PIONEERS & LEGENDS
THE HISTORY OF COUNTRY MUSIC
For over 80 years North America has had a love affair with Country Music and much of
that affair has been captured recorded and stored in a museum called the Country
Music Hall of Fame.
The original Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum opened it's doors on Music Row in
Nashville Tennessee April 1,1967, how ever over the years the public literally walked
the floors out of the original location and so the decision was made to relocate the
Country Music Hall of Fame and museum.
The original historic location was closed December 31, 2000, after the completion of a
brand new museum built right down town in the heart of the city.
I was very fortunate in being allowed to take a film crew into the Old Hall of Fame
before it closed its doors and am the proud owner of the very last video footage ever
shot in the original Country Music Hall of Fame.
On May 17, 2001, the Country Music Hall of Fame held the grand opening of its new
$37,000,000 facility ten blocks away from the old location in downtown Nashville
not to far from the old Ryman Auditorium that houses the Grand Old Opry.
The mission of the new Country Music Hall of Fame is to identify and preserve the
evolving history and traditions of country music and to educate its audiences of the same.
The Country Music Hall of Fame® and Museum is accredited by the American Association
of Museums, certifying that the Museum operates according to the highest standards
of historical integrity, managing its collection and providing quality service to
the public.
Of the 8,000 museums we have in North America, only 750 are accredited.
Our show "Pioneers and Legends" is a tribute to the pioneers of Country Music following
their induction into the Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum.
The first half of our 90 minute presentation honors pioneers such as Jimmy Rodgers the
singing brakeman whom is known as the Father of Country Music giving us 110 recordings
that have been the foundation of Country Music.
We honor pioneers like Roy Acuff whom was the congenial host of the Grand Old Opry for
more than 50 years.
Pioneers such as Bob Wills, the Father of Western Swing music, and Bill Monroe, the
Father of Bluegrass music.
We also honor the singing cowboy Gene Autry who ruled the silver screen during the
30's into the 40s giving us 90 singing cowboy movies and over 200 hit singles, many
of which we love at Christmas time with classics like "Here Comes Santy Clause",
"Frosty the Snow Man" and "Rudolph the Red Nosed Reindeer".
The second half of our show looks at the changing face of Country music from the acoustic
styled music of the 20, 30s, and 40s, to the electrified music of Hank Williams and his
"Honky-Tonk" sound of music of the late 40s through into the 50s.
We also honor legends such as Johnny Cash and his rockabilly influence, Ray Price and his
4/4 shuffle music that spawned a new, "American/Canadian" dance craze that has become the
most favorite dance rhythm of the 20th century, the "two step".
We look at and honor the music of legends such as George Jones, Patsy Cline,
Marty Robbins, Jim Reeves, and Chet Atkins, all of whom had a tremendous influence in
American and Canadian music history.
I have been asked many times why I don't do a show honoring the pioneers of Canadian
Country music, but the truth is we did not have a Canadian Country Music industry
until the early 60s.
Any body that was serious about "Country Music" moved to Nashville with hopes of
joining the Grand Old Opry to make it in the music business. Hank Snow and Wilf Carter
are testimony of that fact.
Most of our Canadian musical heritage comes from the influence of the US music market,
which influenced our life styles and chronicled the growth of North American Music up
until the early 1960's, when Canada began to develop and chronicle its own music heritage
with Celtic and Francophone influences.
Pioneers and Legends is a show that you can present to your community that is filled with
historical and educational value, its very nostalgic, and its very entertaining.
Many times at the close of show in the autograph session, I have been told by fans that,
"they really did not like country music", "but they really enjoyed Pioneers and Legends
the History of Country Music".
Like the Country Music Hall of Fame in Nashville Tennessee, our mandate is to keep alive
the music, and the heritage of Country Music.
Pioneers and Legends the History of Country Music is a must see, "history honoring"
musical performance, that is sure to take you back to a time when life was young, time
was for ever and the music was our heritage.
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