Open Menu WATCH & LISTEN SHOP DONATE BUY TICKETS PLAN YOUR VISIT VENUE RENTAL BECOME A MUSEUM MEMBER MUSEUM MEMBER LOG IN America was sharply divided in the 1960s over issues such as the Vietnam War and Civil Rights. At the time, Nashville was perceived in some circles as a conservative, backwater town, removed from the main trends of popular music. Opinions would change as Nashville musicians began to influence other music scenes of the era. Bob Dylan’s decision to record in Nashville between 1966 and 1969 inspired other non-country acts to come to the city to work. The reason they came was simple: they wanted to avail themselves of the incredible skill, creativity, and virtuosity of the city’s musicians. And they often made repeat visits. Artists with very different backgrounds overcame divisions and found common ground by playing together. Around the same time, Johnny Cash was recruiting folk and rock musicians—including Dylan—to appear on his groundbreaking network television show, the Johnny Cash Show. Exhibit Chapters PART 1 Dylan in Nashville Born Robert Zimmerman in 1941 in Duluth, Minnesota, Bob Dylan was raised in that state’s iron ore town of Hibbing. By the age of eleven he had acquired his first guitar and was listening to Grand Ole Opry radio shows and enjoying recordings by Hank Williams, Hank Snow, and other country artists. LEARN MORE PART 2 Johnny Cash One hailed from Minnesota, the other from Arkansas. Both appeared on the bill at the 1964 Newport Folk Festival. During a hotel-room jam, Johnny Cash presented Bob Dylan with a treasured Martin guitar—a symbol of respect and admiration—and their friendship was secured. LEARN MORE PART 3 The Nashville Cats Nashville session musicians worked together seamlessly and intuitively, and were open and enthusiastic about trying new musical ideas. They complemented the skills of the clients they worked with, and helped create classic albums of the late 1960s and early 1970s. LEARN MORE PART 4 Artists That Followed Rock and folk acts from New York, San Francisco, Los Angeles, Toronto, Montreal, and London – including members of the Beatles – came to Nashville for the same reasons as Dylan. The musical and cultural crosspollination pointed popular music in a new direction. LEARN MORE PART 5 Nashville: New Music City As the counterculture spread to Middle America, Nashville’s music scene inevitably changed. Musically adventurous local bands such as Area Code 615 became part of the city’s growing pop-rock landscape. Dylan’s lyrics influenced Kris Kristofferson and other Nashville songwriters. Working with his sons, bluegrass legend Earl Scruggs embraced the next generation and its music. LEARN MORE PART 6 Today's Influences After Dylan and Cash showed the way, acoustic instruments and country-flavored arrangements began surfacing in music made across America, Canada, and the United Kingdom. Steel guitars, fiddles, and flat-top guitars graced recordings that crossed cultural, political, regional, and social boundaries. LEARN MORE Take a Deep Dive 1: DYLAN IN NASHVILLE 2: JOHNNY CASH 3: THE NASHVILLE CATS 4: ARTISTS THAT FOLLOWED 5: A NEW MUSIC CITY 6: TODAY'S INFLUENCES VIEW PROGRAM VIDEOS, RESOURCES, AND ACKNOWLEDGMENTS HERE Special thank you to: This online exhibit is made possible by a major grant from National Endowment for the Humanities. Any views, findings, conclusions, or recommendations expressed in this exhibition do not necessarily represent those of the National Endowment for the Humanities. Museum programs are funded in part by the Metropolitan Nashville Arts Commission and Tennessee Arts Commission. Want to read more? GET THE BOOK Listen to the Hits GET THE 2-DISC SET SIGN UP FOR OUR NEWSLETTER FOLLOW US COUNTRY MUSIC HALL OF FAME AND MUSEUM • 222 FIFTH AVENUE SOUTH NASHVILLE, TN 37203 • PHONE: 615.416.2001 ©2021 COUNTRY MUSIC HALL OF FAME® AND MUSEUM ALL RIGHTS RESERVED | PRIVACY POLICY | TERMS OF USE