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.
NEWS
Brad Paisley has called Taylor Swift and Travis Kelce’s wedding “one of the least pretentious weddings he’s ever seen”.
The country star attended the ceremony alongside his actress wife, Kimberly Williams-Paisley. They joined around 1,000 guests at New York City’s Madison Square Garden earlier this month as the global pop icon married the American football star.
Although the celebration attracted enormous attention and involved tight security and a stunning makeover of the famous arena, Paisley said the occasion never came across as excessive.
“Ironically, (it) was one of the least pretentious weddings that I've ever seen or ever will see,” Paisley told The Associated Press during an interview. “It meant a lot to be (invited). It was, kind of, a big thank you from her to invite us.”
Paisley, who chose Swift as an opening performer for his tour when she was a teenager in 2007, said he was delighted to be included in what many considered the biggest celebrity wedding of the year.
“They were very clear with the invite, and I took this personally when I got the invite, because in the invite, it said, ‘If you're getting this, you mean a lot to us,’” he revealed.
The musician also explained that guests were not told the wedding’s exact location until the date drew nearer.
“It was really fun to watch the cat and mouse game of, like, ‘We can tell you roughly where it's going to be, we're not gonna say what building... and here's the date. If you're in, we'll tell you more,’” he continued. “I went to my wife, I said, ‘Want to go?’ and she said, ‘Absolutely, we gotta be there!’ So, we did it, it was RSVP yes.”
Other famous attendees included Brad Pitt, Gigi Hadid, Bradley Cooper, Ed Sheeran, Sabrina Carpenter, Hugh Grant, Haim and Tom Hanks.
