Young were on hand to mark the milestone, greeting visitors including the Sagi family from Santa Clara, California.

One of Yearwood’s early jobs when she moved to Nashville in the 1980s included being a tour guide at the museum, and her employment application is currently on display in the museum galleries. Attendees to the celebration printed their own keepsake poster from Hatch Show Print, the nearly 150-year-old letterpress print shop owned and operated by the museum. The museum is among the most-visited history museums in the U.S., welcoming nearly 1.4 million visitors in 2025.  Next month will mark the museum’s 25th anniversary downtown.

 

Country Music Hall of Fame & Museum Hosts Panel On Opry’s Comedy Tradition With Henry Cho & Gary Mule Deer

Gary Mule Deer, Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum Senior Director of Editorial Paul Kingsbury and Henry Cho at the museum. Photo: Courtesy of the Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum

Henry Cho and Gary Mule Deer participated in a discussion April 15 about the Grand Ole Opry’s practice of blending humor with musical performances. The comedians shared their own career paths that led them to the world-famous country radio show during a panel at the Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum, and the conversation was led by the museum’s Senior Director of Editorial Paul Kingsbury.

The Opry has a longstanding tradition of making comedy part of its entertainment mix, and Jerry Clower, Lonzo & Oscar, Mike Snider, Stringbean and Country Music Hall of Fame members Minnie Pearl and Rod Brasfield are just a few of the many comic talents who have been Opry cast members. In 2023, the Grand Ole Opry brought acclaimed comedians Cho and Mule Deer into the fold. The interview was offered in support of the museum’s Country’s Grandest Stage: The Opry at 100 exhibit.

 

Dierks Bentley’s ROW 94 Expands Nationwide With Broken Branches Release

Dierks Bentley‘s ROW 94 recently received a 94 rating from Wine Enthusiast magazine. The brand is expanding with the second release of its popular limited edition Broken Branches. Broken Branches, like all ROW 94 releases, is made in partnership with Lofted Custom Spirits at the Green River Distilling Co. in Owensboro, Kentucky. Bottled at 100 proof and aged five years, the bourbon also underwent “Branch Aging,” where time-worn, fire-toasted Oak staves seasoned for up to 24 months rested in the barrels to deepen the whiskey’s complexity. In its second release, Broken Branches is expanding to Arizona, Colorado, Florida, Georgia, Illinois, Indiana, Kentucky, New York, South Carolina, Tennessee, and Texas in the coming months.

 

Jamie MacDonald Makes National TV Debut On ‘Kelly Clarkson Show’

YouTube video

Jamie MacDonald made her national TV debut on The Kelly Clarkson Show this week, singing “Won’t Let Go” from her self-titled debut album, which was released earlier this year via Capitol CMG. McDonald is set to make her Grand Ole Opry debut on May 1.

Lorie Hollabaugh
Latest posts by Lorie Hollabaugh (see all)