SHOF’s new traveling exhibit celebrating the songwriting craft has arrived in Music City to be on public display through April 21, 2024 as part of Belmont University’s 50 Years of Music Business Education celebration!
The exhibit hosted by the university’s Mike Curb College of Entertainment & Music Business illuminates the art of songwriting, celebrating the legacy and works of SHOF inductees and other renowned songwriters who have received special honors or awards from the prestigious non-profit organization. The Power of Song: A Songwriters Hall of Fame Exhibition pays tribute to masters of the craft, offering a rare glimpse behind the creation of some of the most popular hits of all time.
Exhibit Artifacts, Displays, and a SHOF Original Film
The Belmont exhibition was curated with the intent of educating students and guests on the musical contributions of SHOF’s all-genre inductees and honorees. Visitors are greeted with a sizzle reel of performances from SHOF’s Annual Induction Ceremony and Awards Gala. The displays include a spectacular array of wall tiles with original handwritten lyrics and background on songs written by SHOF inductees and honorees. A SHOF Original Film features conversations with inductees Jimmy Jam, Toby Keith, Carole King, Smokey Robinson, Carole Bayer Sager, and Diane Warren sharing stories behind their legendary songs and creative process. An interactive kiosk includes interviews with Toby Keith, Carole King, Smokey Robinson, and Don Schlitz. Rare artifacts on display also include Cole Porter’s walking stick and instruments used by hitmakers benny blanco, Halsey, Jimmy Jam, Toby Keith, Terry Lewis, Post Malone, John Mellencamp, and Bill Withers.
SHOF’s Traveling Exhibit: The Road to Music City
Since 2010, the GRAMMY® Museum in Los Angeles has served as a physical home of the SHOF Gallery, and the ongoing collaboration led to development of the new traveling exhibit which first debuted at City University of New York (CUNY) Graduate Center in New York City in the summer of 2022. Due to its success and a mass of industry support, SHOF’s Board of Directors significantly broadened the exhibit scope and launched it earlier this year at the GRAMMY Museum in LA, where it was on display from April thru Labor Day before moving to Nashville to be part of Belmont University’s 50 Years of Music Business Education Celebration. For Belmont University, which is known for its top-notch music and songwriting programs, the SHOF exhibit has been uniquely curated with an educational focus, as it will also be used by students for research purposes.
Attending the Exhibit
The Power of Song: A Songwriters Hall of Fame ExhibitionLocation:
Belmont University, Lila D. Bunch Library*
1907 Belmont Boulevard in Nashville
Admission: Free!
Hours:
Monday, Thursday — Saturday: 10:00 am - 4:30 pm with the last admittance to the galleries at 4 pm.
Sunday from 1:00 - 4:30 pm with the last admittance to the galleries at 4 pm.
Closed Tuesdays and Wednesdays.
*A portion of the exhibit can be found within The GIG (Gallery of Iconic Guitars). The GIG is closed weekly on Tuesday and Wednesday.
Closed for Holidays: The Gallery will be closed on New Year's Day, MLK Day, Good Friday, Easter, Memorial Day, Independence Day, Labor Day, Thanksgiving (and the following Friday), Christmas Eve and Christmas Day. The Gallery will close at noon on December 23 for the holiday.
Photos courtesy of students Garrett Ohrenberg and Sam Simpkins.