Austin first note in national exhibit on America's music history
AUSTIN, Texas - A new exhibit set to open this weekend will feature personal memorabilia from artists who have shaped American music.
The new LBJ Presidential Library exhibit is called Music America: Iconic Objects from America's Music History, and on display is a collection of a song still being written.
The exhibit is curated by the Bruce Springsteen Archives & Center for American Music at Monmouth University in association with the New Orleans Jazz Museum and Hard Rock International, along with dozens of prominent collectors. Bob Santelli leads the Springsteen archives and gave FOX 7 Austin a preview tour of the exhibit, which will open Feb. 17.
"What we tried to do here is to use iconic objects from iconic artists and tell that story almost as if you were using each piece as a stepping stone through American history," said Santelli.
The items on display range from the 1700s to Taylor Swift, including one of Santelli's favorite items.
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"Here we have Buddy Holly's suit. He wore this in 1958; he wore it a year before he died in a plane crash, but even better than that, in 1957, he writes a letter to his mom saying, 'Mom, I think we are making it'," said Santelli.
There are also guitars used by Hank Williams, Prince and the Vaughn brothers, John Coltrane’s sax and Arlo Guthrie’s mud-stained pants from Woodstock.
"I am overwhelmed, it’s awesome," said singer-songwriter Ruthie Foster, who was among those at the LBJ Library for a sneak preview. Some musical technology caught her eye.
"The history of the phonograph is being exhibited here and how it started out. Things are being recorded on a cylinder, and it was wax and how it went to lacquer after that. And that was really interesting to know," said Foster.
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A "Wow" response from those who go through the exhibit is what Santelli is hoping for.
"And not wow, that we have all of this, but, wow, I just can't believe how much there is of American music history. Because wherever you turn, whether it's jazz, blues, classical, folk, hip hop, rock, country, these are these forms that collectively tell the American story," said Santelli.
The Austin run for the exhibit will end Aug. 11 and the national tour will wrap up at a notable point in time.
"We want it to culminate in 2026, which is America's 250th birthday. So why not celebrate American music, which is one of the most important, if not the most important cultural resource that we have," said Santelli.
Austin was picked to kick off the national tour because Santelli said he has had some good history with the LBJ Library. They've done big exhibits here on the Beatles and Motown, as well as participated in summits on Vietnam and the Civil Rights Movement.