The Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum will debut the exhibition Miranda Lambert: Backstage Access, beginning May 16, 2014. The exhibit will run through Nov. 9, 2014.

The “backstage access” will feature an array of gowns and stage costumes, awards, and a custom pink Gibson acoustic guitar.
Opening weekend activities will include a songwriter session featuring Lambert’s Pistol Annies bandmate Ashley Monroe (also the purveyor of the acclaimed solo project Like A Rose), a family songwriting program, and a free film screening. Later in the month, some of Lambert’s frequent co-writers including Nicolle Galyon, Natalie Hemby and Jimmy Robbins will participate in a songwriter round.
“Miranda Lambert is one of contemporary music’s most popular and acclaimed artists, and for good reason,” said Museum Director Kyle Young. “She’s a dynamic performer; an emotive and powerful vocalist whose voice is equally at home with lyrics tough or tender; and a songwriter with a deft touch for feeling and place. Her numerous hits, from empowering anthems like ‘Gunpowder and Lead’ to introspective set pieces like ‘The House That Built Me,’ are rich contributions to country music’s storytelling tradition. We are looking forward to taking our visitors behind the scenes with Miranda during her amazing successes in 2013.”
Lambert’s fifth album, Platinum, is slated for release June 3 on RCA Nashville.
Among the items to be displayed:

• Roberto Cavalli gown with plunging neckline Lambert wore at the 2013 CMA Awards
• Blue vintage-style lace dress Lambert wore in her music video for “Mama’s Broken Heart”
• Rolling pink wardrobe case from Lambert’s Locked & Reloaded Tour with Dierks Bentley
• Black Ani & Ari corset with pink flames Lambert wore at LP field during CMA Music Fest
• Jovani dress embellished with chains and studs worn at the 2013 ACM awards
• Custom Gibson acoustic guitar with pink finish and pearloid pickguard
• A prototype of the Miranda by Miranda Lambert platinum-colored boots worn on the Platinum album cover
• Outfit Lambert wore in the “We Were Us” music video with Keith Urban

The free music series Live On The Green will launch its 2014 season with three consecutive Thursday concerts– slated for Aug. 14, 21, and 28–and wrap with a weekend finale set for Sept. 4-6. The festival will take place at the Public Square Park in downtown Nashville. Lightning 100’s Music City Mahem winner Phin has been announced as the first artist to perform at the festival.
“As we approached our sixth year, we knew we wanted to grow the event in a way that would offer our guests an even bigger, better experience,” said Lester Turner, Executive Producer of Live On The Green and President of Tuned In Broadcasting, Inc. “We decided that adjusting our schedule was the best way to accomplish that goal. In 2014, Live On The Green will graduate from a weekly concert series to a full-fledged music festival featuring an expanded artist line-up and festival site, longer hours, and a new schedule. Of course, as always, all events will remain free and open to the public.”
The festival location has expanded this year, extending from 3rd Ave. between Union Street and James Robertson Parkway, up Deaderick Street to 4th Ave. The additional block of city space will allow for more food, retail and entertainment offerings.

“Live On The Green continues to grow its fan base while also continuing to bring local and national artists to perform on Nashville’s front lawn – our Public Square,” Mayor Karl Dean said. “I want to congratulate Lester Turner and his team for making this free music festival one of the top events in the country. I am pleased to see the addition of a free weekend festival that will showcase live music and all that Nashville has to offer to local residents and visitors alike.”
The full lineup for 2014 Live On The Green will be announced Thursday, June 26, 2014, the same day VIP ticket packages go on sale.

Convicted killer John A. Brown, 63, the man who murdered Grand Ole Opry and Hee Haw star David “Stringbean” Akeman and his wife Estelle in 1973, appeared before a member of the Tennessee Board of Parole Wednesday morning, April 23, according to The Tennessean.
Brown and his cousin, Doug Marvin Brown, attacked and killed Akeman and his wife on the evening of Nov. 10, 1973 at their cabin home in Ridgetop, Tenn. Both men were sentenced to serve two life sentences in prison; Doug Brown died in prison in 2003.
Past requests for parole by John A. Brown have been denied.
Only one board member will cast a vote for or against parole at the hearing; it could take up to two weeks for an official decision from the entire board.
Brown is being held at the Lois M. DeBerry Special Needs Facility in Nashville.

Sea Gayle Records/Arista Nashville artist Jerrod Niemann dropped by the Sony Nashville office this week to toast his chart-topping, RIAA-certified Gold single, “Drink To That All Night.”