Tim McGraw, Faith Hill Preview Upcoming Exhibit At Country Music Hall of Fame

Pictured (L-R): Sandbox Entertainment CEO Jason Owen, Sandbox Entertainment’s Sandra Westerman, Faith Hill, Tim McGraw, Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum’s SVP of Museum Services Carolyn Tate, Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum’s CEO Kyle Young, EM.co’s Senior Vice President Kelly Clague. Photo: Rick Diamond/Getty Images [Click to enlarge]

The exhibit chronicles the lives of the two superstars, including Hill’s journey from Star, Mississippi, and McGraw’s trek from Start, Louisiana. The exhibit includes Hill’s Heidi Weisel gown, worn during during her wedding to McGraw in 1996, as well as the mirror from McGraw’s dressing room, on which Hill answered his marriage proposal, using a felt pin to write, “I am gonna be your wife! Yes. Love you so, so much.”

Also included are the outfits that the couple wore during their recent “The Rest of Our Life” video, as well as black leather neolite boots worn by Hill in her 1993 video for her first single “Wild One.” There is also the leather jacket worn by McGraw in his 1994 music video “Indian Outlaw.” The exhibit also includes a collection of the couple’s awards, including Grammys and ACM Awards.

Following an introduction from Country Music Fall of Fame and Museum leader Kyle Young, Hill and McGraw offered words of thanks and disbelief that they have their own exhibit at the hallowed venue.

Young recalled how after first arriving in Music City, Hill was turned down from a gig singing background vocals for Reba. One night in 1991, Hill was singing background vocals at the Bluebird Cafe, when music executive Martha Sharp attended and Hill later signed with Warner Bros. Nashville.

In 1994, Hill earned her first No. 1 with “Wild One.” McGraw gave his father, baseball player Tug McGraw, a copy of a demo. The elder McGraw gave the demo to a friend and the demo was passed along to friends who knew a few record label execs.

McGraw arrived in Nashville on the same day that news broke that Keith Whitley died. After arriving in Nashville in the early morning hours on May 9, 1989, McGraw went upstairs to the bar, where songwriters frequented. It was at that bar where songwriter Tommy Barnes played McGraw a novelty song called “Indian Outlaw.” McGraw would also forge a friendship with fellow songwriter Craig Wiseman, which would later become lucrative, creating McGraw’s hit songs including “The Cowboy In Me” and “Live Like You Were Dying.”

In 1994, McGraw released his first chart hit, with “Indian Outlaw.”

From there, both McGraw and Hill kept notching No. 1 hits, selling millions of albums, and launching successful tours on their way to becoming superstars.

“I’m either going to sing or I’m going to cry,” Faith said, taking the podium. She did both, offering a few a cappella lyrics of “Will The Circle Be Unbroken,” and barely holding back tears through out her speech.

“Looking around and seeing all these plaques on the wall and seeing all these people who paved the way for what we get to do and what we love and the life we’ve built, we wouldn’t be here, first and foremost without the people you see on the walls all around us,” McGraw said. “And the stories that go along with those and the hardships and the struggles and the ‘never give ups,’ and the ‘ya gotta believes’ that went along with every one of them. And you see all the people who have been a part of who we are as people and who we are as artists.”

“All I know is I’m gonna record my next record right in this room, because the acoustics are really good,” she quipped. “As a parent, we all know that it takes a village to raise children, right? Everyone in this room, people that have given their time, their dedication, their heart and soul and belief in us.”

Hill thanked EM.co Sr. VP Kelly Claque and Sandbox Entertainment’s Sandra Westerman, as well as the Country Music Hall of Fame’s Carolyn Tate and Michael McCall at the Hall of Fame, as well as Rene, the head of their fan club.

“I worked at Starstruck, at Reba’s fanclub,” Hill recalled of her early days in Nashville. “Before I got signed to Warner Bros. at the time. I’m with Sony now, just so y’all know and I’m very proud of it.” she stated.

“You a good company woman, baby,” McGraw quipped.

“Yes, I am,” she replied. “I love Reba more than life itself and everyone knows how much I love her. But I was so sick and tired of packing…I packed Reba everything. That woman had her name on everything. I’m sure underwear before Ellen. So I’m sure you’ve packed everything with our names on it a billion times, not to mention that you have fought cancer and you are a survivor and you are a strong woman and we thank you so much.”

Hill thanked her manager, Sandbox Entertainment’s Jason Owen.

“You know he’s a good manager when he’s wearing a Tom Ford suit,” McGraw quipped.

“John Huie, Rod Essig, CAA, You’ve been with us from the beginning,” Hill continued, tearing up. “[O’Neill Hagaman co-founder] Al Hagaman, Craig Hayes, who we all love so much. Byron and Missy Gallimore, and all the songwriters, there are so many people. Our family and relatives…”

Hill also gave thanks for the couple’s three daughters, Maggie, Gracie and Audrey.

“The greatest gift we have been given in our lives is our children. There is not a day that goes by that I do not thank God above for the pleasure and honor of Gracie and Maggie and Audrey, for giving us those beautiful children, because they have taught me more about forgiveness, honesty, acceptance, and makes me want to be a good person. I want to be the best person I can possibly be, and because of their dad–that’s you by the way–

“We have blood tests, so…” McGraw quipped.

“I do love this guy. He is spicy and he’s a handful and it’s awesome. Thank you for our babies and I love you.” Hill summed.

The couple’s career-spanning exhibition opens to the public Friday, Nov. 17 and runs through June 10, 2018.

McGraw and Hill recently announced that their current Soul2Soul 2017 Tour will extend into 2018.