Nashville Songwriters Hall of Fame To Music City Center

Pictured (L-R): CMA Chief Executive Officer, Steve Moore; 2011-12 Chairman of the Nashville Songwriters Hall of Fame Foundation Board, John Van Mol; CMA Board Chairman, Troy Tomlinson; and Nashville Songwriters Hall of Fame member and Chair of the Nashville Songwriters Hall of Fame Foundation Board, Pat Alger.

The CMA Foundation has donated $250,000 to help construct the first-ever physical Nashville Songwriters Hall of Fame at the new Music City Center.

“Songwriters are an important constituency group for the Country Music Association,” said CMA Board Chairman and member of the CMA Foundation Troy Tomlinson. “For the CMA Foundation to see fit to honor the songwriters in order to preserve the legacy of their work and creative impact on the format, speaks to the very heart of why the CMA Foundation was created.”

The Nashville Songwriters Hall of Fame will include two elements.The Hall of Fame inside the Music City Center will include graphic displays and artifacts as well as a state-of-the-art interactive, digital exhibit. Outside the Music City Center’s Hall of Fame lobby will be a Songwriter’s Square complex, consisting of an exterior plaza and stair-step walkway that will be engraved with the names of Nashville Songwriter Hall of Fame members, the year they were inducted and the title of their most well-known composition. The project will be revealed when the Music City Center opens this summer.

“Honoring the accomplishments of our songwriting community is important to CMA,” said Steve Moore, CMA Chief Executive Officer. “The CMA Foundation’s decision to fund this important initiative is just another example of our commitment to preserving the legacy and recognizing excellence in our songwriter community.”

“We are truly overwhelmed at this lead gift from the CMA Foundation as the ultimate show of respect and admiration for songwriters,” said John Van Mol, 2011-12 Chairman of the Nashville Songwriters Hall of Fame Foundation Board and CEO of DVL Public Relations & Advertising. “It is a big and important exclamation point as we continue to work on securing long-term operating funds so this Hall of Fame can be enjoyed for generations to come.”

“This is a wonderful opportunity for us to outreach to this important constituent group and demonstrate our appreciation for the outstanding talent and undeniable contributions made by our songwriters to the popularity and vitality of Country Music,” said Kitty Moon Emery, Chair of The CMA Foundation Board of Directors.