Interviews

Interviews

The Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum regularly hosts illuminating interviews with country artists, songwriters, and industry players, both in its Nashville home and on location.

The Museum’s regular interview series include Poets and Prophets, which spotlights the artistry and achievements of songwriters who have made significant contributions to American music, and Nashville Cats, which showcases musicians and singers who have played important roles in support of hit artists in either the studio or on tour.

The Museum's collection also offers thousands of video and audio interviews with country legends, mainstays, and rising stars, spanning from the 1920s to today.

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Interviews
  • Luke Laird • Poets and Prophets • 2023

    Luke Laird shares stories from his life and career as part of the Museum’s Poets and Prophets interview series, which highlights legendary songwriters. This live interview and performance was recorded on October 28, 2023.

    During the interview with the Museum’s Dave Paulson, Laird shares about hi...

  • Opry Memories: Bill Anderson, Jeannie Seely, Bud Wendell, and Mark Wills • 2023

    To celebrate his achievement as the longest tenured member in Grand Ole Opry history (sixty-two years as of 2023), Bill Anderson is joined by fellow members Jeannie Seely and Mark Wills, and E.W. “Bud” Wendell, former Grand Ole Opry manager and CEO of radio station WSM and Gaylord Entertainment, ...

  • Where the Action Is • Americana Artists and Activism • 2023

    During this conversation and performance moderated by music journalist Jewly Hight, Americana artists Adeem the Artist, Mya Byrne, Autumn Nicholas, and Allison Russell perform and discuss how they use their platforms as songwriters and musical artists to affect change. This program was recorded o...

  • The Bob Pinson Recorded Sound Collection at Age Fifty • 2023

    This program celebrates the fiftieth anniversary of the Museum’s acquisition of record collector Bob Pinson’s matchless collection of country music recordings. In the program, Nathan D. Gibson, folklorist and University of Wisconsin-Madison’s audio-visual preservation archivist; Bill Ivey, folklo...

  • William Prince • Songwriter Session • 2023

    Hailing from Manitoba, Canada, singer-songwriter William Prince shares songs he’s written and the stories behind them during 2023’s AmericanaFest. His performance was recorded on September 23, 2023, and presented in partnership with the Americana Music Association.

    William Prince has released fo...

  • Louise Scruggs Memorial Forum • Lorianne Crook • 2023

    Lorianne Crook is one half of the broadcast hosting duo Crook & Chase, as well as a television and radio producer, a writer, and the president of Jim Owens Entertainment. She was inducted into the Country Radio Hall of Fame in 2013; received the Grand Ole Opry’s Bob Kingsley Living Legend Award i...

  • The Black Country Music Association and the Black Opry • 2023

    Black Opry founder Holly G and her co-director, Tanner Davenport, along with Frankie Staton—who led the Black Country Music Association from the mid-1990s into the early 2000s—discuss their organizations’ histories and impact, as well as their future goals for representation and expanding diversi...

  • Conversation with Rhiannon Giddens • 2023

    Grammy-winning singer, composer, and multi-instrumentalist Rhiannon Giddens joins the Museum’s Patrick Huber to discuss her musical career, which often explores Black musicians’ contributions to country music and other American roots-music traditions. This event—a live conversation and performanc...

  • Patty Loveless • Interview and Performance • 2023

    Country Music Hall of Fame member-elect Patty Loveless sits down for an interview to discuss her decades-long music career, and she performs a few of her favorite songs. This live performance was recorded on August 26, 2023, and offered in support of the Museum’s exhibition “Patty Loveless: No Tr...

  • Songs of Eric Church • Luke Laird and Jeremy Spillman • 2023

    Songwriters Luke Laird and Jeremy Spillman share songs they have written with Eric Church and the stories behind them. This live performance was recorded on July 15, 2023, and offered in support of the exhibition “Eric Church: Country Heart, Restless Soul,” presented by Gibson.

    During the progr...

  • Interview: Vince Gill and Paul Franklin • 2023

    Vince Gill and Paul Franklin join the Museum’s Dave Paulson to discuss the music of Ray Price and the Cherokee Cowboys. In 2023, the musicians released a new collaborative album, “Sweet Memories: The Music of Ray Price & The Cherokee Cowboys,” which digs deep into the repertoire of Price and his ...

