COUNTRY MUSIC HALL OF FAME® AND MUSEUM TO OPEN NEW EXHIBITION, ERIC CHURCH: COUNTRY HEART, RESTLESS SOUL, PRESENTED BY GIBSON
Cultivating a sound and approach uniquely his own, Church has held tight to his artistic identity throughout his more than two decades in Nashville, earning a devoted audience and amassing an impressive list of accolades, including 10 Billboard #1 country radio hits and multiple gold, platinum and multi-platinum-certified albums. With songwriting always at the center of his career, Church has written or co-written almost all of the songs he has recorded and released. He continues to fill sold-out venues with his raucous live show, as well as challenge his own musical approach with every new level of success he achieves.
“Eric Church has done it his way completely,” said Kyle Young, CEO of the Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum. “His steadfast artistic vision and authenticity resonate deeply with audiences, and he continues to serve as an important collaborator and renegade role model for generations of country music artists.”
The exhibit will include musical instruments, song manuscripts, stage wear, tour memorabilia, awards, photographs and more from Church’s personal collection. Examples of items to be displayed include:
- the Harmony H-303 three-quarter-size acoustic guitar that belonged to Church when he was a child.
- Ray-Ban Aviator Mirror sunglasses worn by Church onstage.
- the Von Dutch trucker hat Church bought at a Mississippi truck stop in the late 2000s and began wearing onstage.
- the outfit worn by Church on the album cover of The Outsiders and at the CMA Awards in 2013, which includes a Rogue two-tone leather jacket, John Varvatos shirt and Diesel jeans.
- a sculpture made from vinyl records of various sizes, which replicates the soundwave of Church’s recording of “Record Year” and was used as a prop in the 2016 music video for the song.
- a Gibson Eric Church Hummingbird Dark guitar. Church contributed to the design of the limited-edition guitar and used it on his “Double Down Tour” (2019).
- the Tom Ford purple suede jacket that Church wore when he and Jazmine Sullivan sang the national anthem at Super Bowl LV at Raymond James Stadium in Tampa, Florida, in 2021.
About the Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum:
The Country Music Hall of Fame® and Museum collects, preserves and interprets country music and its history for the education and entertainment of diverse audiences. In exhibitions, publications, digital media and educational programs, the museum explores the cultural importance and enduring beauty of the art form. The museum is operated by the Country Music Foundation, a not-for-profit 501(c)(3) educational organization chartered by the state of Tennessee in 1964. The museum is accredited by the American Alliance of Museums, and is among the most-visited history museums in the U.S. The Country Music Foundation operates Historic RCA Studio B®, Hatch Show Print® poster shop, CMF Records, the Frist Library and Archive and CMF Press. Museum programs are supported in part by Metropolitan Nashville Arts Commission and Tennessee Arts Commission. More information about the Country Music Hall of Fame® and Museum is available at www.countrymusichalloffame.org or by calling (615) 416-2001.