California country.
The Country Music Hall of Fame has a long reputation for honoring country music throughout history in breathtaking ways. The announcement of their newest exhibit will add to this reputation, I’m sure.
Set to open on September 30th, the new exhibit is titled: Western Edge: The Roots and Reverberations of Los Angeles Country-Rock.
“The exhibit traces the Los Angeles-based communities of visionary singers, songwriters, and musicians who, between the 1960s and 1980s, frequented local nightclubs, embraced country music, created and shaped the musical fusion, “country-rock,” and, ultimately, made a lasting impact on popular music.
Western Edge surveys the rise of the Byrds, Buffalo Springfield, the Eagles, Emmylou Harris, Linda Ronstadt, and others who found commercial success with a hybrid of rock sensibilities and country instrumentation and harmonies.
These trailblazers’ musical contributions were expanded upon by the next generation of Los Angeles roots music performers—the Blasters, Los Lobos, Lone Justice, Dwight Yoakam, and others—who once again looked to traditional American music for inspiration, blending hard-edged honky-tonk, Mexican folk music, rockabilly, and punk rock, providing inspiration to future generations of country and Americana artists.”
Take a step back while visiting Western Edge, The Roots and Reverberations of Los Angeles Country Rock.
Starting September 30, 2022, country music fans can look at pieces of history from Los Angeles-based singers that pioneered music in the 1960s with the founding of the Americana sound through the 1980s with the curation of the “country-rock” phenomenon.
The exhibit starts with the exploration of the sound from artists like the Byrds, the Flying Burrito Brothers, Emmylou Harris, Linda Ronstadt, and more.
These trailblazers then influenced the next generation of artists like Lone Justice, the Blasters, and Dwight Yoakam.
The exhibit also pays tribute to the historic venues that helped produce this sound, like the Troubadour, Palomino Club, and the Ash Grove. Especially the Troubadour, a landmark venue for many other genres of music, helping define the sound and highlight new artists.
Kyle Young, chief executive officer for the Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum, says:
“A new hybrid sound grew from humble beginnings in a few small L.A. nightclubs and quickly emerged as one of the most popular musical styles across the world.”
Like many others at the Hall of Fame, this exhibit looks like one you could spend hours learning, listening to, and cherishing the roots of country music founded in L.A.
If you find yourself in Nashville, once the exhibit opens, add it to your bucket list.