  • David Hood • Nashville Cats • 2023

    Renowned bassist David Hood shares stories from his life and career as part of the Museum's “Nashville Cats” series, which spotlights musicians who have made significant contributions to country music. This program was recorded on July 8, 2023.

    In this interview, led by the Museum’s Michael Gray...

  • CMT’s Next Women of Country • Conversation and Performance • 2023

    CMT executive Leslie Fram hosts this showcase and discussion featuring Kimberly Kelly, Catie Offerman, MaRynn Taylor, Kasey Tyndall, and Julie Williams, all involved in the media brand’s Next Women of Country franchise, which launched in 2013 and highlights up-and-coming country artists. This liv...

  • Interview: Los Lobos • 2023

    Los Lobos members Steve Berlin, David Hidalgo, Conrad Lozano, Louie Pérez, and Cesar Rosas join the Museum’s Michael McCall to discuss their history as a band and the cultural impact of their music. This program was recorded on May 11, 2023, and is offered in support of the Museum exhibition “Wes...

  • Brent Mason • Nashville Cats • 2023

    Guitarist Brent Mason shares stories from his life and career as part of the Museum's Nashville Cats series, which spotlights musicians who have made significant contributions to country music. This program was recorded on May 20, 2023.

    In this interview, led by the Museum’s Michael McCall, Bren...

  • Interview and Performance: Dave Alvin • 2023

    Dave Alvin joins the Museum’s Michael McCall to discuss growing up in Downey, California; forming the acclaimed roots-rock band the Blasters with his brother Phil; embarking on a solo career to emphasize his songwriting; and playing a pivotal role in the roots-rock and punk-rock communities in Lo...

  • The Past, Present, and Future of Oh Boy Records • Conversation and Performance

    Oh Boy Records President Fiona Whelan Prine, Oh Boy Records Director of Operations Jody Whelan, current Oh Boy Records artist Emily Scott Robinson, and former Oh Boy Records artist R. B. Morris discuss the past, present, and future of the independent record label, founded by John Prine, his manag...

  • Sunny Sweeney • Songwriter Session, 2023

    Houston, Texas-born singer-songwriter and recording artist Sunny Sweeney, accompanied by Harley Husbands, performs songs she has written, shares the stories behind them, and takes questions from the audience. This program was recorded on March 11, 2023, and is presented in support of the Museum’s...

  • The Life and Music of Dick Curless • Conversation and Performance, 2023

    Award-winning author Peter Guralnick, who guest co-curated the Museum’s exhibition “Dick Curless: Hard Traveling Man From Maine” and wrote a lengthy profile on him for his 2020 book, “Looking to Get Lost: Adventures in Music and Writing,” joins the Museum’s Michael Gray to discuss Dick Curless’s ...

  • Miko Marks • Songwriter Session, 2023

    Singer-songwriter and recording artist Miko Marks, accompanied by Effie Zilch and Steve Wyreman, performs songs she has written and shares the stories behind them. This program was recorded on March 11, 2023, and is presented in support of the Museum’s 2023 edition of the exhibition “American Cur...

  • Louise Scruggs Memorial Forum Interview: Liz Thiels

    Liz Thiels, influential public relations professional and former Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum executive, died Sunday, March 19, after an extended illness. She was seventy-eight years old.

    Thiels contributed to Nashville’s international reputation by helping launch the famed Exit/In, one...

  • Richie Furay • Live at the Hall, 2022

    Richie Furay, a founding member of the bands Buffalo Springfield and Poco, performs, shares stories behind the songs he has written, discusses his career, and answers questions from the audience. Part of the Museum’s “Live at the Hall” series, this live performance was recorded on October 1, 2022...

  • Martina McBride and Friends Songwriter Round • Live at the Hall, 2022

    Martina McBride performs, discusses her creative process, and shares the stories behind her music with songwriters and collaborators Leslie Satcher, husband-and-wife songwriters Chris Lindsey and Aimee Mayo, and Brett Warren, one half of the Warren Brothers with his brother Brad. Part of the Muse...

  • Rodney Crowell • ‘Poets and Prophets’ • Live at the Hall, 2022

    Songwriter Rodney Crowell performs and shares stories from his life and career on March 19, 2022, as part of the Museum's ‘Poets and Prophets’ series, which spotlights songwriters who have made significant contributions to country music.

    During the program, Crowell shares stories behind his hits...