The Country Music Hall Of Fame Is Shining A Spotlight On Outlaw Country With Upcoming Exhibit

Wouldn’t it be nice to go back to the days of Waylon Jennings? Well, thanks to the Country Music Hall of Fame, on May 25th you’ll be able to relive the glory days!

The new exhibit, Outlaws & Armadillos: Country’s Roaring ’70s, will take viewers through a journey of historical footage, visual art, film, and artifacts, that help tell the tale of the rise of outlaw country.

“Outlaws & Armadillos: Country’s Roaring ’70s offers an unprecedented look at some of the most compelling music and artists in music history,” said museum CEO Kyle Young. “This was an era in which renegades Bobby Bare, Waylon Jennings and Willie Nelson fought for and won creative control of their own songs and sounds. It was a time when melodic poets Guy Clark, Townes Van Zandt and Billy Joe Shaver elevated public perception of what a country song could be. It was a time when the Austin, Texas, music and arts scenes blossomed, and when characters like singer-songwriter Jerry Jeff Walker, Hondo Crouch (who bought his own town, Luckenbach, Texas), armadillo art specialist Jim Franklin and University of Texas football coach Darrell Royal changed Lone Star culture. At the time, some of these things seemed unusual, even insane. Now, they all seem essential to any understanding of this great American art form, country music.”

Outlaws & Armadillos: Country’s Roaring ’70s will be on display at the Country Music Hall of Fame until February 14th, 2021.