Music museums

In Nashville earlier this week, we went to two music museums

The first was the musicians hall of fame.

It has an extensive collection of instruments, personal items, and stories.

It is a free form organization in that you can wander from room to room depending on on your interest

The first 3 pictures are at the entrance.

There were a few good detailed biographies. Notable were the ones for Glen Campbell and Johnny Cash.

Glen had a very impoverished childhood. He helped his family by picking cotton. $1.50 for 100 lbs. if you worked fast and continuously you might pick 80-90 lbs in a day.

He loved music and played well on his homemade instruments. His father realized that his son had a gift, scrimped and saved.

3hundred and 34 lbs of cotton late he was able to buy him a Sears Roebuck acoustic guitar for $5.00. When he was 13 he left school to try a make a career in music.

He was an amazing guitarist. As a minor with his Uncle Boo was playing gigs in Montana at night and digging ditches during the day. He was so good that competing club owners would turn him in to authorities.

Recently I heard his rendition of Gentle on My Mind. Just wonderful!

Galveston is a song I thought I had heard too much of. As I was listening wit this AM I just love how at the start he is playing higher notes and then towards the end the full throated bass tuned come in. I don’t know what it is that the change strikes such a warmth in me.

Glenn’s guitars
What is it about seeing these handwritten words that lets you feel so close to the writer?
His partner in music, the great Jimmy Webb
A young Roy Orbison without sunglasses and my favorite style loafers.

The sunglasses.

He had vision problems since childhood, so he wore thick glasses all the time.

While on tour with the Beatles he forge them on a plane. So he wore his prescription singly, decided he preferred them and never looked back.

A letter the Beatles wrote to the Crickets. Take a minute , blow it up, it’s worth a read.
This is the Bass guitar played in Orbisons Pretty woman

Speaking of women. Below are pictures of Sam Phillips Office manager. Elvis said she was the most important person at Sun Records. He appreciated how well she took care of him

Sam Phillips, Elvis and Marion Keisker
An honored revered workhorse
Can someone tell me what the metal pieces on the upper left side of the guitar body are?

Next time the National

Museum ofAfrican American Music is a jewel

Paul

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  1. Hi Paul,     I really enjoyed this blog from you. My Mom was a big Glen Campbell fan, and after reading this at work yesterday I found myself humming so many of his songs.It reminded me of my teenage years and hearing Glen’s music blaring from the house as I would come home from school. FYI – in Illinois and grammar school days it was Johnny Mathis!!     Take Care and see you soon, Lynda 

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