NEWS
Taylor Swift
Beth GarrabrantThe Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum will highlight the achievements of Taylor Swift, Jimmie Allen, Brothers Osborne, Luke Combs, Mickey Guyton, Carly Pearce and more with the March 4 opening of the latest installment of the Hall’s “American Currents: State of the Music” exhibit.
The annual exhibit highlights notable music, artist achievements and events from the past year, as determined by the museum’s curators.
The exhibit will also feature Brandi Carlile, Jerry Douglas, John Hiatt, three-time CMA musician of the year winner Jenee Fleenor, the Grand Ole Opry, Walker Hayes, Wanda Jackson, Alison Krauss, Old Dominion, Allison Russell, Chris Stapleton and Billy Strings. Several of the artists highlighted in the exhibit are recent CMA Awards winners, including Fleenor, reigning entertainer of the year Combs, reigning female vocalist of the year Pearce, reigning new artist of the year Allen, reigning vocal duo of the year Brothers Osborne, reigning vocal group of the year Old Dominion and 2021 multi-award winner Stapleton.
The exhibit also includes a video compilation of important country music moments from 2021, and recaps the year’s chart-topping country albums, singles and highest-grossing tours as reported by Billboard and Pollstar.
Another portion of the exhibit, titled “Unbroken Circle,” will feature artists and their musical influences, including Breland and Keith Urban, Thomm Jutz and Tom T. Hall, Brittney Spencer and Reba McEntire, as well as Lainey Wilson and Lee Ann Womack.
“Through the annual American Currents exhibit, the museum documents the genre’s evolving history, diverse sounds and broad cultural influence,” said Kyle Young, CEO of the Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum. “In another year characterized by the complexities of the pandemic, the continued pursuit of social justice and more, country music stood out as a microcosm of American culture. This exhibit offers perspectives on music and events that shaped the genre in 2021.”
The exhibit runs through Feb. 5, 2023.
Dave Mustaine has chosen to bring Megadeth to an end after completing one final tour due to ongoing health challenges.
The band plans to step away next year once they wrap up their farewell run and release their final album. Frontman Dave, 64, has now shared that he reached this decision because arthritis and issues with his back have left him “unable to give a hundred per cent every night”.
Speaking on SiriusXM's Trunk Nation With Eddie Trunk, Dave said, “It had been building up for a long time, just physical things happening with my hands … My hands were starting to fail me.
“And there were other difficulties tied to everything going on with my neck and my trunk. That whole area has arthritis and some bulging discs.
“I have a fractured lumbar bone. And of course, my back has been fused near my shoulders and neck. There is just a lot going on …
“I always said that when the time came where I could no longer give a hundred per cent each night, that would be the moment I would start thinking about slowing down.”
He continued by sharing that the choice became clear after the band completed recording their final self-titled project.
Dave explained, “It was not that I couldn’t give a hundred per cent, because we finished the album and I feel we did well with it, but while we were working I had a moment where I told my manager … ‘I am not sure how much longer I can continue. My hands are really hurting.’
“I did not intend to set things in motion. I was just talking, but it led to conversations with the band, then taking time to reflect, speaking with my family, and praying about it.
“And the answer was obvious to me that by the time the album was finished, I would know how it would perform. If it does really well, I can still deliver one final strong tour.
“And the idea of a farewell feels connected to that. We have certain shows we want to play so we can say goodbye to the people who have supported us.”
Dave added, “We are an American band, but we perform all over the world. We are not weekend performers like some country acts in the States. We have a lot of ground to cover if we want to say goodbye the right way.”
The band’s seventeenth studio album, Megadeth, will arrive in January, and their This Was Our Life tour begins in Canada in February.
