New exhibit brings Muscle Shoals to Country Music Hall of Fame [PHOTOS

The Country Music Hall of Fame brings in music fans of all genres from across the globe. And now, those visitors can get a taste of Alabama history when they walk the halls of the museum.

“Muscle Shoals: Low Rhythm Rising” is the Hall of Fame’s latest exhibit, highlighting how the north Alabama town played a role in shaping southern music + its impact on today’s artists.

Keep reading to learn more about the exhibit + how you can see it all for yourself during your next trip to Nashville.

Muscle Shoals: Low Rhythm Rising

A piano used by Aretha Franklin at FAME (The Bama Buzz)

When you arrive on the second floor of the Country Music Hall of Fame, you’re hit with a wave of Alabama music nostalgia.

You’re greeted by some soul music that was recorded in Muscle Shoals, setting the tone for an educational + immersive walk through the exhibit.

“The exhibit tells the story of Black and white musicians who found a way to work together at a time when segregation prevailed. Producer Rick Hall and his FAME Recording Studio and the session aces at Muscle Shoals Sound Studio built a home-made approach to cutting music that mattered. As a result, hitmakers from R&B, rock, pop, and country music flocked to this quiet backwater to record, and a new rhythm arose.”
Country Music Hall of Fame

There are iconic artifacts throughout the exhibit like instruments, outfits, original lyric sheets + a piano used by Aretha Franklin which is used as a centerpiece for the exhibit.

Aretha Franklin played the Apollo baby grand piano, now on display, when she recorded her breakout hit, “I Never Loved a Man (The Way I Love You),” at FAME Studios in 1967.

The exhibit includes several other big names along the way like:

Pete Carr
Duane Allman
Candi Staton
Wilson Picket
Patterson Hood

Clips from the critically acclaimed “Muscle Shoals” documentary are aired in the exhibit. Plus, there’s an interactive jukebox where you can pick songs from the museum’s Muscle Shoals playlist.

There is also a welcome video from Shoals native Jason Isbell which plays on a loop at the start of the exhibit.

The Muscle Shoals exhibit is scheduled to be on display until March 2028.